What does a panic attack feel like?

For me, they vary. Sometimes its my heart beating so fast I nearly black out. Sometimes its like and asthma attack and I start wheezing and having difficulty breathing. The third kind I have makes me sweat a lot and get really nervous for no apparent reason. There are lots that are in between two or all three of those too.

And just a note, sometimes a panic attack is purely physical and you might not have been thinking about anything (I've had them playing Monopoly of all times..), but then you get scared because of the attack and it gets worse.

Not all panic attacks are the same. There are several different levels of panic attacks. Some are so slight, that you hardly notice them. Others do feel like you are having or going to have a heart attack. It causes agoraphobia. The fear of being afraid. I think this is where the real problem begins. The more afraid you get of being afraid, the worse the attacks are and then you feel like you are having a heart attack. I started having them in 1986. I still have them, but they are few and far between. And I am on a med, but it is such a low dose that I am almost ready to be taken off. I have never heard of anyone having a heart attack because of panic attacks, but if you have a bad attack, it sure will make you feel like you will.

It's very similar to the feeling you get when, you are relaxing and all of a sudden someone jumps out and scares you.

Your heart races and your stomach churns, it's hard to breath and your thinking becomes very confused because, your mind is trying to figure out what there is to be afraid of.

Once your mind can't find a logical explanation then your body starts to shake and all your thoughts go to the feelings you are having in your body.

They usually last anywhere between 5 - 30 minutes. A panic attack is exhausting to your mind and your body.

There doesn't have to be a reason to have one, they just come out of nowhere.

If I'm in a small room, it feels absolutely tiny. If I'm in a large space, it feels as if i'm drowning. I feel as if there is no escape, and it becomes difficult to breathe. I'm a very introverted person, so i dont outwardly express emotion; the internal turmoil drives me physically mad and i tend to pace a lot. This may not be Panic Disorder, but I've had high levels of anxiety my whole life, and sometimes it gets a bit out of control.

Well I've had one and very few pointless ones but to sum it up its like this. You don't think of any alternatives but that one thing that your panicking about. Theres not positives, but pure pessimism and your heart beats fast, and your isolated from society meaning you don't see anything in your head clearly but panic.

Your mind races in all-ending track of what-ifs and worrying and this quelling feeling from within you comes out and spans and it restricts your being and it makes you feel helpless.

Wut he said....