It is sudden intense fear which strikes a person for no apparent reason. It can occur anywhere and is debilitating. A person who has more than 2 of these a year is said to have panic or anxiety disorder.

The symptoms of a panic attack include dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, flushed skin, hyperventilation, faintness, tightness in the throat, and difficulty swallowing. Since the person may feel as if they are having a heart attack, it is best to seek medical attention when one has not been diagnosed with panic or anxiety disorder.

You described the situation perfectly, MarthaTea. She has no idea what brings this on and does feel as if she is having a heart attack. (She has been prescribed Xanax which does work well for her, but she does not like taking it routinely, only on an as needed basis when she feels "stressed"). Excellent answer!

I can tell you this when you have one you dont have any trouble identifying it. i have had them off and on for years..it is very scary you all at once feel like you cant breath, you are so short of breath ,your heart is pounding like you have run amile you think your haveing a heart attach and it can be more severe than this or lighter . the scaryest is you never know when they are going to happen and why they happen. that is scary.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) states that a panic attack presents as a sudden incredibly intense fear or apprehension. A panic attack is a response of the sympathetic nervous system where the mind actually tells the system it is panic mode. A sudden release of adrenaline in massive amounts accounts for the symptoms of heart attack, dizziness including syncope, loss of breathing (hyperventilation), blurred vision, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), sweats and nausea. The illness is more mental than physical but shock can set in, as demonstrated by old time remedy of throwing a bucket of water on the victim. As first responders, we found the easiest way to treat was having the victim breathe into a paper bag and breath in more of their own CO2 then oxygen. This loss of oxygen, while very slight, was enough to trigger the adrenaline & its energy to the lungs to expel more CO2. In doing this, the adrenaline would not irritate other organs and the attack subsided. After five minutes of pure O2, the victim calmed down and medication could be administered usually in the form of diazepam. For people with more than one attack per year a doctor may be needed to prescribe an inhibitor on a regular basis.

Thank you scarlette and bobintexas, for the information that can help someone else who may be experiencing the same symptoms. I am sorry you are affected with this disorder scarlette, I have had two freinds describe these attacks and they sound terrifying to me. The oddest thing is no one seems to know what triggers these episodes. But what seems to be common in my friends is stress.

PetCaretaker A good medication for your friends if not on meds is paxil and this comes in many doses that start i think at 10 M/Gs up to 60 M/Gs and can help them break this cycle i spoke to DR VALAIUM today and he said he had better results with this medication then any that he has given to people and this also comes in the generic form also.

Thanks KB, (B.H.), I will suggest it the next time one of them may have an attack. I can't imagine what an anxiety attack may be like, but I am sure that I don't want to find out either. -PCT