does anyone else experience these? i do from time to time but recently when i get them they are bad and really really scary and last for much too long.

the last time i had them over and over for a couple of days and then came down with sinusitus, could there be some connection between the two? or just both related to exhaustion/stress?

how do you know when it's a panic attack and when it's something more serious, like a heartattack or something? sometimes also if i eat something sugary it makes me feel a bit better and i'm starting to worry maybe it's some kind of diabetes?

i do. i consulted a doctor and said what i was describing to him was more likely agoraphobia. ok. i don't think the two are related but maybe if they persist you should consult a doctor too.

i have panic attacks to the point i pass out for up to an hour at a time. if you cant learn to control them with mindpower, you need either medication or a plan. i take xanax when i begin to feel the chest pains i normally feel before one comes on. some people might not like the idea of taking such an addicting drug so there is some other stuff you could try. theres always the famous breathe into a paper bag technique but that never worked for me. you could try breathing exercises, such as inhaling for 5 full seconds and exhaling for 5 full seconds and if you focus on your breathing enough, the attack will subside. but do not freak out if you cant do the full 5 seconds either way, youll just scare yourself and hyperventilate more. just find the amount of time you feel comfortable with and work with it. another exercise is folding your hands together and pointing your thumbs at your chest. hold them far enough away so that your thumbs only touch your chest when you take a deep enough breath and keep doing this until your breathing is under control. you could also try drinking hot tea, which can calm you down, or just call someone to talk about something else until your mind stops obsessing over the problem. the last suggestion i have is having someone talk you through your attack. by this i mean the encouraging comments like, "okay, now just slow your breathing a bit" and have someone monitor you. i know the frustration you must feel, ive been going through this for years.

panic attacks and agoraphobia are related. i have agoraphobia associated with school because of the bad memories of passing out there 32 times and being transported to a hospital 21 times.

it is really frustrating i had myself convinced that i was about to die last night and couldnt sleep for hours after we went to bed, every time i start to drift off i have to jolt up and gasp for air because i think im dying.it sounds so ridiculous i know i should laugh at myself but i'm absolutely convinced that i am dying at the time no matter how much i try to rationalise.
the last time i got them nothing would stop them and i was just uncontrollably shaking alot and going cold and hot and could barely sleep until one day i just broke down crying because i thought that i would be like that for the rest of my life. i went to the doctor and told them but at the time they were just worried about the sinusitus and gave me tablets for that and told me not to be so worried.
i don't think it's associated with agorophobia at all as i get it in my flat and when hugh tries to talk me through it i just get more panicky. he used to have them a couple of years ago and he was agorophobic so he knows what i'm feeling like but neither of us can really explain why they come about. they started when a boy i only met once died just before christmas and i just couldn't stop thinking about it and how he must have felt and why it happened and how i could die at any moment and i'm not sure why i had that bad of a reaction because i've had deaths alot closer to me, in my family, my dad died when i was 11, and before this i've only ever had small tiny minute attacks which were manageable and i was depressed for a while a couple of years ago but these are big huge overwhelming things and i don't want to take medication. i'm also no good with counsellors as one of the things that most scares me is talking to new stranger people and i've been to one before and i couldn't talk to her at all i just shut down and couldn't speak about anything with her.

is there any kind of holistic/alternative type thing that actually will work?