Constantly feeling anxiety after my first panic attack last week

[jamie177]

This last week has been horrible. I had my first panic attack 10 days ago and since i didn't know what was happening I took it to another level, went to ER, got so scared that I was dying.  Fast forward 10 days and I still feel panicky, I have constant anxiety, can't sleep at nights.  Is this the aftermath of my first attack or have I just developed chronic anxiety all of a sudden?  I hate this feeling.. What can I do?

[Panic321]

I’m sorry to hear that you are having a tough time. When I had my first panic attack, I felt terrible for months after that. I was constantly anxious and having more panic attacks. I also had a difficult time sleeping. So, I can definitely relate to your story.  For me, the first few months after my first panic attack were the worst. It was very scary because I couldn’t figure out what was going on.

I’ll let some of the other members give you advice, but I just wanted to say that I understand what you are going through.

[kevin84]

I think once you have a full blown panic attack it takes the body some time to recover (hangover period) due to the high level of adrenaline that can be released at the time of a panic attack. Due to the adrenaline released during the panic attack and the high level of stress afterwards that is put on the body from the anxiety the body seems to be in a constant state of alertness making it hard for relaxation including sleep. I think everyone's body will process and balance out the levels of adrenaline differently causing different lengths of time for the "hangover period" to last individually.

You will feel better!

[TomRainKing]

I can idenitfy with your situation 100%.  I've dealt with panic/anxiety for 8 years and generally it comes in spurts and is relative to a place or situation.  For instance, two days ago i had a TERRIBLE attack getting out of the shower...actually  told my wife to call 911 cause i was sure my heart was stopping...luckily i waived her off at the last minute...it took me literally 5 hours to reset.  Since then, my showers are like 2 minutes before i have to get out because i know i'll panic if im in there too long. 
For me, it works the other way too.  Just as a certain situation or place can cause a panic attack after you've had one, a solution can work after it's worked once.  For me it's carbonated beverages.  For some reason the release of gas after i burp calms me (bloating is my #1 panic response).  I carry soda or selzter water everwhere i go. 

[jamie177]

I think you all pretty much nailed it.  But does this feeling eventually go away?? It's so hard to do anything be anxious all the time?  I can barely work, eat, play with my kids, sleep??

[Morbius858]

You need to relax.  Funny, I know; but you need to slow down.  Your first panic attack hit you like mine did.  The best thing you can do is look up relaxation techniques, realize when you're getting too anxious and take a step back, realize there's nothing wrong with you and no doctor will tell you differently.  You're playing a mind game with yourself, just remind yourself that you are in control, not your subconcious.


You're lucky you're seeking help early on.  It will be much easier for you to overcome it.

[Twinhere]

My first 3 months were hell. No sleep, constant anxiety, fear of death. It gets better

[Skip4582]

That's the key to remember, it does get better. You can overcome it. But since you are now hypersensitive to certain physical conditions, you sense everything as being a crisis, right?  Take it slow, realize that overcoming anxiety is a lot like getting a master's degree, it takes time. But as you go along, it gets easier to cope with it.

And as you learn to deal with the symptoms and they go away for a day, a week, a month, or a year, realize that we will sometimes get those little setbacks because of holiday stessors, a tough time at work, kids, etc. It's normal to have a setback.

Take the first steps in understanding what happens with us when our bodies misinterpret something and kick in the "fight or flight" response. Understand what symptoms we get when we have adrenaline coursing through our bodies. And lastly, something that helped me a bit is that there are adrenaline junkies out there that need the constant "high" that adrenaline gives them. Imagine that, some people thrive on elements of the anxiety response that we are fighting.

That little tidbit helped me understand that this isn't going to kill me, some people seek out this feeling that I have, and that it does go away - with time and a little education.

[Zounds]

I know how you feel. I had my first panic attack about 5 weeks ago.  I've had 3-4 similar "attacks" since, but they have not been as bad as that first one (which lasted all day and yes, I almost went to the ER) b/c I kind of can tell myself what is going on and to calm the f*ck down. 

Actually had the latest one yesterday out of nowhere just watching television.  I took 5mg of propanolol (I only really get two symptoms-jacked up heart rate and dizziness) and took a walk and paced and breathed for about 22 minutes and then was fine.  It was the best I've handled one so far.

Now the worst part is the "hangover", I felt like crap the rest of the day and today, with lingering chest pain.  I'm going to finally see someone next week to try to figure out how to make them stop or at least accept them.   My biggest goal is to learn to not think about this crap all the time.

But trust me, I'm still immensely frustrated that this is happening all of a sudden at age 33 (i would love an answer as to "why now?" :) ), and immensely frustrated that even though I am doing everything mostly right (eating right, cut way back on alcohol, no caffeine, lost 15 puonds last 8 weeks actually) its still happening. 

But I'm encouaged by other people's stories and that I think I'm in at least in the infancy of learning/accepting it so it doesn't dominate me or my life. 

So anyway, hang in there, I'm in the same boat as you!