Medical advice please.

[Jillybabes]

Anxiety disorder is a very real illness. Nobody knows what causes it when your just sitting, or indeed asleep. It s awful cos you think your going mad but trust me you arnt. I have suffered with this for over 10 years. However, for the last 8 years its been under control mainly due to antidepressants I'm on but also cos I have learned to control and understand what's happening to me. PM me if you want to talk. Chin up it does get better believe me.

[Maz3]

It could be one of several things so please see your GP asap. With any chest pains you are meant to go to A&E.

[mort]

Have you considered that this might be sleep apnoea as you say these mostly happen at night while you are asleep? Get you gp to recommend you to the sleep clinic at the northern general who will be able to run some simple tests which will tell if this is the problem or not. If it is then it's very treatable.

[Shogun]

I've always been a tough confident person,one night I was just sat watching the telly when all of a sudden my heart started beating real fast,it started me panicking and I really thought I was having a heart attack,it just came out of the blue as I have always been fit and healthy and never smoked,I rang the ambulance and they came very quickly and took me to the northern general by this time my pulse had started to slow down a bit but was still going a bit fast,the doctor that examined said there was nothing wrong with my heart and that I was having a panic attack.I said I don't panic about anything he said it is just word they use for the symptom,apparently it is the bodys way of saying that it has had enough of stress and strain that modern life can put on it.I had all the systems of pains up my arms tingling pulsating shivering the lot I honestly thought I was cracking up and on my way out.I refused all the pills that the doctors prescribed and tried to get over it myself,it was a hard 12 months and it was not a very nice period in my life especially when the depressions started.the way I found relief was to walk and walk it seemed to help me no end it took a good for 12 months for me to come round and the systems seem to dwindle but it left a mark on my character and changed me a lot...

[medusa]

If you're having panic attacks in your sleep then I think that you ought to go and discuss this with your GP. Most people don't have panic attacks in their sleep and while they may be a form of night terrors or a sign of sleep apnoea or another sleep disturbance your GP needs to be aware of this and should be able to refer you to the sleep clinic at the NGH. Most sleep disturbances are treatable with some sort of medication or another.

 

I hope that you have an answer and are less anxious about this soon.

[Shogun]

If you're having panic attacks in your sleep then I think that you ought to go and discuss this with your GP. Most people don't have panic attacks in their sleep and while they may be a form of night terrors or a sign of sleep apnoea or another sleep disturbance your GP needs to be aware of this and should be able to refer you to the sleep clinic at the NGH. Most sleep disturbances are treatable with some sort of medication or another.

 

I hope that you have an answer and are less anxious about this soon.

 

 

The night time in bed is the worst time for panic attacks,when you are quiet and in the dark the symptoms seem to be a lot worse.you get very tired and it seems to go on into the next day.unless you have suffered with them you really don't understand.they can be very debilitating and can happen anytime of the day...

[Bethsmummy]

You could be me writing this. I had my first attack on boxing day 20 months ago. Horrible. Took myself to A&E fearing the worst. Had thorough checks & an ECG all completely normal. Had another a week later & dashed off to A&E At 2am genuinely fearing I was going to drop dead. Again all was normal. I pushed my GP for further tests. Had a heart scan & a 24 hour holter monitor test. All normal again (apart from a few errent heartbeats now & then- which is normal in healthy hearts.

 

I learned to live with them. Although in total I have had about 6 or 7 A&E visits. I googled & googled & found it is actually very common & hundreds upon hundreds of us suffer with the same symptoms. Anyhow something which recurred over & over again was sufferers suggesting a magnesium deficiency been the cause. For many people magnesium supplements seemed to cure the problem.

 

So off I went to Holland & Barratts feeling very sceptical. There I bought 250mg magnesium tablets (tub of 100 for £9.99) the recommended dose for a person is something like 450mg per day so I started on 2 tablets per day took about a week to notice the difference however after that first week I've barely had any. I get the odd one now & then but never as strong as the used to be (more flutters now than thuds) which are much less scary.

 

I probably should add though I've just -last week- finally been diagnosed with antiphospholid syndrome &lupus which has unexplained palpitations as a main symptom so mine may not have been panic/anxiety related (which I always maintained to every doctor I saw) anyhow I can personally recommend the magnesium it really does work.

 

Best wishes I really feel for you. Even if your sceptical as I was, just give it try, you never know it may work for you. Been on the magnesium for about 8 month now myself & not had a visit to A& E since. Like I say, the few I've had since have been tiny.

[frank ryan]

The best person to give you medical advise is your doctor. Make an appointment.

 

the only answer worth listening to -

[Bethsmummy]

the only answer worth listening to -

 

They don't give a flying pancake. Once they've decided its anxiety they consider you a nuisance going back & forth. That's the feeling they gave me. And like I say, it's quite probable now that mine had an actual cause all the while.

 

I had to literally beg my GP for those tests I had. And that was despite a very audible heart murmur heard by 4 seperate doctors.

[medusa]

The night time in bed is the worst time for panic attacks,when you are quiet and in the dark the symptoms seem to be a lot worse.you get very tired and it seems to go on into the next day.unless you have suffered with them you really don't understand.they can be very debilitating and can happen anytime of the day...

 

I have had them in the past and I understand that they can be dreadful at night. However, it is unusual for them to happen in your sleep because if you are relaxed enough to fall asleep then that usually stops them from happening. It's a different matter if you're lying in bed fretting.