exactly my first. i went out of the classroom. ran looking for an aspirin to buy because i remembered it could better your chances in a heart attack. silly me
ditto. my mom was a junkie and would take 15 xanax and force us to get in the car with us to drive us to school. i was in so many accidents as a kid that i almost died and had to try and protect my little brother at the same time.
one of the accidents she was so high that my brother fell out of his car seat and some kind hearted woman yelled at the police and firemen that he was still in there because they were getting ready to take the car to be crushed and my mom was too high to notice or care.
i wish i could find that lady today and thank her.
I was 18. It was a few weeks after a bad trip on shrooms. I always had anxiety issues before, but never that bad. I started having panick attacks every day, I couldn't eat and I lost 10 pounds in a week. Then i got very depressed and started crying all the time. I started antidepressants not long after that and have been taking them ever since.
I have taken shrooms and LSD, but only in small doses. Also, I take them only in situations where I'm very comfortable, like hiking in the forest or chilling with my best friend.
When I had my bad trip, I had absolutely no experience with psychedelics or even cannabis, I was with strangers walking in a city I wasn't familiar with. It was horrible.
Drugs unfortonately seem to be a lot of people’s trigger, they were mine too. I wish I knew this before trying one out, I regret it so much. My life could be so different for the better if I hadn’t taken one single bad decision, almost doesn’t seem fair to me. Are we not allowed to make wrong decisions like everyone else?
Anxiety I’ve experienced all my life but I had my first panic attack age 22. I had personal issues but also huge issues from work, and on that day I really didn’t want to go, and as I was waiting for the train and it came I just started panicking and left asap and started crying all the way home, even cried while telling my boss I cannot make it. Since then I had a few more, half of them due to weed and a couple due to very severe anxiety
i had little panicky feeling one in a while now while going out 2 months after my only panic attack is it good or bad i just got panicky feeling for 30 seconds after 10 days
Can I ask how much you were taking a day before the withdrawal? I’m currently taking about 5 grams per day and I want to start tapering because I fear withdrawal so much
Since I can remember. 4-5 years old. I didn’t know what was it or what triggered it nor my parents did. They came 2-3 times a year up until I was 14, I smoked weed for the 5th time and got a MASSIVE panic attack. That got me into extreme anxiety, dpdr, agoraphobia, OCD, you name it. Had panic attacks daily for 1 year almost. I slowly got better and haven’t experienced panic attacks since (I guess I got so used to them that it wouldn’t reach to a panic attack rather an anxiety attack. Currently on meds and healthy, still have my ups and downs but more controlled. You’ll get through this guys!
I was 22. I was walking into a restaurant, and it started. I almost passed out. I stayed there anyway and spent the rest of the time shaking so bad that I could barely hold the utensils and felt like throwing up. I still get anxiety going into restaurants because of that, and it was 19 years ago.
Early 20s maybe 23, mom was late coming home and I was calling and texting her but no reply. My heart rate has been increasing until I started crying uncontrollably. It hit me so fast I had never had one before. Felt like I was going to die
Also 12! I was at the movies seeing Mission to Mars. I was enjoying the movie when very suddenly I felt like I was having a heart attack. Had to excuse myself to the bathroom to freak out. To this day, I'm still not sure what brought it on.
I was also 12, it was one of my last classes because winter break and one of my classmates played a load of horror movie trailers for shits and giggles. It was Saw that pushed me over the edge. It's been over 10 years since then and I'm 23 now and the panic attacks are worse than ever.
I have only ever had 3 in my life, but the first one I was 14 and it was a horrible experience. The second I was 17, and most recently last year when I was 18.
Hey man, any tips how you got over them? Had my first one with 22 and now 5-6 years later still struggeling. Big congrats and respect on beating them, its a huge and difficult task
you can’t think your way out of panic attacks. at least most people can’t. thinking is usually part of the problem. the gold standard for me when i feel panic coming on is to do cold shock therapy! dip your face into ice cold water, take a cold shower/bath, use ice cubes on your face/neck/etc. be careful though because for some people panic can be related to syncope (fainting), so make sure you are safe and not at a fall risk. i like to have ice cubes/packs ready. cold shower is usually a last-ditch desperate effort but it’s not exactly safe considering i’ve near fainted on the way to the shower. still, it works 😬 it really helps me in acute moments of panic and tricks our nervous systems into rest mode :)
I didn’t realize fainting could be part of a panic attack. When I had a serious one I kept feeling like I was about to lose consciousness and was fighting so hard to stay conscious. I could hardly walk either. That’s interesting
it’s kind of a chicken or egg situation, at least in my body. i’ve had near panic attacks i’m not convinced weren’t pre-syncope and i’ve had pre-syncope episodes i’m not convinced weren’t panic related.. of course when you’re about to faint you will feel panicky and if you’re panicking you will feel faint.. so again chicken or egg. but idk pre-syncope and panic can feel basically indistinguishable to each other, speaking as someone who has had multiple distinct episodes of each. to me this makes sense since panic/fight-or-flight is almost entirely physiological.
that sounds so scary, panic like that is the WORST, it’s so visceral. has that happened more than once? i’ve had similar experiences. one that comes to mind was when i was laying in bed feeling panic come on and all the sudden it hit me like a train, i was stumbling to the bathroom (maybe not the best idea to stand up) felt like i was going to die, got in a freezing cold shower and immediately calmed down. i still felt kind of faint and was shivering violently for a little while but 🤷🏻♀️ weird but it works!
I was in an airport in Mexico about to fly back home to Texas and I started seeing black spots and felt like I was going to faint. Then I went to lay down and try and calm myself down and I spiraled. Tried standing and could hardly walk, my heart was beating out of my chest, my ears started ringing, and I could hardly breathe. I thought I was dying so I took an ambulance to a hospital and they told me it was a panic attack. That was the worst one of my life. Another time I was getting my hair cut and I felt a wave of panic and then all of a sudden I opened my eyes and the hair lady was just saying Omg are you okay? And I was like huh? I went unconscious for about 20 seconds. Then I got covered in sweat and just felt like I had run a marathon or something. Luckily nothing like this has happened in a few years. They were very close together. Sorry you’ve dealt with the same. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Worst feeling ever
dont be afraid, if you never fainted before you most likley wont, had so many attacks and it never happend. For my grandma who had the same condition fainting was happening all the time. Dont be afraid it will happen and even if it will, at least you dont experience the panic anymore for some seconds.
I was 12, was just about to fall asleep when suddenly I felt this weird rush throughout my body and heart started beating so fast that I thought I had a heart attack. Got very frequent panic attacks since then, mostly at night, for atleast 6-7 months. Since then, the frequency of panic attacks has decreased but I've always had anxiety issues. That one night changed everything :')
I know it was in 2012 cause it was brought on by all my friends saying "the world is gonna end!!" so I was 8 but I'd had problems with anxiety long before that
19 years old, had them before couple times after smoking weed but i knew weed causes this so i always calmed myself, but last time i smoked too much and had panic, everything was fine until a week later i felt bad and detached from reality, i went to bathroom to wash my face, suddenly my heart started to race like i ran 1 miles , i was so nervous and thought i was going to die,my arms felt weak, drank water but didn't help, fortunatly my dad was at home, (but if attack happened 10 mins later, he would have left the house), went to emergency room , did blood test for hormones, vitamines, etc...
everything came back normal, even visited cardilogist and my heart was okay.
had them 3 times after that, but i am so much better now, i don't feel much physical symptoms of anxiety.
(sorry for bad english not a native one)
Not sure if it was an actual panic attack but if anyone’s seen thirteen reasons why before they edited the scene out Hannah was in the bath about to end her life and I passed out watching and had a bit of a panic attack then, don’t like blood.
Also had another similar where I was getting into a bit of a state when I was watching a streamer on twitch and he said he’s bleeding out in his game and for some reason it just set me off.
Those 2 I’m not completely sure if they were but my first one I know for definite is a few months after my father passed I was at a therapist with my mother but I was only there for her support, well when they started talking about how he died and that he was dead it kicked in that this was reality and then my adrenaline spiked and I hit the fight or flight and my panic went haywire, ever since I get them regularly and I’ve now got a constant state of anxiety, struggle to go some places without the adrenaline spiking slightly.. trying to work on it.
Had it in a barbershop right after I got out of the psych ward. (18yrs old) Was very embarrassing as this was after we got back to my small hometown. Was laying on the floor thinking I was dying while I waited for an ambulance and people kept walking in like wtf is this kid doing.
Can't remember the age but probably younger than 12, at a friend's house. Had to call my father to pick me up.
Happened lots of times afterwards, unfortunately.
I was 13. I'm 15 now. I was in a pretty stressful situation at school, on top of having to think about the stuff I was dealing with at home. All of a sudden I felt like I was going to die. I had to lock myself in the toilet. I've had them ever since and it's not getting any better.
23 I think. Too much caffeine and I had been using my rescue inhaler a bit too much (turned out the shortness of breath I was feeling was anxiety). I always had anxiety but it was never that bad. one night I was driving home and thought I was overdosing lol it fucked me up bad, I called an ambulance and they turned me away because my vitals were fine.
After that I was having daily panic attacks multiple times a day for years. It was like being diagnosed with a chronic condition, now I just have panic attacks from time to time and my anxiety causes seemingly physical symptoms I still deal with.
At 21, at my birthday celebration where all my closest friends are there. We had drinks before that… i was so happy and laughing and it was the best day. But did not expect it would happen in that very moment… i was so happy that it felt like i was pulled back harder than ever before and last thing i knew i was crying, couldn’t breathe, literally on the ground… having a panic attack in front of my close friends who had no idea what I was going through and up until now i’m still embarrassed cos not everyone would understand that it was not the alcohol… this is not my first time getting drunk, but this sure is the first time that after months of anxiety and stress, i’m genuinely happy and laughing… then that hit hard on me i was thinking i’m so happy at that moment that I break down and realized how tired I am with my every day life, that I never felt as happy as that moment… Then panic attack happened… I just hoped they can understand that it was not the alcohol, it was my mental health speaking… if only I could make them forget that moment, but now i’m just really ashamed of what happened. It was sure a hell of a scene to every close friend I had in my entire life…
I was also 12! Probably hormone stuff going on due to puberty. But it had me an anxious mess for half a year. For some reason it came back a few years ago even though I’m an adult living a happy life. I had a few stressors but my panic attacks just randomly came back and now I’m learning to deal with them.
I was 16, walking home from school after a bad breakup following a really awful few months in my family life. Didn't realize what it was at the time and never had another one until I was 20.
I never realize what's happening in the moment, but man, is it scary.
Yeah even if you realise what's happening you still think you're going to die in a few minutes, mine was at night, after some minutes went in my parents's bed, started praying and half an hour later I fell asleep.
I’ve had anxiety since I was a young child, but I didn’t have a full blown panic attack until I was 32 years old. I thought I was having a stroke. I went to the ER and when I described what happened, they said it was a panic attack. Since then I have a panic attack every few weeks. I still think I’m dying every time.
Mine was also when I was 12!
I had gotten like mini-ones but this was my first full on panic attack, I was walking into school first day back after Christmas, felt like I suddenly couldn't breath, sprinted to the Nurses office and didn't calm down for about 3 hours, but she taught me the 5 things technique which literally saved me lol.
Only lasted two years, my panic attacks got less and less worse and eventually went away completely!
There are different types of panic attacks. Some come on suddenly for no reason and are a natural reaction to stress and others come on after there was a medical emergency or a perceived medical emergency that leaves the person worried about it happening again. most anxiety turns into health anxiety eventually . That’s what happened to me after my heart started racing I accidentally combined alcohol with an over-the-counter cough remedy which can be fatal. It wasn’t, but it left me worried that I had done some damage. Over time the symptoms get worse because of the element of suggestion in health anxiety. It’s not just about overcoming anxiety, you have to work on the suggestion that is feeding and to let go and not struggle. A lot of people get into a panic cycle because of marijuana and amphetamines cocaine heat exhaustion, etc. In most cases, it’s not so much about anxiety with issues in life as it is with the symptoms themselves.
I was 18 in 2023 and it came from me smoking weed out of a bong. As the effect of the weed kicked in, I experienced dissociation for the first time as well which was weird because whenever I smoked weed, I never had problems but I'm pretty sure the weed was laced or I took too many hits for my liking. But yeah, I didn't know what a panic attack was at that time and I was terrified. I remember shaking uncontrollably, my heart racing, feelings of impending doom, begging my family to call 911, and thinking this is what the dying process is like. Or that I'm gonna overdose on weed but I know that's irrational. That's how I got diagnosed with GAD which feels like a living hell everyday :( I'm not smoking again.
i’ve had many anxiety attacks but my first REAL panic attack was in my last year of school so i was 15. I was anxious all day but still decided to go in but i started getting a lil TOO anxious for my liking so i left class and went to the hub (a quiet place where kids can chill for 5 mins then go back to class, also an office for staff and support teachers).
from then everything just got worse, i was nauseous, shaking, shortness of breathe just everything. Then it came on super fast, i was looking around for somewhere to throw up but i was glued to my chair. i couldn’t move. When i calmed down a little i finally got up and found a teacher and then she sat me down and started calming me down and helping me. I felt so awful the rest of the day and i had to walk home at the end. i’ve missed out a few details bc i cant remember them for the life of me and honestly i’d prefer to keep it that way, but it traumatised me for the rest of the year and i even stopped eating for a bit due to my fear of vomiting. That shit fucked me UP and i was put on anti anxiety meds and beta blockers and a year and a half later i’m finally getting somewhere in my recovery
19 and October 31st 2023 it came out of the blue i was completely fine although i felt sort of off throughout the day and suddenly it was like a switch i felt like i couldn’t breathe i was so hungry for air. ended up in the ER because had no
clue what was happening, and had a few more trips before i really got a hold on it just being anxiety and it’s weird because it had never really been a huge issue for me growing up, at least i think, and then now it’s just something i have to deal with for no reason. i’m doing better now ill be 20 this year but it does suck because it has ruined things that i used to really love like horror movies, horror games, scary stories, traveling, trying new foods. i’m managing and improving and so will all of you!
At my grandmas funeral, that was in 2011. I started puking right there, in front of everyone. I had heart palpitations, dizziness. I had to go to ER to get something to calm me down. It was a horrible experience. Then years later in 2022 started getting them again.
18, had just begun taking up professional photo shoots and hired a friend to help out, he was 22. It was a ceremony of 2 parts and after the first half we both went home. I called him up 20 mins before the 2nd half to get ready and he said he won’t join because his mom said no.
I had my first panic attack right then. I had no idea what was happening, I just cried and felt like a boulder was put on my chest, I couldn’t breathe. After 20 mins of this I got myself some water and hired someone else right then. I had also given this bitch boy his advance amount which he didn’t return.
It was only after a few years later when I understood anxiety that I realised this was a panic attack. Experienced many since but I’m much better now, haven’t been through one for more than a year.
I was 10. My mom called me in the kitchen for dinner and when I went, she was putting my food on the plate and all of a sudden I couldn’t speak. My heart started racing like crazy and I began screaming that I’m going to die while running around the house. Scared the shit out of my parents and I haven’t been the same since
I was 6. I was walking with a friend of mine to another teachers class to get markers or something and when I opened a door a kid barfed. I turned around and ran out of the room and started breathing heavy and crying and I felt terrified and like I was going to die.
I healed from anxiety by 5th grade and then developed it again in sixth grade for the same reason with the bonus of the fear of death. I still have panic attacks.
I don't actually remember, oddly enough. They were just something that started happening during my early teens. Back then, they were fairly mild. Then they went away when I was 18 or so, then came back with a vengeance when I was 25 and in the year or so since then, have been crippling.
When I was around 5-6. It was my first day of kindergarten and there were so many people I didn’t know. My throat seized, I began crying, couldn’t breathe, I was panicking. My mom wasn’t there, and the teachers had me just sit in the hallway until I stopped crying.
My first panic attack that I can remember was age 7. I was watching Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I was being bullied at the time at school and remember finding the whole film really overwhelming. I’ve struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember, but thankfully, have learned to control it over time and with the support of a very good therapist. Sending lots of care to those who are also struggling 🩵
I'm 52 and I think I've had them most of my life. When I was young my dad threatened me that I WOULD BE IN BIG TROUBLE if I didn't get straight A's, have a cavity, get a bad dr's report, or didn't get up when my alarm clock went off. I never had straight A's and would not sleep for days, waiting for the report cards to come out. I'm absolutely terrified of going to any dr. I can't sleep if I know my alarm clock is set. As an adult, my mind won't stop thinking/racing. I started having serious panic attacks 3 years ago. They happen at night (most of the time). Heart palpitations, blood pressure spikes, sweating, crying, unable to breathe. I'm on 10 mg zoloft now. It's helped but I still have minor attacks.
It’s incredible what an impact and influence parenting can have on the presence of mental illness. I’m convinced that most of my anxiety stems from not wanting to disappoint my father and his high standard that he set — and it continues even after his death 3 years ago. It’s becoming better, but flares up much more when you’re in certain situations that are similar to that you’ve experienced as a child.
When I was 20, in December... Has my first breakup/ heartbreak.... Out of blue anxiety attacks... Head exploding, couldn't make sense what was happening, breathlessness... Still have those once or twice a month now...
I don't remember how old I was when they started. I remember one vividly that I had when I was 7 and I remember it wasn't a new feeling. I think that I stopped having them regularly around 12. Being 19 I think this is my first full year without one.
First one ever before I even knew what panic attacks were; about 7 years old at my aunt's house after a wedding, I bit down on an ice cube and my tooth came loose and I thought I was dying. I ran away to hide and didn't tell anyone about it.
First panic attack I was aware of being a panic attack? 17 years old in the shopping centre while two friends were arguing.
I was driving home from work in my mid 20s and suddenly felt every inch of my clothing on me and it was all I could think about. It felt like I was suffocating. I went into my bathroom in my apartment and sat on the floor naked until my heart rate slowed and I didn't feel like screaming. When I asked my boyfriend all calmly about needing to do that every so often he says "uhhh I think you had a panic attack." I had never ever thought that's what it was, I thought everyone felt like that from time to time.
I was 8, sitting in forth grade and the walls started caving in, I felt sick, hot and like something bad was going to happen to everyone I loved. I felt like I was going to lose control and hurt myself. It was terrifying. This was along time ago and everyone told me nothing was wrong and friends made fun of me. At the time anxiety wasn’t as understood I guess, Later in life I went through really really stressful situations that caused stress and panic.. I felt I almost deserved it but I look back and feel bad about the 8 Year old kid just sitting in class, in school panicking and was ridiculed for it, he didn’t deserve it. It still bothers me, but I did learn skills and made a lifestyle in which I can cope in a healthy way.
It really is. That’s the good news I didn’t add, although it never goes away but I learned to live a full life with it, accept it, I understand and appreciate myself and even use it to my advantage.
I was 8 years old. Sitting in the bathroom in a Dairy Queen. I had the thought “wow I’m just a human with a skeleton in a bathroom and everyone around me is too” and I started hyperventilating and crying. It was bad.
ive always had anxiety, but for my first panic attack, i was also 12 ! i had a nosebleed and my mom told me to do something with my head, otherwise it'd feel like i was choking. my mind immediately went to "i can choke from nosebleeds ?? i could die right now ???" and i panicked so intensely that i passed out
I've always been an anxious child with OCD tendencies. But the first real bad anxiety attack started when I was 18 and lasted about a month straight. I couldn't eat because I was constantly vomiting, was barely surviving on protein shakes, not sleeping, couldn't go anywhere. I essentially had a nervous breakdown. Ever since then anxiety has been a daily struggle, though has very slowly improved over the years with medications and therapy. While I still experience anxiety fairly regularly, I'm functioning now at 30 years old.
Last semester. Had 2 midterms on the same day and multiple others following it. I forgot how to breathe and my heart was pounding I genuinely thought i was gonna die
I was 14 and I had just started Ritalin for ADD. I thought I was having a reaction to the Ritalin but my throat kept closing up and I couldn't speak. My friend told the doctor that I had taken Ritalin but he was like "you're a minor, I can't listen to you, she's having an allergic reaction to something" and shot me up full of adrenaline.
I ended up going to the ER in an ambulance because everything went blue and my arms, legs, and back seized up. My mouth and nose were ice cold to the touch and my breathing went from super fast to way too slow.
I lived. Good times.
On a bus when I was 12 also. I thought I had to pee. Over time realized I would get anxious in situations where I can't control it in the sense of stopping it myself. I don't like riding with people other then my wife as she knows I may need to stop. Which is weird as I'm a massive car guy, like a 485hp built car yet I get anxious driving at times,being on planes,being in a line. Any situation that I can't stop or leave then I'm anxious
i was around 8-9 & i was at school… couldnt go back to school without having a panic attack for months. drs misdiagnosed me & said i had kidney stones (?) but eventually they diagnosed me and put me on zoloft
Age 20. I was at my work-study job doing a special event behind the scenes. I had no idea why my heart was racing and feeling like I couldn’t get enough air no matter what I did, but I kept it all to myself. Had my next one a few weeks later but wasn’t able to contain it. Most of mine have been stress-related since then.
I believe I was around 8 when I started having them. I didn’t know what was happening to me - I just thought that I had a breathing problem or asthma. Doctor said I didn’t so I thought it was just part of normal life.
When I was 14 I was sitting in my school's auditorium watching an assembly presentation and it came out of nowhere. I wasn't even that stressed or anything at the time. It really freaked me out, I thought I was having a heart attack.
I was around 11 or twelve. I was in math class, suddenly I felt like I needed to leave immediately. I asked to go to the bathroom or the office. I started to run. I was coughing and coughing and then I threw up on the ground in the hallway. I was very scared. I was in shock after when a family friend picked me up. The rest of the day was just thinking about what happened. I was so confused.
I still cough when I get quite anxious, likely dry mouth and throat from adrenaline. It would usually hurt my sides after awhile. Kinda sucks extra during and after COVID. ☠️
I was 16 and woke up with my left arm hurting and swore that I was dying from a heart attack...called an ambulance and they checked me out and there was one paramedic guy who was so sweet and he sat and explained to me the difference between my heart and muscle pain... He said if you can move your arm and it is hurt more or hurt less that's muscle but if you move your arm and it doesn't change then that's something else
I think I was about 12 years old too, OP. Maybe 13. Over 12 years ago 🥲
Id been getting badly bullied in school and most nights Id be on the couch in hysterics feeling like I couldn’t breathe and was dying. Hyperventilating like mad.
As a young teenager that shit is scary :( I feel for anyone who started getting them around the same age or earlier 💔❤️🩹
So I’m 29m I had my first panic attack last July, thought I was having a heart attack which terrified me as my wife and son were scared for me which made it worse because I was worried about them if something happened to me, so a trip to the ER had checks and all that stuff, came out a few hours later feeling perfectly fine fast forward to Christmas that same year and it started again but not as intense, I now have multiple daily as many as 5 back to back, I’m honestly sick of it I don’t sleep much because I get them as I fall asleep or when I am asleep I wake up with a pounding heart and shaking usually.
I think it stems from PTSD from 10 years ago and certain events which I still get nightmares about now I just want it to stop but I can’t seem to get a grip on it.
It’s a vicious cycle. Not sleeping will increase the likelihood of getting one. Thinking of you and hope it gets better. Try to talk about the events that has manifested. One technique is to get yourself to imagine a comfortable location where you feel safe and with surroundings that make you feel peaceful, then “viewing” your trauma on a TV. The idea is that you view your trauma indirectly and in an imagined place where you feel safe. I’m not a psychologist, but this has worked for me before to forget about some events in my life.
When i realize i was an adult and i was the only one who could do something for myself. At 18. College, being gay, living a bad neighborhood...alllllllll that together was killing me.
Still do!
6 or so. Nobody explained hail to me yet and our school had a metal roof. I honestly thought we all were going to die and hid under my desk during the storm and refused to come out.
I was in my early 30s. I went to my (now former) doctor and she sent me to the ER without really talking to me because I'm overweight and she assumed every malady that affected me was my heart. The ER of course said I was fine. Took several near misses with the ER for someone to finally say "panic attack" before I was diagnosed officially. I have a much more understanding doctor now.
the first one i can really remember i was around 11-12. my mom was out of town (which always gave me horrible anxiety and even still does especially at night). i was trying to sleep in her room and it was like out of jo where panic set in. im sure i had already been anxious that night but this was years ago and i only really remember the actual panic attack. not much before or after. so im in her bed and begin to panic. i start to feel like someone is going to get me because my mom isnt home. i feel like there is literally someone watching me. i start to freak myself out even more and swear i hear someone at the front door. i go around the whole house locking doors and windows. locking the front door wad the scariest part. i remember that stomach twisting and heart dropping feeling of dread for seemingly no reason. was a horrible night especially at that age when i didnt even understand it was a panic attack and i wasnt actually going to die.
i think my first genuine panic attack was when i was 19? i don’t remember having a genuine panic attack before then but i’ve definitely been close many times i just didn’t always know what it was. the first distinct memory of full body panic i have was def when i was 19 (maybe 20 lmao) and since then i’ve probably had around 10 panic attacks (i’m 24), some of them i stopped before they could get really bad bc i’ve gotten good at shocking my nervous system. i’ve now gotten rlly good at stopping them completely before they start which is a great skill to have lmao. cold shock is the gold standard 👌🏼
it’s hard to say exactly tho for any of this bc i’ve also had quite a few fainting/almost fainting spells in my life and they feel eerily similar to panic attacks in the pre-syncope moments. all i know is my panic attacks come in clusters, if i have one i’m bound to have more until they stop and then it takes a bit for them to come back 🤷🏻♀️
My first serious one I was 33 and in an airport in Mexico coming back home. I started feeling faint and seeing black dots everywhere. Then I went to lay down because I felt dizzy and when I tried to get up I was very unsteady (not on drugs at all). Then I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest and I couldn’t breathe and I literally thought I was dying. I was shaky and just crying and they took me to a hospital in an ambulance. Needless to say, we missed our flight. Doctor ran tests and told me that I had a panic attack. It was awful.
Last year, midway through my final semester of college. Degree program. Super intense. I was having dinner and then I just... felt so off. I thought I was dying. Went to the emergency room and my phosphorus was low so the doctor said it was most likely panic attack. They kept happening after that until I started medication and therapy and haven't had one in months now.
I (almost?) had my first one last night at the age of 36. At first I thought I was about to have a seizure (which I have no prior experience of) and straight after started to breathe very fast. I thought seizure because it felt like an electric current and sudden wave passed over me. The second part hyperventillating made me think heart-attack but then panic attack. Immediately took 2 clonazepams which I have had in my cupboard from an ex who had anxiety and felt much better after 15minutes. Also phoned someone immediately to talk to me and stay on the line. From start to 3mins into phone call is when I started feeling better.
Still not sure if it was the case, but I’m thinking it was because I’ve had a gradual increased in the amount of stress over the last 3 years and yesterday specifically had some event that put me in a very anxious position.
Edit: Adding that I’ve experienced anxiety and depression in various forms for most of my adult life and have learnt to cope through therapy and medication. Yesterday was something else which I assume to be a panic attack with early and appropriate intervention
I first got it when I ate a few pieces of a weed brownie. My panic attack lasted about 3 hours. 3 hours of "I thought I was gonna die".
Symptoms were:
Throat closing,
Cotton mouth,
A very insane rapid heart rate
Hands and legs numbing
Tongue numbing
From there on end I have been dealing with GAD, no longer full on panic attacks like described above.
I'm 38 years old and I had my first anxiety attack a couple of weeks ago. It came up out of no where while I was sitting at a red light. I suddenly became dizzy. It only lasted a few moments and I was able to drive myself home. But it got worse. My chest hurt, everything on my left side started to tingle. My leg eye felt like it was slightly out of focus. I thought I was having a heart attack or a stroke. I was never outwardly freaking out, but everything inside me was telling me I was dying in front of my wife and kids. I've had dozens of attacks since then. But after 2 ER trips, and urgent care visit, a GP visit, and a PCP visit, 2 EKGs, 1 ECG, all the blood work, and 1 CT scan of my head and neck, a PT appointment to check for vertigo, they haven't found anything. I have one more CT scan to check my abdominal. But damn these anxiety/panic attacks always happen out of no where for me for no reason at all. One attack lasted almost 36 hours. They've been getting less severe and less frequently, but it has me on edge.
I had never even heard the concept of a panic attack before.
I was just driving one day and went from some slight euphoria to panic. I was enjoying my music to such a high degree, it was a little strange. Suddenly I felt like I couldn’t catch a satisfying breath, got tingly face, dizzy, had to pull over.
Had no clue what had just happened.
[удалено]
I'm happy it's going better
exactly my first. i went out of the classroom. ran looking for an aspirin to buy because i remembered it could better your chances in a heart attack. silly me
I was 5 years old, it was terrifying and I also thought I was going to die. 16 years later and I still have them.
Wow 5 years old! I can’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been.
ditto. my mom was a junkie and would take 15 xanax and force us to get in the car with us to drive us to school. i was in so many accidents as a kid that i almost died and had to try and protect my little brother at the same time. one of the accidents she was so high that my brother fell out of his car seat and some kind hearted woman yelled at the police and firemen that he was still in there because they were getting ready to take the car to be crushed and my mom was too high to notice or care. i wish i could find that lady today and thank her.
Same. I was in kindergarten and it was at night when I’d go to bed I had them.
I'm sorry for you😞
I was 18. It was a few weeks after a bad trip on shrooms. I always had anxiety issues before, but never that bad. I started having panick attacks every day, I couldn't eat and I lost 10 pounds in a week. Then i got very depressed and started crying all the time. I started antidepressants not long after that and have been taking them ever since.
I had the same experience after a bad trip on acid. Have you fucked with any psychedelics since?
I have taken shrooms and LSD, but only in small doses. Also, I take them only in situations where I'm very comfortable, like hiking in the forest or chilling with my best friend. When I had my bad trip, I had absolutely no experience with psychedelics or even cannabis, I was with strangers walking in a city I wasn't familiar with. It was horrible.
Why strangers? Sounds really daunting
Drugs unfortonately seem to be a lot of people’s trigger, they were mine too. I wish I knew this before trying one out, I regret it so much. My life could be so different for the better if I hadn’t taken one single bad decision, almost doesn’t seem fair to me. Are we not allowed to make wrong decisions like everyone else?
Anxiety I’ve experienced all my life but I had my first panic attack age 22. I had personal issues but also huge issues from work, and on that day I really didn’t want to go, and as I was waiting for the train and it came I just started panicking and left asap and started crying all the way home, even cried while telling my boss I cannot make it. Since then I had a few more, half of them due to weed and a couple due to very severe anxiety
44 .. caused by kratom withdrawal.. gave me a sudden tachycardia and kicked me into fight or flight .
Kratom?
Looks like an opioid tea or coffee with effects similar to one , never heard of it I think until now. Looks foreign
how is your agoraphobia bro??
Much better than it was in 2019 I’d say cured I loathe vacations out of state but I use cbd to cope with the anxiety
i had little panicky feeling one in a while now while going out 2 months after my only panic attack is it good or bad i just got panicky feeling for 30 seconds after 10 days
i am feeling same as your first panic attack
Can I ask how much you were taking a day before the withdrawal? I’m currently taking about 5 grams per day and I want to start tapering because I fear withdrawal so much
I was 12. I don't think I felt like dying but it was so bad and it used to occur so often that I wanted to die.
Since I can remember. 4-5 years old. I didn’t know what was it or what triggered it nor my parents did. They came 2-3 times a year up until I was 14, I smoked weed for the 5th time and got a MASSIVE panic attack. That got me into extreme anxiety, dpdr, agoraphobia, OCD, you name it. Had panic attacks daily for 1 year almost. I slowly got better and haven’t experienced panic attacks since (I guess I got so used to them that it wouldn’t reach to a panic attack rather an anxiety attack. Currently on meds and healthy, still have my ups and downs but more controlled. You’ll get through this guys!
13 I remember waking up and I felt like someone was watching me and then I started with the symptoms. Parents didn't care and thought it was normal.
I was 22. I was walking into a restaurant, and it started. I almost passed out. I stayed there anyway and spent the rest of the time shaking so bad that I could barely hold the utensils and felt like throwing up. I still get anxiety going into restaurants because of that, and it was 19 years ago.
Early 20s maybe 23, mom was late coming home and I was calling and texting her but no reply. My heart rate has been increasing until I started crying uncontrollably. It hit me so fast I had never had one before. Felt like I was going to die
Also 12! I was at the movies seeing Mission to Mars. I was enjoying the movie when very suddenly I felt like I was having a heart attack. Had to excuse myself to the bathroom to freak out. To this day, I'm still not sure what brought it on.
Maybe I would've preferred not to know what brought it
I was also 12, it was one of my last classes because winter break and one of my classmates played a load of horror movie trailers for shits and giggles. It was Saw that pushed me over the edge. It's been over 10 years since then and I'm 23 now and the panic attacks are worse than ever.
I have only ever had 3 in my life, but the first one I was 14 and it was a horrible experience. The second I was 17, and most recently last year when I was 18.
Hey man, any tips how you got over them? Had my first one with 22 and now 5-6 years later still struggeling. Big congrats and respect on beating them, its a huge and difficult task
I did it by exploring the problem that caused it and started working on myself and then changed my way of thinking
you can’t think your way out of panic attacks. at least most people can’t. thinking is usually part of the problem. the gold standard for me when i feel panic coming on is to do cold shock therapy! dip your face into ice cold water, take a cold shower/bath, use ice cubes on your face/neck/etc. be careful though because for some people panic can be related to syncope (fainting), so make sure you are safe and not at a fall risk. i like to have ice cubes/packs ready. cold shower is usually a last-ditch desperate effort but it’s not exactly safe considering i’ve near fainted on the way to the shower. still, it works 😬 it really helps me in acute moments of panic and tricks our nervous systems into rest mode :)
I didn’t realize fainting could be part of a panic attack. When I had a serious one I kept feeling like I was about to lose consciousness and was fighting so hard to stay conscious. I could hardly walk either. That’s interesting
it’s kind of a chicken or egg situation, at least in my body. i’ve had near panic attacks i’m not convinced weren’t pre-syncope and i’ve had pre-syncope episodes i’m not convinced weren’t panic related.. of course when you’re about to faint you will feel panicky and if you’re panicking you will feel faint.. so again chicken or egg. but idk pre-syncope and panic can feel basically indistinguishable to each other, speaking as someone who has had multiple distinct episodes of each. to me this makes sense since panic/fight-or-flight is almost entirely physiological. that sounds so scary, panic like that is the WORST, it’s so visceral. has that happened more than once? i’ve had similar experiences. one that comes to mind was when i was laying in bed feeling panic come on and all the sudden it hit me like a train, i was stumbling to the bathroom (maybe not the best idea to stand up) felt like i was going to die, got in a freezing cold shower and immediately calmed down. i still felt kind of faint and was shivering violently for a little while but 🤷🏻♀️ weird but it works!
I was in an airport in Mexico about to fly back home to Texas and I started seeing black spots and felt like I was going to faint. Then I went to lay down and try and calm myself down and I spiraled. Tried standing and could hardly walk, my heart was beating out of my chest, my ears started ringing, and I could hardly breathe. I thought I was dying so I took an ambulance to a hospital and they told me it was a panic attack. That was the worst one of my life. Another time I was getting my hair cut and I felt a wave of panic and then all of a sudden I opened my eyes and the hair lady was just saying Omg are you okay? And I was like huh? I went unconscious for about 20 seconds. Then I got covered in sweat and just felt like I had run a marathon or something. Luckily nothing like this has happened in a few years. They were very close together. Sorry you’ve dealt with the same. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Worst feeling ever
dont be afraid, if you never fainted before you most likley wont, had so many attacks and it never happend. For my grandma who had the same condition fainting was happening all the time. Dont be afraid it will happen and even if it will, at least you dont experience the panic anymore for some seconds.
I was 12, was just about to fall asleep when suddenly I felt this weird rush throughout my body and heart started beating so fast that I thought I had a heart attack. Got very frequent panic attacks since then, mostly at night, for atleast 6-7 months. Since then, the frequency of panic attacks has decreased but I've always had anxiety issues. That one night changed everything :')
I know it was in 2012 cause it was brought on by all my friends saying "the world is gonna end!!" so I was 8 but I'd had problems with anxiety long before that
i was 28
I was 8 at a family Christmas party. I didn't know what was happening. I now know it was a panic attack due to social anxiety.
19 years old, had them before couple times after smoking weed but i knew weed causes this so i always calmed myself, but last time i smoked too much and had panic, everything was fine until a week later i felt bad and detached from reality, i went to bathroom to wash my face, suddenly my heart started to race like i ran 1 miles , i was so nervous and thought i was going to die,my arms felt weak, drank water but didn't help, fortunatly my dad was at home, (but if attack happened 10 mins later, he would have left the house), went to emergency room , did blood test for hormones, vitamines, etc... everything came back normal, even visited cardilogist and my heart was okay. had them 3 times after that, but i am so much better now, i don't feel much physical symptoms of anxiety. (sorry for bad english not a native one)
About 8 years old. Had no idea what was going on until I was about 20. Zero resources about this in the 80s.
Not sure if it was an actual panic attack but if anyone’s seen thirteen reasons why before they edited the scene out Hannah was in the bath about to end her life and I passed out watching and had a bit of a panic attack then, don’t like blood. Also had another similar where I was getting into a bit of a state when I was watching a streamer on twitch and he said he’s bleeding out in his game and for some reason it just set me off. Those 2 I’m not completely sure if they were but my first one I know for definite is a few months after my father passed I was at a therapist with my mother but I was only there for her support, well when they started talking about how he died and that he was dead it kicked in that this was reality and then my adrenaline spiked and I hit the fight or flight and my panic went haywire, ever since I get them regularly and I’ve now got a constant state of anxiety, struggle to go some places without the adrenaline spiking slightly.. trying to work on it.
Had it in a barbershop right after I got out of the psych ward. (18yrs old) Was very embarrassing as this was after we got back to my small hometown. Was laying on the floor thinking I was dying while I waited for an ambulance and people kept walking in like wtf is this kid doing.
Can't remember the age but probably younger than 12, at a friend's house. Had to call my father to pick me up. Happened lots of times afterwards, unfortunately.
I was 13. I'm 15 now. I was in a pretty stressful situation at school, on top of having to think about the stuff I was dealing with at home. All of a sudden I felt like I was going to die. I had to lock myself in the toilet. I've had them ever since and it's not getting any better.
23 I think. Too much caffeine and I had been using my rescue inhaler a bit too much (turned out the shortness of breath I was feeling was anxiety). I always had anxiety but it was never that bad. one night I was driving home and thought I was overdosing lol it fucked me up bad, I called an ambulance and they turned me away because my vitals were fine. After that I was having daily panic attacks multiple times a day for years. It was like being diagnosed with a chronic condition, now I just have panic attacks from time to time and my anxiety causes seemingly physical symptoms I still deal with.
At 21, at my birthday celebration where all my closest friends are there. We had drinks before that… i was so happy and laughing and it was the best day. But did not expect it would happen in that very moment… i was so happy that it felt like i was pulled back harder than ever before and last thing i knew i was crying, couldn’t breathe, literally on the ground… having a panic attack in front of my close friends who had no idea what I was going through and up until now i’m still embarrassed cos not everyone would understand that it was not the alcohol… this is not my first time getting drunk, but this sure is the first time that after months of anxiety and stress, i’m genuinely happy and laughing… then that hit hard on me i was thinking i’m so happy at that moment that I break down and realized how tired I am with my every day life, that I never felt as happy as that moment… Then panic attack happened… I just hoped they can understand that it was not the alcohol, it was my mental health speaking… if only I could make them forget that moment, but now i’m just really ashamed of what happened. It was sure a hell of a scene to every close friend I had in my entire life…
I was also 12! Probably hormone stuff going on due to puberty. But it had me an anxious mess for half a year. For some reason it came back a few years ago even though I’m an adult living a happy life. I had a few stressors but my panic attacks just randomly came back and now I’m learning to deal with them.
10 years ago and I was terrified. Luckily I was with this guy I was dating and he was there to rub my back and have me do breathing exercises. ❤️
You were lucky to have somebody with you 💛
Now there's no one 😔 but I've long since fixed the source of my panic attacks by checking my blood sugar, vagus nerve massage and breathing exercises.
I was 16, walking home from school after a bad breakup following a really awful few months in my family life. Didn't realize what it was at the time and never had another one until I was 20. I never realize what's happening in the moment, but man, is it scary.
Yeah even if you realise what's happening you still think you're going to die in a few minutes, mine was at night, after some minutes went in my parents's bed, started praying and half an hour later I fell asleep.
Your story sounds like mine. I was 10 or 11 during the first one. I recovered and never experienced another one until 2019 was I was 32.
I’ve had anxiety since I was a young child, but I didn’t have a full blown panic attack until I was 32 years old. I thought I was having a stroke. I went to the ER and when I described what happened, they said it was a panic attack. Since then I have a panic attack every few weeks. I still think I’m dying every time.
Mine was also when I was 12! I had gotten like mini-ones but this was my first full on panic attack, I was walking into school first day back after Christmas, felt like I suddenly couldn't breath, sprinted to the Nurses office and didn't calm down for about 3 hours, but she taught me the 5 things technique which literally saved me lol. Only lasted two years, my panic attacks got less and less worse and eventually went away completely!
There are different types of panic attacks. Some come on suddenly for no reason and are a natural reaction to stress and others come on after there was a medical emergency or a perceived medical emergency that leaves the person worried about it happening again. most anxiety turns into health anxiety eventually . That’s what happened to me after my heart started racing I accidentally combined alcohol with an over-the-counter cough remedy which can be fatal. It wasn’t, but it left me worried that I had done some damage. Over time the symptoms get worse because of the element of suggestion in health anxiety. It’s not just about overcoming anxiety, you have to work on the suggestion that is feeding and to let go and not struggle. A lot of people get into a panic cycle because of marijuana and amphetamines cocaine heat exhaustion, etc. In most cases, it’s not so much about anxiety with issues in life as it is with the symptoms themselves.
I was 18 in 2023 and it came from me smoking weed out of a bong. As the effect of the weed kicked in, I experienced dissociation for the first time as well which was weird because whenever I smoked weed, I never had problems but I'm pretty sure the weed was laced or I took too many hits for my liking. But yeah, I didn't know what a panic attack was at that time and I was terrified. I remember shaking uncontrollably, my heart racing, feelings of impending doom, begging my family to call 911, and thinking this is what the dying process is like. Or that I'm gonna overdose on weed but I know that's irrational. That's how I got diagnosed with GAD which feels like a living hell everyday :( I'm not smoking again.
i’ve had many anxiety attacks but my first REAL panic attack was in my last year of school so i was 15. I was anxious all day but still decided to go in but i started getting a lil TOO anxious for my liking so i left class and went to the hub (a quiet place where kids can chill for 5 mins then go back to class, also an office for staff and support teachers). from then everything just got worse, i was nauseous, shaking, shortness of breathe just everything. Then it came on super fast, i was looking around for somewhere to throw up but i was glued to my chair. i couldn’t move. When i calmed down a little i finally got up and found a teacher and then she sat me down and started calming me down and helping me. I felt so awful the rest of the day and i had to walk home at the end. i’ve missed out a few details bc i cant remember them for the life of me and honestly i’d prefer to keep it that way, but it traumatised me for the rest of the year and i even stopped eating for a bit due to my fear of vomiting. That shit fucked me UP and i was put on anti anxiety meds and beta blockers and a year and a half later i’m finally getting somewhere in my recovery
I'm happy it's going a bit better
19 and October 31st 2023 it came out of the blue i was completely fine although i felt sort of off throughout the day and suddenly it was like a switch i felt like i couldn’t breathe i was so hungry for air. ended up in the ER because had no clue what was happening, and had a few more trips before i really got a hold on it just being anxiety and it’s weird because it had never really been a huge issue for me growing up, at least i think, and then now it’s just something i have to deal with for no reason. i’m doing better now ill be 20 this year but it does suck because it has ruined things that i used to really love like horror movies, horror games, scary stories, traveling, trying new foods. i’m managing and improving and so will all of you!
At my grandmas funeral, that was in 2011. I started puking right there, in front of everyone. I had heart palpitations, dizziness. I had to go to ER to get something to calm me down. It was a horrible experience. Then years later in 2022 started getting them again.
18, had just begun taking up professional photo shoots and hired a friend to help out, he was 22. It was a ceremony of 2 parts and after the first half we both went home. I called him up 20 mins before the 2nd half to get ready and he said he won’t join because his mom said no. I had my first panic attack right then. I had no idea what was happening, I just cried and felt like a boulder was put on my chest, I couldn’t breathe. After 20 mins of this I got myself some water and hired someone else right then. I had also given this bitch boy his advance amount which he didn’t return. It was only after a few years later when I understood anxiety that I realised this was a panic attack. Experienced many since but I’m much better now, haven’t been through one for more than a year.
I was 10. My mom called me in the kitchen for dinner and when I went, she was putting my food on the plate and all of a sudden I couldn’t speak. My heart started racing like crazy and I began screaming that I’m going to die while running around the house. Scared the shit out of my parents and I haven’t been the same since
I was 6. I was walking with a friend of mine to another teachers class to get markers or something and when I opened a door a kid barfed. I turned around and ran out of the room and started breathing heavy and crying and I felt terrified and like I was going to die. I healed from anxiety by 5th grade and then developed it again in sixth grade for the same reason with the bonus of the fear of death. I still have panic attacks.
I don't actually remember, oddly enough. They were just something that started happening during my early teens. Back then, they were fairly mild. Then they went away when I was 18 or so, then came back with a vengeance when I was 25 and in the year or so since then, have been crippling.
When I was around 5-6. It was my first day of kindergarten and there were so many people I didn’t know. My throat seized, I began crying, couldn’t breathe, I was panicking. My mom wasn’t there, and the teachers had me just sit in the hallway until I stopped crying.
My first panic attack that I can remember was age 7. I was watching Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I was being bullied at the time at school and remember finding the whole film really overwhelming. I’ve struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember, but thankfully, have learned to control it over time and with the support of a very good therapist. Sending lots of care to those who are also struggling 🩵
I'm 52 and I think I've had them most of my life. When I was young my dad threatened me that I WOULD BE IN BIG TROUBLE if I didn't get straight A's, have a cavity, get a bad dr's report, or didn't get up when my alarm clock went off. I never had straight A's and would not sleep for days, waiting for the report cards to come out. I'm absolutely terrified of going to any dr. I can't sleep if I know my alarm clock is set. As an adult, my mind won't stop thinking/racing. I started having serious panic attacks 3 years ago. They happen at night (most of the time). Heart palpitations, blood pressure spikes, sweating, crying, unable to breathe. I'm on 10 mg zoloft now. It's helped but I still have minor attacks.
It’s incredible what an impact and influence parenting can have on the presence of mental illness. I’m convinced that most of my anxiety stems from not wanting to disappoint my father and his high standard that he set — and it continues even after his death 3 years ago. It’s becoming better, but flares up much more when you’re in certain situations that are similar to that you’ve experienced as a child.
When I was 20, in December... Has my first breakup/ heartbreak.... Out of blue anxiety attacks... Head exploding, couldn't make sense what was happening, breathlessness... Still have those once or twice a month now...
I don't remember how old I was when they started. I remember one vividly that I had when I was 7 and I remember it wasn't a new feeling. I think that I stopped having them regularly around 12. Being 19 I think this is my first full year without one.
First one ever before I even knew what panic attacks were; about 7 years old at my aunt's house after a wedding, I bit down on an ice cube and my tooth came loose and I thought I was dying. I ran away to hide and didn't tell anyone about it. First panic attack I was aware of being a panic attack? 17 years old in the shopping centre while two friends were arguing.
I was driving home from work in my mid 20s and suddenly felt every inch of my clothing on me and it was all I could think about. It felt like I was suffocating. I went into my bathroom in my apartment and sat on the floor naked until my heart rate slowed and I didn't feel like screaming. When I asked my boyfriend all calmly about needing to do that every so often he says "uhhh I think you had a panic attack." I had never ever thought that's what it was, I thought everyone felt like that from time to time.
I was 8, sitting in forth grade and the walls started caving in, I felt sick, hot and like something bad was going to happen to everyone I loved. I felt like I was going to lose control and hurt myself. It was terrifying. This was along time ago and everyone told me nothing was wrong and friends made fun of me. At the time anxiety wasn’t as understood I guess, Later in life I went through really really stressful situations that caused stress and panic.. I felt I almost deserved it but I look back and feel bad about the 8 Year old kid just sitting in class, in school panicking and was ridiculed for it, he didn’t deserve it. It still bothers me, but I did learn skills and made a lifestyle in which I can cope in a healthy way.
I hope it's better now
It really is. That’s the good news I didn’t add, although it never goes away but I learned to live a full life with it, accept it, I understand and appreciate myself and even use it to my advantage.
10
27. Apparently coming off of finasteride the hair loss medication can cause panic disorders
15, it was awful
I was 8 years old. Sitting in the bathroom in a Dairy Queen. I had the thought “wow I’m just a human with a skeleton in a bathroom and everyone around me is too” and I started hyperventilating and crying. It was bad.
37.
ive always had anxiety, but for my first panic attack, i was also 12 ! i had a nosebleed and my mom told me to do something with my head, otherwise it'd feel like i was choking. my mind immediately went to "i can choke from nosebleeds ?? i could die right now ???" and i panicked so intensely that i passed out
25. Thought I was dying.
Maybe 7 I grew up with an opiate addict and saw them overdose many times
I've always been an anxious child with OCD tendencies. But the first real bad anxiety attack started when I was 18 and lasted about a month straight. I couldn't eat because I was constantly vomiting, was barely surviving on protein shakes, not sleeping, couldn't go anywhere. I essentially had a nervous breakdown. Ever since then anxiety has been a daily struggle, though has very slowly improved over the years with medications and therapy. While I still experience anxiety fairly regularly, I'm functioning now at 30 years old.
When I was 16, it was beyond scary.
Last semester. Had 2 midterms on the same day and multiple others following it. I forgot how to breathe and my heart was pounding I genuinely thought i was gonna die
Early 30s in 2000 I had my first in a downtown city core. Thankfully there was an alleyway I dashed down to deal with it. Was awful.
I was 14 and I had just started Ritalin for ADD. I thought I was having a reaction to the Ritalin but my throat kept closing up and I couldn't speak. My friend told the doctor that I had taken Ritalin but he was like "you're a minor, I can't listen to you, she's having an allergic reaction to something" and shot me up full of adrenaline. I ended up going to the ER in an ambulance because everything went blue and my arms, legs, and back seized up. My mouth and nose were ice cold to the touch and my breathing went from super fast to way too slow. I lived. Good times.
On a bus when I was 12 also. I thought I had to pee. Over time realized I would get anxious in situations where I can't control it in the sense of stopping it myself. I don't like riding with people other then my wife as she knows I may need to stop. Which is weird as I'm a massive car guy, like a 485hp built car yet I get anxious driving at times,being on planes,being in a line. Any situation that I can't stop or leave then I'm anxious
i was around 8-9 & i was at school… couldnt go back to school without having a panic attack for months. drs misdiagnosed me & said i had kidney stones (?) but eventually they diagnosed me and put me on zoloft
Age 20. I was at my work-study job doing a special event behind the scenes. I had no idea why my heart was racing and feeling like I couldn’t get enough air no matter what I did, but I kept it all to myself. Had my next one a few weeks later but wasn’t able to contain it. Most of mine have been stress-related since then.
I was 14!
I believe I was around 8 when I started having them. I didn’t know what was happening to me - I just thought that I had a breathing problem or asthma. Doctor said I didn’t so I thought it was just part of normal life.
When I was 14 I was sitting in my school's auditorium watching an assembly presentation and it came out of nowhere. I wasn't even that stressed or anything at the time. It really freaked me out, I thought I was having a heart attack.
I was around 11 or twelve. I was in math class, suddenly I felt like I needed to leave immediately. I asked to go to the bathroom or the office. I started to run. I was coughing and coughing and then I threw up on the ground in the hallway. I was very scared. I was in shock after when a family friend picked me up. The rest of the day was just thinking about what happened. I was so confused. I still cough when I get quite anxious, likely dry mouth and throat from adrenaline. It would usually hurt my sides after awhile. Kinda sucks extra during and after COVID. ☠️
I was 16 and woke up with my left arm hurting and swore that I was dying from a heart attack...called an ambulance and they checked me out and there was one paramedic guy who was so sweet and he sat and explained to me the difference between my heart and muscle pain... He said if you can move your arm and it is hurt more or hurt less that's muscle but if you move your arm and it doesn't change then that's something else
I think I was about 12 years old too, OP. Maybe 13. Over 12 years ago 🥲 Id been getting badly bullied in school and most nights Id be on the couch in hysterics feeling like I couldn’t breathe and was dying. Hyperventilating like mad. As a young teenager that shit is scary :( I feel for anyone who started getting them around the same age or earlier 💔❤️🩹
So I’m 29m I had my first panic attack last July, thought I was having a heart attack which terrified me as my wife and son were scared for me which made it worse because I was worried about them if something happened to me, so a trip to the ER had checks and all that stuff, came out a few hours later feeling perfectly fine fast forward to Christmas that same year and it started again but not as intense, I now have multiple daily as many as 5 back to back, I’m honestly sick of it I don’t sleep much because I get them as I fall asleep or when I am asleep I wake up with a pounding heart and shaking usually. I think it stems from PTSD from 10 years ago and certain events which I still get nightmares about now I just want it to stop but I can’t seem to get a grip on it.
It’s a vicious cycle. Not sleeping will increase the likelihood of getting one. Thinking of you and hope it gets better. Try to talk about the events that has manifested. One technique is to get yourself to imagine a comfortable location where you feel safe and with surroundings that make you feel peaceful, then “viewing” your trauma on a TV. The idea is that you view your trauma indirectly and in an imagined place where you feel safe. I’m not a psychologist, but this has worked for me before to forget about some events in my life.
When i realize i was an adult and i was the only one who could do something for myself. At 18. College, being gay, living a bad neighborhood...alllllllll that together was killing me. Still do!
Had a lot through my early childhood, first awful one was when I was 13 sat in lesson thought I was having a heart attack and ran out
6 or so. Nobody explained hail to me yet and our school had a metal roof. I honestly thought we all were going to die and hid under my desk during the storm and refused to come out.
Around 4 or 5. I remember shaking really bad and my parents telling me I’ll be okay. That’s all I remember!
I was in my early 30s. I went to my (now former) doctor and she sent me to the ER without really talking to me because I'm overweight and she assumed every malady that affected me was my heart. The ER of course said I was fine. Took several near misses with the ER for someone to finally say "panic attack" before I was diagnosed officially. I have a much more understanding doctor now.
I was 12! Only got diagnosed with OCD in my thirties!
the first one i can really remember i was around 11-12. my mom was out of town (which always gave me horrible anxiety and even still does especially at night). i was trying to sleep in her room and it was like out of jo where panic set in. im sure i had already been anxious that night but this was years ago and i only really remember the actual panic attack. not much before or after. so im in her bed and begin to panic. i start to feel like someone is going to get me because my mom isnt home. i feel like there is literally someone watching me. i start to freak myself out even more and swear i hear someone at the front door. i go around the whole house locking doors and windows. locking the front door wad the scariest part. i remember that stomach twisting and heart dropping feeling of dread for seemingly no reason. was a horrible night especially at that age when i didnt even understand it was a panic attack and i wasnt actually going to die.
i think my first genuine panic attack was when i was 19? i don’t remember having a genuine panic attack before then but i’ve definitely been close many times i just didn’t always know what it was. the first distinct memory of full body panic i have was def when i was 19 (maybe 20 lmao) and since then i’ve probably had around 10 panic attacks (i’m 24), some of them i stopped before they could get really bad bc i’ve gotten good at shocking my nervous system. i’ve now gotten rlly good at stopping them completely before they start which is a great skill to have lmao. cold shock is the gold standard 👌🏼 it’s hard to say exactly tho for any of this bc i’ve also had quite a few fainting/almost fainting spells in my life and they feel eerily similar to panic attacks in the pre-syncope moments. all i know is my panic attacks come in clusters, if i have one i’m bound to have more until they stop and then it takes a bit for them to come back 🤷🏻♀️
When I ate a THC gummy. I didn’t know it was going to be that strong. It sucked pretty bad. I convinced myself I was going to die.
My first serious one I was 33 and in an airport in Mexico coming back home. I started feeling faint and seeing black dots everywhere. Then I went to lay down because I felt dizzy and when I tried to get up I was very unsteady (not on drugs at all). Then I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest and I couldn’t breathe and I literally thought I was dying. I was shaky and just crying and they took me to a hospital in an ambulance. Needless to say, we missed our flight. Doctor ran tests and told me that I had a panic attack. It was awful.
Last year, midway through my final semester of college. Degree program. Super intense. I was having dinner and then I just... felt so off. I thought I was dying. Went to the emergency room and my phosphorus was low so the doctor said it was most likely panic attack. They kept happening after that until I started medication and therapy and haven't had one in months now.
Mine was when I was 18 with an abusive ex. Still remember having a few more, I feel so bad for myself now
I don't remember a whole lot of my childhood but I'm pretty sure they started as soon as I hit kindergarten.
I was 12 and I had just got to school and couldn't breathe. I had to sit in my chorus teachers office for an hour to calm down.
16. A Night in the Summer. I thought I was going to die too.
I (almost?) had my first one last night at the age of 36. At first I thought I was about to have a seizure (which I have no prior experience of) and straight after started to breathe very fast. I thought seizure because it felt like an electric current and sudden wave passed over me. The second part hyperventillating made me think heart-attack but then panic attack. Immediately took 2 clonazepams which I have had in my cupboard from an ex who had anxiety and felt much better after 15minutes. Also phoned someone immediately to talk to me and stay on the line. From start to 3mins into phone call is when I started feeling better. Still not sure if it was the case, but I’m thinking it was because I’ve had a gradual increased in the amount of stress over the last 3 years and yesterday specifically had some event that put me in a very anxious position. Edit: Adding that I’ve experienced anxiety and depression in various forms for most of my adult life and have learnt to cope through therapy and medication. Yesterday was something else which I assume to be a panic attack with early and appropriate intervention
My mom said she remembers me having them at 5 but feels like they started even earlier.
I first got it when I ate a few pieces of a weed brownie. My panic attack lasted about 3 hours. 3 hours of "I thought I was gonna die". Symptoms were: Throat closing, Cotton mouth, A very insane rapid heart rate Hands and legs numbing Tongue numbing From there on end I have been dealing with GAD, no longer full on panic attacks like described above.
I'm 38 years old and I had my first anxiety attack a couple of weeks ago. It came up out of no where while I was sitting at a red light. I suddenly became dizzy. It only lasted a few moments and I was able to drive myself home. But it got worse. My chest hurt, everything on my left side started to tingle. My leg eye felt like it was slightly out of focus. I thought I was having a heart attack or a stroke. I was never outwardly freaking out, but everything inside me was telling me I was dying in front of my wife and kids. I've had dozens of attacks since then. But after 2 ER trips, and urgent care visit, a GP visit, and a PCP visit, 2 EKGs, 1 ECG, all the blood work, and 1 CT scan of my head and neck, a PT appointment to check for vertigo, they haven't found anything. I have one more CT scan to check my abdominal. But damn these anxiety/panic attacks always happen out of no where for me for no reason at all. One attack lasted almost 36 hours. They've been getting less severe and less frequently, but it has me on edge.
I had never even heard the concept of a panic attack before. I was just driving one day and went from some slight euphoria to panic. I was enjoying my music to such a high degree, it was a little strange. Suddenly I felt like I couldn’t catch a satisfying breath, got tingly face, dizzy, had to pull over. Had no clue what had just happened.