Panic Attacks And Fainting?

[Deleted member 37343]

I was just wondering if other people have fainted from their panic attacks..? I know people say you can't or it's not possible, but my panic attacks last, at the least, 1 hour. Typically they're 2-3 hours and one time 4. I get so exhausted from them and light headed and I have fainted before so I know what that feels like, but I'm worried that either from too much oxygen I can faint.. Is it possible if I'm hyperventilating too much? I try slowing down my breathing, holding my breath for a few seconds, etc., but it still lasts quite some time.. do any of you have tips as well?

I think the physical pains are what really get to me too. Last one I had, I felt sharp chest pains when breathing and I was worried there was something wrong with my lungs or something. I'll feel sick and sometimes want to throw up, migraines, blurry vision sometimes too. My muscles tense up and I'm sometimes propping myself up, making me look like I'm having an asthma attack(I don't have asthma), and the rest of the typical anxiety feelings.. Does anyone else get physical pains?

 

[Gadgie]

Yea! my stomach tenses up when I'm having an anxiety attack, so bad it makes me feel like I want to be sick.

Although I am never really sick, but sometimes I think I would better If I was, it's hard to explain really?

 

[saraemerald]

I once had a vertigo attack from stress and around the same time period, I was fainting on occasion, but that was usually triggered by heat.

 

[Deleted member 37343]

I once had a vertigo attack from stress and around the same time period, I was fainting on occasion...

That has happened to me before. I've gotten the vertigo feeling twice, once in a weirdly lit/sounding setting and another when it was a panic attack. Usually it happens if I have a migraine and I'm feeling lightheaded/dizzy, and on top of that, tired.

 

[saraemerald]

That has happened to me before. I've gotten the vertigo feeling twice, once in a weirdly lit/sounding se...

Yeah. You know what happened to me? I used to feel very shy and nervous and didn't know what "normal" people around me thought of me, because of my circumstances growing up that I had no control over, so I was very self conscious and tried so hard to "prove" to other people that everything in my life life was "normal" and that I was "normal" even though in reality, I was experiencing some very abnormal sh#t in my life.
Then when I reached my late teens, I started experiencing official PTSD symptoms and my body became extremely reactive and sensitive to anything that I should normally not be reactive to. It got to the point at where I had muscle spasms and pain, anxiety, and an extremely sensistive nervous system. I even became extra sensitive to the cold. And I started experiencing vertigo (dizziness), low blood pressure, a need to sleep more, low energy and fainting.
It was not fun. And I knew something was seriously wrong with my body but one of my "friends" said it was depression and that I needed to take meds. I was upset about that and so decided not to talk to her about how I was feeling anymore.

 

[NoWhereKnowWhere]

Been close a couple of times fallen down and things like that. I used to lose hearing and get tunnel vision and sometimes lose vision all together. I'd have to sit down because of feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Haven't had that for a while.

I find 7/11 breathing really helps if you start doing it as soon as you feel anxious it can prevented a panic attack and can help recover quicker if you do it during. Prevention is better than cure. So you breathe in for the count of 7 and out for 11. I could badly try to explain why it works but to save you that here's a link. Link Removed
It feels a bit odd at first like your not getting enough air but you get used to it and it's worth trying cause it does work well.

Along the same lines is box breathing breathe in for the count of 4
hold breath for 4
Breathe out for 4
hold for 4

 

[digger]

Not saying it's impossible, but from what I've read it's extremely uncommon to faint from a panic attack. Fainting is generally a result of a drop in blood pressure. Your blood pressure is much more likely to be raised when you're anxious and/or panicking. The fear of fainting from a panic attack though is a pretty common one as that's what it feels like is happening.

 

[Crow]

I faint within 5 minutes often at the height of the attack and life is getting better. It's very common to pass out with panic. Called syncope or a vagas vegal response. Fascinating science behind it. Recently I uncovered the main trigger for my extreme morning attacks. Nearly passed out this morning but was able to calm it down with body position and vooing.

 

[Gadgie]

I was doing well while on my flight recently, despite being given a window seat, (when I wanted an isle one) and the flight was full to capacity.

I managed to stay calm by looking out of the window for most of the flight. But when we landed and arrived at the gate, everyone got up at once, I felt so hemmed in, and crowded, then I couldn't get air, I started to panic and became very adgitated.

I was praying to hear the sound of the doors being opened, so that I could breathe again, it seemed like ages before I heard that clicking sound of the door being opened, and saw the light come rushing in, along with that smell of beautiful fresh clean air!

That relaxed me straight away, as I knew I would have to wait until everyone was off the plane before I could go, as I was a "special needs" passenger, and had to wait for assistance to be helped out.

 

[Jody]

I was wondering has anyone experienced extremely dizziness even while sitting. This used to happen to as a child. Started in school during class around the 6th grade. All of a sudden the room was spinning so fast I had to grab my desk I screamed cause I was scraed. I was than told to go the nurses office. I was treated for inner ear infection given certain meds for dizziness etc but it never really went away. It continued for years off an on and sometimes I did faint only a couple of times though. I remember at a
Friends house standing talking on the phone and bam next thing I was waking up on the floor. This was years ago I'm in my late 40s now. I m trying to sort out how long I've been dealing with panic I found out recently cause I've had a panic attack during therapy. I think I might of had this since I was kid. The dizziness spells would happen out of the blue well at least that's what I thought at that time. Now I wonder if I was being triggered or not. I was told that the way I've coped in the past and now is avoidance dissociate. Has anyone else experienced this ?

 

[Deleted member 29920]

I was near fainting upon exertion last summer, I found the reason was down to low iron levels. I'm still supplementing now, working slowly but surely

 

[heylena]

Stress is one of my triggers for my drop attack seizures, but I don't think that's what you are talking about...