Panic Attack Without Panic

[carinara]

Hello everybody i would appreciate your opinion very much, maybe you have an idea what this could be. Today at work around lunch time i started to feel tense all of a sudden, i got very lightsensitive, i felt as if my BP igot really high, my Heartbeat was only a little higher then normal. At the same time i felt cold and an inner shakin, my hands got ice cold. I couldnt think or concentrate anymore. It felt like a full blown panick attack without panick. I get these episodes from time to time my HR is not high when these occur only a little higher than normal but no tachy. These episodes last for about 30 minutes then they dissapear again. Within them 30 minutes i have to pee at least twice. I know that these episodes (like today) had nothing to do with a low blood sugar, i also didnt eat something different then usually (i always eat the same food at work, every day). Is it possible that my body can only take a certain amount of workstress and tensness and then unloads itsself with an attack like that? Today i just watched the symptoms without panicking, just like a researcher. What is it that makes me urinate a lot in during these episodes. What are they? Any ideas? My periode should be comin soon, maybe hormones? I experience POTS symptoms every single day and know myself very well. I know how my body reacts due to wrong foods, hot or warm temperatures, in the mornings, in stressfull situations, low bloodsugar, and so on. But what i dont get is what the cause of these episodes is. I sat in my chair didnt do anything to provoke any symptoms just did my work. I remember trying to be funny and tell a joke to my boss and shortly after that these episode began. Was it the possitive stress? Talking makes me dizzy a lot, but it was just 3 seconds??? Thanks a lot for your help.

carinara

[icesktr189]

i get this all the time now. its my worst symptom, especially because when i have that feeling, i also have extreme adrenaline surges. this probably is just another symptom of your body telling you that you need to lie down. i usually get this while im eating and feel like i cannot breathe.

[janiedelite]

Carinara, When you lie down, do you feel better after a few minutes?

I would be curious what your BP is doing during those times. With the ice cold hands and shaking, it sounds like a sympathetic nervous system surge of some type. Do you have a place you can lie down for a few minutes if this happens again? Usually something like this happens with me if I'm up too long.

[brownsea]

i had these just before i was diagnosed with p.o.t.s and they would scare the life out of me. until i was on meds, and i find im much more even.

[carinara]

Carinara, When you lie down, do you feel better after a few minutes?

I would be curious what your BP is doing during those times. With the ice cold hands and shaking, it sounds like a sympathetic nervous system surge of some type. Do you have a place you can lie down for a few minutes if this happens again? Usually something like this happens with me if I'm up too long.

actually when i feel this way, i dont feel like laying down i wanna run and get the extra energy out of me. But i cant of course, i just keep sitting where i am.

When i experience my other POTS symptoms laying down helps almost evey time. But i dont think it will help with this symptom. I also dont really think that its an adrenaline surge because i also know how they feel and i didnt have any tachy with it. I normaly have no problem sitting up all day long as long as my legs are a little elevated of the floor. I felt this way before when i had a little alcohol many years ago. Its also strange that it happens very often between 12 and 1 o?clock. If i do get my period within the next few days then i guess its to do with my hormones because i have had strange reactions to it lately.

I hate it when I dont know why something like this happenes and what i can do to prevent these symptoms or what you can do to stopp them. They just come out of the blue. From one second to another and like i said, laying down doesnt help with this one.

[erik]

I've had plenty of what I'd call a "panic attack without panic"... I've also had 1 or two with panic but typically I'm overly calm (and/or sleepy) instead. Also have had waves of intense terror feelings that are very brief and different from a panic attack feeling. The panic attack style is a slow "endlessly building" predominantly "body feeling" with the mind as a helpless passenger (which can spiral into a panic feeling if not used to it). My "moments of terror" are brief (seconds long) but the intensity more than makes up for that... they feel like a "glimpse of ****" (not being melodramatic, just honest).

I also can relate to fluctuations of various things minute to minute as you describe, usually mild but sometimes not. Mostly, they are "mild" because I tune them out (disconnect from myself) and they are within "my normal" (ever since I was a kid). However, I now believe if a normal person suddenly had to experience "my normal" range, they'd go screaming for help.

Not sure precisely what causes or can minimize these things. I've tried tactics of keeping everything as steady as possible (nutrients, meds, behaviors, etc.) and that is probably wise but falls short. The trapped feeling is nasty. I can just say that I can relate and it's a frustrating circumstance.

[EarthMother]

Deep bow Carina. Thank you SO MUCH for saving me the trouble of creating a post!!

I started having these SAME symptoms a few weeks ago. They are driving me CRAZY!! I'm a veteran of panic disorder and these are not panic attacks. I have a bio-feedback device I use at home that charts GSR (skin response) and Heart Rate. For me when the "flare" hits it comes with a sense of constriction or tightness in my body and sometimes waves of heat. My heart rate stays relatively normal for me -- but my GSR goes through the roof. I've had the bio-feedback device on during a panic attack before too and its a very different pattern -- plus you feel like you are dying ;-)

I'm not "panicked" during the flare -- though I desparately wish it would subside because it is very uncomfortable. Hot packs seems to help (which seems odd because I am already feeling a bit flush) but other than that TIME seems to be the only thing that is consistent as they average about 30 minutes for each episode.

I've had some days where I'll get four or five of these intense flares and then I'll have a whole day without one.

I can't pin point any stress (other than these!) though I have been a bit more "active" lately. More cleaning and a bit of yard work.

I have taken my BP during the flare and sometimes it shoots up pretty high (150/100) but most of the time there is no difference.

My sense is these must be some kind of hyperadrenergic phase of the POTS. I tend to notice it more about 30 minutes after eating ... but I've also had them hit at like 11:30 at night. So no idea about correlations.

Big hug to you ... I know how hard it is to just "sit these out."

[mom4cem]

I wore a holter recently and had these episodes while wearing it. Though my heartrate went up there was no significant tachy or arrhythmia so I'm guessing it's some kind of dysautonomic episode. I've had these episodes on and off for a while.

[Troy]

As soon as I saw the title of your topic I knew exactly what you were talking about as I have also been experiencing this for several years. Its like my body over reacts just as someone having a panic attack would but there is absolutely no fear or any anxiety with it. Its more like a symptom, before I take my betablockers in the morning or when I forget a dose my body flips out also in a similar way to a panic attack but then there are times when it occurs randomly even after medication but I thought it was something that just happened due to the Hyperadrenergic type POTS.

[runningshoe]

Sounds like good disregulated autonomic nervous system stuff. I would suggest that you try to keep track of what you ate, level of exertion, amount of sleep...stuff like that and see if there are any triggers. Someone once told me that when you have POTS, everything your body experiences is intensified by the overload of adrenaline running through our bodies and the failure of our parasympathetic system to help compensate. Try treating this as a POTS flare - get extra rest, exercise as you are able, drink lots of water, salt load etc. Hang in there. POTS is such a pain in the #!$!!!

[scarfgirl]

I used to have these non-panic attacks when all my symptoms first started up. Other than that they usually occurred at night I don't recall any other pattern to them.

[HoudiniCat]

I occasionally get this too and it is terrifying. I can usually tell what will trigger an episode or symptoms as well but when the ?panic attack w/o the panic? happens, it usually comes from out of the blue with no warning. My symptoms during my episodes are the same as you describe ? all the while I have a kind of ?detached? feeling, very calm and definitely not panicking. Lying down during this does not help me either. Sipping Gatorade or water may take the edge off a little ? but not much. I think this is one of those things you just have to ride out while breathing and staying calm. As far as the frequent urination, my POTS doc said that in my case this might be attributed to low blood volume and/or our bodies not retaining enough salt/water. He tested me for ?diabetes insipidus? which he said a small number of POTSies may develop due to our damaged nervous systems ? but thankfully I didn?t have it.

I hope these episodes are few and far between for you.