Do your anxiety symptoms last for days/weeks?

hi everyone - i am both sorry to hear and greatly comforted to read the posts here. i also have heart/chest discomfort every day. this week, i have an echocardiogram and stress tests, but 7 other ekgs and 3 trips to the er have yielded no concern about my heart. a 48 hour holter ekg also showed nothing. but i alsways feel so crappy and my heart seems to race and flip all the time, that i imagine something must be amiss. but reading all of your experiences makes me keep hope alive that this is "just in my head" and therefore, something i can learn to deal with. 

i hope all of us here find peace and comfort soon. anxiety and panic are like nothing else i've ever had before, and nothing that i would wish on anyone. 

I am so glad to have found this discussion. Like most of you I have been to my doctor several times and have been to the er twice. I get the blurry vision, dizziness, chest pains, shaking, heart palpitations and more. I'm 32 and this has been happening for over 6 months. It is affecting my way of life. I get so scared that I will rush home before my shift is over. I can't shake the fact that there is nothing wrong with me. There are days that I may feel OK but for the past six months I have not felt like my normal self. I hope it eventually passes but I am losing hope that it will. Maybe together we can.

I'm glad I found this forum. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in this struggle. I've had a few panic attacks here and there over the last few years but last week, for the first time, I woke up with one. The symptoms of panic attacks are bad enough but they multiplied when coupled with the confusion and disorientation of just waking up. Now, days later, I'm still suffering from the symptoms. I can't fall asleep in fear of waking up with another attack, and when I wake up I immediately feel nervous that I'm having an attack, which ultimately leads to one. I don't know if this will ever go away, but if I can offer some advice, music helps.

Nicola, I've lived with a constant level of anxiety for years, and it's intermingled with panic attacks.  The attacks were hourly and now maybe several a week and not as bad.  I was just sure it was something physical so my doc did every test possible, including two stress tests over the years.  Nothing, so I assumed it was a chemical deficiency or the like.  Blood was fine.  I still went threw a gambit of psych meds; anti-depressants, benzos, etc. Nothing made a dent.  I was steadily getting more attacks with a constant high level of anxiety.  I was on so many prescribed drugs, the addition of one more, lithium broke the camels back and ceased being the person I was.  I was sent to a mental ward and thankfully the doc there stopped all the meds and I started from scratch.  The anxiety and attacks were still present and my world had gotten really small.  I didn't leave the house, and most of the time didn't leave bed.  I became a nothing.  After about six years a new doc did the normal interview questions and the interview went overtime.  At the end prescribed two new drugs and told me to continue the one as needed; and based on my past luck with new meds I was reluctant to start.  One was a beta-blocker to slow my heart rate down.  I was basically a hamster wearing out my heart.  The second was mirtazapine for sleep and secondary anxiety.  I eventually started the meds and the effect was almost immediate.  With my heart slowed down to normal and couldn't get reved up easily I had less and less panic attacks.  The mirtazapine actually did help me sleep almost full nights and that constant high level of anxiety came down.  Instead of at my chin almost in a constant state of drowning, it went down to a manageable level.  The third med, a benzodiazapine named lorazepam or Ativan was continued on an as needed basis.  I was very weary (afraid) of taking any because that's what put me in the hospital even though it was the litium that showed a toxic level on my blood work.  Benzo's are bad news and if you can manage without, please do so.  I couldn't and still can't.  I've been on Ativan for years and contrary to the addiction issue, I make sure I only use when everything else has failed and I'm in that I'm going to die now state, or to get the anxiety level knocked down so I can function.  I'm still a shell of the man I was before anxiety but I at least somewhat function.  Just an anxiety history to keep in mind when your talking with your doctor.

I wish you good luck and the only advice is treat this anxiety as the enemy it is and take charge of your treatment and partner with your doc as closely as you can.  I'm not back to "normal" but it is like night and day to where I was.  I wish this condition would get more notice so maybe someone would actually cure it.  I like this blog site because you'll read that some have beaten it.  It's reassuring.

Good luck, and know you're not alone.

Jim

Hi everyone.

Wondering if anyone is still actively reading/posting here. I have suffered from anxiety for years but it's been much worse in recent weeks. Over the years I've had numerous tests done - ekg's, blood work, etc. all come back fine every time so it leads me to believe my physical symptoms are all due to my anxiety- digestive issues (excessive gas/indigestion), pains, feeling like I can't breathe and a general feeling of cloudiness. I found these posts and it does make me feel a little better seeing I'm not alone and there are others out there facing this issue. I received a referral to see a therapist, which I am going to do, but don't know what to do in the meantime to calm myself and get my life back. Just wanted to post in hopes of being able to talk to others. Feeling like I'm not alone in this may be a good first step. Thanks for reading.

Hi! It is so comforting knowing I am not alone. Right now I am pacing my apartment for the last 30 minutes trying to find a way to exhaust myself. My panic attacks seem to last a really long time. I have had them for about a year. After losing my mom and sister to cancer I became terrified of dying. But while mourning them I was drinking and using drugs to cope. Which is what I think triggered the beginnings of my attacks. So I ended up moving away from home to get away from that lifestyle and initially my attacks got worse due to the stress of moving but after a while they faded away. I started eating healthy, quit drinking and smoking and started exercising. It seemed to work. Then I got stressed out at my job on a regular basis ansmd one night it was like WHAM!! I started having 4-5 panic attacks a day for a good 5 months. I finally couldnt take it. I went to the doctor and explained my situation. She thinks its ptsd from losing my mom and sister. She put me on meds (celexa and xanex) and at first it was intense but then it worked. I was going days without any attacks. So this afternoon a friend took me out for drinks and after I got home I decided to take a nap. I woke up 5 hours later which was almost 4 hours ago and I have been a mess ever since. I read that the longest panic attacks last is 2 hours but that is untrue. I have had them go as long as 5 hours before. And of course my stupid ass decides to look at webmd for heart attack symptoms because my brain is CONVINCED thats whats happening to me. The reality is that alcohol is a trigger and as much as I think I can handle it, I cant.

Honestly, reading about anxiety and discussion boards such as this one are what gets me through. Knowing I am not alone in this. I really wish all of you the best of luck in moving past this battle. We all deserve to be happy and enjoy life. Lots of love and hugs to you guys. Thanks for being there!

omg I deal with this crap everyday and I hate it. I can be fine and the next minute in my head I'm about to die. It's crazy and I can't wait until God delivers me from it. I pray each of you overcome this as well

Hi Nicola, I know I'm late, but recently, about 2 weeks ago, I had an episode, might be a panic attack, might not. I'm thinking it was. I was in the back of a car with a couple of friends, I had to ask them to pull over so I could breathe. My chest got so tight, my face got tingly & my legs shaky. I was sent to the ER. They took an EKG, & chest x-Rays, everything came out fine, but it's been weeks & I still have this chest tightness, I continue to go to the doctor to see if they can diagnose me with anything. All they did was refer me to a cardiologist & a lung specialist. I'm scared & don't know what is wrong with me, I go day by day with this chest pain that makes it difficult to breath.. It's all I can think about. If anyone has any suggestions as to what is wrong or what I can do to get rid of this pain. Please tell me..

thank you

I just started having chest pain on my right side out of nowhere. the hospital and my doctor say it's anxiety but everybody says I'm too young for anxiety. My doctor blames school. So I don't know if it goes away or not. Its scary have asthma with it also

I've suffered w panic attacks off and on for 20 yrs. going sometimes years in between. The last year they have been more frequent. I had one on Monday that came outta no where while I was laying down. It was by far the worst one I've ever had. I have a friend that takes Xanax so I quickly text her and got one. Although it did finally calm me I felt the effects for 3 days then on Friday will working at the school I just felt I needed my bp checked. I immediately felt anxious just doing that so of course my bp was extremely high and my heart rate was 132. I spent the next hour and a half in her office calmly down. I came home and basically slept the rest of the evening when I was thinking that something could really be wrong with me. Stayed in bed all day yesterday took Xanax and even though it did help I still had the pains ( chest pains, left arm feels achy, arm pit hurts and today I have a headache and my face even hurts) slept ok but woke up at 6:30 (glad to be alive) I have been fighting the thoughts. Praying and listening to praise music. I'm determined to beat this. It is somewhat a comfort to have this forum to read. Just knowing I am not alone is comforting.

Im actully crying reading this but happy tears i have had symptums lime these for nearly a year i thought it was me going crazy but there really are people that feel the same

Oh my - I can certainly understand everything everyone has posted.  I started with anxiety 3 years ago (and never having it before then, I went to my doctor after a couple of weeks as I was certain I had a brain tumor).  It was terrifying.  I was 48 then (just turned 51 last month), our only child was graduating from college and moving 1000 miles away, perimenopause was kicking in (though I didn't even realize there were such a thing at the time - I just thought your periods eventually stopped one day and maybe a few hot flashes).  I had no idea that perimenopause could bring on so many symptoms that change daily!  I was crying uncontrollably daily, would wake up like clockwork between 5:00-5:30 a.m. in full anxiety, felt like I was suffocatingat times (almost like an air lock/catch on the left side), trembling inside, heart would seem to be pounding at times though heart rate/BP were always fine, my right ear would pound sometimes, I would startle very easily at noises that never bothered me before, started clenching my teeth at night and would wake up with a headache, tingling in my hands at times, the list goes on and on.  Doctor prescribed Clonazepam 0.5 mg up to twice per day as needed.  I am not a prescription med taker so was very uneasy about this.  I decided to quarter them and see if taking a quarter of the 0.5 mg dosage would "take the edge off."  It did and I started researching reputable sites online and boards such as this one to learn more and also to share.  That summer was horrible as I cried every day for my daughter who had planned to make her 1000 miles away her permanent home.  I visited her a month at a time 3-4 times during the two years she was away but, of course, it just wasn't the same as having her close by (her college was 2 hours away which never bothered me at all).  I love swimming and have my own pool but I couldn't even make myself get there most days.  I walk with crutches permanently due to spina bifida (left leg paralysis) but I get around very well and have always been very independent.  So, this was a real shock for me.  I was pretty much scared of everything.  As I didn't want to rely on the quarter pill, I would get on my exercise machine and do about a 10 minute workout every time I felt anxiety getting worse.  It would help at times but not always.  Looking back now, I believe I was in a constant state of anxiety for over a year but would not take the medication unless I absolutely felt like I was dying (which did happen a time or two and I ended up taking a quarter, then the other quarter and then the other half so a whole pill was used at those times).  In fact, I still have the first prescription bottle half full.  I know there are times when I probably should have taken that quarter pill to ward off what was happening but fear of becoming addicted kept me from doing so.  Fast forward to summer of 2013, I was doing pretty good.  I had anxiety every now and then but usually about 7-10 days before the period would show up (or not show up)!  I still keep track as I am not a full 12 months without one and it seems like right before that "time," my system can still go beserk whether it shows up or not (and has not shown up since September of 2014).  So, I am about 4 months away from what they determine as finally in menopause.  Guess what, daughter moved back home in February of 2015 and doesn't want to be more than 2-3 hours away from home again!  Hooray!  She is also back at her alma mater (2 hours away) getting her Master's Degree.  I have a fantastic husband who is so supportive of everything that I am going through, and I can go 2-3 months sometimes without medication!  Life is getting back to normal, I thought, and then WHAM.  Last week, I noticed that noises were causing me to startle, my sinuses started clogging up again which, in turn, started that air lock/catch again on my left side, that started sending into a bit of anxiety, anxiety causes me to mouth breathe especially when sinuses swell (which they do with anxiety), woke up Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 a.m. and not able to fall asleep again for 1.5 hours  -  was concentrating too much on thoughts such as I haven't had for over 18 months (doom and gloom, why is this air locking/catching at times, what's my purpose now, will I die before I see my daughter get married and have children).  Good Lord, the thoughts are horrendous.  Ended up taking a quarter pill this past week on Sunday, Tuesday and again on Sunday.  It made the air lock/catch pretty much go away and my mood became a little more relaxed.  I also didn't wake up early in the morning.  However, I did have a bit of anxiety after waking up and am still trying to work through it as I type this.  The sinuses are still stuffy causing mouth breathing which, in itself, can cause anxiety due to improper air exchange.  The period was also due last week and hormonal fluctuations are most likely the culprit of all of this AGAIN.  Just when I was feeling pretty good, it hit me again.  I don't know when this stops (if ever), why it came back with a vengence this past week after 18 months of doing pretty well but I do know that it has helped me so much to read what others are going through and realizing that I am not alone in this.  Prayers for everyone here and God's blessings on us all.