I've been dealing with pretty much daily (sometimes I skip a day or have multiple in a day), panic attacks for 4 years now.
The first one hit me like a truck and I vomited, then passed out and when I woke, hyperventilated bad enough to have my limbs all curl up like a dying bug. A weird pressure & numbness spread across the whole left side of my body and face, such that I couldn't speak. Ambulance was called, because we thought it was a heart attack, but EKG was fine. I had another sudden one while watching TV about 5 weeks later. Ambulance called, again...EKG was fine. Panic Attacks they said. I've been having them very regularly ever since.
I have no known triggers. They pretty much always come out of the blue. I've been woken out of pleasant dreams with attacks before. I have never been fond of rowdy crowds (busy bars, concerts, etc) and they definitely make me anxious, but I wouldn't say they trigger attacks, just unease & displeasure.
The frequency and intensity seem highly variable. I'll go some weeks/months with repeated "OH MY GOD, should I call an ambulance this time?" level attacks per day, and other periods it'll just be mild "oh, a little heart flutter, cold hands, numb lips...I'll just take a walk" a few times a week.
Lately its been frequent and intense.
I've tried various SSRI's Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro, etc with no impact on my panic attacks and a bundle of side-effects.
I recently got an Rx for Xanax, which actually seems to be the only thing I've found that helps at all.(Finally SOME relief!)
My GP(who is a nurse, not even a Dr.) is VERY hesitant to prescribe them, so I only get 30 .5mg every 90 days. I tend to ration them and only take them when I'm having a level 5 or above attack. I've also chopped them all into 1/2 so I can make the dose more granular. 1/2 when it gets bad...another 1/2 if its still bad in 20-30 mins.
I've also started seeing a therapist/social worker, but I don't have real confidence there. Its been 4-5 sessions and he ran out of new material after the 2nd visit and just repeats the same techniques at each visit.
I'm just hoping to learn some coping mechanisms from other sufferers. To share my experience with others who can understand what I'm going through. I helps me to not feel so weird to know there are other people out there like me.
I'll often walk laps through my office, rubbing my chest (trying to soothe the pressure sensation) and co-workers will ask "Are you ok? Whats wrong with you?". I find myself having to reassure & describe my disorder to my peers/bosses/etc on a pretty regular basis. They all say "Oh, uh...ok", but I always see the "Ugh, you're weird" expression on their faces.
Anyway, just reading through Section 1 and some of the other intro posts on here makes me feel a glimmer of hope.
