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What Is The Cause And Treatment For Panic Attacks?
Question: Over the last 6 months i have had a few issues i'll start with i'm 24 very healthy no record of health issues ever so 6 months ago all of a sudden randomly i was rushed to the ER by my wife cause i thought i was having a heart attack i had severe chest pain couldn't breathe i was blacking out and was really dizzy after going there i had multiple EGKs chest X-rays ect they thought it was an anxiety attack and sent me home with some xanax for the next 3 weeks after that i went back to the ER 4 different times with same symptoms but worse..the following 4th week i saw my GP he got me started on lexapro and i had a blood test done my cholesterol was really off but he said its fine cause I'm so young my thyroid was low so i was sent to a specialist and re tested for that 3-4 times over a month period and it corrected itself naturally the doctor said so its no longer a problem after a month on lexapro i started feeling really really good and have had little to no panic attacks period now for the last 3 months it has all moved to my head i have head severe head pressure in my head mostly isolated to the right side sometimes ill get ringing in my ears and once in a while ill get really sharp headaches but once again they are all only on the right side i also sometimes feel as if the right side of my head / face are numb but then i scratch and poke it and i can feel just fine it is pretty much non stop what seems odd is when i go to bed at night and wake up in the morning i go most the day at work and all morning feelings 100% its not till i get home relax and watch TV or try to lay down for bed i really feel it the best way i can describe it is that it feels like im constantly hung over but i haven't drank and like something is pushing outwards on my temple and above my temple area sometimes i feel minimal throbbing so i have seen my GP for this problem 3-4 times we tried everything for sinuses didn't work he said i had minimal water behind my ear we treated for that same problem he tried everything and it didn't work… as of today I'm still on lexapro 10 mg i take it everyday for the last 3 months i have been really concerned about a brain tumor or something serious i told my doctor of this and he said well ill refer you to an ENT and he did its a 1 month wait till i see them… in the mean time I'm going to see a chiropractor i figured maybe its a pinched nerve I'm just hoping someone can give me some guidance so i can relax again thanks!
Brief Answer:
Please see details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I went through your query in detail and can understand the distress that you must be having with your set of symptoms.
From what you have mentioned, it seem that you are suffering from panic disorder which is manifesting as frequent panic attacks. Panic attack is sudden exacerbation of anxiety associated with palpitations, sweating, tremors, difficulty breathing, etc and a feeling that one is having a heart attack, is going to die or will become crazy. In between attacks, the person usually remains worried about further attacks and starts avoiding situations where he fears such attacks.
Your currents set of symptoms including including ringing in ears, sharp pain in head are also manifestation of anxiety. You have responded well to escitalopram (lexapro). You should consider seeking a psychiatric consultation for your problem. I feel the dose should be increased further as the anxiety symptoms are persisting. In addition I would also advise you to start exercising daily which will help you relax.
Relaxation exercises like deep breathing and progressive muscular relaxation are effective ways to beat anxiety. Doing them daily will help bring down baseline anxiety level.
I do hope that I was able to answer your query. In case of any further question, please feel free to ask.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
Please see details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I went through your query in detail and can understand the distress that you must be having with your set of symptoms.
From what you have mentioned, it seem that you are suffering from panic disorder which is manifesting as frequent panic attacks. Panic attack is sudden exacerbation of anxiety associated with palpitations, sweating, tremors, difficulty breathing, etc and a feeling that one is having a heart attack, is going to die or will become crazy. In between attacks, the person usually remains worried about further attacks and starts avoiding situations where he fears such attacks.
Your currents set of symptoms including including ringing in ears, sharp pain in head are also manifestation of anxiety. You have responded well to escitalopram (lexapro). You should consider seeking a psychiatric consultation for your problem. I feel the dose should be increased further as the anxiety symptoms are persisting. In addition I would also advise you to start exercising daily which will help you relax.
Relaxation exercises like deep breathing and progressive muscular relaxation are effective ways to beat anxiety. Doing them daily will help bring down baseline anxiety level.
I do hope that I was able to answer your query. In case of any further question, please feel free to ask.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
What about this poking sensation I feel on the right side of my head it's like someone is in my head poking with one finger outwards about 2 inches above my ear
Brief Answer:
It can occur due to anxiety/stress
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for following up. The poking sensation that you have mentioned is usually described as a throbbing sensation. It usually occurs as part of symptoms of anxiety. It can also occur in response to stress.
Many people do have similar headache as part of vascular headache like migraine. In your case, it is clearly associated with other anxiety symptoms.
As I suggested, increase in dose of escitalopram and relaxation exercises will help reduce the symptoms. In addition, option of adding propranolol can be considered which will help in reducing the symptoms of anxiety as well the throbbing headache.
I do hope that I was able to answer your query. I will be glad to answer any further question that you might have. In case, you don't have any further query, you can close the discussion and rate the answer.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
It can occur due to anxiety/stress
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for following up. The poking sensation that you have mentioned is usually described as a throbbing sensation. It usually occurs as part of symptoms of anxiety. It can also occur in response to stress.
Many people do have similar headache as part of vascular headache like migraine. In your case, it is clearly associated with other anxiety symptoms.
As I suggested, increase in dose of escitalopram and relaxation exercises will help reduce the symptoms. In addition, option of adding propranolol can be considered which will help in reducing the symptoms of anxiety as well the throbbing headache.
I do hope that I was able to answer your query. I will be glad to answer any further question that you might have. In case, you don't have any further query, you can close the discussion and rate the answer.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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