Symptoms of Panic attack

General information about symptoms of Panic attack: The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible symptoms of Panic attack. This symptom information has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of symptoms of Panic attack. Furthermore, symptoms of Panic attack may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of symptoms and whether they are indeed symptoms of Panic attack.

List of symptoms of Panic attack: The list of symptoms mentioned in various sources for Panic attack includes:

Inexplicable fear symptoms:
- Panic
- Intense fear
- Terror
General descriptions of how a panic attack feels (or common thoughts during a panic attack):
- Feeling out of control
- Feeling like you're losing control
- Feeling like you're going crazy
- Feeling like you're out of your mind
- Feeling like you're having a heart attack
- Feeling sure you are going to die
- Feeling sure that something "bad" will happen
- Feeling like you're going to pass out
- Feeling of unreality
- Detachment
- Urge to flee
- Fear of losing control
- Fear of dying
Example sequence of symptom events in a panic attack:
- Anxiety about something
- Feeling that "something bad is going to happen"
- Sudden fear resulting from that thought (or fear that you are going to have an attack)
- Fight-or-flight reaction sets in (i.e. adrenaline rush)
- Rush feeling (as adrenaline kicks in due to fear)
- Feeling of "what is this rush" (vicious cycle of fear)
- Feeling like out of control
- Full-blown panic
Changes to the pulse or heartbeat:
- Racing heartbeat
- Pounding heartbeat
- Skipping heartbeat
- Heart palpitations
Chest pain
Chest pressure
Chest discomfort
Changes to breathing:
- Breathlessness
- Hyperventilation - hyperventilation can be both a symptom and a trigger for a panic attack
- Choking sensation
- Breathing difficulty
- Overbreathing
- Rapid breathing
- Lump in your throat
- Throat tightness
Excessive sweating
Lightheadedness
Dizziness
Nausea
Stomach problems
Tingling
Numbness
Chills
Hot flashes
Shaking
Trembling
Leg weakness
Jelly legs
Fainting-like symptoms - not true fainting from low blood pressure (panic attacks actually raise blood pressure) but often perceived or described as fainting

Symptom statistics for Panic attack: The following are statistics from various sources about the symptoms of Panic attack:

87% self-reported palpitations (extra heartbeats) in panic attacks¹
82% self-reported fear of loss of control symptoms in panic attacks¹
71% self-reported dizziness or fainting-like symptoms in panic attacks¹
64% self-reported sweating symptoms in panic attacks¹
62% self-reported breathing difficulty symptoms in panic attacks¹
49% self-reported detachment with reality type symptoms in panic attacks¹
44% self-reported fear of dying type symptoms in panic attacks¹
42% self-reported paresthesia/tingling/numbness symptoms in panic attacks¹
33% self-reported nausea or abdominal symptoms in panic attacks¹
33% self-reported "going crazy" type symptoms in panic attacks¹
18% self-reported "choking" type symptoms in panic attacks¹

More symptoms of Panic attack: In addition to the above information, to get a full picture of the possible symptoms of this condition and its related conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by complications of Panic attack, underlying causes of Panic attack, associated conditions for Panic attack, risk factors for Panic attack, or other related conditions.

Medical articles on symptoms: These general reference articles may be of interest:

Footnotes:
1. Taylor, Steven, "Understanding and Treating Panic Disorder: Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches", John Wiley & Sons, 2000 citing Rapee, R.M., Craske, M.G., Barlow, D.H., Subject-described features of panic attacks using self-monitoring, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 171-181, 1999

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