Chest pains from anxiety

[Into The Light]

the other day i was in a somewhat unnerving situation that had me stressed because of the off chance of confrontation. while i was waiting to speak with a certain person i started to have some chest pains and it makes sense that i felt that due to anxiety. the thing is i wasn't expecting this kind of reaction at all. fortunately things went ok and i was able to leave without any problems and the pains went away, although i was still feeling pretty shaky afterwards.

i guess i am wondering what to do if something like that happens again in an anxiety provoking situation. is it enough to just breathe through it? can it become way worse? what if i were to start having difficulty breathing or the pain becomes unbearable?

 

[NicNak]

Hi Into The Light.

Sorry that happened to you :support:

I started to get chest pains too from my anxiety. The first thing I would suggest is an appointment to your doctor to rule out anything else. The day it happened to me, I thought for sure I was having a heart attack. My anxiety doesn't usually come this way either.

I called the Telehealth Ontario line and they talked me through it. I took my Clonasipam and it went away.

My doctor checked me out through when I told her I had chest pains.

I understand it is scary. Unfortunetly I have never been able to eleviate any anxiety leading to panic attacks without medication, but this is just me. They come on out of the blue and so fast.

I just wanted to send some comfort and that little bit of advice to you. Once your doctor clears you of anything else, make sure you tell your Therapist, Psychologist or Psychiatrist if it infact anxiety and that it is now showing different symptoms. They will need to know that.

I am sure someone can offer some coping stratagies for you, for if this happens again (I hope it doesn't)

You are in my thoughts Into The Light :support: :hug:

 

[Charity]

Re: chest pains from anxiety

You know, that was what first prompted me to finally go see a doctor in the first place, years ago. I honestly thought there must be something wrong with my heart; it hadn't occurred to me that anxiety was responsible until the doctors explained it to me.

There are a few different things that have helped me... First of all, just realizing that it was from anxiety helped somewhat. There's nothing wrong with our hearts, we're not getting ready to have a heart attack, etc. That knowledge helped me a lot.

The second thing that helps me is to control my breathing. Anxiety can cause us to "overbreathe," and we screw up the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance in our bodies, which can cause those sorts of symptoms. I've found that making sure to breathe very slowly and gently will almost always help a LOT.

And the third thing, for me, is a fast-acting anti-anxiety medicine like Xanax or Ativan... I guess any of the benzodiazepines would do the trick. I don't know if you take any of those sorts of meds, but if all else fails, they work wonders!

The main thing for me is the knowledge of what's really happening in my body, and that I do have some measure of control over it by modulating my breathing. Even when it seems like "trouble breathing," the problem is usually caused by breathing too much! Keeping it slow and steady, or even breathing into a paper bag if necessary, usually helps me.

Hope there's something helpful in there somewhere! :support:

 

[white page]

The second thing that helps me is to control my breathing. Anxiety can cause us to "overbreathe," and we screw up the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance in our bodies, which can cause those sorts of symptoms. I've found that making sure to breathe very slowly and gently will almost always help a LOT.

HI ITL , I am sorry you had this distressing experience recently . everyone has already said all the right things , like Charity I find that ten very controlled slow breathes help very quickly , if you can get yourself to as calm a place as you can , the nearest ladies room for instance , sit down and reaaly concentrate on those long slow in out breathes from your diagraphram.

take care wp .

 

[Retired]

And the third thing, for me, is a fast-acting anti-anxiety medicine like Xanax or Ativan... I guess any of the benzodiazepines would do the trick.

Good suggestion, and no, not just any benzodiazepine would be appropriate for situational anxiety. A fast acting, short half life version is what most doctors would prescribe.

If you speak to your doctor about this possible treatment for situational anxiety / panic attack, ask your doctor to specify the sublingual form of Ativan which was developed specifically for this type of indication.

When using sublinfual Ativan, it is held under the tongue for two minutes without swallowing.

Regular oral tablets of that particular medication can be taken sublingually, if you don't mind the little bit of residue from the (inert) binding ingredients.

 

[ladylore]

Best advice I can give you ITL is to do some grounding work. Breathing is a great start.

Focus on your surroundings, as in the here and now. What do you see, what do you hear, what are the sensations in your body?

Do an assessment - Even though you feel you may be in danger are you really? Remind your little one that she doesn't need to drive the bus, but that you as the adult are fully equipt to look after her.

Take breaks - if you don't have to be in that situation, it's ok to take a break from it.

Hope a bit of this helps.

 

[Halo]

ITL,

I can't really offer anymore than what has been said already. I really liked Charity's post above and the breathing properly as well as just recognizing that it is anxiety.

Hope that you can explore some of these techniques and find ones that work for you.

Take care
:friends: :friends:

 

[amastie]

Hi, ITL,
for all that I've been taking anti-anxiety tablets now for many years, chest pain is not something I've ever experienced. It must be very frightening. I'm so sorry that you, and others here, ahve expeienced it :support:

I certainly cannot add what good advice has already been given by others. Just wanted you to know that you are in my thoughts.

Sending :hug: :support: :hug:

 

[Retired]

Chest pain should always be evaluated by a doctor to rule out cardiovascular insufficiency. Only a doctor can determine the cause of chest pain, which can be gastro intestinal, cardiovascular or caused by panic attacks.

Chest pain associated with panic attacks is common, and can usually be controlled with medication and breathing exercise, along with other strategies to avoid circumstances that might trigger a panic attack.

Chest pain should never be ignored....as I have seen in far too many friends and family members

 

[arlene]

Stress, anxiety and too much depression can really give us pain physically especially on our heart. Have you guys heard the heart broken syndrome? Although this is different but its really possible that we could have physical pain from what we feel emotionally.

 

[forgetmenot]

hi Arlene nice to see on the the site i have always had bad chest pain to the point i ended up in emerg just anxiety they said but the pain gets so bad it goes down my arm and i swear im having an attack my BP went sky high 170/105 and i knew i was in trouble new breathing technique taught to me by my psychologist acutally help me decreased the pain and the BP yes chest pain is real especially in an anxiety attack