Are these panic attacks im experiencing?

[mittensque]

I've struggled for anxiety about a year, I managed to cope with it for a few months now and got my life finally back together. However from last week things screwed up. Suddenly i started feeling really uneasy, and got these weird sensations in my chest , i really don't know how to explain it because i've never got it previously when i had panic attacks. My heart also started beating in a weird way. Next day i got fever, and i assumed these symptoms were caused because of it. However, now that i'm healthy, i still started getting these symptoms. Other than the heart beat and the chest feeling, i started feeling really scared , paranoid and this ugly feeling that im going mad. I've tried distracting myself, i tried thinking differently but nothing helps. Im not sure if its a panic attack either i honestly don't even know what could cause it. I completely lost sleep because of it. I go to therapy but i don't know how to word it so i can tell my therapist. I'm scared im going to go crazy. Any advice? And also does this count as a panic attack? The weird thing is it lasts a lot, for hours even. It tones down and comes back again?

[Mistymorn]

It sure sounds like panic attacks and the fear of them makes it worse. I would start by keeping a log of when the attacks occur, how long they last, the symptoms as best you can describe them, and what you eat. Diet, especially caffeine, sugar, and alcohol can affect your blood sugar and stress hormone levels to cause these symptoms. That's what happened to me. Discuss your findings with your therapist and see what he advises. In the meantime, try cutting out the caffeine, sugar, and alcohol as best you can and see if it helps. It takes time for the imbalance to begin and it will take time to reverse it, but day by day things get better. Also, try to get some exercise when you're feeling somewhat ok, that helps too. This is where I would start at any rate. I know how hard it is to describe these horrible feelings but maybe you can find something online that describes what you experience and you can relay that to your Dr. Best of luck!

[Flippedout]

Sounds like what i went through. I dont even know myself if it was anxiety. My heart was beating so hard i thought i was going to pass out.