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I stopped getting panic attacks out of the blue like during the initial days after the break up. I was diagnosed with ptsd. I think i am in the final stages of healing. I radically accepted what happened and i am introspecting step by step. The problem is that i get panic attacks when i go to the gym. It happened 2 times this week succesively. It usually hits me after weight lifts. Any cardio is ok but weight lifts triggers them. I feel chest tightness, pounding in my chest and my heart rate is increased for like 10 minutes. In normal circumstances it would take around a minute so the heart rate gets back to normal but i feel very tired as if i am going to faint and i get worried cause my heart pumps hard and fast for too long.  Any experience ?

I really feel for you   I used to get anxiety and panic attacks in my twenties and they were frightening at the time and I hate them. I felt like it was vertigo, flight or fight and I felt like I was going to pass out ugh.

Did you talk to your family doctor?

What is a panic attack? How to deal with them (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=71498.0)

Usually panic attacks are caused by some kind of trigger --- a response to a high stress situation. Does lifting weights do anything to trigger something? Or is it just out of the blue?

I might talk to a doctor as well. Maybe it's not a panic attack?

yes it feels like i am impending death but since i read a lot about panic attacks on the web, there is no single case of fainting or death due to a panic attack and thats why i try to feel relaxed and say to myself "its gonna be ok. your body is just tricked. the attack is strong but stupid and can't harm you." i am going to see my therapist again on Monday. thanks mutt

no its out of the blue. from my knowledge (i am a dentist) weight lifts trigger the adrenal gland to secrete more adrenaline. the adrenaline is part of the fight, fear and flight which usually triggers a panic attack. i do not think the gym has anything to trigger any thoughts of her. i am seeing my therapist on monday.

Maybe because of the adrenaline rush, you're not quite at that level of resilience yet when it comes to the PTSD?

When I was doing trauma/EMDR therapy (treating PTSD symptoms as well) and my emotions were heightened from all the work I was doing, I was really reactive to my environment where I hadn't been before. i.e. I remember I nearly jumped out of my skin when my husband knocked on my window while I was sitting in my car.

Glad you're seeing your therapist, he can probably help you get to the bottom of it.

my ptsd is getting better but i know its not totally gone. i still get scared more than usual from normal stuff eg. fireworks, someone moving suddenly behind me.

i am definitely in a better place than before. i have been out of the FOG now and in NC (except for just one message two weeks ago) for 4 months now. my relationship was not that long, it was only 6 weeks so i think the amount of trauma i have been subjected to is not big like other members here. but i think my quarter life crisis is contributing to this. this phase is a total break point for my life and i have to rebuild it. It is the processing of pain of 4 years full of bad events as i used to avoid my feelings during these 4 years. its a big pile but i will make it through it.

That makes sense if there isn't any emotional trigger that you can think of. I used to get panic attacks out of the blue just reading this board. It was like when I used to be sociophobic over a decade ago. Do you warm up or cool down doing cardio?

i have noticed that i do not have any problems during cardio ie the bicycle. i usually get panic attacks when i lift weights. i do warm up before both. i do muscle stretches before weight lifts.

You seem a more serious gym rat than I am (I lift just enough to stay above average strength, but I'm a big guy anyway). Have you thought about just lessening the intensity of the weight training? Depending upon your method and history, I understand that might be hard to do. Or maybe incorporating less impact, less free weights? Something like pushup variations, or isometrics. I don't really want to hash out a whole plan on the board, but I'm just thinking of ways to lessen intensity (which may be triggering) while still maintaining your goals.

Turkish i am actually not a gym rat at all. my body was slightly over weight and i lost 22 pounds after the break up and during the depression. i am trying to maintain the lost fat and build more muscles. you can say that i am not a regular when it comes to gym. i hoped that the gym would give me better days through the endorphins and taking away negative energy but ironically it gives me panic attacks  :)

Don't hesitate to get a clinical assessment - panic disorders are not always psychosomatic in nature--they can be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain--I know a person who had one full blown panic attack, was appropriately diagnosed and placed on Effexor... .this has become a maintenance drug for him but he is completely functional, cheerful... .as normal and stable as one can be.

I would thoroughly recommend that you write down all your feelings (I feel as if I am going to fain... .I feel as if I cannot breathe... .I feel my heart beating very fast for a very long time)

Also, do get yourself evaluated for any cardiac/arterial blockages... .anything that could be impairing your oxygen intake/absorption.

Hope this helps.

Two months ago i had a severe panic attack that lasted more than an hour. I was hospitalized and ordered an electro-cardiography (i am a healthcare professional) as i was worried about my heart physically. Though i am a smoker but i am still 26 so i dont suspect any vessels' issue. I have never had any attacks before this traumatic incident (BPD exgf) so i highly doubt aby other cause. My therapist gave me techniques that are working. If it was that serious i think i should have needed a sedative. Still i will act upon the consideration of brain chemicals.