Health Topics A-Z

What Are the Symptoms?

If you have four or more of the following, you are having a panic attack:

• Heart palpitations
• Sweating
• Shaking
• A "smothering" sensation
• A feeling of choking
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Nausea
• Dizziness or faintness
• A sense of unreality
• A fear of going crazy
• A fear of dying
• Numbness or tingling
• Chills or hot flashes

An isolated panic attack, while extremely unpleasant, is not uncommon or life-threatening.

You may think you're having a heart attack — and it's true that the symptoms can be similar. However, most people having a panic attack have had one before, triggered by a similar event or situation.

The chest pain of a panic attack usually stays in the mid-chest area (the pain of a heart attack commonly moves toward the left arm). It is often accompanied by rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat, and fear.