Silent hyperventilation/panic attack?

[MozzarElla84]

Can anyone share their experiences with either of these as I seem to have been having some episodes that feel like they could be either vasovagal pre-syncope or hyperventilation/panic attacks.

Or something else..?

They come out of nowhere and are not preceded by any anxious thoughts. The past week it happened 3 times, i was sitting (watching tv or talking to someone) and i suddenly feel weird. Feet/lower legs and hands go tingly/ numb and i feel a bit spaced out, not quite a dizzy feeling, maybe closer to derealization or depersonalisation. It only lasts seconds to a minute.

It stops once i get up and walk around and i feel ok afterwards but still shaky and tired, most likely because i feel a rush of panic once it starts.

For context: i do have an anxiety disorder (mainly health anxiety) plus had an incredibly stressful few months with lots of weird symptoms and subsequent investigations that i am trying to come down from. Have lots of other symptoms of anxiety/stress but this is a new one (i had this every once in a while for about a year maybe 10 years ago).
Medical context: the other symptoms i have (fatigue , palpitations, all over twitching, mild hypokalemia) seem to be caused by stress and low ferritin. I had normal ECGs in the past 2 months and normal blood work except for low ferritin which i am currently treating. Blood pressure was a little elevated during those stressful months but last bp measurement at doctor was perfectly fine.

Anyone any idea or experienced the same thing and knows what it was, and how to get over them? I hate how they feel!

All linked to your existing anxiety not doubt
And maybe you needed to eat

Are your eyes open or shut during it? Can you speak and hear?

That's what i thought too but the first time it happened i had just had dinner. It also feels different from a blood sugar dip. But i am definitely making sure i am eating frequent meals so that its not getting any worse

Eyes are open, i can hear and speak. But for a minute it feels a bit like i am retreating in myself of you see what j mean? It is a very weird and unsettling experience

Does it happen standing, or only when sitting, or standing to sitting? Sorry about all of the questions!

Getting up and walking around would usually make true vasovagal pre-syncope worse or cause the fainting, because standing pools blood into the legs. The fact that standing helps would say no severe drop in blood pressure.

Keep asking questions! It will hopefully help me pinpoint what is happening and how to prevent it. It has only ever happened while sitting down. And then once i feel it coming on i walk around and it goes away. The one time i had a real full vasovagal syncope i fainted after getting up (this was more than a decade ago and had a clear cause, not anxiety). What i have now feels slightly like the start of that but hasn't so far caused any fainting. I think it's not vasovagal syncope but maybe its a blood pressure thing after all; i had such extreme stress over the past months that it could be possible my body is recalibrating right now and sometimes overshoots ...? Idk

From what you have described, it sounds like a "sneaky" or covert panic attack (I didn't realise this was a thing until a relative had one), they kicked off by hyperventilating without even realising you're doing it. When you’ve been through months of high stress as well, your nervous system is basically stuck on red alert fight or flight. You sit down to watch some TV, you think you’re relaxing, but you’re actually taking tiny, shallow chest breaths or letting out little sighs. That blows off too much carbon dioxide, which instantly narrows the tiny blood vessels in your hands, feet, and brain for a minute. That’s why you get that sudden numbness in your extremities and that floaty, detached feeling where it seems like you’re retreating into your own head. Honestly I had never even heard of this as when you think of panic attacks, you always think of huge feelings and rushes of anxiety.
It sounds like your body is just firing off a false alarm while you’re off guard iyswim. It’s still 100% worth mentioning at to the gp just to keep them in the loop and check your levels, but make sure to tell them that getting up and walking instantly clears it.

Forgot to say that I hope you feel better op, the ferritin getting treated should help a little as well!

Forgot to say that I hope you feel better op, the ferritin getting treated should help a little as well!

Thank you, that's very likely what has been happening. They're not full blown panic attacks, it's like a subtle wnipser of one but still enough to scare me when they happen. I will definitely tell my doctor about them when i have my next ferritin check, or sooner if they get worse.

Thank you! I hope so too! Have been on oral iron for 2,5 months and my ferritin is 21 (up from 13). I can't wait to see how i will feel with a normal level. Have been iron deficient for years and barely recognize myself.

These threads do nothing but feed in to the existing anxieties of someone who is diagnosed as having health anxiety.

Are you on medication for your health anxiety? Are you receiving therapy?

I disagree with this, it's not feeding anxiety at all. It's asking about other peoples experiences with this and learn about what it is and how it can be solved.

I have a psychologist, psychiatrist and medication. Unfortunately I can't tolerate SSRI's so i have benzodiazepines, but only take this in emergencies (because they are addictover and also have a very nasty come-down effect).

Oh i forgot to add: i am not diagnosed with health anxiety. I am diagnoses with GAD but have medical trauma which caused health anxiety. It's a challenge for me and my therapists as my anxiety doesn't come out of nowhere, it was triggered by real events (doe example i have ptsd from post partum hemmorhage)

Are you even reading my posts or are you having some sort of allergic reaction to people with anxiety disorders?
You're being very ableist.

Oh heavens. Good luck

Thanks, you too. When you ever experience a panic attack i hope there will be someone offering you the same warm sentiment as in your contribution to this thread. ❤️

I hope someone will suggest it might be related to my existing serious health anxiety and not to dwell on it for the time being

Well you sound lovely 🙄

Ignore this poster op, there's always one. I understand, and so do many other who have experience with neurological/physiological and psychological conditions.
I hope you, and your gp get to the bottom of it. I sometimes find it helpful to write every symptom down, as well as what I don't have eg, loss of speech or comprehension etc.
Hope you feel so much better soon, these conditions can be really distressing 💐x

Thank you for your kind replies. I will talk to my doctor about it if it keeps happening in the next 1-2 weeks. And will also tell my psychologist about it next appointment. Sometimes its really confusing to figure out if something is caused by stress or if it's something else. I am happy to accept it's all anxiety related, but some things are too risky (i.e. fainting) to pay it no mind. Currently doing everything i can to calm my nervous system. Thanks again for your kind words🌸