What Causes Panic Attacks?

Posted on Sun, 27 Apr 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 Answered on

Fri, 23 May 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi Dr. Two nights ago at 6 am my heart started beating like crazy - this happend twice before, the first time was 3 years ago and then 2 months ago - this time my heart beat rapidly until 3 pm and then I actually heard a click and my heart beat returned to normal - this is what happened the other 2 times as well , the first time was for only 1 hour and the second time was for 2 hours - the first time my Dr. Said it was a panic attack, but this last time really scared me - should I go to urgent care - I don't have a PCP anymore - please advise - thanks

Answered by Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini Greca (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Nothing worrisome....

Detailed Answer:
Hi my dear,

I have gone through your medical history carefully and understood your concerns.

Please do not get panicked. It is normal for the heart rates to beat rapidly as an reaction to :
- emotions
- bad thoughts
- fears
- physical activity

It is important to know when you had this increased heart rates:
- at rest
- after eating
- when going around the house
- watching TV

To my opinion, this is nothing to be worried about in extensiveness although it has scared you to death. I would advise to get a Holter monitoring (24 hours) and consult a cardiologist to exclude any heart rhythm disorder.

If nothing would come out, then, menopause hormonal changes should be considered.

All the best my dear!
Dr.Albana

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar