i suffered a panic attack for the first time recently is it normal to feel pressure in the head?

Answer 1

The only way to know if you had one is by a doctor telling you had one.If you was at the doctors then you should of asked.

Answer 2

It is not normal to feel pressure in your head unless you have an ear infection or a high blood pressure, and neither one of those is normal. Go to the doctor and get some help. Panic attacks are just awful but can be treated.

Answer 3

First, sorry to hear you have these; I have panic attacks too and they can be very disturbing! Yes, it's normal to feel pressure in your head, since your rapid heartbeat can raise blood pressure. People w/panic attacks often think they're having a heart attack, stroke or even dying!

There are some very good treatments for panic disorder now. Find a counselor who specializes in "Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy", aka "CBT". They'll teach you how panic attacks occur and explore some reasons why (it's often genetic, or psychological, but can happen for any # of reasons, even hormones!). Deep breathing is often advocated, but will rarely work during a full-blown attack. Try it when you first feel the signs, until you become proficient in BTE techniques.

These involve "self-talk", using statements that counterract the irrational things you're thinking that "trigger" the attack and keep it going.

According to the site below, an example of this is: "a very common thinking style for someone with Panic Disorder is the belief that he or she is trapped in a situation. This belief of being trapped contributes to the feelings of panic."

As for effectiveness, the site states: "CBT for Panic Disorder without Agoraphobia has an improvement rate of 90% with a 5% relapse rate." (1) (Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces, often of leaving one's house, or town, for example). This is a VERY high rate of effectiveness for any kind of therapy!

With persistent Panic Disorder, therapy alone is often not enough, especially in the beginning. The drug Klonopin (clonazepam) has been shown to work very well (2), but many doctors are prescribing anti-depressants, in part, due to their effectiveness (still only about 65%, according to this site), and also because of pressure NOT to prescribe tranquilizers, such as Valium or Xanax, which have only a short-term effect and people's tendency to become addicted to them. Klonopin is longer-acting, and therefore is easier to manage than short-acting tranquilizers.

Some people only experience panic attacks a few times and then they go away, especially if they're caused by something traumatic, like a death or accident (3). But if they keep occurring, it's best to get into treatment.

Although many sites list drugs called "Tri-cyclic anti-depressants", for treatment of panic disorder, they are not used much anymore, due to the length of time they take to work, and the many side effects (about 1/4 of people experience severe side effects using these, so avoid them)(2).

Though most sites declare that SSRI's (also anti-depressants) like Zoloft and Celexa, are better, with no side effects, this is not always true. There is a growing controversy over the side effects of this class of anti-depressant, due to many people reporting increased agitation, and changes in behavior and thought patterns (such as mood swings and increased anger), among other things. (4) (5)

I'd suggest visiting some sites like the ones below, to get more information on how panic attacks affect YOU and which course of action you should take. Remember, you're not alone; millions of people get these and they can be successfully treated!

Oh, and DO avoid caffeine! :P

Good luck!

Answer 4

Yes, that is just an indicator of your blood pressure being extremely high during your panic attack. It reacts the same way when you get extremely angry.

Try to relax, and you should return to normal. Good luck

Answer 5

yes it is because when you have a panic attack you are under alot of stress and this would cause it .I know because I had them before.

Answer 6

I would say no. Maybe a doctor could answer your question.