What does a heart attack feel like?

Question

I get chest pains alot, I smoke, and have asthma. I also have anxiety. What does a heart attack feel like, that is different than a panic attack?

Answer 1

Panic attack you get chest pain and heart beats real fast. Heart attack you get a major charlie horse type cramp pain in the middle of your chest. Go see a Dr just to be sure. Good luck.
jw

Answer 2

Heart attacks can feel very different for many different people. Smoking, asthma, and anxiety can all cause chest pain. . .some people just develop nausea with a heart attack, others feel a crushing pressure sensation (like an elephant sitting on their chest), some have sweating, etc. In any case, it would be a good idea to have an electrocardiogram with your primary care physician, they can refer you to a cardiologist if needed. Get help to quit smoking, try to get some help for or find relaxation techniques to help with the anxiety, manage your asthma as best you can. Do see an MD though.

Answer 3

Not all panic attacks are the same. There are several different levels of panic attacks. Some are so slight, that you hardly notice them. Others do feel like you are having or going to have a heart attack. It causes agoraphobia. The fear of being afraid. I think this is where the real problem begins. The more afraid you get of being afraid, the worse the attacks are and then you feel like you are having a heart attack. I started having them in 1986. I still have them, but they are few and far between. And I am on a med, but it is such a low dose that I am almost ready to be taken off. I have never heard of anyone having a heart attack because of panic attacks, but if you have a bad attack, it sure will make you feel like you will.

Answer 4

The chest pains could be due to angina, to the fact that you smoke and certainly to asthma as well as to anxiety. The symptoms of AMI (acute myocardial infarction - heart attack) are different for men than for women. I'll assume you're a man. The typical symptoms in a man are feelings of chest heaviness or tightness that progress to severe gripping pain at the lower sternum. The pain isn't relieved by rest. Shortness of breath, diaphoresis (profuse sweating) and acute anxiety. Frequently there's nausea and vomiting, the pulse becomes rapid, irregular and weak. The blood pressure drops. The skin becomes pale and clammy and may turn cyanotic (bluish).

Answer 5

Luckily for me I have no idea. I think you need to go to a doctor and get yourself very thoroughly checked out, especially since you smoke. You may need to go to a cardiologist and get a lot of tests done. I would guess you need to be more worried if you are in your 40s or especially 50s and above. If you're in your 20s or 30s a heart attack is a lot less likely. Either way you should quit smoking.

Answer 6

It feels like getting punched in the same spot over and over again, the hardest anyone could.

I think you could tell the difference between a heart attack and panic attack because I also get panic attacks and those you can just think to yourself "ok calm down breathe calm down" but a heart attack will be more like "I'M GOING TO DIE OMG IT HURTS SO MUCH"

Answer 7

It feels like someone is squeezing your chest really hard, and you have trouble breathing. You might even feel a pain in your whole arm clear to your fingertips, in your back, neck, jaw, or stomach. You could also have shortness of breathe, break out in cold sweat, nausea, or light headedness. If your not sure, go to the hospital, you may need a breathing treatment for your Asthma if you don't have the machine at home.

Answer 8

symptoms are different among male and female. If you think you're having a heart attack, get a complete cardiac workup to rule that out. Next time it happens you can assure yourself that it's just anxiety. Also, chest pain can be a result of a gazillion things. I had chest pain from time to time before I had my gall bladder out. And, it was left sided.... go figure.

Answer 9

no acutally unfortunatly a heart attack and a panic attack can be the same symptoms.. I hate that ..i worry about the same thing.. But well I have ask several nurses and doctors about this and well if you have wheezing and coughing and cant catch your breath i have heard that is the most common symptom but the bad thing here is sometimes there is no symptoms.. so we are all in the same boat

Answer 10

Chest pain, difficulty in breathing (breathlessness), then lot of weight on knees, you buckle, your legs give up! That would be a typical attack!