By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

I have pretty moderate to severe anxiety at times. I almost always have a baseline anxiety that presents itself as mild chest pain, which I take lorazepam for as needed. Occasionally, however, and it's usually while I'm trying to sleep at night, things get much worse and I find myself becoming almost instantaneously tossed into a state of panic where it feels like I'm having a heart attack and I can't catch my breath. That's far less frequent, especially when taking a benzo, but it definitely sucks. One thing I've never been certain of is whether or not a heart attack can actually be triggered by one of these panic attacks. I would feel at ease if I knew it was just my body doing something weird and it would go away, but I can't help but worry every single time that there is a small chance that I die.