Is this panic or astma

I could be sitting doing nothing and all of sudden I want to take a deep breath, I cant and for ages I cant, then I start to worry i may die. Im scared to go out now in case it happens when I am not at home

I get it in the car too, when i leave home

Is this Astma? Or panic

It's my first time on this website and I just registered, so bear w/ if I dunno what I'm doing.
In regards, I also often have a tightness / heavyness feeling in my chest, in addition to the regular anxiety attacks. At first I thought maybe I developed asthma.... so I borrowed a fast acting inhaler (albuteral spray) and after a couple of puffs the tightness eased up! Sometimes the tightness would last several hours or a few days, so if it seems like asthma, i treat it as such. I found that it's worse when my stress is very high, which is only a few times a month and the inhaler works so I just accept it. I know I'm probably of no help, but maybe you're experiencing something similar.

Hi all

I would suggest that the inhaler would make you breathe easier even if you weren't asthmatic because, if it is salbutamol or ventolin or similar, they are broncho-dilaters, specifically for expanding the airways.

I used to be asthmatic as a child and the breathing difficulties I had then were far more pronounced than anything I've ever felt through anxiety. I used to have to stop halway up the stairs to have a rest!

If you are audibly wheezing or gasping for your breath then I would suggest you contact your GP and mention it to them. If, like me, you just feel like you can't get your breath for a couple of seconds now and then, maybe you could ask yourself a question like "would I still be able to run up and down the street?"

Anxiety does cause breathlessness that is temporary and usually harmless.

Hope this helps

Chris

Hi, i read the posts that have been written and am rather concerned. You should not be taking asthma medication unless you have asthma. go to your doctor and get it checked out before effectively prescribing yourself potentially harmful drugs or treatments. I have found that if my breathing is tight a vicks inhaler does the job just fine. a few deep sniffs up the nose and the eucalyptus seems to work its magic and opens my lungs right up. Try that instead. Seriously though, don't take drugs you may not need or may do your lungs harm. Go to the doctor, but the tightness in the chest is probably down to your muscles in your chest being overly tight. A warm bath with some eucalyptus oil in the water will relax the muscles and open your lungs as well quite possibly.

Hope that helps.

Hi all

Mark is of course right. I hope my message didn't give the impression that I was encouraging the use of non-prescribed drugs.

Chris

Well I suffer from both Asthma and panic attacks - including the 'feeling of being unable to breath'. I assure you that it is not asthma. Asthma involves wheezing - and a lot of it. I've been in hospital with it many times. A very common symptom of panic is the tight chest and the feeling of not getting enough oxygen or being able to breath. This is caused by the muscles in the chest getting tense. You will breath fine - it is just a distressing sensation. I've had it many times - I've just learned to ignore it when it happens.

The fact that the sensation hits you quickly is a good indication of it being 'panic' and the fear of dying is certainly part of that panic. Asthma will creep up on you!

All the same - a quick trip to your doc and they should put you right.