Has anyone every had a panic attack where your left arm and other limbs get tingly?
I went to the er because of this they said i have panic attack disorder and prescribed me ativan? Just wondering what others side affects are from panic disorder. Thanks in advance.
Yes panic attacks commonly cause tingling and numbness. It happens when you hyperventilate – maybe you felt like you couldn’t breathe properly yet you were breathing really deeply.
When you breathe out, you get rid of carbon dioxide. If you breathe faster, you get rid of more carbon dioxide than usual, so less is left in your blood. This changes the pH of your blood – it gets more alkaline. This then has lots of other effects, one of which is to make you very tingly and dizzy and generally feel weird. This is why people are sometimes told to breathe into a paper bag – they breathe back in some of the carbon dioxide they just breathed out, so they don’t get rid of som much.
Comments
Comment from kureyon
Time August 26, 2009 at 3:30 am
Yes panic attacks commonly cause tingling and numbness. It happens when you hyperventilate – maybe you felt like you couldn’t breathe properly yet you were breathing really deeply.
When you breathe out, you get rid of carbon dioxide. If you breathe faster, you get rid of more carbon dioxide than usual, so less is left in your blood. This changes the pH of your blood – it gets more alkaline. This then has lots of other effects, one of which is to make you very tingly and dizzy and generally feel weird. This is why people are sometimes told to breathe into a paper bag – they breathe back in some of the carbon dioxide they just breathed out, so they don’t get rid of som much.
References :
PhD biochemistry
Comment from Trahern B
Time August 26, 2009 at 2:49 am
Panic attacks can cause a limb to go tingly because you are hyperventalating. In other words, not getting enough oxygen into the system and it makes a limb go numb.
One can feel like the room is spinning, a feeling of paranoia, shortness of breath, feel like a heart attack… well.. here’s a list that a medical site claims.
Rapid heart rate
Sweating
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Hyperventilation
Chills
Hot flashes
Nausea
Abdominal cramping
Chest pain
Headache
Dizziness
Faintness
Tightness in your throat
Trouble swallowing
A sense of impending death
My mother suffered horrible panic attacks for years. It’s something you can mentally work on. Destress your life, exercise and eat better all helps.
References :