Chest pains without panic attack

Hi James and welcome...

...although I am sorry it is due to your symptoms and worry regarding them. I know exactly how miserable that feels.

I am glad to read that you have take the first step and had the necessary test to rule out a physical isse...as this is always recommended.

Now you can focus your energy on anxiety management to relieve the symptoms, and your overall stress levels.

Chest pain with...and even without anxiety is usually the result of fatigued thoractic muscles...due to anxious breathing. We often are not even aware that we are stressed and unconsciously overbreathing.

In our Resources at the top of the main forum page here youll find a link for 'Stress Relieving Exercises' The breathing and Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercises are a great place to start...but do have a look at everything...and see what else looks helpful to you.

Post with us anytime for support and encouragement. We understand and will be here to listen.

Scaredy Cat

Chest pain can

I had chest pains for many years, and when my bad marriage ended, my chest pains ended.

My chest pains were from the stress of the bad marriage. The chest pains did not begin the day the bad marriage started, the chest pain may have started a month or two later, so I made no connection between the chest pain and the bad marriage.

What may have been happening was, as the bad marriage started and went on for weeks or months, my blood vessels in the muscles around my heart, started to constrict from the stress. The first few weeks, I may have been OK, enough blood was getting through the constricted blood vessels.

The 4th or 5th week of continued stress, the blood flow may have been cut off, or reduced enough, to cause chest pain, from lack of blood flow. The doctors were telling me, it's not your heart, it's the muscles around your heart.

So, you probably have some stress going on in your life. It may have been going on so long you don't even notice it anymore, but your blood vessel system does, and may be in a constant state of constriction. Too long in that state, or one more stressor, and here comes the chest pain.

The only thing that I had that would stop the chest pain was Ativan tranquilizer. It worked, I think, because it relaxed my entire body, including my blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow.

I also started using a heating pad on my chest, which expanded the blood vessels through heat, and reduced the chest pain. I would have some tranquilizers on hand, although my heart doctor says those won't help, I need some sort of heart help pills, but I just have the Ativan.

My psychiatrist gives me Ativan for that, and for anxiety that may be adding to it. So you can ask your psychiatrist about that.

You said, "I am 33, a smoker, and don't exercise very often and I have had really bad anxiety in the past"

I've heard that smoking constricts the blood vessels. It also probably makes the heart race. So you aren't getting increased heart rate from exercise, but your heart is racing from the nicotine.

And you have "bad anxiety" which is probably constricting the blood vessels. So, yeah, you and I, when I was in the bad marriage, were candidates for chest pain.

You've got three stressors, and probably at least one more from either having a job or not having a job, lifestyle, etc., which also may be adding to it.

And, you haven't found an anti-anxiety that you like. You might have to decide if you like being a little groggy or you like not having chest pain.

I have the same problem with blood pressure pills. Because they hurt a second ailment I have, I sometimes reduce my b/p pills, and then I can count on chest pain. So, I'm playing the same game you are.

These are all my opinions as a bipolar.