“I'm having some severe chest pain with anxiety. Is this dangerous? What could it be?”

Severe chest pain warrants a referral to your primary care physician.

First, let me say, you need to see your medical doctor and be told it is just anxiety. If that is the case, yes, this can be common with anxiety and panic attacks.

How long have you suffered from anxiety and how is it being managed? How frequent are the chest pains, everyday or less? I always recommend going to see your primary care provider to rule out any medical conditions. Once those have been ruled out, be more aware of your Anxiety. Anxiety comes with a long list of physical ailments, such as headaches, acid reflux, GI issues, as well as panic attacks.

If one is experiencing significant chest pains it is advisable to contact one's physician to ensure there is not a physciolgical problem that needs to be treated by your doctor. If there is no evidence of a physiological problem then the pain or physical discomfort is like to be a symptom of your anxiety. When one is anxious the body is responding to a sense of "not being safe." Consequently, physiological our bodies automatically prepare one's self to either "flight or fight". In other words, our body prepares itself to either escape the danger or confront in aggressively in order to protect one's self. There are many different symptoms that are reflective of this process that people may experience and include but are not limited to, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, dry mouth, accelerated heart beat, sweating and lightheadedness. These symptoms may be controlled by either mediations that are classified and mild sedatives or beta blockers. The for category of medications are approtiate in acute situations on an "as needed basis". Unfortunately, they are addictive and may lead to abuse, and misuse of these medications to ward of withdrawal effects that occur with continued use of them. The second citatory of medications are not addictive and do not tend to lead to abuse but should be closely monitored by a doctor. Ultimately, the most important endeavor is to try and understand the nature of the anxiety and whats or of situations trigger these feelings. By doing so, one will with the assistance of a psychologist will attempt to develop internal emotional ways to regulate one's emotions in such a way that will eliminate or significantly reduce the the frequency and occurrence of these discomforting feelings.

I would have you go immediately to a doctor to rule out any physical problems especially when you have chest pains. Go right away. One can only diagnose anxiety once you've ruled out physical ills OK. Good luck to you.
Dr. Beverley Antoine

100% of every client that has ever reported to me that they were experiencing chest pain or tightness or pressure in the chest region in conjunction with their anxiety or panic attacks (or description of their experience with anxiety and/or panic disorder) has ever received a diagnosis more severe then anxiety. Nevertheless, I always advise my clients to be their own advocates, and speak up, especially with regards to medical treatment/care with their providers. I believe that as a [responsible] mental health provider, I have the ethical obligation and moral duty to encourage my clients to bring up any concerning or unexplainable symptoms they experience with their primary treatment providers / general practitioners to rule out serious issues or prevent any condition from worsening.

Based on my clients' experiences and treatment outcomes, I would say that it is fair to assert that anxiety and panic attacks respond incredibly well to psychotherapy. In fact, I can confidently state that I regularly treat clients who suffer from anxiety or panic attacks in fewer than four to six sessions. By equipping clients with essential information about the underlying principles and by showing clients how to implement coping skills and strategies designed to quickly and efficiently prevent, deescalate, and eliminate their anxiety or panic attacks, clients can quickly learn how to independently manage their anxiety and panic attacks.

Any time you have sharp chest pain you need to be seen by a physician to make sure there is not a cardiovascular or respiratory element contributing to your presentation or vice versa. If those medical conditions are ruled out, I would say you may need medication therapy to help address these symptoms, if they are severe and chronic. I would also suggest psychotherapy to address the reason why the anxiety is this significant and causing panic attacks. There is usually an underlying issue triggering this level of anxiety presentation.

Brandi Buchanan, PhD

Sounds like panic attacks. But it would be a good idea to see a physician
just to rule out anything physical. Assuming they are panic attacks, what
you will need is cognitive-behavior therapy. That is what I use in treating
panic attacks.
Dr. Bill Golden

Hello, an important part of the work of a mental health provider is to understand and then treat psychiatric illness. We first need to assure we are in fact working with someone who has a psychiatric disorder. Part of that process is ruling out other causes of your psychiatric symptoms. Many medical concerns can be occurring in a person's life and present as a psychiatric condition.
I make certain to have my patients see their medical doctor to rule out a medical cause of their psychiatric complains. Once that is done I feel comfortable treating the psychiatric problem.
So, get evaluated by your family doc then call a psychologist.

Hope this helps!
Dr Crone
443-207-1809

You need to go see a medical doctor or a nurse practioner. They can prescribe medication for anxieties and possible have your chest checked out. Hope you have insurance! lol...If not, see about getting a prescription for anxieties and try it out.. Until then, you need to take thing easy and don't over work yourself. You can end up having a heart attack, depending on your age.

Chest pain can be a serious symptom. I would recommend that you be evaluated by physician as quickly as possible to determine if you are actually experiencing possible heart-related problems or if the pain is simply a symptom of panic disorder. If a physician deems your pain to be a result of psychological factors, it would then be best to make an appointment with a psychologist who can help treat the anxiety and pain.

First and foremost, you should be evaluated by a medical professional. Although chest pain can be related to panic attacks, any underlying medical condition must first be ruled out. If an underlying medical condition is ruled out, then seeking counseling for your anxiety is the best thing you can do. The counselor will help you learn how to decrease your anxious symptoms and ultimately get at the heart of what prompts the anxiety in the first place.

It is important to have a physical done first, and rule that out. If there is no physical source, seek therapy for anxiety.

Panic attacks can occur as a result of the severity and time frame in which anxiety started to occur. Sometimes, a physician will prescribe a minor tranquilizer to provide short term relief, while encouraging therapy to identify and establish coping skills to address the problem.

I suggest seeing your medical doctor asap. With anxiety, we always need to rule out other medical conditions. Given you experience severe chest pain, checking in with a medical provider ASAP to assure it is only anxiety will allow to then discuss coping strategies in psychotherapy.