The blood pressure medication could be changing your heart rate slightly, or doing something else--let your doctor know about the increase in the attacks on the medication. He may want to give you something else. I don't have to tell you that loosing weight could get your BP low enough so you won't need the medication. Also cutting out the salt will help too. You need to make some changes in your diet and weight and then see if things settle down.

At your age, it could also be hormones, too. Weight loss and eating more soy might help.

The best BP medicine for people with panic attacks is Atenolol/Tenormin. 25mg usually does the trick. It's like 2 pills in one, lowers your heart rate and makes it so you don't have sinus tachycardia which is anything over 100 bpm. Mine has hit really high of 180+. It's a good workout for your heart but at the same time you think you're dying.

I have been working out 3 to 5 times a week and I feel so much better. I was running today at 6mph on the treadmill and I got off of it and took my bp right away and it was 127/83 Pulse was 112. When I was running my pulse was 151 which is very normal. I am not sure if this is the beta-blocker you use or another BP pill. If not ask your doctor about it. Good luck. P.S. Working out made my anxiety go down 90% to 95%.....it's better then anything else I tried I swear and I hate running to be honest :) Well, not anymore.

Belle, I am a forty-five year old woman who never had panic attacks in her life. But this winter they came on and landed me in the emergency room a couple of times. This snowballed into all day, all night attacks and I ended up in the hospital for ten days. They are blaming menopause as tests show I am in the throes of it. I was put on Effexor (which raised my heart rate), .25 Klonopin 2x daily, and Proprananol to keep my heart rate down. They had to lower the dosage because it dropped my blood pressure too much and it was normal to begin with. They chose that drug because it also works for anxiety. I feel like a new woman and am glad the trip through hell is over.

Thanks for all your replies. I too am on Effexor and 1mg of xanax a day. I think it may be the hormones also. Yes I do need to exercise but when I do, the panic comes on. I guess because of my heartrate not used to being up. My heartrate goes up really fast and I don't even have to exercise that much. I don't even break a sweat and my heartrate is up to 135. Hopefully, I can get this under control. I can't live this way.

Yes, Belle! I was the same way this winter. I've always walked to keep the blues away, but found myself having an attack for the very same reason as you. Now I can walk again, thanks to the medication. I spelled it wrong in my last post. It is Propranolol. I do urge you to ask your doctor about it.

I forgot to add that Effexor is known to raise heart rate, which it did in my case. That is why I was put on Propranolol to counter act that. Not only does it bring down heart rate but blood pressure as well. My doc also said it was the beta blocker of choice for panic disorder because it effects the mind as well.