When Excess Histamine Feels Like a Panic Attack

Histamine and Anxiety

This post is part of an ongoing series on histamine intolerance, which Dr. Gannage has described as a “game changer in chronic illness”. If you missed the first post, which explains what histamine intolerance is, you can read it here.

When Excess Histamine Feels Like A Panic Attack

Histamine intolerance affects us in different ways, because histamine is found all throughout the body. Histamine always causes inflammation, but the symptoms that present themselves vary based on which receptors are being activated, and where.

In the heart, histamine functions as a vasodilator, meaning that it widens our blood vessels, and therefore there is less resistance to blood pumping through the body. Imagine a running hose that is widened, suddenly allowing more water to flow through, with less resistance or pressure. Just like this hose, the widening of blood vessels and decrease in resistance causes a drop in blood pressure. At the same time, your heart rate increases, as it works to get the same volume of blood through the widened vessels.

The combination of rapid heart rate and change in blood pressure can cause feelings of high anxiety, especially when they bring with them a pounding heart, shortness of breath, “flushing”, a rise in body temperature, dizziness, and/or redness in the face. Some people might feel that they are having a panic attack, when in reality the problem is excess histamine.

Excess histamine might help to explain panic attack symptoms that don’t appear to be linked to a panic disorder.

Beyond the heart, inflammation in the brain caused by excess histamine has also been linked to anxiety (as well as a series of other psychiatric presentations that are in fact, again, symptoms of histamine intolerance).

While the causes of histamine intolerance vary (and therefore so does the solution), a low-histamine diet is often a great place to start.

This post is part of a series on histamine intolerance. Make sure to follow Markham Integrative Medicine on Facebook and never miss a post.

8 Comments

sofiya borrowdale on January 22, 2019 at 8:36 am

Histamine also causes high blood pressure as does anxiety and panic.

Jesse Pinkman on January 28, 2020 at 6:54 pm

Histamine doesn’t cause high blood pressure. It causes low blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels.
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Moira Murray on July 7, 2020 at 4:01 pm

For years I have suffered with acute anxiety at certain times of year. Long story short-it was histamine intolerance. I noticed that my blood pressure would lower considerably-great for me as normally came in at 145/93 now it’s 123/78-grass pollen time here in U.K. I also noticed I was more constipated-possibly production of gastric acid caused by histamine. I had a couple of spells of tachycardia-close to an oil seed rape field-all in all my many episodes are all down to histamine. I don’t want to take antihistamines as I’m enjoying the low blood pressure! and I feel generally OK. Just understanding that it is nothing serious has a calming effect. Such a simple solution that my doctors couldn’t work out-just gave me tranquillisers.

Dr. John Gannage on October 4, 2020 at 2:18 pm

I’m glad you have figured it out for yourself. Great news!
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daisy gazer on July 18, 2020 at 4:40 pm

jees why didnt i ask google before ?! i thought i was nuts -i asked nurse why antihistamine stopped my panic attacks but she didnt know why – it was random i was happily out with mate but thought i was having heart attack in a shop for goodness sake he gave me an antihistamine and ive been taking them to stop the ‘panic attacks’ but they keep coming back 🙁

Carole P on August 4, 2020 at 10:07 pm

Actually, I have had a condition the past year where if I eat anything high histamine my blood pressure spikes.

Leek Meng Lee on September 11, 2020 at 7:18 am

So how do I stop a histamine attack?

Dr. John Gannage on October 4, 2020 at 2:27 pm

A good functional medicine protocol can assist. And some do well with anti-histamines.
Reply