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Hi Jennifer,   Many people experience anxiety attacks when having an acid reflux episode. It is possible that is what is happening to you. The only way to find out for sure is to seek medical advice. While online sites like HealthCentral are great places to get all the latest information about your medical health, it can not take the place of your doctor's solid medical advice. So it's best to work closely with your doctor to make sure you are getting the best of care.   In the meantime, here is some information you might find helpful. Remember to write down the questions that come to your mind while you are reading, so you can remember to ask your doctor.   You can read about GERD here in the overview and you can check your symptoms here in the symptoms database. Once you have seen your doctor, if he prescribes medication for GERD, you can read about them here in the drugs database. You can also research treatments available and alternatives here in the treatments database.   One of the greatest assets of HealthCentral is it's user base. People who just like you are experiencing similar issues and they log in here and create shareposts to ask questions and generally pass on information. A member here named Barfarm has a sharepost here that talks about having anxiety attacks when experiencing acid reflux. Consequently, Barfarm also had issue with fast heartbeating or racing. You can read the sharepost here.   You didn't say if you were taking any medications for acid reflux, but in this posting, Dr Todd Eisner, resident Medical expert, said that proton pump inhibitors like (Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, Nexium and AcipHex) are very well tolerated. However, AcipHex does have anxiety attacks listed as a possible side effect for that one proton pump inhibitor. You can read more about these medications and the full article by Dr. Eisner in the links above.   I hope you find something helpful in this information. Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!Vicki M