Quote Originally Posted by Beeblebrox.420
You didn't read my link, did you? To summarize: panic attacks are essentually a runaway "fight or flight" reflex - a natural defense against perceived danger. Since it is a reflex, there is zero concious control over it. You can no more hold back a panic attack than you can stop your knee from jerking when the doc taps it with that little rubber hammer, which is a test for another reflex. It has a definite physiochemical effect and the elevated adrenaline levels in the blood as a result of the attack are measurable. To answer your other question, yes, in people prone to panic attacks, marijuana can exacerbate the symptoms or trigger an attack.
i believe doctors could actually induce a panic attack in patients with the right chemicals (adrenaline, etc.)...that's not to say they should, it's just to further support the "chemical trigger" argument