 [ Symptoms ] i have acid reflux at night i aspirate choke and can not breath in or out like an asma attack could an inhaler help  i have a partial hiatal hernia also i am convinced this choking is acid coming up my esophagus and down my trachea my grandmother had the same problem and had to sleep on an elevated hospital type bed to prevent this my co worker has the same issue his dr prescribed an inhaler i asked my pcp about it he said an inhaler would not help who is right is my friends dr just placating him [ Disease ] i would be concerned it sounds like the doctor may be lying to you in the situation you could have an irregular heart arrythmia that spurs these panic attacks this could mean you are in need of a long drawn out procedure that often times requires heart surgery hope this helps good luck