Sudden Severe Anxiety

Mental health
1

Last week I started to have sever panic attacks, Sunday night being the worst, I even ended up having someone drive me to the ER. I've had panic attacks in the past but they would be consider nothing compared to the way I've been feeling since. On Friday/Saturday I had an attack around noon, there was one other person in the house at the time and I was debating weather or not to go to them. My worries lied in my heart rate and breathing, I was terrified my heart would stop or I'd stop breathing. I'm writing this while I'm still some-what calm, I was able to get through Saturday but at one point, Subday night, my heart really began to race out of control, I panicked and fear over came me. I had my bf drive me to ER, they checked my heart and blood pressure, everything normal but I just couldn't calm down. They gave me a relaxant and after 20 minutes I was calm, I feel asleep in the car and went straight to bed. The next day I felt nervous but luckily no attack but the following day I had one start around noon, it lasted the rest of the day, I used night quill to help me sleep and I read through the forums on this site to help relax me. I hoped when I woke up I'd feel better but at 9 AM I got another attack and my first tension headache which really freaked me out because it reminded me of a familiar feeling. In 2013 I had a brain tumor removed but I had to go through emergency surgery because of a blood clot in the outside of my brain. At the time I felt pressure, exhaustion, dizziness, inability to concentrate or understand things. It was a scary experience, I'm trying to accept that these feelings are anxiety but it's hard. I'm writing here hoping to get advice, I'll be seeing my a doctor about this tomorrow. Also, something to add, this all started around and oney period which I'm still on. Does anyone notice a difference in their anxiety around that time?

Thanks, Darby

2

I can relate I have worse anxiety 10 days before and 4 days during my period. I also get random dizzy spells and cannot sleep! Hang in there. Just call your doctor tomorrow so you can get some piece of mind.

3

I also wonder did they check your blood count for anemia?

4

Thank you for your reply. I also get those moments of dizziness, I've also feel fatigue and exhaustion. I don't notice because I'm too busy worrying about my anxiety but once I calm down more I get hungry and begin to yawn again. But it is hard to sleep, I used night quill to help me sleep the other night but now I'm sitting up awake because I'm hungry, haha. I haven't checked my blood count, is there a quick and easy way to do that from home? Or do I ask my doctor?

5

Honey, you need a blood test to check that.

Love Tess x

6

Ah, sorry, thank you. I'll be sure to bring it up when I visit today.

7

Darby

Talk to your GP, some tests may be needed

8

I just got back from the doctors, told me everything was good so far but I'm having blood work done. She's putting me on Fluoxetine and Hydroxyzine for when I get bad. I'm feeling a bit relieved but exhausted, I'm really hoping for this plan to work. I'm going to start working out a few times a week and hopefully stick to it, I feel like such a mess. I'm always nervous about getting another attack. I'm going to start my daily medication tonight.

Wish me luck, Darby

9

Good luck Darby!!!!! Keep me updated!

10

So I started on Fluoxetine 10 mg and I think it's giving me more anxiety, I was worried about starting and I won't be getting my relaxant prescription until later today. I'm home alone and I couldn't sleeps at night, I was scared my heart would stop while I was asleep so I'm sleepy and I feel constantly anxious. This sucks, I just want to feel like myself again..

11

It's been a while, things got worse and then better, looking back to when this all started I can say things are much better than they were but that doesn't mean I'm not still having issues. At first I'd have high aniexty panic attacks where my heart rate would pick up and I'd have multiple phyiscal symptoms like chest tightness or burning along with tremors, shortness of breath, acid reflux/burping, tingles. I could never calm down, there would be moments where I was too exhausted to continue but then I'd get scared my body was shutting down since I'd been having an attack for hours. It was difficult to sleep, scared I wouldn't wake up, a few times I didn't sleep at all while other times I'd pass out but even while asleep I'd panic and wake up scared for no reason.

This went on for a week, it felt like a month, I found myself back at the ER conviced my body was shutting down. The offered me a room in a crisis unit, through all of this I felt helpless and I still do, I also came to understand no one can really help but watch or suggest. While in the unit I met up with a pychiatrist, while in the ER they toke my off my previous medications, he put me on Lexapro. I just started 10 mg but he started me off on 5 mg, the first week was all over the place, getting us to the medication while still having high aniety even now it gets a bit 'weird.' My aniexty feels different, better than my heart rate sky rocketing but sometimes the way it feels actually makes me more anxious at times. That being said I'm glad I'm on it, I feel like myself again even if I'm not completely myself, I'm able to sleep better, I don't wake up an anxious mess, I have good days instead of just bad days.

The same things still bother me though, I worry about my heart stopping, my body shutting down, breathing, blood clots, diseases, death. It's still overwhelming to me but I'm doing better, I find myself looking for reassurence, scared one of these fears is actually real. I can't help but feel helpless during these times, I understand going to the ER will only get me sent home but even though I understand it doesn't make me feel any better. There are times I wish I was in a hospital all the time, for some reason I feel safer knowing if something actually goes wrong I'm already there but if this is just aniexty, which it is, I'd been occuping a room someone could desperetly need. I don't plan to stay in a hospital or visit one but there are times I panic and feel like I need to go, It's just a thought but I never put it into action.

I also find disturbing thoughts invaing my mind since this all started, not all are bad, though. A few examples are, on my way to the crisis unit i road in the ambulance, we went over a bridge with a river underneth and the scenario entered my mind. The ambulance fell into the water and I was thinking of ways to escape, wanting to escape is a good thing, it means I want to live but I also have bad scenarios. Like, I just look at an object and think of how I can hurt myself with it.. I was shaving my legs and for some reason I had a scenario that I brought the razor to my neck. Sissors, knifes, guns, I'm not suicidal at all and never have been but I'm not confident in myself not losing control.

Sorry for a long post and for any typos within this post.

12

Hang in there it will get better!!!

13

So today I woke up with a headache, continuation from last night, mild and is still mild but I think it's effecting my aniexty. I have a history or epilepsy, noncancerous tumor most likely cause by the nurse pressing on my skull when I was born. It toke a while to be dignoised because my seziures were very minor, I could stand and see but couldn't understand, in Dec of 2013 I had brain surgery. I had to have an emergency surgery because I got a blood clot on the outside of my brain from the grid placed on my head, I couldn't understand anything that was going on and I couldn't feel scared or worried or anything. I'm fine but it's scary now. After my surgery I became seziure free but I'm scared I'll have another one, there was feeling that came before I have my seziures and I still get that tingle sometimes when I'm stressed out but I worry if I'll have one again and what'll happen if I do. I already feel like I have a lot on my plate and I dunno what I'll do if I have something else wrong with me.. Basically I felt that tingle while having this mild head ache, the diagnoses is panic disorder, it sounds about right but it doesn't help being diagnosed I'm still panicing, I wanna get up and go, I wanna have an MRI right now, I want help..

14

Hello again,

I find I usually don't post or come on this site unless my anxiety is high and I'm panicking but I wanted to post here in case anyone else is like me when I panic and skims through these posts. I've been diagnosed with panic disorder, health anxiety, generalized anxiety and OCD tendencies. I currently go to a  psychiatrist and have been on Lexapro for about 3 months now. I find that may people don't share their stories after things get better, probably because they've moved on or don't want to look back on that part of their life. I'm currently still trying to drag myself forward but I am doing much better than I was in September, my severe anxiety showed up very suddenly, I've had social anxiety most of my teenage years but compared to this it would be considered minor by far. My anxiety came with intense physical symptoms from chest pain to body tremors, these physical symptoms scared me immensely especially anything that involved my chest or breathing. My panic attacks lasted hours and when I wasn't having an attack I was scared of the next one, always on edge and anxious, I became emotionally numb except for my fear. I was like a totally different person, I felt like a totally different person. I went to the ER twice in one week scared something was wrong with my heart and after my second visit I voluntarily stayed in a crisis unit. Towards the end of my visit I started on Lexapro which after a few weeks kicked in and I started to feel like myself again, it was amazing, I could cry again, I could laugh again. Before Lexapro I was on another antidepressant which didn't suit me well at all, after a few days I was taken off it for increased depression, if you decide to start on an antidepressant for anxiety don't be discouraged if the first medication you take isn't for you. This is a journey that I am still only starting myself but things do get better, I still have my bad days but I'm very grateful for my good days because before every day was a bad day. I don't have these thoughts as often anymore but I use to have frequent visions that would pop into my mind randomly for example: On my way to the crisis unit I road in an ambulance and when crossing a bridge a random thought/vision popped into my mind that the ambulance had fallen into the river and I was thinking of ways to escape will the vehicle started to fill with water, that didn't happen but I felt disturbed by the thought. While I still suffer from anxiety and depression, I was never and still am not suicidal but most of my disturbing thoughts related to things I was seeing like while shaving my legs I was looking at my razor and a disturbing vision popped into my mind of bringing my razor to my neck. These thoughts bothered me and still do but I believe the fact the bothered me so much just made them occur more often after I stopped thinking about them so much I started having less. Right now I worry about my routine and getting my life together, which has been stressing me out a lot lately, I find myself escaping to the internet often and procrastinating doing things like cleaning and laundry even though I don't mind doing these things. Some of your own advice would be much appreciated but for the most part I wanted to share with everyone that things do get better and not to give up or lose hope. I often found myself seeking help during my panic attack, this site can offer reassurance but I've learned this is something that takes time so be patient with yourself and others!

Best wishes,

Darby :>

15

Hi Darby,

I am so glad to hear you staring to see some relief!!!