Panic Attacks- Typical Reaction? Long post...?

Question

Years ago, I suffered from panic attacks extremely often- but they always heightened while traveling.

My husband is 30 years older than me, and prefers to relax while I drive.

So I KNOW what the major trigger was. I had been driving for less than a year when he bought a 40 foot long RV and had me drive from Alabama to West Virginia lol (he drove for the first hour, then handed over the wheel and the directions, talked to me for awhile then went to the bedroom).

I absolutely LOVED driving the RV, so my anxiety was recognized as such for a very long time. The longer I drove, the less real things seemed. I felt as if I was driving in my sleep with a dream being foremost in my vision and the road in the background. After awhile, my mouth started tingling. After that, I'd start to go limp and eventually fall asleep. I tried to combat that with Didrex (a diet drug) and caffeine. After that, I'd start having trouble breathing (like I had to yawn to get a full lung-full of air).

I had nothing but good experiences driving so I was very confused by what was going on.

Driving wasn't the only time I had trouble. Crowds were another biggie.

I go to religious conventions 3 times a year, varying from 1-3 days. 3 hours into the program, I'd have the same symptoms. I thought it was funny because one minute I was fine, the next I spoke to people as if I was drunk. My voice would slur, my body would slump. Eventually, I would fall asleep. But often I did so WHILE writing lol and the chicken scratch that resulted before I fell completely asleep was almost unreadable and a combination of what I was hearing and what I was dreaming about. Again, this was an activity I thoroughly enjoyed.

As the years went by, despite POSITIVE outcomes from all triggers (no fear or anxiety or accidents etc), my tolerance became shorter and shorter with episodes coming on faster and lasting longer.

My questions: Why the reaction to things I enjoyed doing? Is it normal to fall asleep during or after an episode?

I've been on Lexapro, Strattera and Provigil for several years now and those episodes very rarely occur any more. But I'm still confused by what caused them in the first place.

If you've read all this, lol, and have any experience or knowledge to share- I deeply appreciate it and thank you.

Answer 1

I had panic attacks off and on as a kid and on into adulthood, but didn't know what they were or why. Back in 2003, they got awful! 12/17/03, stuck in the Wal-Mart parking lot b/c of traffic, I thought I was dying. I've always been a little claustrophobic, but nothing like that. From that point on, ANY time I got into a car with my husband (he always drives) the same thing happened. It just kept getting worse, to the point of them happening at work on a regular basis, to them starting while driving to work, then I couldn't even go out of doors, period. Being in the car triggered it. That really stinks cause I always loved a good road trip.

Over the last couple of years, I've come to remember a few times when I was in the car with my dad (he was driving) and he would almost rear-end somebody at a red light. We didn't know he had ALS, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease at the time. He was losing the use of his feet. That was back in 2001.  What does this have to do with my dad?

He was thought to be bi-polar, very abusive as he was abused as a child. I am cyclothymic, suffer from PTSD as a result of childhood abuse / trauma, severe depression, chronic panic d/o with agoraphobia, and began SI at the age of 37.  Some how, my experiences with my dad as a kid coupled with the experiences in the car when my dad was driving triggered something after he died. Maybe my struggling with hating him and guilt over his death??? My mom was able to confirm things that had happened to me as a kid. Things I began having flashbacks about in 2003. The cyclothymia thing is genetic (my twin sister is bi-polar like dad), the PTSD and the resulting panic d/o is probably b/c of my dad. A fear was created.

You don't have narcolepsy do you? Falling asleep like that is unusual.

Possibly hyper or hypo ventilating till you pass out? I hypervent & pass out when having a bad p/a. It sounds like you need to dig deep to connect the dots; so to speek.

Thank Jah for Zoloft & Klonopin and a good p-doc.

Agape  

Add~~~ Looks like we have a couple of spammers giving the same C&P answers to everything they answer in this forum.

Answer 2

During panic attack,body prepares to face a great danger and the emergency hormones are produced.The person may experience a heart attack feeling.

'Panic away' is a program that helped several people to escape from panic attack and anxiety

http://www.panicaway.co.cc

Good Luck

Answer 3

Hello, I suffered from anxiety/panic attacks and depression for about 5 years and I can tell you that the sleepiness and tiredness is normal when having these attacks because your body becomes so tired after your heart beating fast breathing fast, muscles all tense and lots more. I became really tired and weak right after a panic attack also. While taking medication and what kind of medication may also be the reason why you may be falling asleep and be more tired.  

Answer 4

Hmm I find that rather odd that things like that happen during activies that you enjoy. Have you ever gone to a doctor about this? Or maybe a psychiatrist? Maybe something long ago that you tried to forget kind of comes up in your subconscious? I have known people who when they were a small child was attacked by a dog..and has scars...years later she knew that it happened but doesnt remember it, if you know what I mean?

I have had  panic attacks before. When I was a small child...I saw my grandmother die in the hospital. I would have moments when I would be just fine...the I would go to school and I would cry out of control and my school would have to call my dad to claim me down. I don't remember all my break downs but I know that they happened.

Some of my more recent break downs have been with in the last few months. I am 21 years old, still living with her parents. With the job market in the toilet like it is these days...both of my parents have been laid off. I am the only one working...my parents have bleed me out. I had break downs like no other. I would be at work and out of no where I would start crying and hyervenalating...I would be at the store and out of no where crying and hyervenalating. I felt like there was no way out...all I did was work...at a job that I really didnt like...had the same problems everyday that I didnt like...took care of the same people who were mean to me day after day. But finally things changed and they got better.

I hope that this some what helps...kinda...maybe?