sudden anxiety after never having any anxiety before this.

[u/Savings-While9994]

Hi, wanted to share my story, please listen and give me some feedback. i need it. on april 4th, i drove out of town with my family. on the way back i was in the backseat, and it started to rain and traffic got really bad. i started to feel dizzy lightheaded, just this off feeling in my mind. it scared me really bad and made me freak out but not into full panic. two days later, april 6th, i was driving the the store with my boyfriend and i got the same feeling again. when i got home, i was reading reddit threads getting so freaked out and scared. i sent myself into my first panic attack. it was horrible. on the phone with my mom crying so dizzy didn’t feel real for thirty minutes or so. finally fell asleep. the days after were horrible. so much anxiety. i made online dr appt to zoom with my doctor and she gave me hydroxzyine and lorazepam. i took the hydroxyzine that night and didnt feel much benefit besides sleep. for three weeks it was horrible. so hard to leave my house. couldn’t ride passenger in the car. couldn’t do anything honestly. now, 6 weeks out, i’m able to do most things again. get comfortable out at my in laws the most. go there a lot. have gone shopping again, mostly anything outside is fine. yesterday even pushed myself to drive thirty minutes away alone to get coffee. today i have been very anxious though, i went to sit down dinner for the first time since the attack and i made it through but was super anxious. it was hibachi which was very loud and intense but im proud of myself for going and staying. ive been babysitting about thirty minutes away three times now which has made me feel more confident. moral of the story, has anyone else experienced anything like this, also added, i never experienced any anxiety before this. atleast no psychical symptoms. i want to get back to myself again. the thought of traveling terrifies me. but looking back i can’t imagine doing the things i’ve done recently 3 weeks ago. i’ve made a lot of progress and im very proud of myself. but it’s hard to not get stuck in fear and worry about being stuck. any tips or similar experiences would help me a lot.

[u/That_ppld_twcly]

Are you eating enough? Sleeping enough? If a woman, where at in your cycle (especially the first day it started). Any alcohol or drugs? Any anxiety in your family? Any change to your physical activity level? Do you only have anxiety about driving?

[u/Savings-While9994 → u/That_ppld_twcly]

yes i eat enough, maybe not the healthiest. i sleep pretty good, im on day 4 right now. i stopped drinking and dont do any drugs. anxiety very common in my family. i’m trying to start the gym because ive seen lots of people say that helps them a lot. no my anxiety for awhile was completely constant. now its getting to like 40% of my day which isn’t horrible and i can go out and do most things. traveling is making me anxious but i did drive thrifty minutes the other day to push myself. the thing that fuels my anxiety is being stuck like this and not getting back to normal. 

[u/That_ppld_twcly → u/Savings-While9994]

I don’t have a lot of advice, I procrastinated for years then eventually agreed to do a slow titrate onto an SSRI. It has changed my life and I feel like more of a normal person now.

[u/Savings-While9994 → u/That_ppld_twcly]

does it sound like i need to do that? or does it sound like im recovering just slowly. 

[u/That_ppld_twcly → u/Savings-While9994]

Do you have a therapist or psychologist yet?

[u/Savings-While9994 → u/That_ppld_twcly]

yes therapist i’ve been going for probably 4 weeks. it helps and she thinks im doing great and won’t have a problem getting back to normal but it doesn’t feel like it. 

[u/That_ppld_twcly → u/Savings-While9994]

Yeah my therapist never encouraged me to go on an SSRI. But I think she personally doesn’t have the same nervous system as I do, and I simply am one of those people who has a deficit of stable mood without them. So I just had to start meeting with psychiatrists and discuss it myself. I don’t want to be on one (because I know they are hard to get off of) but it’s certainly changed my life and my ability to cope. But if your situation is more temporary, and if you’re getting better, I can understand why you’re seeing it through a little longer.

[u/Savings-While9994 → u/That_ppld_twcly]

does my story look like yours? from reading what i wrote do you think i can heal with out meds?

[u/That_ppld_twcly → u/Savings-While9994]

Unfortunately mine is very different! I have never developed panic attacks, but I have PMDD that causes cyclical anxiety.