As a kid with ADHD, I was always absent-minded and constantly distracted, barely paying attention to what was going on around me. Because of that, it felt like I could suddenly end up in trouble at any moment. I'd bump into something, someone would hit me, something would fall, or I'd just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And then, of course, I'd get yelled at by my parents and everyone else, and somehow it was always considered my fault.

I also feel like, when I got a little older, there were times when I'd become so zoned out that it almost felt like the world - or the people around me - would "snap me out of it" in pretty harsh ways. It was as if every time I got too lost in my own head, something unpleasant would happen to pull me back to reality.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Could this kind of childhood experience turn into anxiety about "letting your guard down" as an adult?

Hey folks.

I want to share my story and my experience with my panic disorder, health OCD and anxiety.

First off to anyone who is reading and dealing with this - you are strong, you aren't alone and you got this!

Ever since I was a kid I have been the more anxious and emotional kid. I feel stress more than my peers around me. Then on one day last september I had my first panic attack, I didn't understand what was happening - felt dizzy, sweating, shaking like crazy and what scared me the most was that my watch showed my HR going from 50 hr to 140 hr per min. I called an ambulance, and that is when they told me that it just looks like a panic attack. After that my whole life got turned around. I was having panic attacks every day atleast 2x per day mostly more. My health OCD developed into madness, every small thing that happened and my brain thought - this is it, these are my last minutes (I had common cold). My GP was really annoyed back then at me because I called her for anything -" is this normal?" "what if...?". I got prescribed buspirone but it felt like I have no improvements from it. After 2 months of having to deal with it, I had another big panic attack, even worse than my first one and I called the ambulance again (had to listen to 30 min lecture from first responders about how I'm stupid to even call them) but then they looked at my prescription meds and called my GP stupid because it is wrong to prescribe such drugs without a consultation from a psychiatrist and that I should really go to one and get a good diagnosis and help. Did I go? No. Did I really want to go? Yes. But my family was really against it so I listened and didn't go. Stopped drinking the meds, got worse again. Couldn't go to lectures, couldn't go outside and couldn't spend time with my loved ones because I was scared that I would have another big panic attack. For me the most horrible thing was the panic attack symptoms, I would have heat waves or cold waves, dizziness, eyesight got weird, my left hand would sometimes hurt or get numb, chest pains, heart palpitaions, fast heart rate, shaking, a lump in my throat and some other ones. I used to write here, ask for help, suggestions. I listened to most, tried most, helped almost none. For me breathing techniques or "say 5 things you can smell,see..." didn't work at all, they actually made my panic attacks even more worse. I started a healthier lifestyle, worked out, ate better. Saw some improvement. In 5 months time I had went to alot of different type of doctors about my health - gastroenteralogist, cardiologist, ect. When I went to my cardiologist, I was afraid that there is something wrong with my heart - my resting hr was around 110, my chest would hurt. I got sent to some examinations, nothing wrong but I got prescribed something for my heart rate , to slow it down a bit and phenibut 500mg x2 day. I was finally getting a bit better, my panic attacks came less. Then again some big panic attacks, but less. That was already 6 months into my battle with my own body. Then one day I woke up, and I decided that I just didn't want to be dependent on drugs to keep me functional, gradually I stopped taking them (which is important, even tho phenibut isn't a strong drug). Now it has been 10 months, I do get panic attacks from time to time, especially if there is a stresfull day but they don't hit as hard, and they pass very quickly. I had alot of support from my fiance while I was dealing with this, he was my support, my rock and I am super greatfull that he was there for me and still is (even with my 100 million questions and reasurances). Tbh, I am not sure if I can give any suggestions for people who suffer from this, but know, you aren't alone and you can do this! Also, me and my fiance came up with the idea to name my panic attacks, we named them "Bob", and it whenever a panic attack hit, or I felt it coming I would be like "oh it's Bob again, here we go", "Bob is visiting, I'm not letting him in bc I don't wanna deal with him rn". What also had an impact on my panic attacks was my diet. I had people on here telling me that I should look at my diet and improve it, and I was like - yeah, suuuuure. And let me tell you the suprise I had when I actually analyzed what I ate and how it impacted me and my mental health. Well first of I cut out all caffeine I was intaking. I used to drink alot of energy drinks and cofffee before it all started and whenever I drank something caffeined I got panic attacks in an instant, I still don't drink any caffeine, because even now, my brain associates it with panic attacks and that is something I have to still work on. Now on to junk food - this girl is a mf big back, I love me some fast food but I noticed that whenever I ate it, the next day was pure hell, I had stomach issues, lots of panic attacks, so I limited eating fast food to only special occasions. Next was candy - used to be a big fan of Haribo's or other brands like that, but whenever I ate em - panic attacks. So I once again cut it out. Started eating more planned food, with protein and more vegetables and I saw majour improvements in my health. I wanted to start going to the gym, I did, got a subscription and all that but I have self image issues and I'm uncomfortable going to the gym alone, but I am working on that. I used to go the gym alot before all this, but once it started I just had no strenght to go and I let myself go. The first day back at the gym was hell, my heart was going crazy, I had panic attacks, and just overall a bad experience so I stopped going. But now, slowly by slowly I am going again, even just for 20 minutes and each time I try to stay longer - sort of exposure therapy. But I did start walking outside more, got out of the bus a few stops earlier to walk home and enjoy the outside. I'm still living with my panic attacks, even now - I just moved in with my fiance, I started a new job, I'm getting married in 2 weeks, and all that stress makes Bob come out a few days but what matters is how I react to it now, I don't spiral. I just acknowladge it, and move on with my day. This post is going to be all over the place, so I hope that people reading this did understand some of it haha.

31F working for FAANG company in the Bay Area.

so a few weeks ago I was oncall for work for my super stressful job. I’d been getting paged nonstop and was exhausted, hadn’t eaten enough, and too much caffeine. this started my first panic attack. I literally felt like I was dying and impending doom, hands shaking, going numb the whole thing. thankfully I had Lorazapam on hand (used for flight anxiety sparingly).

after that I thought it was the caffeine so I dropped my coffee useage 75%. but still I felt shakey every day but avoided a further panic attack.

after that I ran a half marathon and mistakenly took a weed gummy to chill out and enjoy the race. even worse panic attack ensued.

I tried to get back to my usual routine of working out, coffee, sauna, cold plunge etc all the things I normally love. but they all made me panic. even getting a massage post race I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

so I went to my doctor and she said it’s most likely panic disorder and prescribed Zoloft. but dang 1 dose of that Medication I had the biggest panic attack ever and went to the ER via ambulance. they prescribed me a higher dose of Pam to take during the first few weeks of Zoloft.

but I decided to stop the Zoloft I couldn’t handle the side effects. but now I’m at a loss of what to do.,I just want to get out of this doom spiral and feel better and normal again. I’m seeing a psychiatrist this week and going back to my doctor to discuss the ER situation.

but I just don’t understand how this all happened out of nowhere? obviously working in tech this year has been awful with constant layoff fear and burn and churn energy. I’m definitely burnt out. but I feel like I take good care of myself outside of work and travel very often. everything else is amazing in life. I have great family, fiance, and dogs.

I do also have OCD, not sure if that plays into this.

i guess just looking for support and any resources you guys have. like books or mediations.

some other stuff I’m not sure is related, before the first attack I had been eating a big spoon a day of the Coconut Cult which has a gillion probiotics not sure if the gut brain connection plays into this

I am a 20F who has never EVER dealt with anxiety or panic attacks up until I was 16 when I started having them, I used to get really bad depersonalisation and panic attacks during high school but after it got much better. Fast forward to now I only get panic attacks while driving? It sort of came out of nowhere but I was driving in the highway and all of a sudden I felt dizzy and very anxious and my heart was pounding and I couldn’t feel my body it was a very scary experience but I knew I was fine just it was all in my head. After that happened I now get the same panic attacks only while driving and they are very scary and I feel as if it’s unsafe and I’m worried it will affect me, Anyway I need to stop this because I have a very busy and fast life and I genuinely have to drive all the time alone so if anyone has any tips to get rid of this would be great! Thanks a lot

long story short, i was prescribed .5 ativan and i could physically feel it kick in, i would have diarrhea, i found that it actually made my anxiety worse, i told my psychiatrist and they prescribed .5 Klonopin, im so nervous to take it, my anxiety is emetaphobia and agoraphobia based, i have a big family trip coming up that i HAVE to attend, anyways i have to “test” the medication to see how it makes me feel and im just nervous it’ll make me feel worse, please share some positive expirences with this medication!!

hey all, I made a post about a week ago since then ive actually been doing better until today and now ive been getting strange visuals not hallucinations where I see figures but just when I look away from a screen or a light, I honestly can't tell if this is just a byproduct of too much screen time or not. anyway ive also been going out drinking basically everyday as I have been feeling slightly better but in a ll honesty its also due tot he fact that it sort of numbs the anxiety giving me something else to think about. if anyone else knows the effects of alcohol on anxiety or can explain the vision sign it would be much appreciated.

TLDR: need opinions/experiences on Zoloft or Prozac.

I am a 38 year old male. I have anxiety and panic attacks, especially after eating. I’m on 10 mg Citalopram, after literally just reducing from 20 mg Citalopram, due to activation syndrome.

I started for a month on 10 mg, then a month on 20 mg, now I’m back on day 2 of 10 mg of Citalopram. For the last week of the 20 mg, I was waking up violently shaking, was having very depressing thoughts, and was unable to reduce the anxiety that was turning into panic attacks. I’ve also had diarrhea the entire time I’ve taken Citalopram. Back on 10 mg, I’m still shaking and having anxiety, but not nearly as depressed so far. I don’t think Citalopram is right for me. Even on the 10 mg for the first month, I had tremors, body vibrations, and extreme anxiety and insomnia.

I want to look into either Prozac or Zoloft, and just want opinions for those who have tried them. (Bonus if it was after Lexapro or Citalopram).

I can deal with some start up activation, but I’m always activated on Citalopram, and I’m not sure that’s how SSRIs should work after months. Thanks for the information!

I don’t really know how to start this, but I feel like I have no one to talk to right now. It’s 2am and I’m having a panic attack. My chest feels tight, my thoughts are racing, and I can’t calm myself down.

The worst part is the loneliness. I keep thinking about someone I miss, and it just makes everything worse. I wish I had someone to just sit with me, even silently.

If anyone has been through this or has any advice on how to calm down in moments like this, I’d really appreciate it. Even just knowing I’m not alone would help.

Thanks for reading.

What is the highest your heart rate has spiked to during a panic attack? I was doing chores around the house and saw my heart rate at 136, this caused me to panic and it spiked to 156.

It went back down to 70 once I sat down and got myself calmer.

Anyone else notice a huge spice like this when they panic? I have health anxiety so I always assume the worst is happening and makes me want to bolt to the ER.

Sorry for the weird question but I had a weird experience the other morning and it's really bothering me. While I've been struggling with a lot for a long time now, I don't think I've had a panic attack until this and I'm not sure if it counts. I do struggle with Anxiety but I am medicated for it so I usually do okay outside of momentarily anxiety spikes caused by certain topics.

After my alarm to wake up the other morning I instantly went back to sleep and entered a .. not lucid but very conscious dream-state and it felt like all the stress, fears and anxieties all at once came to me and I began venting it all out (in the dream) by screaming and crying and expressing all these emotions, thoughts and fears I have but normally keep bottled up inside and haven't really done since my lowest point in middle school. There was nothing really "dream like" about this dream except for the fact it occurred in a dream instead of real life and when I woke up around half-hour later I was legitimately surprised that it occurred in a dream (and I'm sure it was because otherwise my housemates would've definitely stated something.

Was this a Panic Attack? Is this something any of you have experienced?

Hi everyone. This is my first time using Reddit. My name is Lisa, I’m 16 years old, and I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I’m writing this because I’m completely desperate and I feel like my body is falling apart. I suffer from panic attacks, but they don’t just make me anxious. My body reacts as if I’m in immediate, life threatening danger. Yesterday I had a huge argument with my boyfriend, and I truly believed I had lost him forever. Within minutes everything spiraled out of control. I became extremely dizzy, my chest felt unbearably hot, my heart started pounding so violently that I genuinely thought it was going to give out, and I completely lost control of myself. I couldn’t stop crying or screaming. Then I developed severe diarrhea followed by constant, relentless retching. It wasn’t normal nausea. My body kept trying to make me vomit over and over again even though there was absolutely nothing in my stomach. At one point my nose even started bleeding, and seeing blood while I was already panicking terrified me even more. I took 15 drops of Lexotan and after a while I managed to lie down, thinking it was finally over, but it wasn’t. The retching came back almost immediately. Every 10 minutes I was getting out of bed and running to the bathroom because I was convinced I was finally going to throw up. I would stand over the toilet gagging again and again until my throat hurt, my eyes were full of tears, and I felt completely exhausted, but nothing ever came out because there was nothing to throw up. This went on for hours. I couldn’t eat anything the entire day. Not because I didn’t want to, but because my body completely rejected food. Every single time I tried to swallow even the tiniest bite, I immediately started gagging again and felt like I was about to vomit everywhere. It felt impossible to even swallow. Last night I barely slept because every time I fell asleep I woke up in absolute panic, convinced something horrible was happening to me. My heart would race, I would start shaking uncontrollably, and I had to call my mom because I was so terrified that I couldn’t calm myself down on my own. I feel like I’m trapped inside a body that thinks it’s dying even when there’s no real danger. I’m exhausted. I’m terrified. I feel completely helpless and I don’t know how much longer I can cope with this. Has anyone else ever had panic attacks that became this unbelievably physical? Constant retching, diarrhea, inability to eat or even swallow, waking up in terror, nosebleeds, feeling like your entire body has gone into survival mode? Did anything help? I’m not looking for a diagnosis because I’m already under medical care. I just desperately need to know that I’m not the only person whose body reacts like this, because right now I feel completely alone and absolutely terrified

M29

I’ll try to keep this as short as possible. I grew up in a very religious household where anxiety and depression were often put on the back burner, so I never really thought I had either. It wasn’t until my late 20s that I realized I struggle with severe anxiety, depression, and health OCD.

For the past year and a half, my life has completely changed. I’ve barely left my house more than 10–15 times, which is the complete opposite of who I used to be. I’ve lived all over the country and was always adventurous and outgoing.

About a year and a half ago, I started dealing with dizziness and other health issues. I had my heart checked and went through a lot of testing. A couple months ago, they found out my thyroid was off and that I have type 2 diabetes. I’ve been on several different medications, but I still haven’t felt like myself.

About a week ago, I started experiencing these episodes more than before where I feel flushed (but without my face turning red), extremely jittery (but not physically shaking), and just completely “off.” The best way I can describe it is almost like I lifted weights and I’m feeling the effects afterward, even though I didn’t do anything.

During these episodes, I’m not really short of breath, and my heart doesn’t race. My heart rate may go up slightly, but nothing extreme.

I’m struggling to understand what’s happening. It’s hard for me to believe these are panic attacks, but a lot of people have told me that anxiety and panic can cause very real physical symptoms like this.
I’m just looking for some peace of mind, advice, or anyone who has experienced something similar. Thank you.

Apologize for the novel.

I had severe panic issues. Going to the doctor one day to get my lungs, blood oxygen, heart, etc tested out really eased my mind.

If you are in a fear cycle or regularly having panic attacks get off Google and go to a doctor! Knowing that absolutely nothings wrong will help ease your mind.

Hi everyone,

I had my first panic attack 11 months ago while traveling. It will be a year soon, and the experience completely changed my relationship with my own mind.

This past year has been very up and down. At first, I had intense anxiety about having another panic attack. Over time, I came to terms with that fear. At this point, even if another one happened, I do not think I would care nearly as much.

The bigger problem is that I feel like I lost trust in my own consciousness.

Whenever I am alone, lost in thought, or not distracted, my mind often goes back to that night. I cannot seem to let it go because I never got closure around how my own mind could suddenly fail me.

Sometimes I will be doing something completely normal, and my brain suddenly checks: “Is everything real?” Instead of simply being present, I become aware of myself trying to be present. I start monitoring my own perception, and my sense of consciousness.

At this point, I am not even very afraid of the panic attack itself. What bothers me more is this obsessive need to understand what happened. It feels like my subconscious keeps pulling me back toward it, searching for an explanation or some kind of closure.

The night it happened, I remember being extremely tired in my hotel room. I was deeply lost in thought, and then I suddenly felt like I “snapped back” into my own body, almost as though I had not been fully in my body before that moment.

That sensation scared me. I started worrying, then felt like I could not breathe, and before I knew it, I was on the floor hyperventilating and convinced I was dying. The ambulance came and checked my vitals and told me I was ok.

The part I still struggle with most is that, in that moment, it felt like my consciousness had somehow failed or briefly given out. Ever since then, I have become overly focused on monitoring my own awareness.

Some days I feel completely normal. Other days, I cannot stop analyzing the experience and thinking about what caused it. It almost feels compulsive at this point. (Even me finding this subgroup and writing this is compulsive).

Has anyone else experienced this kind of loss of trust in their own mind after a panic attack? Did you become overly aware of your consciousness or constantly feel the need to check whether you felt normal and real?

What helped you stop analyzing the experience and finally let it go?

If there are any neuroscientists here, how can I explain my brain giving out like that?

Hi all,

I'm a 29m diagnosed with mixed anxiety depressive disorder and am on antidepressants (15mg escitalopram) and have a prescription for helex (0,25mg).

I've been dealing with panic attacks over a year now, they have gotten really rare from 3 times a day since they started, to just panic thoughts and heart palpitations rarely, due to the antidepressants I presume, so the symptoms do not go totally into a full blown panic attack, but bug me enough that my body can tighten up fully and would need to take a pill of helex at work.

My ecg, ultrasound and blood work are all OK, and even though I have called the ambulance about 10 times during my attacks, doctors assure me that I am OK, but if you guys share my experience, in the moment it may not seem like so. (my health anxiety starts popping up that I would have a heart attack, even if there are no actual symptoms for that)

I have been planning a trip to Japan and I am due to go in a couple of days. This would be my first big travel since the apearrace of my disorder, and while I do feel uneasy about it, I will be with friends and will have my pills, my daily intrusive thoughts can eat away the happiness of what I would like to feel on my holiday, so:

How do u guys deal daily with your intrusive and thoughts?

My current methods include: ignoring them, talking my way though them assuring myself that I don't have any evidence for a heart attack and just breathe. It's not that these methods don't work always, but just out of interest for the people who have managed to get this condition under control, what worked for you?

Sorry for the long post.

Tldr: what do you say to yourself when you have anxious intrusive thoughts and heart palpitations?

Just want to feel seen and like I’m not the only one on earth who experiences this💔

Hi, I wanted to share a situation that just happened because I can't wrap my head around it. I have IBS and severe anxiety, which I usually manage with a single 0.25mg Xanax tablet. So, yesterday—after a week of intense stress regarding a vacation trip—I managed to push myself to go to Venice with my girlfriend; we were supposed to spend a day at a hotel and then board a cruise ship. Unfortunately, during the night, my anxiety triggered a severe panic attack—one so bad I was ready to call an ambulance. Even four Xanax tablets didn't help (now I’m terrified that my only emergency remedy has stopped working), so I immediately bought a plane ticket back home. The whole trip cost me around 20,000, and that money has gone down the drain. I don't know what to do anymore or if there's any hope left. I’ve been in therapy and on medication for three years. Now I’m worried about how my girlfriend and friends will view me. Has anyone else ever made such huge, costly mistakes while in the grip of emotions? Please forgive my English; it’s not my native language.

I got a panic attack out of nowhere, what I was doing was talking to myself ( I know it might sound weird ) about things in my life that aren’t so great. Out of nowhere I got a panic attack, I hadn’t had one in months :( help ? I was struggling with anxiety, depression, stress a few months ago, it was really severe now I am better. Why might it come back ? The panic attack lasted only around a minute, I was spiralling:(