Never had Anxiety before!

Hello to everyone. I'm a 25 y.o. Male, and I think I've suddenly come down with severe anxiety. For the past 3 months, I have been having sudden "dizzy spells" where out of nowhere, I would get lightheaded and feel like I was going to faint. I would have to leave the room and go outside, where I could recompose. I did not put much thought into it, other than deciding I need to take better care of myself. I have been known to skip breakfast, not hydrate properly, etc. and so I thought maybe these were signs. I began to take multivitamins, have breakfast every morning, drink lots and lots of water - but it kept happening randomly, and I noted that it was never at home, only when I was in public or even while driving. They became more and more frequent.

Fast forward to 3 days ago. I began my day normally and went to the gas station near my house. I had the same fainting feeling. I went home, where I began to shake uncontrollably and my mind was racing. I fealt dizzy and I couldn't focus. Today, I have made no improvement. I can't leave the house! I called my boss and explained the situation yesterday, and that I cannot find ANY particular reason this would happen to me. He was very understanding, and told me to take the rest of the week off.

I drive for a living, but right now I cannot drive. I feel dizzy, and EXTREMELY anxious. Whenever I stop at a red light I feel like I am going to have an "episode", and the cycle just continues. I can't go inside a store, or anywhere for that matter because I have a hard time even keeping my balance, and if I stand still I get so anxious I feel like I will faint, but if I go outside, away from people, and breathe, I begin to feel more comfortable.

I have finally deduced that these must be panic attacks that I am experiencing? I have never in my life dealt with anxiety. I've always been very outgoing, very happy. No issues socializing, etc. Until all of a sudden.

I can't pinpoint anything that would have caused this. It is seemingly out of the blue. My job can be stressful, but I never felt like I was having a hard time dealing with it. I don't think that I have an unusually high amount of stress lately or anything like that.

Does anyone have anything to help me figure this out? Is the dizziness normal?

Thank you, I appreciate any response.

Hi APH2116 - Oh, I really feel for you, I could have written almost the exact same post!

I started having these dizzy episodes where I would get dizzy, shakey, and feel like I was about to pass out, and they started one morning on my drive to work (I had an hour and 15 minute commute each way). The first time, after it was over, I chalked it up to not eating breakfast, not drinking enough water.

But the episodes kept happening. And like you, for some reason stopping at a red light made it worse!

I continued driving but DREADED it, and frequently had to pull over at gas stations, 7-eleven, wherever I could. Sometimes I was stuck there for minutes, sometimes an hour before I could slowing, shakily drive back home. And oh how I dreaded red lights! For some reason even if I was going along ok, having to stop at a red light was torture and would usually bring on an episode. Then it started happening other places, like in the grocery store, church, the mall.

Before this started I liked to drive and had no problem driving, was very independent and liked it that way. I also had no problems going places or socializing. But after too many of these events I started to become terrified of leaving the house or driving alone.

I can't say if this is what you have, but for me, I believe it is panic attacks.

Its taken me a long time to get to this conclusion. I have had every test under the sun - brain mri, holter monitor/heart tests, blood sugar, everything. The only test I had that showed anything was I fainted during a tilt table test. I was told to keep hydrated and eat plenty of salt to keep my blood pressure up (it runs a little low sometimes). But, strangely, many of these episodes would happen when my blood pressure was not low.

After a particularly horrible episode while sitting at my desk at home this past weekend, I went to the ER. The doctor checked me out and confirmed this was not an episode of low blood pressure, said he is sure I am having panic attacks. It still seems crazy to me that so much dizziness and such a strong feeling that I am about to pass out could be panic and not something physical, but I am pretty sure now that it is.

I wish I could tell you they have gone away, but they haven't yet. I am working with a therapist, and I was given medication to try (although I am really scared to try it and haven't yet). I did find that just knowing what it was, I was able to ward off a panic attack just this morning by telling myself it was just that, and that I wasn't going to pass out and die. I still felt it, but nowhere near as bad.

I also work from home now and am not driving much except for brief trips around town when I feel like I can. When I have to drive, I always have my cell phone, and sometimes keep someone on the phone with me, that seems to help although I know its not a permanent solution. I haven't ventured out onto highways or to a store by myself yet.

I hope my story is not discouraging you! I just couldn't believe how similar our stories were and wanted you to know that someone out there knows what it's like. There are also lots of people in these forums who HAVE gotten better, and I think I will too.

I think it was a good idea you took the week off. Can you get a friend or family member to go with you to get checked out by a doctor? Get checked out and if they think it is anxiety too - maybe you can get find a good therapist or doctor to help you through.

I am sending you a hug because I know how scarey, confusing and frustrating this can be!

Thanks!

In general I do feel much more safe and calm at home than while out - and definitely safer than while driving! - but I have had a few bad panic attacks here too. It's funny, I get that jolt of anxiety,too, like when the phone or the doorbell rings.

Also very different from how I used to be - and this did seem to come out of the blue. I did not have any major life stressors or anything when this started. In fact, I have been through some bad times in life, and got through them without having this kind of anxiety/panic. It's a real mystery as to why now!

I think going to Urgent Care is a good idea - just so you can get some support now and not have to wait and suffer until April. Take care and let us know how it is going.