So, when you feel an episode of anxiety and panic overtaking you, what exactly is going on inside your body?
Most of the symptoms that I used to complain about the most were a racing heart rate, uncontrolled breathing, sweating, and the feeling that I wanted to bolt down the street running (FEAR).
Sometimes when we are overwhelmed by stress and anxiety our bodies react by releasing a chemical called adrenaline, or what I call ‘anxiety juice.’
You can think of adrenaline as the fuel behind a lot of the symptoms and sensations that you endure.
Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and neurotransmitter that activates the fight or flight mechanism in your brain and body.
The flight or fight mechanism is turned on when your brain registers danger or a high stress situation. It’s basically a survival tool that all animals have.
Once your brain receives a message that your in trouble, adrenaline is pumped into your bloodstream and causes your heart rate to increase (increased oxygen), dilates pupils (for better vision), increases sweat production (keeps you cool in case you need to run), suppresses immune system (not needed in danger situations) and creates a general (but awful) feeling of fear.
This reaction is supposed to help you survive a potentially life threatening situation, but 99% of the time your reaction is a false alarm and even though you feel like your ready for action, there is nothing going on.
The anxiety juice is kept in adrenal glands (see the above image) that sit on top of the kidneys. All this anxiety juice production is regulated by the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system, which help to control our bodies movements and control anxiety juice production (and associated organs).
When we are racked by stress and anxiety, which can be caused by either a chemical imbalance in the brain, heredity, or just high levels of stress, we lose the balance between the two systems and this can lead to the intensification of the bodies normal functions.
When we are in balance we normally don’t feel the heart beating or the speed and rhythm of breathing. But when we are anxious or highly stressed the body produces and releases anxiety juice which excites your organs and causes you to be fully aware of your bodies normal functions.
This can of course freak you out and make you think your dying or that something serious is happening.
The truth is that this pattern of fear, anxiety juice, anxiety/panic is always the same. The body will always create the same type of sensations and these sensations will not harm you.
Of course, you want to get checked by a medical doctor to make sure you don’t have any underlying conditions.
But once you have been reassured by a medical professional, then be confident that this anxiety juice and the things it makes you feel will not kill or harm you.
I know this is hard to accept, but you have to know that this is your body and mind playing tricks on you.
I will expand on the best ways to cope with anxiety in other posts and will introduce you to natural anxiety remedies that can be used to cope and even eliminate this hated state of mind.
I need help…I read your article and it describes me…when I’m in a social situation or a business meeting my pupil dialate..I start to sweat and I get really bad headaches…How can I prevent this??? Thanks for your help
The best advise I can give you is that you should understand and accept that when anxiety fills you it is not dangerous and you will not be harmed any way.
When you are in a social setting you need to take deep breaths through your nose and slowly out your mouth.
Don’t let the tension mount – instead bring your focus outside of yourself and allow yourself to be distracted.
You have to tell yourself that you are ok, there is no danger, be calm, be calm.
It is a mixture of breathing, self talk and the realization that despite the fear and physical symptoms you are 100% safe. It is fear nothing else.
Hi, you are doing a great service. Thanks!
Last year I had spiral fracture. After that I was quite stressed out. Then my right hand fingers started trembling. It subsided a lot over a year, but I still experience mild trembling now and then. Can anxiety cause trembling in fingers?? Thanks!
Hi Vinay, to answer your question yes anxiety can give you the shakes. But not to worry, this is usually related to short term high levels of stress. Just remember if your hands tremble, no big deal. It will not hurt you and adopting an accepting attitude will help you to speed up recovery.
Hi, this is a great article. One question I have is around adrenaline regulation. I used to suffer regular anxiety attacks but realising what the cause and science behind them were prevented them fully. There are some situations where the symptoms pop up and there is nothing really I can do about it. My question is, is there a chemical way to supress the production of adrenaline, I know that in the long term it is a vital hormone but as a stopgap is there a reverse method of what an epinephrine shot achieves?
Thanks!
Hi Marko, there is an adrenaline blocking drug called phentolamine. It’s usually given to people with a condition that causes adrenal gland tumors. It blocks the production of adrenaline.
But this drug can be dangerous. A good alternative would be sedatives, if blocking the feelings of adrenaline is the goal.
Remember to always to talk to your doctor first. They can give you a wide range of options to counter the effects of adrenaline. Cheers.
is excessive masturbation causes increase in adrenaline harmones?
Hey Guru, The answer is yes! It sure can.
is excessive masturbation and increase in adrenaline converts into anxeity disorder.because i m masturbating from 10 years.its too long.
Thanks for this post. I have suffered from anxiety for years. I just went to the DR to get meds…I hate being on meds but I hate having to live alone, more. Anytime I go anywhere, my heart pounds, my chest hurts, I can’t breathe, and just want to go home…they call it generealized anxiety disoder with panic and agoraphobia.
I know it’s life related, I’ve had alot of tragedy. Husband became qualdripalegic in auto accident at 31…died at 32…after he died I found our Daughter has a rare degernative brain disorder…add to that a challenging childhood…and voila! ME. I’ve done counseling for years, with some of the best. Now, I just want to lelarn how to live with this. Your posts help, thank you. p
You’re welcome P.
hi can masturbation increase anxiety syndrome/ how?
Masturbation could possibly make you anxious temporarily since this kind of activity could increase your heart rate and excite you to the point of nervousness.
But I would also say that it is harmless. Some people get nervous when they run too much or feel exhausted, this is not very different.
In the case of masturbation, I suppose you could get tired and excited at the same time, which could make you feel uneasy if you having a tendency to get nervous easily.
San, I have to say I did laugh when I read your post – not that I don’t sympathise. I think it must be the schoolboy part of me trying to get out.
Wow, if anything I thought masturbation would be a way for EVERYONE to calm down. Guess I was wrong on that one.
Do you think by increasing glucose levels or any other food/drink with high energy in your diet, this will reduce the amount of adrenaline the body thinks it needs? ie Less shaking?
The only thing that I know will reduce adrenaline levels for sure would be frequent activity. This tends to “burn” off the excess adrenaline.
I also wanted to say that for the folks that has already been exercising for awhile before experiencing any anxiety disorders in higher levels that it may be a little more difficult to NOTICE how effective the amount of exercising you’ve been doing is actually making a difference in your mind and the amount of adrenaline that’s actually “burning” off. Because most likely, if you never did exercise, you’ll feel worse. So therefore, keep exercising!
Does anyone meditate? I hear so much about how it calms and centers a person, and how it seems to be a cure-all for so many things. Just wondered if anyone has given it a try and if it works. I have tried it occasionally, but maybe if I did a bit everyday it might work better for me.
Almost everytime I read on how to moderate and overcome anxiety disorders on different websites, the majority of the articles mentions meditation. Even though I’ve read a couple things on actually HOW to meditate, I still do not fully understand how to meditate overall and everything of what meditation consists of. Since I am not a religious guy of any sort but do consider myself spiritual, I will eventually read more on meditation so I can practice and use it as another tool to help overcome my anxiety disorder on higher levels.
Hi Sue/Jaywood,
Yes, definately it works!
But unfortunately its not an instant remedy. It needs to be practised for quite some time before you reep the benefits.But I would highly recommend you give it a go.Its not diifcult to do but what is difficult is to make it a point of doing it daily and continueing the practise. It only takes at first about 20 minutes but our modern way of life makes it difficult to allocate that time to practise it and ultimately miss sessions. But if you are up to it and willing…..try it.
Religion has got nothing to do with this(but if you want to incorporate it theres no problem). meditation should be seen as the art of controling your mind…that is your ultimate goal.
There are many ways to meditate, visualisations,music,mantras.
I would suggest to start of that you start with about 15 minutes a day ,at whatever time suits you so long as its over two hours after a meal.Light a candle and just gaze at the light!or just put on some meditation music(widely available) Your aim is to concentrate on the light/music and get rid of thoughts! It takes time and practise and further reading will no doubt help you understand which is the best way for you to meditate as everyone is not the same. Try to meditate in the same place every day (ie in the bedroom)and if possible sitting on the floor with legs crossed(never lying down). Good luck!
Thanks Steve! I will definitely give meditation a try this week. As of right now, I’m going to plan on practicing it during the afternoons right before my daily workouts.
Hi,
I have had GAD with a few Panic attacks for years. I know what it is and just deal with it. I hate it! But we get delt cards. My question is? My heart skips beats when I am tensed and start feeling the anxiety! Ben to the Doc. for it they did all the tests. Said I have a perfect heart and rythem. With no answer as to why it does it. They call it PVC’s but I know it is related to anxiety. Any insight on this? I hate them they freak me out and make the anxiety worse. It’s an evil loop!!
Hi Jason, An evil loop indeed. But, honestly I don’t have much to add on top of what your doc has already said. With respect to anxiety, some people some times experience “excess” adrenaline production which acts on the nerves of the heart and causes it to beat faster, slower, and even “skip” beats. So, anxiety can certainly cause this phenomena, however if you don’t have heart disease then this is just benign anxiety induced craziness. Non of it dangerous or harmful.
Hi, I have started suffering anxiety after some months of taking lanzoprazole, which is an inhbitor of the protonic pump (stops acid in the stomach). I discovered that there exist some post-marketings reports about anxiety, depression and panic episodes after consuming this drug for at leat two montns.
Well, after 2 months of taking lanzoprazole 15mg every day I started manifesting some brief moments of confusion and sadness. After those 2 months the disturbs in the stomach diminished considerably. so my doctor told me that it was enough to take the inhibitor just once every 2 days. By the time I did’t know anything about possible side effects but I can say that the confusion and sadness disappeared.
Two more months later I had to take an antibiotic that was dangerous for my stomach (I have an hernia). So the doctor prepared for those antibiotics. I restarted taking lanzoprazole 15 mg each day for almost one month and then, together with the antibiotic I took lanzoprazole 30mg. This had to be done for 15 days, Well at day 12, during the sleep my heart started beating so fast that it woke me up in panic, for first time in my life.
Today, some months later, I still feel anxiety. I stopped taking the acid inhbitor because of this. Amazingly my acid levels in the sotmach seemed reduced permanently and my psychic equilibrium still remains fragile. I can say I don’t feel the same person, something has changed inside me.
In this last months I’m trying to learn to live with anxiety. Even if the neurologist have give me zoloft 100mg, after 50 days of taking it I still feel anxiety, moreover, recently instead of diminishing it seems that it wants to increase…. I hope just a fluctuation.
My neurologist does not believe there’s a link between lanzoprazole and anxiety. If somebody would ask my opinion, I would say yes there is, since never before I had felt neither anxiety nor panic!
Does somebody know something about??? …after all… stress produces ulceras, isn’t it.
Hi, I am a 60 yrs young woman that rides MTB every week and have been extremely active all her life. I have been suffering with PTSD for around 3 years. The thing is that last week I was riding and my heart rate when up to 200bpm (I wear a heart rate monitor) and it did not go down until half an hour later, it was going up and down. That happened last year also, so I have that twice last year and now and it is very scary and not normal, Reading the posts I think it might be the adrenaline and would like to know if I could do something about it. I am always in a state of “fight of flight” and can’t seem to come down, my heart is always beating fast and it is really very bad and unconfortable. Please help in any way. Thank you kindly..
Hi Khal, I so sorry to hear about your racing heart, I know that could be very scary. Well, firstly I’d say that a good step- if you haven’t already- is to see a doctor. You want to make sure that you don’t have an underlying condition. If things do/have been cleared medically then you have to focus on controlling your breathing and remaining calm. Usually only time allows these types of episodes to pass. Hope this helps. And remember, don’t fear anxiety!
Hi Lewis, I have heard about proton pump inhibitors doing this to people, so you’re not the only one. If you are no longer on the meds causing anxiety then this will likely all pass soon. Sometimes when we (any of us) experience intense anxiety that is unexplained it causes a deep fear that fosters anxiety and panic even when we don’t think about it. Just kind of happens. But if your doing well without the drugs, give it a week to see if this all goes away. If things don’t improve see your doctor. And remember, anxiety and anxiety symptoms cannot harm you, even if they feel disgusting.
Thanks Paul for your answer. Maybe lanzoprazole has been the straw that broke the camel’s back because I’m still in trouble. Otherwise I can’t explain myself what is happening to me. Maybe obssssive people (according to my doctor it seems I’m one) shouldn’t take proton pump inhibitors. They risk their frustrations or fears become anxiety or panic.
That’s what has happened to me. Frustrations of 10-15 years ago, completely under control and forgotten turned to life as anxiety and panic during the sleep!. I did panic not because I was affraid about my heart, that just woke me up. I was in panic because of my dreams that weren’t nightmares but just recalls of my life. I could sleep just 3 or 4 hours. After 40 dyas like this I had to go to the doctor.
Currently, after 4 months of the beginning of this crise, and 2 moths without lanzoprazole I still live with anxiety and light panic.
I’m really scared and need help. I want to stay away from meds because of the risks and do not want to be depending on them.
At the end of June i had a panic attack that came out of no where,so naturally i feared another one and of course i had another one a couple of days later.
I looked up information on panic attacks (big mistake) and came across one of the symptoms which was suicidal thoughts if the disorder is left untreated,so days later i woke up thinking i was having the thoughts or scared of developing them and i have no desire to do any harm to myself.
5 days later i decided to test my mind (another big mistake) with the most terrible thing that can happen and that was the thought of harming my siblings and all of a sudden i got up and got very scared,sick to my stomach,couldnt sleep at all.
It’s been 5 weeks now and i still have them thoughts and even tho they seem to have become less of an impact they still scare me and i question myself “what if i end up killing them?”,”what if i go crazy and become emotionless?”
My questions are, will GAD symptoms pass with time?,will i ever do these terrible things?,and will my mind EVER control me?
I come to you because i know you’ll give me honest answers and not have my money on your mind like Therapists do.
P.S. through the month of all this i questioned my thoughts as maybe i have OCD,Depression,a psychotic disorder and i would believe every disorder i read.
Tip: people with GAD do not read too much into other conditions and their symptoms listed.
Hi Jason, sorry to hear about your recent struggle. Just wanted to tell you that the first thing you have to do is stop reading the internet for information about what could happen. You are not crazy and you are not going to harm anyone. Anxiety can make you think that you might, or that you will go out of control, but the fact that you’re scared of this stuff is an indication that you are a normal person in a high state of fear and anxiety – nothing more. The more you think about this stuff the stronger it will get. So, if it continues you can think about seeing a therapist. Otherwise, be patient and understand that anxiety usually has an element of depression, which could prompt suicidal thoughts, and other disturbing thoughts. But, in the end, thoughts are only thoughts. You will be OK. Just stop looking for information that will only scare you and breath easy.
Paul
Jason…I was right were you were not even a few weeks ago. I had a friend committ suicide and started to have similar thoughts about me hurting myself or others, even though I didn’t want to. On top of the fact that I read something about medication making you suicidal and got all freaked out about meds I was taking (for my thyroid).
It was a tough struggle to understand that these thoughts were just my anxiety playing tricks on my brain, not what I was REALLY feeling. I was scared that it would develop into something else and that I was going to become suicidal eventually or lose control. That really isn’t the case as scary as it may seem.
I’ve learned that letting the thoughts pass and NOT testing your mind…not trying to think about it to “process” it allows the thoughts to start becoming a non-issue. As soon as you try to process and analyze them, you give them more power than they really have.
I highly recommend Paul’s podcast on disturbing thoughts (Anxiety and Your Mind). That was one of my saving graces when I was going through it all. Also knowing that people have have gone through the same things helps.
I went to a therapist (actually coincidental that my anxious episode happened the day before my first session). Having that professional opinion that I wasn’t going crazy and that my brain was really just playing tricks on me really helped. It might be something to look into if you’re having a hard time. Otherwise, just try to remember the real you, try to get out of your own head and remember to enjoy the life you’re living rather than focusing on the “what if”.
Self-diagnosis is never a good thing. There are too many overlapping symptoms to many conditions that it’s easy to think you have all kinds of things. There was a while where I was afraid of becoming depressive and that leading to me ACTUALLY being suicidal that I tested my feelings all the time and that caused me to have other thoughts I didn’t really feel.
Hang in there. It’s scary, there’s good and bad days, but in time you’ll look back and not even recognize the person you are right now…heck…you might even laugh about it.
It was a tough struggle to understand that these thoughts were just my anxiety playing tricks on my brain, not what I was REALLY feeling. I was scared that it would develop into something else and that I was going to become suicidal eventually or lose control. That really isn’t the case as scary as it may seem.
I’ve learned that letting the thoughts pass and NOT testing your mind…not trying to think about it to “process” it allows the thoughts to start becoming a non-issue. As soon as you try to process and analyze them, you give them more power than they really have.
I highly recommend Paul’s podcast on disturbing thoughts (Anxiety and Your Mind). That was one of my saving graces when I was going through it all. Also knowing that people have have gone through the same things helps.
I went to a therapist (actually coincidental that my anxious episode happened the day before my first session). Having that professional opinion that I wasn’t going crazy and that my brain was really just playing tricks on me really helped. It might be something to look into if you’re having a hard time. Otherwise, just try to remember the real you, try to get out of your own head and remember to enjoy the life you’re living rather than focusing on the “what if”.
I have been drinking water, eating a healthy diet, taking a multivitamin, B3, a little magnesium and even some basil and feel better. Flushing the adrenalin out.
Hi,
I recently had what I think was a panic attack while I was waiting to be seen by the doctor. I was having stomach pains but otherwise felt normal, happy and perfectly functional. There was a 2 hour wait at the Docs office and during that time my thoughts started running wild of what could be wrong with me. My heart started racing, I felt instantly nauseous and I was almost gasping for air and yawning. When I was finally seen the nurse took my blood pressure and said it was way too high, for some reason I was controlling my breathing which I’ve never done before and 3 weeks later I find myself still doing it. I can’t sleep more than a few hours without waking up and immediately focusing on my breathing, I am aware of my heart beating, I’m lightheaded, and having really bad headaches. I don’t understand how I could go from being a perfectly healthy 48 yr old guy to this. I was referred to a cardiologist for a echocardiagram and a stress test because of being lightheaded. When I was there yesterday I was having another attack, I could barely talk because my mouth became so dry, I was breathing very shallow controlled breathes and of course he immediately said my blood pressure was too high and put me on medication for it. Now I’m worried that something is wrong with my heart, I keep feeling missed heart beats which makes me even more worried and my breathing even more erratic. I have to go for the echoe and stress test next Tuesday which I’m dreading, not because of the trests themselves but for fear of having another episode of this. Now I’m wondering if this will happen every time I go to the Doctors office. I have no insurance as I recently lost my job. I’m constantly thinking of going to the ER so they can find out what is wrong with me but without insurance the bill will be enormous. Does this sound like what anxiety does to someone? I would have never believed someone if they told me I could go from being the way I was to this. I am hoping it will pass as the fear is sometimes overwhelming especially since I live alone.
Hi Steve,
Sounds to me like your definitely experiencing anxiety issues. Particularly because of your level of worry. I think you’re doing the right thing by getting checked out, but after the tests are done, and if you’re found to be healthy, you should do the best you can to distract yourself from these thoughts.
The truth is, sometimes when people go to a doctor, for even minor things, their blood pressure skyrockets – it’s called white coat syndrome.
The other thing is that you could be experiencing high anxiety because of your job loss and the concerns that this would bring up.
It can be hard to deal with this stuff, but it’s very doable. It’s also very possible for anxiety to come out of the blue like this. The important thing is recognizing it early and taking steps to reduce your anxiety so things don’t get out of control.
—
Paul
I was struck by these intense anxiety attacks that morphed into full panic attacks. it was triggered by stress but once it started it went out of control and for two months i lived in hell. i had to go to work all this time, it was tough to look people in the eyes. i thought everyone is out to get me, the fear was intense and i could literally feel the intensity in my brain. i realized that even though it started out as a emotional issue it morphed into a chemical imbalance in my brain or body. I went to a food and health store located right beside my work place. the remedy i tried didn’t work, but the second time i went i told the clerk that it feels as though my adrenaline is out of wack. he gave me a natural capsule medication called Veeva. i took one capsule before bed and one in the morning. the next day my anxiety and intensity was gone. after living with it for 2 months i expected an anxiety attack but the remedy was controlling my adrenaline level so it didnt allow any intensity or nervousness to get out of control. so guys go to a food and health store and pick up veeva-look on the bright side capsules you will be amazed it saved me.
i am veteran and have this condition. in war i was having huge adrenaline rushes constantly. now back stateside i find myself having anxiety,stress ptsd which makes me have adrenaline a lot. i was told that adrenaline is almost like cocaine and is addictive, this true?
Hi David,
First let me just thank you for your service. That’s a huge sacrifice and I’m glad you made it back home OK.
To answer your question yes, yes you can get hooked on adrenaline. Not to say that you necessarily enjoy it, but once you’re used to it, it can be difficult to adjust to not having it anymore OR having it when you don’t need it.
The most important thing you can do is relax your attitude to it when it’s present because if focus on it then it becomes a bigger issue.
The effects of adrenaline are not harmful and over time you should get back to your original baseline naturally. If this problem seems to linger on, then do all you can to “burn off” the excessive adrenaline with intense physical activity.
Hope that helps.
Hi,
Thanks for this informative and well written article. Ive been having these symptoms of adrenaline for a year now, since I was bullied at work. I feel that I now have a faulty adrenaline system. I work hard to use positive self-talk, to calm myself down and ask if everything is as catastrophic as I think it is, but nothing seems to stop the physical release of adrenaline. I had kidney pains last year, could that be connected? Also breathing makes it worse.
Hi Karen,
I think your medical questions can be best answered by a medical doctor. After you’ve been checked out I think that will relax you a little as well. If you find that it is an anxiety issue then breathe easy. Anxiety and adrenaline won’t hurt you, even if they make you feel awful sometimes.
Hi Paul,
What are your views on using beta blockers to lessen the effects of adrenaline?
Ive spent like the last 10 years online gaming heavily, pvp encounters get me into fight or flight reaction really quickly (increased bp, hr, faster reaction etc) and sometimes i spend up to 10 hours in a row in that state.. it takes me an hour or 2 to get myself down from there but its always been all good and no worries in the end. Not so long ago however I had a few freakouts with the opposite symptoms of your regular panic attack, when i was playing i noticed my reaction wasn’t what it was supposed to be, i was generally disoriented and my heart was doing a calm 60(which led me to think that maybe it was incapable of doing more or something). Ontop of that in some occasions my left hand would be really cold and tingly and i had chest pains the sorts of sharp pokes that last under half a second every few minutes. Afterwards i would be sluggish and anxious for days thinking of ways how this would end me. The symptoms would go away after a week or so tho. I did see my doctor several times, did all kinds of tests from ekg to endoscopy and she thought i was completely fine. I want to believe her but while im having that attack its extremely distracting since i cant focus on anything but the things i feel physically and i cant seem to control it. I could manage if it would last for like a day but these take me out of commission for weeks at a time…
Hi Paul, i’m almost believe that panic attacks are not dangerous but i’m really scared to do physical activity because if i do exercise and my heart rate go to 155 and i get a panic attack he will get more up ? like 220 ? its scared me for some reason, i have some difficulty to breath because i breath manually and it looks more hard to me to inhale if i have a fast heart beat, it could be my mind i really don’t know, 1 day it was Winter, when i suffer panic attacks i tried to climb a little tree for the reason i was scared to do exercises, i try to believe myself that its not dangerous those adrenaline rush … now i did it and i was feeling a little in danger so i though it was enough and i go down, now i fall (not high) i was OK but suddenly i coul’nt breath!! my breath was very short and very fast, i was almost dying, i have take it easy and for 10 secs it get back to normal . . . that story is a nightmare i would never forget! i need some help!
Hi, I go to school and next year I will be taking my GCSE’s! I’m soooo nervous already, and my heart starts racing every time the thought comes in to my head! I have been to the doctors and she said I have high adrenaline level! I think about exams and small things and start to panic about life in general! I want to do well in my exams that are getting ever closer and there is going to be a tone of pressures that I know i will get stressed from when I go back in september! I was wondering if there is any exercises that I could do or any advise you could give me that could calm and get my adrenaline level down!?
Thank you!
you can go somehere to calm yourself like buy a class to learn meditation or yoga, sleep more if you don’t sleep lot, you can try use natural plante to reduce stress, like L-theanine it supposed to help fight stress, its almost all i can suggest you, go see a psy if you want but it will be a waste of money in my opinion . . . good luck!
Thank you!! I will try some of the things you’ve suggested!
i have had this adenaline going for over 5 years, i had my thyroid checked came back normal, but my testosterone came very low, i dont beleive this is causing my adrenalin to rush thru my body all day long, and it has been going thru me since early this morning. i take xanax, not much releif, been on alot of different anti depressants with no help. this seems unreal to me that this day and age they dont have something that can help relieve this. im wondering if i could have an adrenal problem. im serious when i say ive been like this for over 5 years. my body is just about wore out from all the adrenaline rushes. what does one do to get some help with this? im seeing a counselor, helps some, but i cant control the adrealine.
Hi Paul and Everyone,
I would just like to express how comforting and wonderful it is for everyone to share eachother’s stories.
Anxiety can leave one feeling very isolated and it is reassuring and beneficial that those who suffer share their experiences,so thank you for this. I’ve always been an anxious child,not liking busy places,irrational fears and had a great sense of perspective about mortality from a very young age,these didn’t seem to stick,maybe because i was a child and couldn’t understand or express it fully but i was able to socialise and function as most children do.
I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder when i was 18. I had been smoking alot of cannabis for three years and one day I had what i still think/hope was a panic attack. Basically, I convinced myself i was developing Schizophrenia. I cannot express the sheer terror i put into my mind and body because of this. A mental illness about a mental illness! I gave up straight away and stayed strong,knowing deep down that if i gave up,things would eventually go back to normal.
I was obsessing about my thoughts,my body was rushing with adrenaline constantly,nearly every waking second,even when i felt i had forgotten about the obsessive thinking,the adrenaline’s ‘clutch’ would remind me and the cycle would start all over again. I had the strangest dreams that would only occur during the onset of sleep,I was conscious but could see these abstract and intrusive thoughts and tactile experiences. I think they’re called ‘Hypnogogic Hallucinations’. Has anyone ever experienced them? They further fuelled my fear of Schizophrenia.
I went to CBT and after about a year things started to become normal again. Not much adrenaline,no more obsessive thinking…I was so grateful and relieved you would not believe.I even began to enjoy these strange half asleep dreams/hallucinations and then they slowly disappeared. I’m 23 now and I have since however relapsed and you guessed it,i have started to obsess about Schizophrenia. I was smoking weed again,nowhere near as strong or as often as before but they brought everything back again.
I tried Ecstacy a couple of times too,i mean I’m young and i wanted to experiment with my friends. A very foolish thing to do I know. This time round,i didn’t get the paralysing adrenaline anxiety as it isn’t as intense as my initial fear when i was 18 but I have had very unpleasant periods of derealisation for days on end and the obsessive thinking,which thankfully hasn’t been around for a couple of weeks! Oh and Dr.Google,don’t ever go on the internet looking for symptoms,it’s all nonsense and can play on your vunerable state of mind,don’t do it!
Even though i regret my experimental and habitual drug use,i don’t want to and i don’t want beat myself up about it. I’m done with drugs now,I’m never going to do them again,i know that for certain. I just want to heal and get the best out of my mind and do it justice. Though the ‘intense’ and crippling anxiety has left,some things have stayed since. I have a very short attention span and can’t concentrate on any tasks,even things i used to love,like my artwork and poetry and i’ve developed something almost like ‘awake bruxism’ where im clattering my teeth alot,almost like making it into a drum beat,i think i do that when i’m nervous. I’m going to conjure up the strength to face each of these symptoms,understand them and ease them because i’ve had enough. I want to convince myself i’m normal and can function like everyone else and that the drugs haven’t messed up my mind. I’m going to try and use my first experience as much as i can to stay as strong as possible and perhaps get a top up of CBT.
Hopefully time will heal me again.
Stay strong,you are not alone,I had months on end feeling like i was in a dark tunnel and managed to pull myself out and in doing so,i learnt more about myself than i ever have done before. If anyone would like to share similar stories with me,anxiety about mental illnesses and/or hypnogogic hallucinations,feel free to contact me. Love. x
I have been having these symptoms for the past few days and i have to say i was freaked out. thank you for putting this up. I’ve been telling myself that there is nothing wrong with me for a while but it took this to really make it work.i just finished reading it and i already feel a little better. One thing i would like to know is. can these symptoms also make it feel like time is passing slower. I’ve heard that adriniline can cause this but im not sure it works the same in this case
I’m wondering if this can ever work in reverse, i.e. are there any purely biological causes – disorders, diseases, or just functional imbalances – of chronic, excessive adrenaline overproduction that could cause a state of anxiety among other issues?
I get panic attacks during the day. Sometimes daily and I will wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing, sweating, I feel like a chemical bursts in my chest, I freak out. I have always suffered from fear. My husband or my kids will drive me to the ER and it passes and then we go home. Why do I get these attacks when I am sleeping? Can it be anxiety? I am always fearful about my health. I am such a mess. I will take Ativan 0.5 and it does nothing. I am driving my family nuts. Can I ever get past this????????
Faith…I stumbled upon this site this morning at work. I had a horrible night last night. I had about 3 hours of sleep if I’m lucky. I woke up out of my sleep in sheer terror. It took me forever to calm down. My heart was beating very rapidly in waves. I almost went to the ER. I am terrified something is wrong with me. I wanted you to know that you are not alone. I feel really depressed now. If you want to correspond, please let me know.
You are not alone, I have been having these feelings for about three years now and I always read that it is nothing and it won’t affect your health but that it’s not so. It has affected my overall health, the palpitations are unbeareable and it has been already three times that I have gone to the emergency because from this I have now supraventricular tachicardia and they wanted to to a catheterism but I refused. I feel always my body trembling inside as well as my brain and kind of hurts. This is terrible and unbeareable, I can’t sleep at night and I am awake until long hours. I take sometime a Xanas .025 but don’t like to take it too often since your body will want more and more the more you take them and it is not good to be dependent on any chemical to sleep. It is just terrible!!!
For about 3 years I’ve been getting these horrible feelings day and night. Countless visits to the ER countless exams MRI’s CT scans, ECG’s, endoscopy, blood tests, stress tests (normal and nuclear) heart echo test, even cognitive therapy with a psychologist, etc. All good, came back normal!!!!! Last week I visited a new doctor just to get a fresh idea a fresh head to think what might be wrong. She asked me what tablets I take, at the moment I am on 50mg Atenonol (beta blocker) Valdoxan 3/4 (tapering up to a full dose) and Xanax .25 (ONLY WHEN I NEED IT BAD) I must also mention that all this time I thought that something is wrong with my heart! So this new Dr told me that because all these extensive but positive test results we can rule out heart disease specially because I am also pretty fit and cycle aprox. 35-40km 5+ times a week!!!! I haven’t had a full blown ER needing panic attack for about 8 weeks but chest pains around my sternum few times a day. Basically after heart problems were ruled out there is only two problems left that can cause pain, costocondritis (inflammation of rib joints) or ADRENALINE related stuff!!! Adrenaline can be released at any time from the glands and as it enters into the blood stream causes chest muscles to constrict, flight or fight response, and a chain reaction of madness. This humble Dr. asked me a simple but smart question though!! Does all these symptoms go away after I take Xanax, the answer is yes! It calms me down and once the adrenaline rush is over I am good as new! This morning I woke up with my heart racing and pain in my chest, my BP was 125/80 but my heart rate was 85 and I felt that a PA is coming on! I took half a Xanax .25 and started typing these notes, by now I feel almost completely normal my heart rate is down to 60 wanting to sleep. So its the adrenaline that causes all these crazy feelings!!! Before I was made to be aware I would work myself up to such frenzy that my BP would go up to 150/100 and my HR would be around 100-120 (and that is with beta blocker in my system)
If your Dr give you SNRI do not take it!!! ( it wont let adrenaline get out) SSRI has no affect at all (tried them for a year) Valdoxan is the first drug that is trying to work and do what it supposed to do even at the almost therapeutic dose! But the main thing is that now I am aware of my tendencies of my nervous system to send a false alarm to my adrenaline glads and start a war within, so I can relax a bit and even if it comes on it will pass!!! It always does! Lets face it a heart attack will either kill you or damage your heart, panic attack comes and goes has no bearing on anything but your mental state. Hopefully this Valdoxan will calm my nervous system and exercise will get rid of the excess energy so fingers cross! Alternatively with these new found knowledges I will also see if my adrenaline gland work fine (sometime benign tumors can cause excess adrenaline production) I would be happy to have one removed. Anyway by now I just wanna go back to bed, panic attack is over (I was so close to wake the wife and shoot off to the hospital! To be sure off all these don’t forget that I had copious amount off tests! If cardiac problems were not ruled out buy doctors do not assume nothing just go to ER!!! But start putting 2+2 together by getting a good Dr. and work together to narrow it down like I did.