A foreboding sense of panic...how to deal with this on an ongoing basis?

[Flynnal]

I've been feeling strange throughout the week, but especially today. I'm not even sure what this is or what it's supposed to feel like, but I would describe it as a foreboding sense of impending doom. I've had this experience before, but really it's been getting too much. I've been booked in for a sleep study in case I have sleep apnea but they haven't contacted me since the doctor organized it almost 2 weeks ago. Hopefully I get a phone call. I was supposed to have been contacted within last week. Hopefully they can find out what is happening to my heart during the sleep cycle. It's been dropping really low, like dangerously low. I feel fine physically aside from the occasional weird spells (that last a few seconds and am not too concerned as I've had them before).

I just don't want to keep taking benzos more than say once a week or even every two weeks, since they can cause trouble in the long run. I'm going to have to talk about this with the GP tomorrow. Hopefully they'll be able to find out what the problem is, because even though it seems mild right now, I worry that things could take a sudden turn, as if it's some sort of impending doom. I'm not sure what to make of these weird sensations because they're so disconcerting and worrisome.

I'm just trying to reach out to see if anyone else experiences these uncomfortable sensations. It's been strange for me, and though I'm used to it, I'm starting to tire of it and want some sort of long-term relief, but after speaking to many doctors in the past, maybe I'll just have to deal with it myself. I read books, read stuff on the web, and keep myself occupied as best I can. But there are days like this where I just wish these weird sensations would just cease and desist.

Anyone else out there feeling like I do?

 

[December Flower]

Not doom, but I always dream of snow the night it starts to snow for the first time,
even if I had 0 chance to look out a window during the night and see the snow.
Something in me just knows it's going to snow.

I don't think it's entirely off. Our subconscious mind realizes a lot of things that we don't.
Maybe you're doing something that's very bad for you, you mentioned benzos?
What do you take them for?

 

[n3ophy7e]

Hey @Flynnal , so sorry to hear you're feeling this way, it is really horrible. I know the EXACT feeling you mean, as I've had it on a number of occasions. Thankfully I've not had it for a couple of years now, but I've experienced it 3-4 memorable times, usually for about a week at a time.

For me, it was completely incapacitating. The only time I would feel okay was that 5-10 second period when you're just waking up in the morning. As I was becoming more awake, I would feel the panic begin to creep up my neck from my chest, tightening my throat as that heavy lump of dread and fear pitted in my stomach. Then there was absolutely nothing I could do to allay the sense of impending doom and panic. I was absolutely TERRIFIED, all day, every day. I couldn't go to work, I could hardly leave my bed let alone the house. I'm a recovering alcoholic, and during these times of severe anxiety I would try and drink the fear away, but even that didn't help. I'd try benzos and opiates, and sometimes xanax would help. Ultimately though, all of those things would just make it worse.

I would try to meditate through it, mindfulness helped a tiny bit. I would try to keep myself distracted as best as I could. Sometimes it would get so bad that I wanted to kill myself just so the horrible feeling would end. But eventually it would pass.

In retrospect, the times when I've had this problem have been fairly tumultuous times in my life, when things were pretty chaotic and I felt a complete lack of control over what I was doing. Do you relate to that at all?

Are you on any antidepressant medication? That could be a long-term treatment option. The antidepressant that I'm on quite literally saved my life.

 

[Flynnal]

Are you on any antidepressant medication? That could be a long-term treatment option. The antidepressant that I'm on quite literally saved my life.

Currently on mirtazapine. Great for sleep and OK for depression. As far as anxiety, it does a decent job, but definitely nothing compared to benzos. That said, I avoid benzos as much as possible. I've only ever taken them at most once a week and only when things get real bad. I'll hopefully be on to proper ADHD meds soon, so maybe that will help me out of this stuff, and I'll be able to stop relying on them to counter panic attacks. Only once a week at most, and only 5mg diazepam, at most. One pack lasted me more than a year, so definitely not abusing them, or I'd lose my ADHD meds.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Currently on mirtazapine. Great for sleep and OK for depression. As far as anxiety, it does a decent job, but definitely nothing compared to benzos. That said, I avoid benzos as much as possible. I've only ever taken them at most once a week and only when things get real bad. I'll hopefully be on to proper ADHD meds soon, so maybe that will help me out of this stuff, and I'll be able to stop relying on them to counter panic attacks. Only once a week at most, and only 5mg diazepam, at most. One pack lasted me more than a year, so definitely not abusing them, or I'd lose my ADHD meds.

Okay cool. Very good job on not abusing the benzos, as they might be an immediate-term solution to a panic attack but they can really come back to bite you on the arse if you abuse them, or use them for prolonged periods. Although having said that, 5mg of valium once or twice a week is a VERY low dose and definitely not going to cause you any problems. You could even take 10mg a few times a week and you'd be fine (in terms of abuse and tolerance).
That's great that the mirtazepine helps you. Which meds are you on for ADHD? Some of those meds can sometimes exacerbate or precipitate anxiety. Even caffeine can make anxiety significantly worse. Whenever I feel anxious I have to avoid caffeine completely otherwise it makes it much worse.
Do you see a therapist? Talk therapy can often help with this kind of anxiety and panic episodes.

 

[Flynnal]

Which meds are you on for ADHD? Some of those meds can sometimes exacerbate or precipitate anxiety.

People who I know who've had ADHD said the proper meds reduced their anxiety markedly, so I'm not sure what to say here. If ADHD meds address the dysregulation of brain pathways due to a lack of dopamine, this can help alleviate anxiety. I was told to avoid caffeine which I'm doing. Still doesn't do much, but I'm steering clear of it just in case. I'm not on ADHD meds yet but it's a work in progress. Hopefully soon. I tried Ritalin and it didn't work, made me feel weird, but strangely enough my anxiety was not as bad while I was on it for 2 weeks. It didn't work out. I'm not sure if the next one will work out, but if it doesn't, it's not all bad. There are still further options. I might have to stop taking mirtazapine though if I use something like clonidine as mixing the two can cause a dangerous paradoxical increase in blood pressure due to the fact that these two meds work on opposite sides of the adrenergic autoreceptors.

 

[n3ophy7e]

People who I know who've had ADHD said the proper meds reduced their anxiety markedly, so I'm not sure what to say here. If ADHD meds address the dysregulation of brain pathways due to a lack of dopamine, this can help alleviate anxiety. I was told to avoid caffeine which I'm doing. Still doesn't do much, but I'm steering clear of it just in case. I'm not on ADHD meds yet but it's a work in progress. Hopefully soon. I tried Ritalin and it didn't work, made me feel weird, but strangely enough my anxiety was not as bad while I was on it for 2 weeks. It didn't work out. I'm not sure if the next one will work out, but if it doesn't, it's not all bad. There are still further options. I might have to stop taking mirtazapine though if I use something like clonidine as mixing the two can cause a dangerous paradoxical increase in blood pressure due to the fact that these two meds work on opposite sides of the adrenergic autoreceptors.

Oh yes, definitely! It's probably fair to say that in most cases the medications reduce anxiety, but it is still a potential side effect. They are stimulants, after all.

 

[deficiT]

What you're feeling sounds like anxiety and it's pretty common. I know personally I've had an impending sense of doom feel like it's surrounding me.

It's good that you're trying to avoid benzos, but there are other medicines that can take the edge off of your doominess. Such as hydroxyzine, buspirone, SSRIs, and gabapentin/pregabalin. I take gabapentin and it has worked wonders on my anxiety. That and just working through my shit with a counselor.

 

[n3ophy7e]

That and just working through my shit with a counselor.

I will reiterate again, there is a LOT to be said for talk therapy with a good counsellor/psychologist for anxiety

 

[blxnc]

I had similar issue with what you and n3o described and I was put on lexapro and it helps keep that issue at bay.

The only time it occurs now is from a triggered panic attack and I just work with a therapist on how to handle them, and hopefully prevent them in the long term.

The more you practice beating these panic attacks with therapeutic tools the better you become in my experience.

It’s progress not perfection, so in the mean time while you are working on it, there may be times where a trigger occurs and you feel it’s escalated to a point you can no longer mentally handle, and that’s when I take as needed medication such as a benzo to bring my back to baseline and it works very well.

The need for that is few and far between.

In my opinion, if you can manage jt with therapeutic tools and without medication, I highly recommend doing so but of course please take the advice of a medical professional you trust.

I just wanted to share my experience and say you’re definitely not alone in having this occur, and you can work through it as I have and many others have to achieve a sense of normalcy again.


If you want tips on how I deal with this I’d be happy to elaborate. There are techniques and tricks of the trade that work. Guided meditation, grounding exercises help a lot. Breathing exercises.

I also like to remind myself that I am safe right now in this moment, and saying some simple positive affirmations.

 

[deficiT]

Oh yeah, definitely try meditation and simple breathing exercises as well. Also, I was surprised at how well verbal positive affirmations worked for me at certain times when I'm panicking. If you tell yourself aloud enough times that you can get through anything and everything's gonna be alright, eventually you start to believe it.

 

[LordOfThisWorld]

I've been feeling strange throughout the week, but especially today. I'm not even sure what this is or what it's supposed to feel like, but I would describe it as a foreboding sense of impending doom. I've had this experience before, but really it's been getting too much. I've been booked in for a sleep study in case I have sleep apnea but they haven't contacted me since the doctor organized it almost 2 weeks ago. Hopefully I get a phone call. I was supposed to have been contacted within last week. Hopefully they can find out what is happening to my heart during the sleep cycle. It's been dropping really low, like dangerously low. I feel fine physically aside from the occasional weird spells (that last a few seconds and am not too concerned as I've had them before).

I just don't want to keep taking benzos more than say once a week or even every two weeks, since they can cause trouble in the long run. I'm going to have to talk about this with the GP tomorrow. Hopefully they'll be able to find out what the problem is, because even though it seems mild right now, I worry that things could take a sudden turn, as if it's some sort of impending doom. I'm not sure what to make of these weird sensations because they're so disconcerting and worrisome.

I'm just trying to reach out to see if anyone else experiences these uncomfortable sensations. It's been strange for me, and though I'm used to it, I'm starting to tire of it and want some sort of long-term relief, but after speaking to many doctors in the past, maybe I'll just have to deal with it myself. I read books, read stuff on the web, and keep myself occupied as best I can. But there are days like this where I just wish these weird sensations would just cease and desist.

Anyone else out there feeling like I do?

I do, I call it dread, but I have no choice but to take benzos, or I probably wouldn't be able to leave the house.

 

[Blankenstein]

How’s everything going @Flynnal? Getting any reprieve from the overwheljijfbmbnn

did you get to the doctor/sleep specialist?

 

[n3ophy7e]

The more you practice beating these panic attacks with therapeutic tools the better you become in my experience.

I also like to remind myself that I am safe right now in this moment, and saying some simple positive affirmations.

Oh yeah, definitely try meditation and simple breathing exercises as well. Also, I was surprised at how well verbal positive affirmations worked for me at certain times when I'm panicking. If you tell yourself aloud enough times that you can get through anything and everything's gonna be alright, eventually you start to believe it.

Totally agree with all of the above!!
Another little thing that helps me is practicing gratitude. Similarly with saying positive affirmations, saying out loud or writing down things you are grateful for that day can really help put your perspective in a more resilient and positive place.