panic jolts anyone?

[mrsb]

does anyone else get jolts of panic? Like you are sitting having a conversation and in a good mood and then BAM it's like a 1-2 second jolt just went through your head, sometimes your entire body? like a quick adrenaline rush? It goes away after 1-2 seconds and feels really strange.. i usually feel panicky after it happens because it scares me. Please respond... need reassurance.

[crusty]

Yep I must say that the soon as I read your post I knew it was something that I also experience from time to time, I find that it happens more often after one has occurred as I'm more sensitive or anxious about the first one.

[markidee]

Me too...especially away from home. Some idea/feeling gets in my head and I almost panic. I think without meds these would be more serious.

[AnxiousShaun]

I have had these too, but when they hit me, I was trying to fall asleep. As soon as I would start to doze off, BAM, jolt of anxiety and I was wide awake. I called them brain zaps because that is what they felt like. When mine would hit, it would be one after another and the entire experience would last anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Thankfully I haven't had one in a long time. Good luck.

[drewesq]

I also get these.  Feeling fine, and then BAM, jolt of adrenaline and for me I get dizzy for a few seconds.  It tends to go away but then I raise mu anxiety by worrying about it and what it was.

[mrsb]

You all have no idea how happy I am to hear I'm not the only one that gets this... and to especially know it's common with ANXIETY, not some disease! 

[Breke]

I get these every so often, it's so bothersome. I find myself worrying about it for the next hour or so. But all it is, is anxiety. 

[somecrazyirishman]

i also get these.  sudden tightness in my chest and a feeling of doom.  they come without a definable cause and without warning.  I also sometimes feel panicy after one of these.  Feel like i'm losing a grip on reality and that scares me.  Glad i am not alone

[Conspiracy Bird]

Yes. These last few weeks I've had a constant feeling of fear, and sometimes when I'm not destracted I feel a sudden jolt and want to cringe and grab my head.

[jclarke2841]

I definitely get these bad boys, I'll just be sitting somewhere relatively calm (I say relatively because it seems like my anxiety is always just around the corner) and then for a quick moment something hits me, I sit straight up, expecting something very bad to happen but then its gone, and I'm left with a very anxious aftermath of "what the heck just happened"

[earthangellover]

yeah, that happens to me a lot. i just try and push through them till i can get alone then i go off and deal with it

[antiMe]

Yeah, I've had plenty of those, especially when I'm going somewhere that I remember having attacks before.  Lots of aerobic exercise seems to make them a lot smoother.

[Amangda]

Oh I get those all the time!!

[apple_head]

I had one yesterday and I felt light headed and heavy breathing for about 2 hours after =/

[Zounds]

I just registered here b/c I got two of these today.  Had my first panic attack ever 9 days ago. 

[Feelinganxiousallthetime]

Always get these when trying to fall asleep. It is the strangest feeling ever almost being asleep and then BOOM jolts me wide awake.

[anxious_brit]

I get these all the time. I have had way more recently. They are super scary. Does anyone experience like weak extremities with the jolt? When it happens to me I get it out of the blue, but oddly I can tell days that it will most likely happen. When it happens it's only a few seconds, but when it goes to my head I loose my thought for a few seconds.

[london23]

yes i get these...then i get pins and needles on my forehead and my back feels really hot :)

[LindaRK]

I get them, too - along with that pins and needles sensation.  I usually say "dammit" under my breath (LOL) and try to move on.  Don't give it any power ...... don't focus on it ... just move on to something else and change the thought pattern.

[excusemydust]

Mmhmm--and the thought immediately runs through my head, "Oh God, what if I'm about to have a panic attack?" Fortunately, these rarely do--but it does cause a fair bit of nervousness.

[GrayFoxCarnage]

I get them. Best way to handle them is to just ignore them. It happened and its over with. I can relate to you though.

[Holli_H]

I have had panic attacks for over 20 years.  I have done really well for the past 3 or 4 years.  But since these surges of adrenaline that course through my body have started several days ago, I feel so frustrated, scared, panicky.  I have missed 2 days of work because I feel like I'm losing it.  Don't know what to do.

[Pippy187]

I get these from time to time.... Such as tonight.... Heart palps set me off a lot... I just try to ignore em.

[middlenamehypochondria]

I have suffered with anxiety for over 20 years and lately I have been getting these "jolts".  Reading this post made me feel much better.  For instance I was just sitting here at my desk doing some work and all of a sudden I felt dizzy and like I needed to take a deep breath and as if I was going to pass out.  They only last a few seconds to minutes but they are uncomfortable.

[flowersblair]

I get these all the time. I have had way more recently. They are super scary. Does anyone experience like weak extremities with the jolt? When it happens to me I get it out of the blue, but oddly I can tell days that it will most likely happen. When it happens it's only a few seconds, but when it goes to my head I loose my thought for a few seconds.

Absolutely...i feel like I can't move my arms and legs. Its like I've frozen. I've figured out i can even bring these moments on myself, by going into a self-induced trance by staring ahead until my eyes go blurry and holding my breath. Its a horrible feeling but it really helped me to know that incorrect breathing & lack of oxygen to the head is responsible for these awful sensations and when they occur spontaneously because I'm breathing wrong due to my anxious state, i've become less panicky about it.


I have more jolts than actual panic attacks. I figure theres enough adrenaline to produce the disconcerting symptoms but not enough of a fear response to symptoms to make it a full blown panic attack. The full blown attack comes when I respond to the initial lightheadedness.