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637722 tn?1245086059

Anxiety driving in snow/ice

Hi,

I suffer from extreme panic when I have to drive in snow/ice situations. Does anyone out there deal with this anxiety? If so how do you deal with it? I really don't want to take any kind of medication as it doesn't happen on a daily basis.

Thank you...
13 Responses
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Avatar universal
Anxiety can take many forms and has many causes.  Have you always been nervous driving in these conditions...I know many people are.  As with any source of anxiety, coping with it involves learning about it and confronting it.  In my opinion the best way to do this, when it starts to become a problem, seek counseling.  You would be amazed how much you can learn about the root of your worrying by talking it over with a professional...keep us posted!
Helpful - 0
637722 tn?1245086059
I understand that anxiety has many causes and can manifest itself in many ways. When I was younger, I wasn't afraid to drive in the snow. In 1988 I was in a car accident and we hit a telephone pole. We had slid on wet leaves and gravel. It took me months to drive after that and when I did drive I always felt like I was being pulled off the road. Once I even had a panic attack when a tractor-trailer passed me and I had to pull off the road. I can drive in most situations now but it seems, as I get older the fear of winter driving gets worse. I know why I feel the way I do; it is the fear of ‘being out of control’. When I know there is something between my tires and the road that can cause me to slide I get the ‘panicky’ feeling. I have been in counseling for depression (because my son was addicted to heroin) and the subject of driving in the snow/ice was addressed but not to the point that I am over it. My problem is I ‘beat’ myself up about it and feel weak when it comes to winter driving.

Thank you for replying and have a nice Thanksgiving!
Helpful - 1
639773 tn?1401021974
Hi elantra,
I was looking up glosspharyngeal neuralgia on this site and came across you. I noticed you are the only person who seems to have experienced this horrible condition. I was wondering if you help me. I've experienced several episodes of pain that felt like bee stings at the back of my throat and ear intermittantly for about two months a year ago. I have not had another episode until a few days ago.The same symptoms came on suddenly with a very severe migraine in the back of my head at the same time. I  had to take 2 tabs of my migraine medication plus 1200mg of the neurontin which I take for peripheral neuropathy pain before I could obtain any relief. I told my neurologist about this pain a year ago and he didn't believe me. I'm afraid to mention it again until I talk to someone who has this. I researched the net and this is the only dx I came up with. I know it's a rare condition. Could you describe your symptoms and how often you experienced them and what medications you were on? I woudn't want to have surgery. I'm hoping the symptoms don't come back for awhile.
Thanks
Helpful - 0
1384263 tn?1279433772
I have suffered with the same fear as you, but there is no underlying reason for it.  When I was a kid I used to enjoy driving in snow and ice.  Doing 360's down the freeway and seeing who could go the farthest was a normal thing in winter.  Now, even if I feel the car slide just a bit I freak out.  I have even jumped out of moving cars because I could swear I was going to die.  My husband and I will have big fights because I refuse to travel when it is snowing.  We live in N. E. Ohio where a good winter is when we get 100 inches of snow, and a bad one is where the lake affect doesn't stop snowing for 2+ months.  Unfortunately, the later is the norm.  I have tried all kind of things to get over this, counseling, drugs, and even facing it.  Unfortunately, though, nothing curves the feeling that I am going to die, nausea, shaking, heart problems, etc.  For 15 yrs I have tried to deal with it and even have gone so far as to quit working because of the travel.  I have recently changed Dr. and I am hoping this one will have some new ideas.  I am currently taking a drug called Venlafaxine. it helped some last winter but it was still hard to deal with.  You know it is kind of funny when you tell people that you have a phobia of driving and being driven in snow but yet I love its beauty, they always look at me like I am lying.  Then they ask why am I still living here.  It is nice to know that I am not the only one out there who is afraid of this.  As stupid as it sounds, it is a real fear for us, even if the world says it is not normal.  It is our life and our fear that cripples us.  I hope you can find a way to deal with it but I have yet to find  one.  Good Luck and be safe.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I only have this anxiety in the winter and when the weather is bad.  This fear is absolutely debilitating and I feel like an idiot.  I was supposed to go to a dinner with my husband tonight and I just couldn't go.....it has been snowing all day today with 50+km/hr winds and another 8 cms of snow still expected.  The thought of travelling in that on the highway for 1/2 an hour each way has made me completely sick to my stomach; my back aches, I have been crying for 4 hours now.  He still went with another friend of ours, but I feel so terrible and guilty for not going.  I am so sick of feeling this way, but can't seem to shake the fear at all.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I only have this anxiety in the winter and when the weather is bad.  This fear is absolutely debilitating and I feel like an idiot.  I was supposed to go to a dinner with my husband tonight and I just couldn't go.....it has been snowing all day today with 50+km/hr winds and another 8 cms of snow still expected.  The thought of travelling in that on the highway for 1/2 an hour each way has made me completely sick to my stomach; my back aches, I have been crying for 4 hours now.  He still went with another friend of ours, but I feel so terrible and guilty for not going.  I am so sick of feeling this way, but can't seem to shake the fear at all.
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Avatar universal
I have the same problem i was in a wreck and that is what caused my anxiety of winter not sure what to do either When I try to drive whether it a little bit of snow or allot I freeze up my legs tingle and start shaking out of control . I wish I had some advice but don't.  I am on meds and they still don't help when driving in snow.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, I thought I was the only one who felt this way:(  .. I mean its 12 am and I'm still awake crying because its supposed to snow, I don't even drive!!!! Wtf is wrong with me ??? I can't stand the thoughts in my mind and no matter how hard I try my brain won't shut up!!!! It's absolutely paralyzing to know that I ( and my fiancée) will have to go out in the snow , the worst part is  when I think about crashing  its not just crash and the car is broken its more like you crash and your dead /no exceptions.. And I'm not afraid of dying ... That's the really stupid part !!! I'm afraid that my fiancée will die and there ill be , alone and sad !!! The feeling is like I'm mourning him,like I'm waiting for the inevitable doom to come .. Like my life is going good , so something is going to go wrong!! I feel absolutely stupid  for thinking this ( never mind typing it)   I just don't no how to cope..I'm only 24 and I can't do another year like this...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi there pinkjohnson. I too have been in an accident many years ago when icy conditions on the road caused me to rear end a family in a van. Everyone suffered from whiplash and my insurance covered everyone in the accident. I wasn't charged with anything because the woman driving the van suddenly stopped in front of me to put her car in a lower gear when I suddenly hit her. I also had another incident where I swerved all over the road during icy conditions. Since then, I have had a phobia of getting hurt or hurting someone else while driving in the snow or icy conditions. I cannot hold down a steady job because of this. I'm 52 years-old now and the older I get the more anxious I become about driving under these conditions. I feel your pain and know that this is a very debilitating phobia. Hang in there and don't let anyone make you think your crazy. Maybe this is a type of protection for us. Who knows. I don't think any amount of therapy or drugs will help me with this.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am also a victim of this horrible condition.  I have never been in an accident because of snow or ice, but I have spun out a couple of times.  I am glad I am not just the only one and I wish there was a name for it.  I slid about 6 -10 inches on a small patch of slick road a couple of years ago and had to pull over for about an hour and wait to stop shaking and crying before I could creep my car home.  I get headaches, nausea, uncontrollable shaking, crying, breathing issues, insomnia and blood pressure issues if I even think there is a slight chance I have to drive on slick streets.  Even if I don't have to go anywhere, I get that way worrying about my family out in it.  I actually have real and obvious physical reactions to it.  It scares me more than dying itself.  I have tried everything including medication.  If I think that there is a chance that I or anyone I love has to go out in it, I have a full blown panic attack..and I already have a cardiac problem.  People tease me about it at work, but I can't help it and I cant explain it.  I work early hours and drive to work alone in the dark to get to work in a very bad neighborhood.  I am glad I am not alone, just wish I knew how to deal with it.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Reading this made me feel a little better.  I learned how to drive in the South even though I'm from the Northeast US.  I now life in CO and have severe panic attacks and anxiety from driving in the snow.  I hit black ice 2 years ago and ruined the front end of my vehicle.  Last year I hit a patch of ice and got into another accident.  I don't think I can live like this anymore and I don't want to take medication.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I too suffer from anxiety when I know I have to drive in the snow .I have missed work because of this .I feel helpless .I feel like I am the only one going through this .I have lived in Michigan all my life .We usually get alot of lake effect snow .I panic when I know I have to drive anywhere .Am I alone or does anyone else feel like I do ?
Avatar universal
I feel exactly the same. I live in a notoriously snowy state (Colorado) and each year, it becomes more crippling. Just looking at snow sends my anxiety through the roof. With everyone piling into Colorado, I just want to get out :(
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I feel the exact same way. I live in South Western Manitoba and I grew up in a city. Ive been living in a rural community the last few years and I have severe anxiety when I have to take the highway to work after an ice or snow storm. I wouldn't wish this fear on anyone but I'm glad I'm not alone in this.
Avatar universal
I do breathing techniques and listen to violin and piano music when driving in storms. The music is relaxing and the breathing techniques keep mind off the anxiety. I Also take a small piece of hydroxizine to stop anxiety. Only pill that dont leave me groggy
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
Again, as I said on your other post, this allergy medication works by being unintentionally sedating.  Individuals have very different reactions to meds, but for most people this one will make them drowsy.  
To be honest with you Wildnm, I had to look up use of hydroxyzine for anxiety as I wasn't terribly familiar with that.  It is indeed used by many for this.  Did your doctor prescribe it for 'situation' anxiety?  How often do you need to take it?  You are taking a very small dose it sounds?  I like the idea of soothing and calm music while driving in high stress situations of snow and ice.  I'm not a fan of that either.  I need radio silence and no kids to talk when I'm driving in bad weather conditions.  It might add to the tension, I don't know.  Maybe I'll turn on some classical music next time.   Thanks for the tip.
The fact doctors use it for anxiety doesn't mean that's necessarily a good idea.  They use benadryl for it too.  My issue isn't, though, with someone using it because different things work for different people, I was only mentioning that the notion it doesn't cause tiredness is not correct for most people, it does, though the manufacturer would have been happier if it didn't.  Allergy meds are almost always either sedating or stimulating, but for a particular person they might not be.  But it would be incorrect to recommend it to others on the basis it isn't sedating, which I mention so nobody taking it gets surprised when they get really tired from it after reading it won't do that.  Peace, all.
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