Sudden Panic feeling detached

[Norwest14]

Hi, it's my first question here and I'm really not sure how to describe my problem.  First a little background:  I suffer from depression and anxiety, I'm currently taking Lamictal and Cymbalta.  I was taking Celexa but was recently switched to Cymbalta, which seems to be helping better with my depression.  However it did raise my blood pressure a little bit.

Some more background (and I thank you for sticking through all this, but I feel it's important to my problem)  I'm 45 years old, but when I was about 10 years old I had sleeping gas when I was at the dentist...just one time.  The sleeping gas could have been described as a "bad acid trip" which I still get flashbacks to this day.  Part of the bad trip was I remember sitting in the dentist chair (everything was surreal) and I suddenly felt like I fell through the chair and was falling.  It felt out of control and unattached.  My back felt like it was made of silly putty and I was stretching out as I was falling.  There were other parts of this, but that part is relavant.

I currently get that out of control/falling/unattached feeling usually when I'm trying to fall asleep.  Almost always when I'm laying on my back.  It's a feeling that is so intense that I sit up in bed and literally gasp for air.   It's a very uncomforable feeling of floating and not being attached to my body.
(and no, I don't think it's an out of body experience...although it might be)

It's weird that I only get it laying on my back, or sometimes my side. If I'm laying on my stomach, it doesn't usually happen.  Lately, I've been getting that feeling when I'm wide awake, sitting in a reclined position.

I've always had this, but lately it's been a lot worse.  I'm wondering if the Cymbalta and my higher blood pressure has anything to do with this.

Thanks for reading all this and I appreciate any feedback!

[stephk821]

This may or may not have anything to do with what you are talking about but have you ever thought of sleep apnea?  I have it and what you describe sounds exactly like i found out i had it.. I would start to fall asleep at night and wake up gasping for air.   It would only happen as I started to doze... not after I fell completely asleep.  AND doctors say that when you lay on your back, it makes it much worse.  After I was diagnosed with it, the doctor told me that it is extremely common among people with anxiety (cause i couldn't understand why someone like me who is only 23 and is average weight would have this).  Anyway, whether you think it could be this or not, it might still be a good idea to have a sleep study done so that they could monitor what is going on while you are sleeping... could be helpful either way.. hope this helps!  Good luck!

[Jade59]

Hello and welcome to the forum!  Just from reading your post I would imagine your having these symptoms when your on your back because you were on your back in the dental chair when this terrible reaction to the sleeping gas happened.  Your body or mind remembers this position and reacts, you know?  

So many people have anxiety everyday and have no idea where it comes from, but I think you answered your own question.  A reclined position is ALMOST laying on your back so wouldn't that make sense?

I'm not sure if the Cymbalta or high blood pressure are increasing your symptoms, maybe some one else can say.

Take care...