Weird Driving Anxiety?

[mcsnick]

Please help I am so desperate! I am a 28 year old female, in good health other than this problem I am having.

I have not driven since January. In Jan. I was driving home and a warm sensation came over me and I felt like I was going to faint. I pulled over on the side of the highway, and my husband drove the rest of the way.

Ever since then, I have had the weirdest sensations which make me unable to drive. To sum it up when driving, or in a car, I feel
-like my brain is shutting down; like my light is dimming
-can't comprehend what's going on
-my eyes see everything funny; like I can sense an exaggeration of motion
-dizzy in the lightheaded sense, like I am going to faint
-my brain can't take in everything that my eyes are seeing
-like the feeling right before you nod off
-like I am frozen; body and mind.

As you can see, it is impossible to drive when you have those feelings-- like you're about to faint or nod off.

This happens every single time I am in the car, without fail. It also happens as a passenger, but I can pretty much ignore it because I'm not trying to drive a vehicle.

I have
-had my eyes checked
-ears checked (Vertigo)
-chest x-ray, blood sugar, blood pressure
-CT scan
All normal.

For anxiety I have tried
-desentization (baby steps)
-hypnosis
-xanax
-low dose of zoloft
-beta blockers.
None worked.

I don't know what else to try or where to turn. None of my doctors have ever heard of anxiety manifesting itself in this way, without any of the other symptoms. For example, I don't have anxious thoughts, I don't fear having a panic attack, I don't dread going in the car, no racing heartbeat, no sweating, completely normal breathing.....

Has anyone ever heard of anxiety doing this to someone? I don't know what to do about it, but I am getting depressed being completely dependent on my husband to drive me everywhere. If anyone can help I would be SO grateful. It is such a mystery that no one, not even doctors seem to understand.

[duckandcover]

Driving in a car is my #1 place to have an anxiety attack.  I've had them just sitting on the couch watching TV and other places but it's unusual.  It's like when I'm driving I suddenly get some sort of sensory overload (that I don't realize is happening) and panic out.  I've heard other people mention that driving is a common place for them also.

i can't speak to how unusual you manifestations are though.  This is still all pretty new to me.

[MrGreen]

Anxiety can just come on out of the blue. I am sure many members on here remember when panic first hit them. Could have been whilst out walking. For what reasons? They would have no idea at all. It can be that cruel. Derealisation is something you should look up. Maybe spelt with a Z not an S. You will probably find a lot of what you are describing surrounding that one big word. It will be a start for you. But what we then tend to do is recall that first panic attack / anxiety moment and we may experience it again if in the same situation. Thus we hook one to the other. You might feel that driving might make you more anxious because that was when you first experienced anxiety. Now it all about learning how to deal with it. And it can be dealt with. Sometimes with tablets. Others times with theraphy. Other times a mixture of both. But remember there is always a sollution. May take a while to get there. But with the right kind of help and the willingness not to give in your can make it. Medication is nearly always first suggested. But that is up to your doctor. Counciling is up to you to decide upon. Sadly we have all but a one or two members who would be in a position to talk medication. The rest of us are just people who have suffered ourselves at one point or another. But keep us posted and what you do decide. I am sure other members might add more to this thread. Good luck to you.

[mcsnick]

Thanks for your response! Those are good words to describe what I am going through-- sensory overload. But it's so bad that I swear my brain decides to shut down. The reason I was never quite sure if it was an anxiety attack, though, was because I didn't really have any other symptoms, and it's not like it only occurs sometimes in the car. It is every single time.  

[lagoya]

hi
i have the same thing when driving and lost control of the car twice with it.my heart starts flying and i just cant focus and like u describe very well. i feel like im go to faint.it is a terrible feeling.i have it for about a year now and have been driving for a long time and it just happened me one morning ,really stressed at work and got very overwhelmed at the wheel and had to pull in fact i just about got to pull in.i really felt i was going to pass out ,bunch of tests later and while i do have a svt in my heart that i knew about it was totally different to that .i went back driving the next day and it kept happening to me ,i would only make it so far and i would have to ring someone to collect me cause i would just freeze at the wheel ,so to speak.my doc just put it all down to anxiety.i too tried meds inderal--xanax---sometimes they worked depending on far i had to go but i am very nervous driving still and i have to drive where i live no shop for miles etc.i too dont dread going into the car or being a passenger ,i think maybe it just being in control thing .i would definitely like to hear how someone sorted this -----

let us know

[barfer]

I stopped driving for about six months because of fear of having a panic attack while behind the wheel.  After a while, I had a little chat with myself and decided that I wasn't going to let this stop me from getting out there and driving.  I started by driving down to the corner and back, then to the end of the street, eventually around the block and I kept increasing my boundaries until I could go all over the city.  I still don't highway drive, but I can live with that.  Just so you understand, I used to love to drive.  It was nothing for me to go to my daughter's school 2 1/2 hours away by car to pick her up and bring her home for the weekend.  I also drove that same distance in one of the worst snow storms that the region had ever seen.  Life changed and I was housebound for a short time and then unable to drive for six months.  With the help of medication and CBT I was able to drive and get some part of my life back.  I still struggle with agoraphobia but I am  a real fighter and constantly challenge myself.  Restaurants, though are the worst for me and I am working on that.  Anyway, consider trying the method I used and see if it helps.

[mcsnick]

Hi, thanks for the response. But I want to make it really clear. I am not fearing having a panic attack while driving. It's just this weird feeling that overtakes me that makes it impossible to drive. But it's not like I feel completely normal while driving, but fear that I will all of a sudden have a panic attack.  I have no fear of this; these weird feelings are already and always there.  I also HAVE tried densitization--baby steps. Sitting in the car, pulling out of the garage, driving around the subdivision.  This did not work.  I appreciate your trying to help though.  

[lagoya]

i like that method take further each time after im behind the wheel for 10 mins im finished -----and going down hill wooow boy.i really glad for u that it is working .good for u

[nursegirl6572]

I think you'll hear from a LOT of people here (as you have already) that driving issues are one of the more common complaints with anxiety.  Just because your presentation varies somewhat, doesn't mean you aren't suffering from driving anxiety.

Logically, if it were ANYTHING else...it would happen other times and at other places, right?  So, there has to be something to that....somehow you are relating driving to these feelings (even if you do not feel "anxious" when doing so).  My guess is...it prolly happened like it did to the rest of us....we had an incident in the car...like you describe...and from there on out...you are anticipating it.  One cruddy thing about anxiety is we often don't let ourselves down....a lot of what we fear manages to happen, which of course scares us even more.

I think you should give therapy and/or meds another try....definitely therapy...and meds if you and your doc feel it would be helpful.  While you may have a lot of variances...I think you are in the same boat a lot of the rest of us are in.  It's hard to go through for sure.

Stick around.....you've landed in a great place!

[moochina]

I'm so glad I read this post. the symptoms you described are the EXACT same thing I have everytime I get on the freeway. like exact. even my radio scares me because the sound of the radio starts sounding wierd, and the speed of the cars on either side of me are weirdly seemingly going at different speeds than normal, and I feel like im going to faint and lose control of my car. and everything I see doesnt seem normal, like you described, like I cant take it all in. and then everything starts feeling different, my foot on the peddle my hand on the wheel, the air conditioning in the car, everything. and since I dont want to hurt myself or anyone else on the road I am forced to pull over. The best thing I have found to do, is when knowing im going to drive to take half a xanax beforehand, and then after driving successfully a few times it starts to decrease...i feel bad but it really is so so comforting to hear someone else has these crazy symptoms to a point of exactness that i do.

[mcsnick]

Moochina,
I also feel comforted that someone understands!  I just wish this happened intermittently and not EVERY time I'm in the car.  Seriously, I feel like it is ruining my life!  What dose of xanax do you take? I tried taking .25mg and .5mg but no effect except it made me very very sleepy.    Also, have you ever tired to explain these weird effects to a doctor?  It is very hard to put into words!  Thanks for understanding!

[moochina]

I take .5 mg. and yes, I have..they said its typical panic attack. I actually stopped having the driving problem recently, and I'll tell you the one thing that helped..it was me thinking no one has ever died from a panic attack on the road, i know i feel weird right now but im going to keep driving and let my body do its thing, I know im starting to feel like i shouldnt drive ,but i know its just my panic attack talking and im actually extremely able to drive my car. So i let myself feel weird and i keep driving and keep thinking normal thoughts and i make it home, and it never goes into a full blown panic attack. try this method when your on a back road or somewhere you have a safe place to pull over, and see if it works for you. let me know.

[moochina]

also just to let you know I never have racing heartbeat, sweaty palms or anxious thoughts in any of my panic attacks , so the doctors that are telling you this clearly arent very familiar with the millions of kinds of atypical panic disorders that have VERY odd or only some symptoms present, i know this because my doctor is world reknown in the subject and finally i found him by going through lots of doctors that had no idea what they are talking about. so dont think its not a panic attack just because your symptoms are atypical because ALL my symptoms are atypical..just like yours.

[JSGeare]

I'm going to suggest something completely wacky -but I want you to think about it. How are you on a bicycle? Really. Don't have one? Then buy or borrow or rent one. Ride around the neighborhood. How's that working for you?

How are you on a golf cart or similar conveyance (yard tractor, etc.)? Drive it along the street -see how you do. What about a Moped or little scooter type motorcycle?

You get my drift, here - you want to see how much "car-ness" there is to the problem. Let's suppose that you are actually OK with other kinds of conveyances. At what level of conveyance does the problem start to kick in? Or is it related not so much to the vehicle, but rather to exposure to the challenge and danger of traffic -other folks out there driving around, acting unpredictably, etc.

Is their any chance, any chance at all, that the problem is connected either with an enclosed vehicle, or a PARTICULAR enclosed vehicle? I'm not making this up. Maybe, it is just YOUR car. What about a convertible with the top DOWN -or one of those cute little jeeps? Does it matter if you are in the open air as opposed to being closed in? Find out.

I don't want to scare the willies out of people, but enclosed automobiles are full of chemicals in the air that actually choke some people up. They seep out from the plastic of the dashboard, the upholstery, or junk that built up in the a/c and heating vents, or animal dander left behind. You may even have carried something at some point that left a chemical signature. The action of light rays through the windows can make things happen chemically. It is entirely possible that it is not the car or the driving, but rather inhalation of something which is the trigger or cause. The isolation of your disorder leans that way, in my mind.

That said, "transference" becomes a possibility. What happened in a particular car may mentally be transferred to any car, or the aroma of most cars. You get my point. If none of this process of elimination tells you anything, then look back at January. What ELSE was going on then that might leave a mental footprint. Where were you driving FROM? Why? What was going on in your life at that time? Look at everything.

For right now, we are in "data acquisition mode." Learn as much about the situation as you possibly can.

OK?

[JSGeare]

I almost forgot. As Freud would have said, "Sometimes a sick car, is just a sick car."

[mcsnick]

Thanks for your response.  I agree, I am in data acquisition mode. In fact, I bought a bike last weekend. I took it for a ride and I was completely fine.  I have tried driving the two cars that we have- and have the same effect in both. Also, when I am a passenger in anyone's car I get the same effect. I have ridden in lots of different cars besides our own-- friends' and family's cars with the same symptoms.  

I have thought a lot about this and I really do think it's caused by anxiety. I think in Jan. when I was driving home and felt like I almost passed out made me terrified of passing out when driving. Then, by a cruel twist of fate, or something less coincidental, one of the ways I apparently react to anxiety/panic is feeling like I am going to pass out!  

Of course, then I go back and forth.  In other anxiety-inducing occurrences I haven't felt like I was going to pass  out. But now, I DO randomly feel like I'm going to faint when I am standing up, talking to people.  Random people-- strangers, family, friends. No other signs of panic-- just this dizzy/about to black out feeling.    

[mcsnick]

Moochina,
I agree.... so many of the doctors I have talked to are clueless. I mean, I thought it'd be pretty safe to go to a psychologist, and one who deals with anxiety on a regular basis.  But of the few doctors I've been to, it seems like they have their cookie-cutter client who fit the mold exactly and then don't know what to do with me because I am different. I am so glad you said that these can all by symptoms of panic, even if they don't look like the "textbook" case.  What state are you in? How did you go about finding a doctor who actually understood you?  

[JSGeare]

OK, NOW you've GOT something! For whatever reason -a song on the radio, something your husband said, a sign along the highway, low blood sugar, HIGH blood sugar - I don't care WHAT it is- you got those faint dizzy deelings AND HAPPENED TO BE IN THE CAR AT THE TIME.

Now, obviously, because you can't know right then and there where the feelings really came from, you go with what you DO know -you were driving the car. And its not as if there's no big deal about driving a car, just remember when you were learning to drive for the first time. And plus, driving is a physical as well as mental high stress action. Which is why, if you've had a hernia operation, you're not allowed to drive for a few weeks. But we drive so often, we've intregrated all that stuff into our experience and don't really think about it. Even so, it is THERE.

And so, on the theory that there was something about to pop in your psychology anyway, the right set of stressors in sufficient force hits that tipping point, and there you go. It could have been anything else; school shopping for the kids, planning a wedding, a profound TV program, church, a political meeting -anything. And whatever it was, you'd naturally associate the anxiety episode with that thing. And every time you encounter that situation again, you are reminded of the incident, and your body and mind "get ready."

But NOW, you've noticed it occurring in other places and situations. Classic. If your doctor is kind of a knucklehead about all this, time to find someone who's a bit more in touch. In general (and your mileage -if I may use that word- will vary) you get checked out for the usual independent causes -and much of this you have already done. Then get a referral for a psychiatric evaluation. This stuff is treatable -curable, even- but you can either take the bull by the horns and deal with it directly, or go through a seemingly endless maze of medications, supplements, books and CD's, religious stuff and all the rest of it. Much of the time, the fix is a combination of medication to help you cope with symptoms and "get along," plus talk therapy to root out whatever background factors are creating the psychological  and emotional pressure. I'd be cautious about just leting a doctor have you "try" this med or that med -go the the "head" person -same as you'd call a plumber for plumbing or electriciam for electrical problems.

All that said, read my journals and those of others to pick up some background info. and experiences, and continue hanging out here so you have some appreciation of the psychological landscape for anxiety and panic.

You're very bright and sound well-disposed to do what it takes to put all the pieces together. And you'll have plenty of company here. So -get a move on, and thanks for posting and being with us.

[Franker]

Car anxiety thing.. Yep.. Im a recent anxiety attack sufferer for an "unknown reason" (most likely personal - work/ quarter life crisis related). It is unclear why 2 months ago I went on panic mode... The car for me is the worst. I am usually a busy busy go go go person. I need constant stimulation or my mind gets bored and I begin to focus on "strange" things... Illnesses... etc that aren't even worth thinking about... Silly me I say!  Driving has been very difficult for me. I get very paranoid I will have an attack. Being stopped in traffic is the worst! Especially red lights... If I am moving.. I am fine.. If I am stopped I feel like "eeerrrrr  why am I stopped... I must go. go go now!) Its not "sick" vehicle related for me. I drive 4-5 different vehicles a week and its the same regardless of what vehicle I am in.. But! I feel that when we drive, our minds go on "cruise control" driving is such a task ingrained into our life styles these days that this is a place where "bad habits" form. Bad habits that are difficult to pull out of.. The mind is a POWERFUL tool... Sometimes no matter what you say to yourself it doesnt go away and anxiety sneaks in without knocking... Anxiety for me is funny that way since once you realize some "different" sensation or "theres that damn sensation again" you dwell then get paranoid then before you know it you have generalized anxiety disorder and people tell you that your depressed and need to go on Paxil etc! I wish I knew how to get over it, but I seem to push through it... For me, my head has picked up a bad habit of going someplace else while driving (zoning out ***** too)...  I must have let myself slip into this out of due daily habit...  Any suggestions?

[Franker]

O yeah...  Turning up the radio - Talking on the phone.. Singing etc etc really helps make it go away for me..  I also have a stress tomato I squeeze (makes my mind focus on squeezing).. Yeah.. all the things you shouldnt do while driving...

[JSGeare]

Exactly.

Get to therapy, and get the ziety outta here!

[lonewolf07]

I get really anxious in the subway and in planes.   A lot of it was because I have no control  - the drivers and pilots do.

"Sometimes a sick car, is just a sick car." lol

And as Marx said .... I can't tell you that - I don't speak German  = (

[Jen864]

Hi everyone.  New to this forum.  I have not been a passenger in a car for about the last fiive or so years.  Very sad.  I, like alot of people here, used to love to drive!  I would drive down to t he Cape to see my Mom who lives there, radio blasting, not minding traffic, etc.  Then one day, me, my husband and my two children were on our way to visit my Mom, when the most strangest sensations came over me.  I literally curled up my legs, felt hot starting from my neck up and yelled  "Pull over!!!"  Of course, my husband thought I was nuts and replied " I can't! We're on the highway!"  The feelings that I got were so hard to explain that no one in my family can really understand, because they do not experience anxiety on any level.  Now, only I drive and my poor husband has been my passenger for the last five years.  He sometimes gets frustrated with me, as he would like to drive instead of  me, but I just can't do it.   I am so  afraid of having another panic attack and so embaressed, that I just simply can't be a passenger.  I have even started having some panic attacks when I have to drive far from home or when it is raining very hard.  It sounds crazy, but I just wish I could find someone out there who might be feeling the same way.  I am a productive memeber of society, as I teach preschoolers five days a week.  I have two beautiful older children and would love to go   visit my Mom without frearing the drive down.  Does anyone have any advice?  Thanks for reading my post.  

[ferilkid]

I have the exact same problem, however I am a truck driver, and I need to pay off the debt I am drowning in..everyday I get those attax

[yvette36]

I to get those feelings when I am driving.  I havent stopped driving though because I have kids.  But I start to feel dizzy, My eyes see everything weird,  I get very hot and I feel as though nothing around me is real.  Its scary but I try to distract myself with music or I start to sing or talk with my kids.  Sometimes it doesn't happen but when it does I try to just let it pass and not panic.  I think these are the symptoms of an anxiety attack or a panic attack.  I have been told that it could also be low blood sugar.  Sometimes when I drink a soda when I get those feelings it seems to help.