Stewy84

I got really panicky this afternoon at work. I was really bright throughout the morning, making wise cracks with colleagues, very talkative contributing to the meeting....

All of a sudden, after lunch I totally crashed, couldn't even speak, brain not working at all, felt really anxious like I needed to leave, couldn't even respond properly to colleagues and whatever I was saying, was coming out all wrong, it was a really anxious situation.

Can anyone help me with this? Can anyone relate?

Apology for any errors in the type, doing this on my phone.

Stewy84

It was almost like "coming down" from an ecstasy tablet (obviously nowhere near as intense)

sprout50

I have no experience with ecstasy. Was it a massive panic attack? How long have you been sober?

Soberwolf

Try this Stewy i take it you no longer use ecstasy ? 3 Anxiety Breathing Techniques You Can PracticeÂ*Anywhere - Self help for anxiety - @AnxietySlayer

Stewy84

I took ecstasy over 10 years ago during college, never took drugs for anything other than recreational purposes (the odd student party / house party) years ago though.

Hated the anxiety part and it continued through to tonight

Lusher

Hey Stewy84-

When I first stopped, I did feel a fair amount of anxiety. Perhaps you have some too, which is causing a feeling of anxiousness.

I mean for me, I recall being in a store and having the sensation of wanting to run out of there, for no reason at all. Just a panic attack out of the blue, which was very unusual for me. I attributed it to my brain adjusting from the absence of alcohol. Those have long gone away though, after a few months of being sober.

Stewy84

I kept thinking the people I was with could see my inner thoughts and feelings. It was horrible

Anyone ever had this?

Soberwolf

Have you spoke with a doctor stewy ?

how long have you had bouts of these feelings ?

pm if you want

LexieCat

Sounds like PAWS to me. I had some strange episodes my first few months sober.

Stewy84

What's PAWS?

Anna

It might be a good idea to talk to your dr Stewy. It could be anxiety related.

Kero

It sounds like the anxiety attack I had at work a few months back. I went to tell our secretary I was going home and could barely speak. She almost called 911. She thought I was having a stroke, I thought I was having a heart attack.

Turns out I have had anxiety issues my whole life. Ended up at the doctor and they diagnosed me. My drinking also made things way worse (not sure how long sober you are).

Get to a doctor when you can and tell them about it.

With anxiety, I notice I have all these ups and downs throughout the day. Sometimes I speak really fast to where people can't understand, other times I get sluggish and struggle to think.

We had a discussion about it not long ago. There may be a link between alcoholism and anxiety. I never had a clue I had it. Looking back though, it makes a ton of sense.

Obviously get to the doctor for sure. You could be dealing with other things.

Dee74

I think seeing your Dr is a good idea. Panic attacks happen to a lot of us, stewy

D

Stewy84

The only thing that concerns me about visit to gp is being put on a med.

I've worked really hard to come off an anti depressant recently and do not want to go onto something else!

Dee74

Tell the doctor you want to explore non medical solutions - counselling for example.
Get a referral.

D

Kero

Like Dee says, there are alternatives. I agree that popping pills isn't always the best solution (especially for us). They had me on various pills and man... I thought booze messed me up.

For me, just understanding what was happening with me was a big benefit. At least I know why I feel the way I do and can deal with it. Before, I had no clue and would just turn to the bottle when things acted up (not even being aware of why).

Good luck.

LexieCat

Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms - Relapse Prevention Strategies

Stewy84

Just read this information

Thank you