firstly hello to all im new here!!

does any1 get panic attacks in cars??? every time i go in a car i get really tight chest and then it proceeds into a panic attack...alothough i do get them elsewhere i.e work etc the car thing really bothers me

any1 else suffer from this and know of any good ways to help eleviate this???

many thx in advance for any help/advice given

Hi,
driving or travelling in cars is difficult for many anxiety/panic attack sufferers and is often complained of.
the following are fairly common; being panicky when leaving the safe area around the house or local area,avoiding freeways and taking the backroads, fearing being trapped at certain intersections by lights and avoiding them.
some are anxious as passengers but calmer when driving, bridge phobias or fear of a particular bridge effect some.fear of crashing the car when panicky is common, but this never seems to happen, obviously the car should be stopped if severely derealised or vision has been altered by anxiety.

learning relaxation and stress managment skills helps, eg, tense and relax the muscles, sing along with the car radio, breathe deep and slow, when stuck in traffic, look at people in the other cars around you and smile, benzos such as xanax help and act quickly,but sedation can effect reflexes, an air cond can help on a hot day.a dog in the car relaxes some, others need to have a mobile phone
its OK to stop the car every so often and get out, stretch and walk around a bit, checking the tyres is a good excuse.
a long journey can be broken up into 10 or 15 minute sections, stopping then , relaxing and deciding whether to continue or return home, this can help start the journey, which usually gets completed
avoiding freeways is OK, we dont have to be perfect all the time.
the car is often very important, being a mobile safe place than can be retreated to. people too panicky to go into shops or banks can use the drive in window, some can drive along streets they are too panicky to walk along, some can only enter a shop if they can see the car outside thru the window.
a few need a toilet equipped van, set up as a mobile home with TV, etc.

hello thx for ur reply...

the mobile phone thing is a thing of mine i do..heh frantically playin the games..but still it doesnt help enuff.

i really need to sort this as im sposed to b goin on holiday in sept and im really worryin bout the travellin there and flight...

Am new...testing!

[does any1 get panic attacks in cars??? every time i go in a car i get really tight chest and then it proceeds into a panic attack...alothough i do get them elsewhere i.e work etc the car thing really bothers me

any1 else suffer from this and know of any good ways to help eleviate this???]


Hi
I am new, and I was moved to register a response to this post.
Yes!,... I used to suffer from panic attacks just the way you do now. For me, it is now mainy a thing of the past.
I never knew why, but the car episodes used to be pure hell. I would have to psyche-up myself whenever I had to travel in a vehicle, but to no avail. My chest would become sooooooo very tight . I remember thinking in those times that I was having a heart attack for sure...or the very least a stroke! (age was not a consideration). I used to feel that I would surely die! It was this fear of dying, fear of the unknown, which would trigger a full blown panic attack (I did not know of those terms then).
If caught in a car, I would insist that the car stop..I had to get out!..JUMP out!, (the clostrophobia was unbearable!), ..I needed space plenty space, and plenty air...I had to walk and keep moving!
Am afraid diversionary tactics didn't work, but closing my eyes and not concentrating on the drive and especially.. how far/near again?, helped a bit.

Some of my other symtoms included: lightheadedness, feeling spaced-out, general weakness, weakness of the knees, shortbreath, uncomfortable tingling of the face and extremities (hands and feet)
Many times I had to be taken to an emergency health facility, where they treated me for, from heart ailments to asthma.

The time came when the attacks grew more frequent and happened anywhere without warning. It had a crippling effect on me, on my life too, and I limited my movements to only home , work and back.
By then travelling for more than 10 minutes in a car was out of the question....I avoided cars and anything/place which I felt would trigger another bad attack. I became virtually confined to home...almost!

Life by then consisted in dealing with one panic atack after the next..I fell asleep in a state of panic and awoke, still in a panic ...scary huh? I can tell you it was no fun waking up anymore. I understood then how someone could be alive and not want to live, but I didn't consider myself suicidal.

That was the point when I "woke-up" to the fact that I needed help. I was not the only one traumatised by this condition. those around me were also, mainly because they did not understand. Employers also could not sustain their tolerance..they had a job they needed done....regardless!

To cut a long story short ...I was eventually correctly diagnosed as having PDA (panic disorder with agoraphobia).
I underwent a series of blood tests, to investigate thyroid function, etc.
I was prescribed bromazepam (short term) and underwent psychotherapy and counselling by a very caring caregiver (I emphasise CARING!)

I was instructed on Stress Management, diet, and exercise!
Understanding the dis-ease also helped!...self talk/persuasion .It was important to believe that I was not going to die. This helped to ride-out an attack.


This was all of five (5)years ago (I had suffered for 5 years previous to that before I was diagnosed!
Those days are now a thing of the past, an undesirable nightmare!
Am I completely cured?...yes and no! I do get the odd attack, but I believe I wouldn't die, so all such incidents are downgraded in importance.
I still carry around bromazepam tabs, to be used as required (but I no longer go into a panic if I discover I have none in my possession)

Most importantly...I can once again travel in a car free from attacks!, and free from fear of an attack!
The feeling is great, and am still in awe that I can so do!

I no longer have to depend on others to do everything for me...I have been given my life back!...am no longer a prisoner of FEAR!

This is in a nutshell my story...I have been helped and so I believe can you!

My advice to you...get a doctor who can help you...change the present one if necessary.

There are drugs that are available to treat your condition...your doctor would investigate and prescribe one that is suitable for you! (beware of any side effects,..some can be serious!)

Become knowledgable about this dis-ease.Much information can be acquired from the net...check out authentic sites.

Walk with a bag when travelling. If a panic occurs, breathing into the bag provides some relief.

Eat meals on time...hunger puts the body under stress!

have adequate amounts of sleep. especially the night before travel.
Get to know your panic-triggers, and avoid them or manage them.

Find someone with whom you can unburden (it could be a stranger, not necessarily a friend)
Remember. managing 'Anxiety' is not unlike managing Asthma

Hope I have been able to help in some small way..and do remember, quote:...."worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's sorrorw...it empties today f it's strength"!

Bless ya!