Does anyone ever experience plain fear (not a panic attack) while simply sitting around the house and has no idea what they are scared of?

That's the way this all started for me.
I was 16 years old and taking clothes out of the dryer and all of a sudden this feeling came over me and I was scared to death, but like you I had no idea what I was scared of.

The longer it went on...I really can't remember anymore how long it was, If I remember right it was two or three days...I began to think I was going to die or at the very least lose my mind.

I finally told my Mom and she made me a Doctor's appointment.
Had all kind of tests done and everything was fine, that's when he told me I had a panic disorder.

I went on medication and eventually they went away and stayed away for years.

They came back again when I was 30 and it was the same thing all over again, this overwhelming fear.
But no idea what I was scared of.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, just wanted you to know that you're not the only one.
Sometimes just knowing that helps.

Thank you for replying!

I have been diagnosed with panic disorder just recently and it does feel good to know that I am not the only one experiencing these symptoms. I find that a lot of books on this disorder don't explain anxiety symptoms outside the actual "panic attack."

Hello tunemaker,

I really understand what you mean. So many times out of nowhere I get this terrifying feeling as if something really bad is going to happen. I feel very scared and have no clue why. It is very difficult to deal with it. When I get like this I try to distract myself in anyway that I can....but it aint easy.

I wanted to ask you both, when you get this feeling does it last a long time or is it gone within the day?

Take care and stay strong,

Lady

I experience irrational fear every day of my life, almost all day long. It has been going on for years...the only way I can explain it is...in the pit of my stomach I always have that feeling that you get when you are just about to go down a huge hill on a roller coaster. Sometimes, it is about real stuff (my kids etc...) but mostly its about irrational fear of nothing I can control. I have learned over the years that this is a disease I have and if I had diabetes instead of an anxiety disorder, I would NEVER neglect to take care of it. Meds help and over the years some have helped more and longer than others. Sometimes I feel that it is hopeless and that no drug will ever make it go away! This is true to some extent but the meds I am on now are helping and this is the most control I have felt in a while. Its super hard to adjust your life to feeling constant panic and anxiety and not being able to control it. People have said..."get over it", other people deal with life every day! These are the people that dont understand and never will as they have not been in my/our shoes. I try to stay strong and this board has helped me a lot. It helps knowing that there are other people out there like you! Hopefully you will get on meds that are good for you and will help....therapy can work wonders too. Basically knowing you arent alone is the most wonderfull of all! Hang in there...heres to not being alone!

Beth

If I concentrate on the fear and try to come up with a reason of why I could possibly be scared and I keep thinking about it and thinking about it then it can last for a few days and I am usually a nervous wreck at the end of it all. I always end up totally freaking myself out thinking I am developing schizophrenia or something until I see my therapist who reasures me that I definitely don't have whatever I have convinced myself of.
If I manage to distract myself (which is very hard sometimes)then it can pass within an hour.

When this first happen to me, it lasted for days at a time.
Once I found out what was wrong with me, it started to get easier and easier to control.

I've been dealing with this thing on and off for almost 20 years now so it's become very easy for me to calm down and tell myself that nothing bad is going to happen to me and that I really don't have any reason to be scared.
I think the reason I've learned to calm myself down is partly to do with the medication and partly to do with the fact that after all this time I've finally come to realize that if I dwell on the fear it only makes it worse.

But, there are still times that it gets the best of me and I can't let it go when that happens I talk to my Husband.
This may sound strange, but I always talk about the same thing to him...I talk about the first time it happened to me and what it felt like.
For some reason that makes me feel so much better.

I've been on Celexa for 6 weeks now and it does not seem to do much to control my fear. I also take Klonopin when needed but when the effect of the pill is over i'm back with my fears. What type of medication seem to be working for all of you?

Lady:

I am also on Klonopin (just recently switched from Xanax, which worked great but I was on a high dose), which does take that "fear" in my stomach feeling away for a time but like you said not all the time. I am also on effexor xr 150 mgs a day. I was just upped from 75 mgs which I was on for a year. The upped dosage does seem to help more and I do have periods of feeling "normal". I honestly dont think there is a drug out there for people like me that will take it 'all' away. That, I have heard comes from therapy...which after I level off with my meds, I plan to look into as well. I have heard cognitive therapy works wonders although I am not sure what that exactly is. I may post about that! I have had therapy on and off for years and it did help somewhat but the effects did not stay with me. Different periods of my life and different 'stress triggers' can make it worse it too. I am a Mom of two kids also and of course dont feel like the best Mom and dont want them to grow up with the same issues. I want to break the cycle!! Anyway...........sorry for venting. Thanks for listening...Good Luck and God bless. This board alone has helped me so much.....I feel I have people that actually understand!

Beth

I take Xanax, I've taken it for years.
I take 1/2MG pills, but I cut them in half.
I take half in the morning about 8AM and the other half late afternoon, about 5PM.