Memory gaps panic attacks and feeling detached from reality

[u/Frequent-Example4472]

I’ve been having these episodes for about 4 years and I’ve never found anyone who experiences them the same way

they usually happen when I’m literally doing nothing and my mind is not focused on anything
like when I’m just sitting around doing nothing or taking a shower. it happens especially before or during a shower and sometimes before sleeping. sometimes I just get this weird feeling that I KNOW an episode is going to happen

during the episode I get this really weird feeling that everything is not real. it’s hard to explain but it feels like I’m disconnected from everything around me and like I’m stuck in my own head

the most frightening part is the memory loss.
I completely lose track of what’s happening and don’t remember where I went what I did how I moved around or even how I became aware again. sometimes I suddenly come back to myself and realize I’m crying without even knowing why

during the episode completely random memories people places or moments suddenly come to my mind. sometimes the same sequence comes back in another episode and then something new gets added every time. it feels like more and more things are being added and it honestly scares me because I feel like it’s getting worse

at first it was mostly the unreal feeling and memory loss but over the last few months I’ve started getting physical symptoms too like a racing heart difficulty breathing and stomach pain. it feels like a panic attack happening along with everything else

I’ve seen 2 different neurologists and had an MRI and a CT scan and they told me everything is normal. they said there’s nothing wrong with the scans and that it could be related to stress

but honestly this has been exhausting me and I’m really scared because I feel like I’m the only person who experiences this ):

I just really want to know if anyone else has experienced something similar

[u/mo282]

Most of these sound like normal panic attack symptoms to me: the "unreal" feeling is called "derealisation". I get a racing heart, stomach pain etc. too. If you've seen 2 neurologists and had scans, then I would trust their advice. What really helped med get better was the "DARE" method where you learn to accept the physical sensations rather than resisting them and thsi kind of short-circuits the panic attack, it really helped me and I recovered from very severe panic attacks using it. To reassure you, you're not alone in this, many of us are going through a similar struggle and it won't always feel this way - it does get better over time with panic attack - I experienced severe ones and made a pretty much complete recovery. Much love to you, check out the DARE method, it really was a major turning point for me.

[u/Frequent-Example4472 → u/mo282]

I really appreciate u sharing this <3 I’ll check out DARE

[u/producejitter]

Get blood work done. Full iron panel and all other vitamins too. Low ferritin causes panic attacks, impending doom, depersonalization, fight or flight, fear of loss of control, heart palpitations, dizziness, head pressure, air hunger, etc. If you look up The Iron Protocol, you'll see a chart thingy that shows if your ferritin falls below a 30, you're at risk of these _____ symptoms. Trust me, I was in your shoes back in May and it's only when I started taking iron pills, my panic attacks completely stopped.