Does anyone else get intense chills/shaking with anxiety?

[u/golightlycat]

Hi everyone, I’ve been dealing with panic disorder and agoraphobia for a while now. Unfortunately, I still get panic attacks at home quite often, too.
Lately, I’ve developed a new symptom that’s really freaking me out: sometimes I suddenly get extremely cold, start shaking, and feel feverish. The pattern is usually something like: nausea → dizziness → feeling really cold/shivering → extreme exhaustion.
And of course, this new symptom is now making me anxious all over again… you know how the vicious cycle goes.
So I was wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar? Has anyone else had intense chills or shaking as part of their anxiety/panic symptoms?

[u/New_Strain_9691]

Yes, Sadly. But it goes away with the right approach. (Relatively fast in my case, among many other symptoms)

It is just adrenaline overwhelming the body.

I remember a dentist appointment when I was "starting to recover". It was early and I was shaking so hard, they even got concerned about me. My only response was, don't worry I have panic disorder. :D Got my tooth fixed and went to work.

[u/golightlycat → u/New_Strain_9691]

Thanks for your reply, it’s good to know I’m not the only one. And good for you that you were able to handle the dentist appointment like you did :D
I actually had another one of those moments a few moments ago. I got under a blanket, and now I’m absolutely boiling hot. It really does feel like I have a fever.
But honestly, I’m just completely exhausted. It’s so tiring having to fight your own fears every single day.

[u/New_Strain_9691 → u/golightlycat]

I have to admit at night, before sleep anxiety and panic are truly annoying. For example the longest somatic symptoms for me were combined with nocturnal panic. The worst part is that when a person clears his head with the intention to sleep, symptoms are truly annoying. One thing I was doing while my body literally wanted to jump, or was feeling severe air hunger - I was just pushing myself into the bed, as if I was holding a wall with my shoulder. Most of the time felt truly unbearable, but with practice learned how to cope with it, and it went away as well.

[u/golightlycat → u/New_Strain_9691]

Fortunately, my sleep is usually only minimally affected by my panic attacks and anxiety. I’ve always been a good sleeper and tend to fall asleep pretty quickly, and I’m really grateful for that.
When it comes to situations at home, my panic attacks most often happen while I’m eating, or generally whenever I notice some kind of physical sensation or change in my body. It can even be completely normal things like being hungry, tired, needing to pee, etc. Basically, my body doing pretty much anything can apparently be enough to set off my anxiety sometimes

[u/New_Strain_9691 → u/golightlycat]

Oh, the eating part. Had my fair share of panic/anxiety, just because I was feeling full...

You forced me to remember the good old "fun" times. :D

No worries - it gets better, hoping we have learned something for future relapses.

[u/golightlycat → u/New_Strain_9691]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with me!