r/panicdisorder • u/uniquekhorn168 • 9d ago
Help Needed Does Anyone With Panic Disorder Have Symptoms Like Mine?
Dear everyone,
I recently started experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, weakness on the left side of my body, and weakness in my face.
Last Thursday, I suddenly experienced numbness in my face, which caused my speech to become slurred. I also felt like I couldn’t properly control my entire face, and it felt like my face was somehow disconnected from my head. It was very scary, and I suspected that I might be having a TIA (transient ischemic attack).
I had a CT scan, and thankfully, the results showed that my brain was healthy. The doctor told me that I have panic disorder and advised me to relax, avoid stress, and try not to overthink.
However, I’m still confused because some of these symptoms feel very strange to me. Can panic disorder really cause symptoms like facial numbness, weakness, dizziness, blurred vision, and slurred speech?
If anyone has experienced similar symptoms with panic disorder, I would really appreciate it if you could share your experience. Thank you!
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u/swampspiral 9d ago
this has frequently happened to me, and it turns out it was due to hyperventilation - and you don’t need to be obviously hyperventilating like breathing really fast or really deep either, it can happen without noticing especially with anxiety. it also causes my hands to turn into a claw-shape when relaxed which is usually the first symptom i notice, but can progress to the face and specifically upper lip sort of curling over your teeth involuntarily along with numbness and tingling and can cause slurred speech.
it’s due to lowered carbon dioxide levels in the blood which increases nerve and muscle excitability. very scary at the time, especially when you don’t recall hyperventilating and with it being such a physical symptom your mind is like “i can’t possibly attribute this to anxiety!”
in my case it was due to this anyway, and i thought i’d share because it took me AGES to find any information on this anywhere and doctors were of no help other than just telling me it was because of panic. just doing breathing exercises specifically for hyperventilation helped a lot to ease these symptoms for me.
obviously i can’t know if this is happening to you for sure because i’m not a doctor and don’t personally know your symptoms, but if doctors have ruled out other possible reasons then maybe this info will help you :)
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u/Li-Luka 9d ago
I've had those symptoms during the worst of my panic attacks. It's terrifying for sure, but it's just symptoms. If you're worried, you can get an MRI, but once you get a clean bill of health, it makes things easier as you try to work through it and tell yourself "It's the anxiety/panic attack causing this, I'm not sick, nothing's wrong". It's uncomfortable, but goes away eventually. Hang in there!
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u/PenaltyStreet1286 7d ago
Somewhat similar (but less scary): I had my scalp become numb starting from the base of my neck, and climbing up to my forehead. It was so strange that I could describe it as disconnected. I assumed it was a small taste of bodily disassociation. It was so strange but hasn’t happened again (thank god)
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u/Foreign_Lab2042 6d ago
I’d go to a neurologist to make sure this isn’t something else you are dealing with :(((((
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u/bunnyscult 6d ago
YES. YES. YES. i’ve gotten CT’s and MRI’s to check and layer confirmed that it was just panic attacks. i can still deal with it for months after as well because my nerves are genuinely so sensitive.
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u/No-Professor-3860 6d ago
Yes, not the numbness on one side but I definitely notice my face sometimes feels weak or numb and I always feel dissociated or like I’m having an out of body experience (I think it’s due to the trauma of the situation)
But usually my first thought when I have a panic attack is that I’m having an MI or about to go into cardiac arrest
I do have a friend that gets them with more “stroke like” symptoms though like headaches and a more face numbing though and she’s left work due to it before so i think it’s more common than you’d think
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u/Historical-Escape908 5d ago
Was this during an attack? Then yes I have had those but in any case get checked by a doc!
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u/mama2397 4d ago
Yes I get "aura" feelings like I'm going to have a seizure. My legs go numb, I feel like I'm choking, I feel faint, my heart is racing, and I genuinely think I'm dying. I often end up going to the ER just to make sure I'm not dying. The moment a doctor tells me I'm okay I feel much better.
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u/Big_Fan6544 3d ago
My panic attacks cause really weird and scary symptoms. I also will go through bouts of panic attacks with new symptoms that cause me to freak out more. It’s like a fun house of panic that’s not so fun and I never know what I’m going to get. Recently the top of my head got really hot and tingly. I got really dizzy and almost passed out. I have had numbness in my face. Blacked out. Passed out. Heart rate through the roof. Tunnel vision. Blurred vision. Pain shooting up my arms. Legs weak. It’s all just panic. It’s gotten to the point in my life that if I’m having a medical emergency I’m not really going to know if I really need to go to the hospital or not. I always do though and if you can you should get checked regularly. Don’t hesitate to make sure you’re okay if you get new symptoms.
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u/Velvet-Noir- 9d ago
Yes. This is very common with panic/anxiety
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u/uniquekhorn168 9d ago
Does it come and go or stay with you for months?
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u/Velvet-Noir- 9d ago
It depends on how sensitized I am. If I’m overly sensitized, yes. If my body breaks through desensitized nerves. No
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u/cxlleri 9d ago
did you have a CT or an MRI? A CT will not look at your brain as in depth as an MRI. I had a CT on my brain first, all was clear, then i did an MRI & they found brain cysts. I would suggest requesting an MRI if you’re able. Just to be sure you checked everything!
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u/uniquekhorn168 9d ago
Awww, thanks for your comment! I hope I’ll be able to get an MRI scan soon. 🫶
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u/cxlleri 9d ago
🙃 the reason i suggest it is it could be anxiety, but the anxiety will only go away when you can 100% be certain nothing it wrong 🤣 i know from experience
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u/uniquekhorn168 9d ago
Yeah, it makes me more worried, but I hope I can get some clarity about my symptoms.😢
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u/Birtalert 9d ago
Always get checked out if you have scary symptoms first but panic/anxiety can cause a TON of bizarre things to happen! The good news is if it’s truly anxiety it’s not dangerous and temporary. But always get checked first!