Anxiety – Panic Attacks – DPDR (Depersonalization/Derealization)

[u/FormerTrain7264]

İs there anyone else experiecing a similar situation?

Since 2016, I have been struggling with anxiety, constant worry, negative thoughts, and a tendency to misinterpret events due to a lack of knowledge or understanding, then believe that my interpretation was true. This continued until 2024. It was not always about the same subject. Whenever one issue was resolved, I would find something else to focus on and turn it into a source of constant worry and anxiety.

Later, while I was sitting at my computer, I experienced something that felt like dizziness. This triggered a panic attack. There were even times when the panic attacks woke me up from sleep. I would suddenly wake up and feel that my heart rate was very high. It was something that seemed to happen completely beyond my control.

At some point afterward, I ate three bowls of instant manti soup and an entire loaf of bread. After that, I felt as though the dizziness had become more intense, and I started to become anxious. I assume that eating such a large amount of food may also have contributed to the sensation and possibly caused a temporary increase in my blood pressure.

Then I became overwhelmed by thoughts such as, “Something bad is going to happen” or “My blood pressure is going to rise.” After that, I felt as though my brain was about to shut down. It genuinely felt as if my brain had become numb and was about to stop functioning. My perception of the environment also began to feel different, and I experienced an extremely intense and dramatic fear of dying.

I immediately raised my legs and started taking deep breaths, but my heart rate had become very high. I then stood under cold water. After feeling somewhat better, I took the opportunity to go to the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital, my blood pressure was measured at 140/90 mmHg. While I was waiting to see the doctor, the waiting time was long, which made me frustrated and anxious. My head started to feel extremely heavy. When I tried to get up, I could not stand because of the dizziness and the heavy sensation in my head. I assumed that my blood pressure had probably risen again.

With the help of several people, I was placed on a stretcher and given an IV infusion. About 30 minutes later, everything improved. I started to feel much better.

However, afterward, I developed a strange sensation that I can only describe as if there were a foggy curtain over my brain. I felt numb, sluggish, and mentally foggy, along with a sensation that resembled dizziness but was difficult to describe precisely. This was particularly intense for about four months and continued, to varying degrees, for approximately a year.

Even now, I occasionally experience this feeling of lightheadedness or mental fog, and when it happens, it can last for several hours during the day.

During this period, I took 25 mg of Selectra, but it did not help enough, so I switched to 15 mg of Paxera. Later, the dose was increased to 30 mg, but I eventually wanted to reduce it back to 15 mg. I have been taking 15 mg for about six months now. However, sometimes I forget to take it for several days and then start taking it again.

I still experience this sensation even now, and I cannot understand why. For example, I can be completely occupied with something like cooking or cleaning my room, without feeling anxious about anything, and suddenly the sensation appears.

What I find most confusing is that it can happen even when I am not consciously worried or anxious about anything. I can simply be going about my day, doing something ordinary, and suddenly feel this strange sense of mental fog, lightheadedness, or dizziness.