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Spacey Feelings

Hi
I am having alot of those Spacey/Detached feelings that can seem to last for hours.  Sometimes it feels like I am walking on a cloud like I feel detached from my body. I know it's from Anxiety, but sometimes I can't help but feel scared when I have them.  I start to think that this is the early stages of losing my mind.  Does anyone else have this annoying sympton of anxiety?  If so, how do you cope with it.  It gets real scary sometimes

Lady Jane
13 Responses
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Avatar universal
I have been suffering for almost 20 years from insomnia, I am now 40. About 4 years ago I took a strong dose of lsd, the only time I have taken it. While I feel that it is my fear of what might happen to my mind that concerns me rather than any real ill effects, I have recently on 3 or 4 occasions woken up and have not known who or where I am. This has taken about 2 minutes to wear off and has left me feeling quite panicky, and I have noticed that my thought processes are slowing down - anyone recognise any of this?
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Avatar universal
It was two months ago that I had the most horrifying experience of my life.  I suffered heat exhaustion,though it took me quite a while to realize that was the problem. I was worried that I had something really horribly wrong with me and suddenly I gasped for breath, I started to tingle all over, I felt as though I was floating out of my body, I couldn't see or hear very well, and I ran through my house screaming for my parents to help me because I believed I was dying.  I finally calmed down and the next day, I felt fine and continued to do so for a week, until I went to a restaurant with my boyfriend and walked inside where there was dark flourescent lighting which seemed to bother me right away.  I looked down and got those same sensations again, floating out of my body, I felt heavy and my arms tingled like crazy, along with a dry mouth.  That's when I really got scared!  I called off from work the next day, and the day after I went back, but very nervous because I was afraid I'd get that awful feeling again, and I did.  I had to leave almost as soon as I got there.  I went on vacation shortly after, and during that week, I started to feel better until one day when I was feeling brave enough to be alone.  It was then that I started thinking that something horrible might happen to me and that no one would be there to help me.  I panicked, I cried, my head went to feeling detached, and I went to bed and stayed there, horrified and crying and thinking the absolute worst.  I went to see a doctor two days later who didn't really examine me very much, aside from assuring me that my heart was fine,  but prescribed klonopin and zoloft for me.  The klonopin was great, except it left me so dizzy and sleepy that I had to stay in bed.  Two weeks later, I was feeling a lot better and went back for my follow-up visit where the doctor took me off the klonopin and told me to up my zoloft to 100 mg/ day.  I was okay for a day, then the day after, I had three panic attacks, I started suffering from insomnia, nausea, I couldn't eat, I shook all the time, I started getting all sorts of horrible noises in my ears, popping, ringing, thinking I could hear chimes, etc...and worst of all, I felt like I was nothing more than a pair of eyeballs floating around.  I slept maybe 20 hours over a period of 6 days, and that's when I went to a new doctor who put me back on the klonopin and suggested the possibility of hyperthyroidism.  I'm still waiting on the results of the blood tests, but as horrible as these things are, it's a relief to konw that I'm not the only one out there feeling this way.  Take care of yourselves, all of you.
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Avatar universal
I have Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD) for the past year I have been depressed and having feelings that I have CJD human mad cow decease. But more reasantly I have been feeling really spaced out and light headed and I have a fear that this might be a brain tumor. This feeling has been getting in the way of my day to day life and it is constant and will not go away. I too have sight problems witch is not actual lose of vision but a sense of sore eyes and almost slow motion when I turn my head.  I only hope that this feeling is my OCD
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Avatar universal
The "spacey and detached feelings", as well as visual illusions/disturbances, are symptoms of depersonalization and derealization.  Depersonalization is characterized by a feeling of detachment or estrangement of one's self.  Individuals experiencing derealization may perceive an uncanny alteration in the size or shape of objects.
     Unfortunately, I have experienced severe derealization since taking Zoloft 3 years ago.  My misperception is that objects appear closer and larger than normal.  Every time I look at a person's face, whether it's my own or another person's, his or her nose and ears will appear disproportionately large or imbalanced compared to the rest of the face and head.  It can be quite scary, but it doesn't mean someone is losing their mind.  Two weeks ago I had the courage to stop Zoloft.  Thankfully, much to my relief, the derealization is beginning to fade.  In my case, the "spacey and detached feelings", along with visual illusions, are caused directly by an SSRI medication.  My current psychiatric medication regimen is Remeron SolTab and Adderall.

Question for reader:  Did you develop symptoms of depersonalization and/or derealization while taking an SSRI drug like Zoloft and Prozac?  If the answer is "yes", then are you still on the drug, or experiencing symptoms?  If you stopped the drug, then did the side-effect of DP/DR disappear ever time?  I will eventually present this question to the mediating medical doctor.  Thanks.
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Avatar universal
Feeling dissociated or spacey is a horrible feeling.  I too have had that experience and it is not pleasant!  The one thing I kept reminding myself was, if you worry that you're going crazy, that means you're not!  I had an hypnotic/anxiolytic drug to take at night for a while, it was zopiclone, which is availible in New Zealand as Immovane or Zo-Tab.  I don't kow what the equivalent is in the States.  Talking to a counsellor definitely helps, even though at the start you wonder what difference it is going to make.  Hang in there!!!
gator
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Avatar universal
Have you ever heard of the Midwest Centre for Stress and Anxiety.  It's located in Ohio.  Unfortunately, I live in Canada, but I would love to go there for treatment.  They provide a program and they have outpatient group sessions which I would love to have here.  We don't have anything like that here.  The founder is Lucinda Bassett and she had severe anxiety for many, many years.  She also had a problem with the Spacey feelings.  Although I know about and have had it in the past and still get it everyday now, it still bothers me.  But I do find that if I distract myself from it, it goes away.  I wish that I didn't have to be on any medications, but my anxiety was so severe that I could not work without medication.  
Fluroscent lights also bother me, they make my vision blurry and sometimes I am too sensitive to light as well.  I too find that when I am tired, my vision is blurry.  
What I would really like is to find a support group (believe I have tried) but I can't find one here.  Anytime I mention anxiety to people their eyes glaze over and they look at me like I am strange.  Go figure!
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Avatar universal
Have you ever tried to listen to a self help tape from the MidWest Centre for Stress and Anxiety.  The founder is Lucinda Bassett.  I have and they helped me.  It deals with real people that experienced panic attacks and anxiety.  Lucinda also had a bad problem with the "Spacey feelings".  I recommed it.  I would actually go to their center, but they are in Ohio and I live in Canada.  I can't seem to find anything like that, that can help me again.  I need to talk to people who actually have gone through this or still are going through it.  All the doctors that I see haven't experienced this and unless they have, they don't understand what we go through.  I would love to find a support group, but I can't.  It seems like people who have this condition are hiding in the closet here.  I would love to have that type of Centre here.  
Fluroscent lights bother my eyes too.  Sometimes I get light sensitivity where the lights seeem to bright or kind of orangy to me.  Does that happen to you?
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Avatar universal
I feel exactly the same way.  I am going to do a search on this and hopefully will come up with some answers.  Keep me posted on how you are doing.
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Avatar universal
Yes, I do get visual disturbances.  Infact the other night as I was watching TV, (I have a big screen TV) The TV seemed suddenly too close for my eyes. Like it was popping out at me.  It made me feel kind of dizzy. Also my vision was pretty fuzzy too and I tried so hard not to let that scare me, but sometimes it's too much for me. Some people jump at the chance to take any pills, but not me.  I am too scared.   I am taking Xanax which I find extremely helpful for Anxiety.  The problem is with it is that it wears off quickly and you have to keep taking more.  I just increased my dose (no thanks to any doctors help) by a quarter of a pill today because I feel like I am going to explode or something like that.  I am getting alot of anger surfacing suddenly and I can't control it and it is scaring me too.  What a life! I feel like I am living in a nightmare.  Either I feel spacey, or angry, or dizzy, One seems to always follow the other.  I am even starting to dream about this.  

Lady Jane
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Avatar universal
what you have sounds like depersonalization. type it in a search engine and see what you find. I too sometyimes feel kinda of detached and unreal at times. Believe me you are NOT going insane. Read more about it and try not to let it give you anxiety. Remember it will pass, it has always passed and you will be fine.
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242532 tn?1269550379
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
These are signs of very significant anxiety, the beginning of what is called dissociative reaction, which is an attempt to get as far away from what is really bothering you as possible. The solution is to turn back toward your problems and face them squarely. You should also look into anxiolytic medication with your doctor.
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Avatar universal
I know exactly what you are talking about.  I would also appreciate some answers on this matter.  This is a very hard feeling to describe and it is very, very scary.  I fear a brain tumor or cancer.  I also have a fear of medications.  I have never taken anything for my anxiety.  I just try to live with it.  There are days that I never experience this, then there are days it just will not go away.  Sorry I couldn't help you, but you should know that I can sympathize with you.
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Avatar universal
I have another question for you.  Do you have vision disturbances when you feel this way.  I guess you really couldn't call it a disturbance, it's just that everything seems to come at you.  Flourescent lights seem to make it worse.  Your vision seems a little blurry and gets worse with fatigue.
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