Stress/Adrenaline come-down symptoms

[lsakwal1]

I've been having problems for about 4 or 5 months now ever since I came back off holiday with a terrible virus and I was worried about my health for a long time afterwards.  I'd convinced myself there was something seriously wrong with me as I had so many irregular symptoms that all seemed unrelated.  It continued to get worse until I had to return to my final year of university in september where I just felt awful all the time.  I had all sorts of blood tests done which came back fine and my doctor put it down to anxiety (finally, after one very unhelpful doctor practically told me I was imagining things).  I agreed with what she said as I am naturally a very anxious person and this has transferred to health anxiety since the sudden death of my father 3 years ago.  She put me on very mild antidepressants which didn't seem to have much effect (and I have since stopped), but I think the realisation that it was stress and anxiety helped a lot.  I have felt much better since and haven't even visited the doctor.  The only thing I can't understand is that I seem to go downhill again when I have times without stress, which really bothers me, almost as if there is a subconcious switch that I can't control.  I am under an immense amount of pressure on my uni course and have nights where I have to go without sleep just to get my work finished.  Obviously I am so stressed during this time which I can feel in the typical headaches and pains in my shoulders and neck etc.  I don't function very well either as I am so very tired.  However, I have come to accept this as an inevitability over my last 6 years of study.  
However, a recent development seems to be the way I feel once all this stress is finished.  If I have times where I am not quite so busy, or when I've finished for a few weeks (like I have now for the xmas holidays), I just don't feel myself at all.  I feel absolutely drained of energy and sometimes like I can't focus on anything at all and have no control over my limbs.  I also get a lot of pins and needles in my hands and feet and my sleep patterns have been seriously affected. I also sometimes get an overwhelming feeling of nausea or dizziness which makes me panic too.  It comes and goes and I don't think it is through sleep deprivation as I have become quite used to working like this in the past.  My mum has told me that it is likely to be down to a "come down" from the sheer amount of adrenaline I've had keeping me going over the past few weeks but I am still concerned as I've never really felt this way before and obviously it's very frustrating as I feel like I should just go back to normal once stressful periods are over.  
I don't really want to go back to see my doctor and wondered if anybody else has experienced a "come down" like this and if there's anything I can do to help myself?  I feel like I can't stop my mind whirring away and worrying about every little thing and I'd love to just be able to get on with things without feeling as if my head's off in the clouds somewhere.  
I am 23, female and otherwise healthy.  I am about to enter into a very stressful career and am looking to learn how I might control these episodes so that they aren't allowed to blight my future.  Thanks  :)

[chef100]

yes i get this exact same thing, 3 years ago i had a severe anxiety attack and have slowly gained control over it bit by bit since then, however i am a chef and work in incredibly stressful situations, when i get time off i get depressed and anxious and all sorts. I just googled adrenalin comedown cos i thought maybe this is the reason. Or maybe we are actually adrenalin junkies without realising and suffer withdrawals???

[chef100]

i think when we feel this way, high heart rate exercise would probably help