Situational Anxiety/Anxiety while driving.

[thomj513]

I don't know if this is even a legitimate problem area, but I'm having problems with anxiety while driving in my car.  It's getting to the point where I'm afraid one day that I won't be able to even get into the thing.  My Dr has had me on Prozac and Celexa but I'm now off of both due to the bad side effects I was having.  I go back again on the 17th of this month to see what else they'll prescribe.  Anyone else have this "phobia"?  Thx, Thom.

[Tracer76]

I still suffer from Driving and anxiety too mine is long distance and fear of the what if factor. I was in a sever head on collision with a drunk driver. It took me 14 years and some patient friends to help me get back behind the wheel.

Just about over a week ago, I promised someone that is close to me that I would drive from Vegas to Pariss Ca with her. I wanted to so much, But I kept thinking over and over again about the distance, getting in a wreck, not knowing anyone but her near that area and she would be staying somewhere there while I would be in a town 10mi away from her. And if something happened to her I don't know how I would get there to help her. I know this was very important to her she wanted me to meet someone that she has known for 12 years and they wanted to also meet me, but with the anxiety taking over I felt like I was going there to be judged and ridiculed. I don’t know why I feel like this.

And what happened then my subconscious took over, I started to say and do things that I normal would not. The furthest I have made it was to Barstow CA with a group of friends but even then I was shaking , sweating, could not think, could not see straight, heart was pounding, my chest was tightening and shallow breathing. There were so many times that I just wanted to pull over and vomit.


I thought I could do this, but my friend now hates me, and does not understand this problem that I have. She has been in crashes before but never affected her or her ability to drive. I don’t want to live like this anymore. I don’t feel normal, and now I feel like I have lost someone that I would do anything for. I don’t know how to show her or even tell her how this feels when driving a long distance like that. This made me hurt, and depressed that I could not do this I feel and will feel I let her down, and just for  that I wanted to commit suicide because of all of this. When “I say I will do it” to help someone out then to me that is a promise I have never broke one till now. I am very upset by that, all because of this condition that I have.

I know when I am in a car for such a long time that I will freak out if I am driving which is what I wanted to do for her. I know if I am doing 65-80 on the 15 to Cali once it kicks in I will lockup the breaks and not move. The reason I know its happened before. I really thought I could do this and be able to drive 251mi +/- . I also have let down others as well by not going which even that does not help the anxiety  at all. It has made my life more depressing as well.

[Rlittlelittle]

I hate being me. I hate it. I am angry with myself and these issues I carry around that affect people around me. My anxieties are starting to control whether or not I take a few hour trip with my husband to visit his family. How ridiculous is that? My anxiety started in the early 2000's. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, General Anxiety disorder and at times depression. I had been in 3 cars accidents in my 20's, I am now 37. I was raped when I was 16. A man tried to break into our home while I was there with my great grandmother, I was 10 and he had a sawed off shotgun. I can drive decently around town. I can suffer through a 20 minute trip with someone else driving. Highways scare the crap out of me when I drive but I force myself to do it and when my hubby or anyone else is driving on a highway the entire trip I am afraid I am dying. The speed is a factor. Not having any stop lights is a factor. If I close my eyes so I don't scream at my husband that we are going to crash then I feel every acceleration and every time he applies the breaks or swerves or changes lanes, every bump in the road. It's maddening. I cry. I take xanax. Sometimes I drink before we leave home as well. I want an escape from being me. I have done numerous therapies, most recently EMDR and I felt better for a bit, but I also did not ride with anyone else during those 3 months. I recently had to ride with my husband for an hour and a half. I sat in back, put on sunglasses, had a pillow to hug and blanket to hide under. I opened my eyes once. My mind goes places no mind should. I think, oh brakes we are crashing; oh acceleration we are crashing; oh a bridge, we will go flying. I hate living like this. I need help. My husband is hurt because he thinks I don't trust him. It's not him at all. I know he loves me and would do anything to protect me. This is my demon and it's got a full, firm grasp on me. This weekend he is renting a truck to take a 3.5 hour road trip to his moms to get his motorcycle. He wants me to go. I am freaking out right now. I had a panic attack just talking about it and I cried my eyes out. I took half a xanax to calm down. I want some miracle pill that will either A) just make me sleep and not wake up til we get there or B) will make me better. I could go on forever. I am so sad that I am this way. I also will not ride roller coasters. I have to medicate and have a drink or two to fly. I can take a train...and I can handle a cruise ship. It's like I can't live life. :(

[r0n724]

I never had a problem with panic and anxiety while driving till I was transferred to Pennsylvania from Florida back in 1999.  The source of my fear were hills, bridges, turns in the road, wet roads, snowy/icy roads and buisy roads.  Now, it's turned into being afraid of driving period!  I can get to the store about 2 blocks from my home.. but.. that's about it.  I have seen several doctors about this condition and have been on everything from Kava Kava to anti depressants to Xanax and now am on Ativan.  None of these have helped.  I have done therapy.  I forced myself to drive for the first few years, but now I have given up.  It does not get better with medication or with "just doing it".  One interesting point is that I went back home to Florida for a short vacation and had no problem AT ALL driving while I was home.  But.. the minute I got back to PA..it was the same old thing.  I have asked my doctor about the B-12 issue.. and he thinks I'm crazy for even suggesting it.  I have just about given up and accepting the fact that I will never be normal again!  Another interesting thing.. I am now starting to get panic attacks for absolutely no reason.  I can be watching TV, eating dinner... even sleeping and they hit me.  Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can get my dr to take me seriously regarding the vit B-12 test?  His normal comment when I tell him about the panic and anxiety is " just get over it. this is your own fault for letting it get this far".

[cj812]

I am right there with you. I'm not afraid to drive persay, but it's going and being able to get back. My best friend is visiting 2 hours away and I can't go...it's overwhelming and of course now crying...I just want to be normal...this is crippling in general!

[onthemend444]

All these situations seem very similar to mine. I was driving back from Sacramento (I live about 75 minutes south of Sac.) I was in the car with three other people we were having a silly conversation (something about trying to remember songs from an old KISS album) I was driving fine then all of a sudden I felt like I was in grave danger. I had no idea what was going on. I was dizzy and felt like i was going to faint I didn't want to alarm anyone so I made up an excuse about my leg cramping up or something. I pulled over and hoped that someone else would take over driving... they didn't so I got back in an very nervously made it home. That was about 18 months ago and since then anxiety and panic attacks have been the center of my universe. I have good days and bad days. The key is to keep getting back out there. I notice that these days when I am in the middle of the freeway I start to panic. It just makes me feel in limbo with no escape route. I refused the medicine my doctor tried to give me because I can't come to grips with having to take a pill just to drive my car (on the freeway). I don't suffer these symptoms anywhere else. I've been driving for two decades completely carefree and it gets me down to think that something I used to actually love is now something that I am afraid of. I've tried many driving anxiety programs and techniques. I'll beat it eventually but I am still working on my problem. The one technique that seemed to give a drastic turnaround was in a program called the Linden Method (you can google it). He has something called the Panic Attack eliminator. it's a 10 minute audio segment in his course where you are instructed to pretty much push your anxiety as bad as it can get to show you that you are actually in control of it. For someone who has driving anxiety, it's pretty scary to be white knuckle driving in the slow lane to somehow move 2-3 lanes over in an attempt to make your uneasy feelings even worse. but I have to tell you.. I DID IT! and within seconds as I was driving right next to the fast lane, my anxiety drained out of my body. I haven't felt like that for quite a long time and it felt great. I was hoping that I was cured, but to be honest, I wasn't.... but I was better. Bad days come and go, but the good thing is that I know that it's within me to beat this thing once and for all!

I wish everyone the best of luck in their journey. There's something inside us that is causing this negative chatter. We just have to find out for ourselves what it is.

To Our Success
- Tony

[Mommyof4NYC]

Hey, oldo thread but wanted to know is this still happening?

[Caroline2000]

ME ME ME...started at age 46 or 47.  I am hoping it passes when I finally dry out.