anxiety? orrr something else?

[Skelly88]

I just had an anxiety attack last night...but it was weird,  I just got dizzy all the sudden while on the computer, I got up walked around, i feel like I was going to fall over, then I tried to lay down to sleep, felt like I was spinning, then al the sudden i start to panic, and my whole body felt like it as on fire. so once again, I got up, made some hot tea.  and It was weird, I kept feeling like I was confused about what I was looking at, like....it didnt seem real..I felt really tired too, like i wanted to fall asleep really bad, and delirious, like...feeling like i'm dreaming while i'm awake? i dont know. but I was so tired all the sudden. i dont know that was scary. almost like I didnt know where I was kinda... :(  I thought iwas having a stroke or a heart attack, or some other heart / brain related issue... :( its so scary.. i'm only 20... so heart attacks, strokes, brain disorders, sound scary..

[Chrissy1972]

I am glad you are feeling better :)

[Skelly88]

haha, 20 year brain tumor,  its funny because i've convinced myself many times that I MUST have a brain tumor LOL  

I do have a few family members, but none who would help with a doctor visit lol. I get all my  meds from walmart of CVS because they both have a 4$ list, its just getting to a doctor to get prescribed those meds :)

I feel good today, so I dont know. Gah... I wish I could just be normal..

My anxiety surfaced when I had tried pot for the first time, after a week of smoking it, I just flipped out. never touched it since.

[Chrissy1972]

My anxiety usually starts off by feeling dizzy or out of sorts and if I think "why am I dizzy?" I can go into a panic just like you seemed to have. I was the same age as you when I started having panic attacks and i was convinced i had a brain tumor...Im 37 now so Ive had that same brain tumor for almost 20 yrs!!! (lol)  
Im so sorry you cannot afford a dr as it would be a shame to have to suffer like you did last night. Do you have any family members that can help you pay for a drs visit?  Good news is if you dont have insurance Walmart has most anxiety medications (generic) for only $4. Best wishes to you.

[Skelly88]

Well, see....I've been into computers for a long time, and I've Never ever had the problem of being dizzy while on the computer, it was very odd...thats why it made me panic I suppose... :(

[remar]

It could be from sitting at the computer for too long. I've done that myself and when I get up I feel kind of dizzy which makes my anxiety worse.
Is your computer at eye level, or are you looking down at it?
Take breaks every 15 minutes or so and get up and walk around. I've learned to do this so I won't get dizzy when I stand up.
After having a panic attack or extreme anxiety it can make you very tired.
Your not being ridiculous at all. Many of us that have anxiety go through the same thing when our heart rate goes up from exercise. I think walking is better than jogging so maybe you might want to try that, not so hard on the joints.
Take care. Remar

[Skelly88]

Hmmm, I've had anxiety for about....lets see...3-4 years, I have been diagnosed with it, they did blood work on me to see if it was a gland problem, and no problem there.  I used to be on paxil 40 mgs for about....4-6 months, I stopped taking it for a while, didnt think I needed it...not to mention I couldn't afford to see a doctor and a few other various reasons (yes, I do know that I'm not supposed to quit that kind of stuff cold turkey). So, eventually I got put on Citalapram, which was....maybe a few months ago. I didnt take it every day like I should have, I got lazy with it, i'd take it for a week, stop, take it for a few days, stop, etc. so now here i am, taking citalapram again daily for the past few weeks.  

Other info: I'm 20 years old, 5'11 225 pounds (yes, overweight unfortunately) but my diet consists of decently healthy foods, I just dont get much activity, because whenever I try to go jog or anything I have a panic attack because my heart rates so high and i'll get sharp pains in my upper back, or my chest, and i'll just worry about having a heart attack. (rediculous I know).

Im a computer geek, I used to sit on the computer for HOURS at a time, and the computer never ever made me feel weird, or dizzy or anything of the sort. This was an all the sudden thing, pretty scary.  never had a really bad dizzy spell out of the blue like that...

another thing to note, I woke up in the morning not feeling dizzy, but I still felt weird. i dont know how to explain it, I ate some peanut butter and drank some water, which...before eating the peanut butter I just felt nauseous.... like if i ate it i'd throw up.  However...I didn't.

I went back in the living room, went on the computer for a bit, no problem, started to feel a little anxious and tired, and I went to sleep for a few hours, Woke up...and here I am, and I feel decently fine, kind of edgy though... I dont know if i like citalapram, I dont notice much of a difference since I'm on it... However I cant afford a doctor.  

anyways, I hope that was an adequate amount of info :)

[RubyWitch]

Have you ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? This would be a good thing for us to know, as would some other information about you, like your age, if you're on any medications, if you have any other health issues.
Going simply on what you've written, someone I use to know told me that our computer screens flicker at extremely rapid rates and our brains attempt to keep up with it, which is impossible. This COULD be what caused your initial dizziness depending on how long you'd been on the computer. I know for me that after more than an hour, I get a headache and often just feel a bit odd for a short while.
All your other symptoms sound like a typical anxiety/panic attack. When you write that things didn't look real, that you felt like you were in a dream-like state, feeling like you didn't know where you were.........all of those kinds of feelings are associated with a state of mind known as depersonalization or derealization. It is a VERY frightening feeling but has nothing to do with strokes or heart attacks. It's your mind messing with you.
How long did this episode last?
With any luck, it was just a transient anxiety attack and you won't have it again. But if you begin to experience them more frequently, you need to speak with your doctor to rule out a physical cause, and if there isn't one, then therapy would be an excellent option.
All of us here know and understand how scary these attacks are, so write us any time you need to.
Peace
Greenlydia