tourettes and head pressure

[jonnydrama]

I had the scariest day of my life yesterday and I am trying to figure out what is going on with my body.

A little background:  I am a 27 year old male that has tourette syndrom and pretty bad OCD.  Because of my tourettes i feel like i have a constant pressure in my head and I constantly crack my neck to relieve this pressure.  I have many OCD routines that I constantly do and when they get bad this pressure gets worse.  When I first started with my tourettes I was 17 and got an MRI to make sure everything in my brain/head was okay.  All good.

For the past week I have been sick and just ignoring it.  Yesterday morning i took some mucinex D and went to a high school wrestling tournament.  An hour after taking the medicine i felt the pressure in my head get really bad and i fell to my back.  Things started to get darker and my body got very tingly.  I thought I was going to have a seizure or asthma attack or just die on the spot.  I was like this for about 15 seconds saying i needed an ambulance.  I finally sat up and said just give me a minute.  My breathing was fine the whole time but my heart was beating pretty fast.  I had to sit there for a good 30 minutes before anyone could move me.  Every time people started to move me the pressure in my head increased and then i would start to panic.  I wasn't sure if it was panic attacks because I was scared of the pressure in my head, If i was having a reaction to the mucinex d, if I was having an allergy infection or if the pressure in my head was really getting that bad and something was not right with my head.

After I started walking around i spent a good hour pacing back and forth hoping this feeling would just go away.  Every couple of minutes i would have another one of these attacks.  It felt like all the blood was rushing to my head and my head was going to explode, but right when it got really bad it would feel like it all just released and my whole body would get a tingly sensation.  I wasnt sure if i was having panic attacks because i was scared of the pressure in my head, or if the pressure in my head was actually getting that bad and about to make me collapse.  I have stood up too quickly and fainted from blood rushing to my head too fast but this felt different.

I went to the doctor and she said people have bad reactions to this mucinex d i took, so i was hoping it was just that.  Im not sure how long it should take for that to leave my body.  She did a kgb(?) test on my heart and everything looked fine.  Although I was scared for my life and was worried about my head, not my heart.  I had these little attacks the rest of the day but in a more mild manor.  I had a couple the next morning and then went a good 6 hours without anything.  The pressure in my head is still stronger than normal though.  When I went to research all this online (about 18 hours after my big scare 19 hours after taking the medicine) I had another minor attack where the pressure went to my head and then i got all tingly and nervous.  I was thinking i was finally getting better and the mucinex caused the whole thing until this last attack.  I assumed the mucinex should have been out of my system by now.  Since this happened right after i started thinking about my head, I started to feel like the whole thing was just panic attacks after the mucinex messed with my head.  I am going to be very worried going to work next week thinking this could happen again.

I know I worry too much and I am trying to figure out if this sounds like panic is causing me to think something is wrong with my head.  Could the mucinex still be in my system messing with me?  Or does this sound like something in my brain is not right and I need to go to the emergency room?

Could this be an allergy infection?  I dont have the pressure in my cheeks and face like most allergy infections start.
Could it be panic attacks?  I feel like it could be panic attacks but I dont know why panic attacks make the pressure in my head quickly build up.
Could it be the mucinex still?  How long till it should be completely out of me and not effecting my body?

I am now scared that this is panic attacks and everytime the pressure in my head gets bad from my ocd and tourettes I am going to have one of these attacks.

[kasperbaele]

I see you ve been writing this 8 years ago .

I hope everything is okay with you?
I am a 33 years old man suffering the same condition as you ( tourette , adhd and compulsive disorder ) . I went trough alot of anxiety and suffering in my early years but thanks to alot of psychological support ( by professionals and caring parents ) it all turned out quite well . I made it a mental exercise to prove towards  myself I can overcome my tics . And however not easy , I felt rewarded and energized and happy for each little victory ... . Since my energy  was less drained by the tics I felt more relaxed . About 20 years ago I took  medication but that made me a zomie so I quit en to this day I am doing without it . I think what you experienced was indeed a panic attack . It 's a horrible experience but keep in mind , it will always fade and it is  the mind itsself creating pressure and you can cope with it by reckognizing it as merely  a panic attack and to avoid situations or things that might trigger it  .  But I do understand it's far from easy . In fact I have this kind of pressure in my head as well on a daily basis and it tires me ... . I went to a psychiatrist for a year and she helped me to gain some insight in what  exactly goes on mentally and what might have led to this so called panic attack .  Its been a long time since I had a panic episode but  I still feel pressure inside my head and I feel tired . What I wanna say ... its a good idea to seek professional help and Believe an stay positive my brother . Greetings Kasper

[specialmom]

Hello Kasper. Thanks for sharing.  I have a son with tics and anxiety.  It is always so much worse when he is anxious!  Glad to hear that you are doing better with it and appreciate your advice!