Light headed/dizzy, shaking, weak, numb/tingling on fingers and toes, flushed

[Med Q]

Two weeks ago around 6pm I had an episode of multiple symptoms that precipitated very quickly, within about three minutes, without warning.  These included feeling very weak, shaking all over, light headed/dizzy,numbness/tingling on fingertips and toes, slight shortness of breath and chill.  I felt like passing out, flushed.  I figured it was from not eating so I grabbed a burger and it seemed to alleviate the problems.  Well, it happened again around the same time of day a few days later. But this time, eating didn't help as much.  Eventually the symptoms went away.  My colleagues observed that I looked very pale.  Since then, I have been experiencing episodes every day in the evening.  I keep a pile of energy bars in the office and gulp one down at the very first hint of weakness, shaking, which seems to go away in about ten minutes.  If I don't, the symptoms quickly intensify until I am so shaky and weak that I can't remain in a sitting position.
I've had blood/urine test and was told all is ok.  
Here's the curious part.   Last two days, instead of gulping down an energy bar, I've been taking Vitamin B-12 that dissolves under the tongue.  This seems to help alleviate the symptoms as well as the energy bar.
Any thoughts or guesses on this will be gratefully appreciated.
Thank you

[Ricobord]

Have you heard of a highly sensitive nervous system?  I saw an article in a local paper once about a man who had written a book about living with it.  I can't recall the name of the book, but these web site might give you a start.  I hope this is helpful.

http://www.hsperson.com/pages/test.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_person

[featherwind]

thanks for the advice. i've been reading what every one else has been saying on this webpage. and i am glad that i am alone yet not alone in similar sufferings. I have yet to see something to exactly match what I suffer in comparison to all the comments and etc here. I have talked to my mom (I am an only child and the rest of the family is scattered all over the USA and I am not a people person because I freak out around people as in really avoid them because i get beyond nervous to the point of feeling like I am going to faint when around people, but that is a side-branch of what i feel is really going on with me... another side-story in other words) for so long and for so many hours about what I suffer and now it is not letting go and i feel like I am getting sicker and am dying no joke. I feel like my body is just giving up and I am fighting it all including the depressing thoughts and certain types of people because well I never was good at handling anything. I seem to be losing general body function, and feel like I am detaching from my body and slipping away physically and mentally. I am sensitive to nearly everything like foods, water, sounds, etc. I go for walks in the hood (where I live) to what i feel is fighting the inevitable because I told mom that if i go down I am not submitting to defeat at least not entirely. My energy is nearly gone I have to use it and struggle to do the very basics in life like breathe, digest, walk, and attempt to focus. I am even becoming sensitive to the weather. I look at people and think to my self that it must be nice to be normal and live suffer enjoy life and die like normal people. But I also force my self to be happy, do a little tai chi and yoga (little, since I have little to no energy), breathing exercises that spends me quickly (yet I am not asthmatic?), and of course read-up on this death that everyone else says doesn't exist and my symptoms that the docs says is all in my head and etc. I mean if it was all in my head, then I would like proper treatment because maybe something of which i cannot control is wrong with my head that is making my body fail I don't know. But I feel that what ever it is, it is more evenly-dispersed and seem to be... I'd rather not think about it. I always felt disconnected since as far back as i could remember: and I have done things that seem to be like a side of me that shouldn't exist bad things that may be from panic, sick satisfaction and other things. again i never was good at dealing with anything and have had bad grades (including gym) since the beginning and have been a general failure in life. but I still want to live, to love, to mingle, to be like everyone else and enjoy life and even suffer like everyone else. I am sorry that I cannot explain my self very well I wish that I could. It seems that nobody truly understands me and my suffering though I have read this and again think to my self that I am alone yet not alone.
I don't know where I am going with this, and am very tired as usual. Part dementia perhaps. I have explained over the years what I have suffered and it seems to morph into something (or some things) worse over the years and tends to get bigger or something and it is eating me up alive. I just want to function and live life like everyone else and mingle and enjoy things like everyone else but I feel so alien and that true enjoyment seems to be dying from everyone else like "life" is slowly (or not so slowly) slipping from me. Life seems so short to me. I always wanted a family, a career, and one with my surroundings, but i feel so deathly and far-away and it is only getting worse.
Anxiety? Perhaps. Depression? Probably. But I seem to be all-around short-changed for someone who seems so "normal". And it seems that anxiety, depression, panic attacks (one of my biggest doubts seriously), and etc seem to be the deep "effects" if any, not the deepest "cause(s)". And since I have had certain things since as far back as I can remember yet attempt to live a "normal" life (whatever that is), my own existence (or the lack there-of) seems to fool everybody else yet fool me the least.
I wish I knew what was wrong with me and that I could fix it and be like everyone else so that I can have a "life" like every one else. Sure, existence wise there are people worst-off than me, but non-existence wise I feel totally screwed out of the whole deal since the beginning.
I feel for you all and hope that your lives get better. I literally feel your pain for I am a very (deathly) sensitive individual (yet feel somehow spiritually numb and void) that when I read I seem to be in your situation and I want to make everything alright.
Peace and thx.

[psyrea]

FYI.  These are all common symptoms of alcohol/medication withdrawal.  Easily managed by benzodiazepines (Ativan, Librium, Xanax, etc., even Clonidine is very effective if this is the case.

[kimzoe]

I think all these examples must be related with the effects of living in a consumerist society - the market uses psychological mechanism and strategies to influence individuals attitudes and towards consumption.   Each time we are expected to have more spending power to meet the market needs (demand and supply), even if we do not need or want, the market forces/ influences individuals to spend even if they have no purchasing power parity (loans, credits, etc) and using marketing and publicity campaigns.
Individuals are expected to meet the markets needs and the market is in charge of deciding what our choices are through diversity.  For example, more women and men are expected to be perfect in an unperfected world, examples of a size "0" (market saves on textiles), having a perfect body, skin and hair ( fashion, celebrities, ice-cream, fizzy drinks, chocolate bar, diet products...), have a happy family (work to consume more, no free childcare, socialise, holidays, etc).  All these examples we live surrounded by influence our behaviour and sometimes drives us to stressful situations out of our control.  

The market meets the needs when we consume, however we are not aware that once our basic needs are covered (protection, food, affection, etc) we can basically conform with.   But the market keeps reminding us that we have to keep the cycle, by sending messages to our sub-consciousness altering our nervous system, organism and causing stress situations.

From what I have read there are various groups of people, ranging from teens to 40plus).  This is my theory but I cannot affirm it is reliable nor validate it because I do not have enough knowledge, the tools, etc.to do so.

Just one piece of advise: "be more critical" and do not just assume everything is ok.  Analyse, decide and never forget to breath deeply.  We are living fast lives.  Take time away from society and spend some time doing something without looking at your watch.  Maybe you just need to disconnect from the fast space/place and use some time to rest and meditate.  

[Ricobord]

It sounds like you might have vasovagal syncope.  Stress, or moments of over-stimulation, as you describe, overstimulates the vagal nerve, and the body responds with nausea, sweating, tunnel vision, and even fainting.  I get it if I watch my own blood get drawn, but not when I watch someone else.  I also get it really bad when an eye doctor gives me eye numbing drops for an exam.  For some reason, numbing the nerves in my eyes freaks out my nervous system.

I don't think there's a treatment for it other than learning to cope with stressors and learning relaxation techniques when you feel it coming on. They say it usually reduces with age.

[Anb2696]

I've had the exact same symptoms as you but I'm only 15. Any suggestions for what to do? Cause I know it's not age or stress.