Feeling Unreal

[msusparty23]

I have had symptoms of aniexty attacks and what not for 5+ years now. Recently it has started to get worse; I start to feel like I'm not real, when I look at someone it feels like that I'm looking at someone through someone elses eyes. I've started to get major headaches on my left side and even behind my eyes

I've never been on any medications and haven't seen the doctor about this at all. I"m afraid that it something more then just aniexty.

Has anyone felt these similar symptoms? Can anyone recommend any medications to help control or stop this?

I'm a 21 year old college student, I play college baseball and it has gotten to the point to where I've had to take myself out of a game because of this. It's very frustrating..please help. Thanks
-Tyler

[marie1974]

just wanted to say hi and welcome if you look at the heading on the left hand side there is loads of advice on problems and issues etc etc its really interesting and you will see that symptoms you have are very normal and very common, you will also get lots of advice and support here and make new friends too hugs xxxxx

[Zingara]

Hiya,
That unreal feeling, which I've had myself many times, is really scary. But it is just a symptom of anxiety, in fact a pretty common one. Don't let it scare you. The description of 'looking through someone else's eyes' is a very good one, actually, that is just what it feels like.
I think it would be a good idea to tell your doctor....he or she may be able to find ways of helping you reduce your anxiety (though as a long-term 'anxious' myself, I know it's not easy!) The headaches are probably stress and worry related, your doctor may be able to help there as well.
Good luck...let me know how you get on.

[mandie]

hi

I have suffered anxiety for 5 years but its only this year i have been getting the unreal feelings.

It does scare me, but i think the more i think about it, the worse it gets.

I try to ignore it and carry on with wot im doing.

love mandie x

[alswife]

I had that symptom for just over 2 years and it is a truly awful feeling. It is true that the more you think about it the worse it gets. I fought against the feeling but what i needed to do was just accept it and that nothing bad was going to happen and eventually it faded away. I'm now in my 4th month without it but at the time I thought I was going to feel like it for ever.

Joanna

[kellie]

hiya i thought this might help you to understand these feeling of unreality you are getting.

Depersonalization, Derealization, Feeling of unreality


What you feel:

Now for the Brain – the limbic system in the brain instigates this whole response and is responsible too for our emotions and behaviour One of the body symptoms that people hate most is the one when you feel all foggy, surreal, woozy or spacey. You may either feel that you are not real or that the earth is not real and you’re a time warp away. These are often the hardest symptoms to understand and its very common to deduce that you must be going mad which makes you panic even more. This is completely untrue and you are very safe.

You feel like you are not a part of what is going on, or that you feel like you are in a dream state or ‘out of touch with things’. Also, things around you may seem like they are shimmering, foggy, hazy or too bright.
What causes this:

As we learned in Understanding, the body and mind are tightly integrated. What affects one affects the other. This symptom is another example of how an over stimulated nervous system can cause us to experience odd and impaired feelings, emotions and perceptions. Much like how a psychoactive or recreational drug can alter one’s mental state, an over active nervous system can affect certain body chemistries thereby producing mind altering effects. The feeling of unreality or disassociation is one type of altered mental state that high levels of stress biology can produce.

It is not completely understood what goes here but it is generally thought that the limbic system in the brain decides there is too much going on and goes into a self protection mode and shuts out excess stimuli. As the adrenaline levels decrease and you calm down it clears. This can be several hours days or weeks.
i hope it helps you a little.

take care
kellie.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[msusparty23]

Thanks a lot for the responses and it does really feel like your in a time warp away as mentioned above. Thanks again for the info and the personal experiences that you have had with this.

Has anyone been on medications to help control this at all? Like I mentioned before I've never been on any medications for this and it's come to the point where I think I need to try something..any suggestions
Thanks!

[Zingara]

Unfortunately there isn't any one medication that will just knock it on the head, but there are medications that may help. Your doctor will need to talk you (and listen!) and decide what medications, if any, to try. You don't mention any other problems besides anxiety attacks, so your doctor might start with relaxation exercises and things like that.
I have been on Prozac at various times of my life, and I find it very helpful with certain problems, such as intrusive, unwanted thoughts. The only downside to it, in my experience, is that instead of making me calmer, it can make me a bit 'wired', so it doesn't help with the agitation that I'm currently suffering with. Having said that, everyone is different in terms of their reactions to medication.
I'm in England, so I don't really know a lot about the way doctors prescribe in the US, they probably have their favourite drugs the way British doctors do! Other people will probably be able to help you there more than I can. As I say, though, there is no specific drug that stops these attacks happening, unfortunately. I have had a few short courses of diazepam at times in my life when my anxiety has been so bad I've been beside myself, but it's not a long-term solution.
Let me know how you get on.

[Tom_M]

Hi msusparty23

It's just anxiety, you suddenly become aware of your senses - usually vision, which then causes some fear, which results in you focusing on that sense.
The best way to overcome it is to just understand that it is only anxiety, and it will go away once you stop being scared of the sensation.

Tom

[nicky20055]

HI ALL, I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION BACK IN OCTOBER 2003 THEN HAD A NERVOUS BREAK DOWN WHEN I HAD MY SECOND DAUGHTER, AFTER I RECOVERED FROM THAT I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH OCD, EXPERIANCING ALL THE HORRID SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND AWFUL THOUGHTS OF MURDER ETC DESCRIBED, BEEN ON MEDS FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS, AND JUST LATELY I'M GETTING THE DEPERSONISATION, FEELING PANICKY AND SCARED/BLANK, SHOULD I FEEL LIKE THIS SURELY BEING ON MEDS WOULD OF CONTROLLED THIS? SOME ONE HELP I FEEL LIKE I AM GOING NUTS! RELAPSING :unsure:

NICKY X

[maisiesmumx]

Hi Nicky i had pnd in sept o4 and was put on antids.recently well this last year i have had dp/dr and i hate it but everyone reassures me that this is harmless and will not kill you even though i keep thinking it will...i can't beleive i am saying this because i think it too...but you are not going nuts or crazy or mad...its just these stupid feelings i haven't beaten mine yet but ia try to take each day as it comes...everyone i have spoken to about this tells me that it does get better..you just need to accept it and relax...i know difficult how can you relax when every waking moment u think about how you feel....

anyway try and stay focused you are a strong women who will ge through...remember its not a question of if i get better..its when..

hope it helps love faith xxxxx

[missstressedout]

i have suffered all these things and more for more than 18 yrs i have been completely cured in this time twice but life throws things at you an it is back with a vengance but i try to tell myself it has never hurt me yet its not real im not dying im still here 18yrs on