I have heard that when people get nervous we gulp down a lot of air and swallowing so much makes us work our throat and tongue. This eventually will cause us to keep biting down on our jaws and this can lead to give a lot of pressure in our temples. That is exactly what i do.. i swallow a lot and this also leads to my nausea and a lot of burping and pressure in the temples. i am bound to this especially when it is allergy season.
I am going to make an appointment with my MD this week some time. Since I now have awesome benefits, why not.
I know it sounds strange to those who never experience panic, but the attack I had more than 3 weeks ago and the panic attack I had last week are still affecting me. The axniety, fear of another attack, depression and the derealization or depersonalization. They go together very poorly.
I have this pressure on my head. I know what I need is a few days off to regain balance to my core. My workouts the last 3 days helped. I am at an all-time high as far as muscularity. I know the anxiousness can actually help with exercise. But I also know it's important to do the relaxing things like yoga.
I am also not sure if the pressure on my head (temples) is because of blood pressure. I have never had a problem with high blood pressure, but I should get it checked. I also need to get blood work done.
As you have listed, those can be a reason for your lightheadedness. I hope you can find a coping strategy to help you with those feelings... I usually get that depersonalized feeling when I have a hard time breathing... but lately it's not as bad.... it just turns into nausea for me.
Ashley, I'm glad you are in this field, thanks for your inputs! The thing I've learned is that yes, every emotion is important.. it's all yen and yang... we need everything to balance to come to the middle and to keep growing.
I agree and since I don't use salt I think My electrolytes get out of whack. When people say you need to eat, I wonder if it isn't really that you need the salt in food. By the way my IV is 0.9% salt. It doesn't affect my BP. My dad worked in a mine and the lower levels were very hot. They had salt tablets for when they sweat to bad.
Hi David: Yes, do check with your doctor. At one time my brother trained soldiers how to survive in the Egyptian desert. Water was important but so was salt. When I got some minor heat cramps and headachey feeling, he told me to be sure to have some salt too. I wasn't using any because of my blood pressure, but on those really hot days, have sprinkled some on food. Just an idea.
I do think a possible trigger is stress and lack of relaxation. I guess they go hand-in-hand. I let myself get into these situations where I stress myself too often over silly little things (Work, anxieties, etc. I have experienced depersonalization many times over the years and this feels like it, but it's a bit different. It also involves rituals/OCD. I get myself into these frames of mind and have to fight my way out of it. A big part of it is losing hold of my core/center of concentration which helps one relax.
I also have to wonder if I might need a change of meds. I have been taking amytrypuline/perphenazine forever. I got off prozac in 2003 and have been taking 5-HTP in its place.
I also must hadd that I work in 90 degree heat here in Florida, and it can drain me after a long day. I don't know how much this might be playing in the area of the lightheaded feelings. I have been drinking plenty of water.
I have to agree with what you said, from what I have read it does sound like depersonalization. Talk to your therapist about it to be sure as I am not a doctor. From what I have read stress management and relaxation techniques are essential for managing these very strange and even jarring feelings. Again, talk to your therapist about possible treatment he/she would know what works best.
I am sorry you are experiencing these symptoms. It sounds like they are pretty frightening! Keep us updated on how you are doing.
Have you noticed any triggers for when these symptoms occur?
Getting back to what I originally posted (I am amazed that it was about 3 weeks ago that I posted this), I am still having after effects of the panic attack I mentioned here and the confusing moment I had last week where I could not remember what our kitchen looked like and could only remember the kitchen from when I was a teen. I eventually remembered, but it was a very scary moment to be driving in a thunderstorm and to not be able to remember something.
This brings me to this week. I have been having lightheaded feelings. I will be nearly fine one moment and then I get this feeling like I am somewhere else or just totally lost. Not sure if this is out of body experience, but it's really weird. I need to find my core center again. I tried doing my relaxation program a few days ago, but I really felt lost and it did not help at all.
I am starting to wonder whether I need something new to help, like maybe new meds. I will probably call my therapist to see what she recommends.
Anyone else ever get the light headed feeling or a zoning out feeling. It's a cross between depersonalization and derealization. I really hate it.
