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Original poster

To ask if anyone has advice for sudden crippling driving anxiety.

87 replies

InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 17:50

Really need some help after the day I’ve had.

I’ve always loved cars, always loved driving. Been driving since 17 with my own car, have driven the length and breadth of the country, a day off always involved jumping in the car, driving and exploring for hours. But the last 6 months I have been developing a serious driving anxiety.

Started with not being comfortable on motorways, then progressed to being really nervous coming into bends and now if I see an open road in front of me my body goes into panic. Roads in my locality that I drive often are completely fine.

The last 2 ‘long’ drives I’ve had to do have been horrendous, and frankly dangerous. Any bend, unevenness, or a wide stretch of road in front of me has pretty much brought on a panic attack. Hands sweating, legs shaking, chest thumping and feeling like my vision is about to go.

The first was after a weekend away, and lots of drinks, so I just put it down to being hungover and fragile. I had to pull in 3 times, once for 40mins, in the space of a 1 hour journey.

Today I had a two hour journey that I had to do for work, I was about 30mins into it and it began. Had to pull in, gathered myself but was on the verge of a panic attack for the whole journey there and back. I’m home now and my heart is still thumping and I have a terrible headache.

I have a certain amount of driving to do for my job and I’m a single Mum so I NEED to tackle this.

So as not to drip feed, I've suffered from general anxiety through the years but with medication and counselling I pretty much overcame it.

I was also in a couple of car accidents, 1 serious when I was 14 and another not so serious when I was about 29. I'm 35 now.

Has anyone overcome this? How do I do this? Counselling, hypnotism, medication?

All advice welcome, I really need to get on top of this.

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 22:36

@Coffeepot72 I'll definitely ask the doctor about the propranolol, thank you so much. I'll look into my counselling and driving lesson options as well 👍

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 22:33

Sleepyallday · 19/10/2023 22:02

The app doesn’t appear to support private messages but you should be able to access if you are able to log in on a web browser

I'll log in on the PC tomorrow and message you there, thank you so much again x

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 22:32

WhoWants2Know · 19/10/2023 22:02

I had hypnotherapy for it. It helped a lot.

Was it just one session? Would you recommend trying it? Is your anxiety under control? x

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 22:29

AnImaginaryCat · 19/10/2023 22:15

I attended a webinar on the menopause yesterday - this was specifically mentioned. In fact she said she tends to hear her patients say it starts with the motorway. She ("she" being the doctor giving the webinar by the way 🥴) mentions that anxiety with perimemopause isn't a definite but if you have had anxiety before them it's more likely to intensify.

Now you are on the young side for perimenopause but it's not totally impossible.

Anyway she mentioned CBT is good treatment.

Mind you if you are driving on the M50 anxiety is a given. It's certainly a constant high alert drive 😬. Only time I like driving on it is between 2am and 4am!!

Why is this not spoken about or highlighted more??? I'm speaking with a very small group of women here and menopause has been mentioned so often.

I feel like if someone said "By the way, on top of all the other menopause symptoms, you might feel like you're gonna faint and run yourself and others off the road by accident" that would be a great heads up and help majorly with the anxiety!!!

OP posts:
crystalize · 19/10/2023 22:20

@InAPickle12345 I was 48 at the time so I can understand at your age it feels so young for peri menopause. See what the doc says.

AnImaginaryCat · 19/10/2023 22:15

I attended a webinar on the menopause yesterday - this was specifically mentioned. In fact she said she tends to hear her patients say it starts with the motorway. She ("she" being the doctor giving the webinar by the way 🥴) mentions that anxiety with perimemopause isn't a definite but if you have had anxiety before them it's more likely to intensify.

Now you are on the young side for perimenopause but it's not totally impossible.

Anyway she mentioned CBT is good treatment.

Mind you if you are driving on the M50 anxiety is a given. It's certainly a constant high alert drive 😬. Only time I like driving on it is between 2am and 4am!!

Coffeepot72 · 19/10/2023 22:02

Anxiety is a nasty little bugger, but I would say I’m 99.9% over it now. If any minor symptoms crop up, my brain seems to identify it as a niggle rather than a disaster, and the symptoms fade away quickly. Whereas previously I would panic, making things far, far worse very quickly.

Sleepyallday · 19/10/2023 22:02

The app doesn’t appear to support private messages but you should be able to access if you are able to log in on a web browser

WhoWants2Know · 19/10/2023 22:02

I had hypnotherapy for it. It helped a lot.

Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 22:01

Sleepyallday · 19/10/2023 21:58

Click on the person icon (which is top left on web browser) and the private messages

Perfect, thank you so much, I'll check x

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 22:01

Thanks so much @stillawip x For me it's definitely just the driving in certain circumstances, I really want to leave my home and be out in the world.

I tried whacking up the radio today, putting in ear buds, singing to myself, telling myself loudly how much I love driving... none of it worked

OP posts:
Sleepyallday · 19/10/2023 21:58

Click on the person icon (which is top left on web browser) and the private messages

Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 21:57

@crystalize can I ask how old you were when this happened? So many people have mentioned menopause that it really has me thinking I have to look into it because this has come so out of the blue.

The propranolol seems to be working for some, I'll ask the GP when I see him for sure.

He hasn't even asked if I'm okay! He made a couple of jokes about the doctor blaming him and I just said I was going for a shower. If roles were reversed or that was my friend, I'd at least ask if they were okay 🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 21:53

@Sleepyallday Thank you so much, and sorry for being a div, but where do I find my PMs? 🙈 Do I have to be logged in on the site rather than the app? Sorry

OP posts:
violetcuriosity · 19/10/2023 21:43

Neverhot · 19/10/2023 21:04

Op I've also experienced this, it almost felt like I had vertigo. It still happens occasionally and I'm too scared to go on the motorway as I just feel like I will lose control. Sorry no advice, but following as I would love to know how to tackle this also.

Mine feels like vertigo too.

Interestingly I brought this up at work once because i tried to disempower it and there were 3 other women who had the exact same issue!

stillawip · 19/10/2023 21:42

I’m the same with driving long distances, OP, and for me I think it’s linked to various accidents/ motoring incidents in the past , but also my anxiety which I think brings on a sort of agoraphobia. So it’s not the actual driving that’s the problem, it’s the fact that the driving is taking me away from home, ie my ‘safe place’ . One thing I do find helpful tho, is to put the radio on loud & belt out some songs with it!! It distracts your mind and also breaks the panicked breathing pattern….

crystalize · 19/10/2023 21:34

I had similar years ago while driving on a motorway. Suddenly nearly passed out then went all weak and floaty. Was horrific, thought I would die.. there was nowhere to stop for 5 miles or so, was literally shouting to myself to stay alert!

It continued for a while and I had to start avoiding motorways. Eventually went on antidepressants for peri symptoms and it virtually vanished. Then started hrt - came off antidepressants after a year or so. I still get occasional anxiety just on motorways which really pisses me off as I love travelling. I try breathing exercises to slow heart rate which usually works. But that niggling feeling is always there at the back of my mind whenever I start a longish journey and it's shit. Think I'll get some Propranolol too.

Good luck OP... and yeah the new guy youre dating didn't even show any concern for you.. watch out there x

Sleepyallday · 19/10/2023 21:22

I’ve sent a PM with strategies I’ve tried

Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 21:12

Spudsanyway · 19/10/2023 21:09

This has been mentioned as a menopausal symptom, what is you age? X

35... have addressed menopause a few times, interesting thought 👍

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 21:11

On top of this!!!

Been seeing a guy for a few months and I told him this evening because I felt like I really needed to tell someone IRL... he made a couple jokes after this and never asked how I was. Im not normally precious but I might have to dump the guy 😂

To ask if anyone has advice for sudden crippling driving anxiety.
OP posts:
Spudsanyway · 19/10/2023 21:09

This has been mentioned as a menopausal symptom, what is you age? X

Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 21:07

Well @Neverhot, this is my own list of actions so far if you'd like to try too x

◦	Call GP - Anti Ds and Propranolol, hormone check, blood check
◦	Look up Control System Practitioners/ Counsellors 
◦	Hypnotism 
◦	Can’t get the Coupe, buy bigger 
◦	Yoga | Pilates 
◦	Driving Lessons
OP posts:
Neverhot · 19/10/2023 21:04

Op I've also experienced this, it almost felt like I had vertigo. It still happens occasionally and I'm too scared to go on the motorway as I just feel like I will lose control. Sorry no advice, but following as I would love to know how to tackle this also.

Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 20:58

Tortugaa · 19/10/2023 20:51

I had this when I was under a lot of stress. I didn’t realise it was causing my driving anxiety until the stress reduced and then strangely the driving anxiety cleared up too. I think it is a subconscious thing, if you’re stressed your body is on high alert.

Maybe I should get myself back to Pilates as well, I've been more sedentary lately because work has been busy but maybe that's not helping.

OP posts:
Original poster
InAPickle12345 · 19/10/2023 20:56

@Blarn thanks for sharing and I'm definitely going to speak with the GP about maybe going back on my antidepressants and I'll ask him about the propranolol as well, maybe I should see if I can try the propranolol for a bit first before going back to the antidepressants.

OP posts: