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

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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.

I went through a period of high stress that really affected how I felt with driving, was suddenly very nervous and hesitant, which is very unlike my driving normally, being out of my usual area made it much worse. I didn't do anything specific to address it, the stressful thing in my life passed by and everything went back to normal.

Not very helpful but I just mean to suggest that maybe it's not something to do with driving directly, and maybe there's something else in your life you could recognise or address

I had counselling, I expected to lie on a couch and talk about my childhood (!) but the counsellor practiced exposure therapy. In other words, get back behind the wheel. My GP prescribed propranolol, it stops the heart pounding, and once that’s under control you don’t get the ‘next stage’ symptoms of sweating, dizziness and less vision.

I built myself up gradually over a few weeks, it worried me for a while, but the whole episode passed quite quickly and whilst I always have propranolol with me when driving, I can’t remember the last time I took it.

This will pass OP, I promise

Hi OP, I got this recently for reasons which I do know but don’t understand. Also a sufferer of general anxiety.

Previously loved driving, bought my dream car for my 40th, massive engine with loads of power etc that I absolutely LOVED driving.

Then I couldn’t drive at all!!

Still not back to normal but I upped my medication (escitalopram and propranolol) plus did some driving with DH who’s always said I’m a good driver and it’s coming back.

Huge sympathy from me. You’re not alone. You can get through this.

edited to add, also have history of serious RTA at 16. Would love it if you were in my hood so we could go out together gaining confidence!!

I should add that once I realised how effective the propranolol was, this gave me a lot more confidence to tackle driving. I think the anxiety “knew” it could be beaten, and it started to recede. Rather like waving garlic at a vampire!

I put the whole situation down to the menopause, there is no other explanation

Oh @Coffeepot72 thank you so so much for sharing your experience. This has given me hope, I wasn't sure if there was some type of medication you could take to help with this so great to know there might be. So first port of call should be my GP you think?

Did you find a counsellor that specialises in driving anxiety or can most counsellors manage this?

Thank you so much again, I'm actually crying because this has given me so much hope x

This is the thing @OneTC, my stress and anxiety are not bad at all at the moment. There's been stressful situations for sure with work and family deaths, medical scares... but I was really proud of how I was handling it and genuinely feel happy at the moment, life is good.

But maybe it's subconscious and this is how the stress is manifesting?

Ah @Hanlonsamazer, I really wish you were near me as well so we could big each other up. It's such a horrendous feeling and I just feel useless and pathetic.

I too have been shopping for a new dream car in the last couple of months, a coupe with a 2ltr diesel engine, 0-60mph in 7seconds, so gorgeous and I've wanted it so badly... now I'm afraid I won't be able to drive it so it's pointless getting it.

I was on antidepressants until the end of last year, found the withdrawals tough and was so happy I kicked them and was feeling great... but maybe I need to talk to the GP about going back on them.

Thanks so much for sharing and being so understanding everyone, its comforting to know I'm not the only one x

Hypnotherapy/remedial hypnosis is often successful at dealing with phobias/anxiety and panic attacks.

This is it, I know it's becoming a problem so I'm thinking about it and it makes it worse and more of a problem. The medication may not be the silver bullet for me but I'm sure it would help just knowing I'm taking something that might combat it.

Thank you @Eyesopenwideawake I'll have a look for people in my area offering hypnosis... I'll honestly try anything for this not to get worse

Radio 2 did a feature on this Weds this week on Jeremy Vine. I was listening at about 1240 and it had been going a while so maybe play it from 1225 onwards.

You're a star @juicelooseabootthishoose I'll give it a listen

Happy to send you a list of Control System practitioners to see if there's any local to you.

@Eyesopenwideawake I'm actually based in Ireland, I assume you might be UK? Good to know the terminology though, I'll look up Control System Practitioners near me 👍

Lots of sympathy for you. This happened to me, nearly 30 years of driving and one day I just couldn't drive the 5 mile journey home from school pick-up, it had been building up for a few weeks. Tried to calm myself down, bought some rescue remedy, tried a different route, took child to a cafe for camomile tea, tried again. Was fine pottering around the town, but any attempt to leave triggered panic attack symptoms.

GP immediately said menopause, start HRT. Haven't tried it yet, so can't comment on how effective it might be.

This happened to me too, although after a long break from driving. I moved somewhere I had to drive every day, with a small child in the back, and honestly the anxiety was crippling. I tried hypnotherapy and cutting out caffeine, alcohol etc - but the only thing that worked was anti-depressants. It was like flicking a switch - I still felt uneasy at times on a new route but the daily drive became fine again. I was so so relieved.

I think hormones were a factor in my case too, with stopping bf. And I know you were on meds before but maybe worth trying them again?

@Lemoncurd it's awful isn't it? I was on the way home today and I got about halfway and thought about calling a tow truck to come get the car and drop me and it home. I didn't care how much it was going to cost and I haven't told anyone about this problem so didn't want to call family. It's completely debilitating x

I'm only 35 so might be a bit young for menopause. Mum started menopause about 56/57. But maybe I'm super early or it's another hormonal thing?

Are you back driving now?

I have exactly this except I suddenly start feeling a rush of anxiety and feel like I might faint. I've had it for years now and do find I avoid driving long distances but sometimes I need to go on the dual carriageway. I find I'm ok if I know there's a hard shoulder so I can do an emergency pull over if I need to but always start to panic when there isn't one. I find these things help-

1. Thinking to myself, this has happened so many times and you've never passed out

2. Sticking to 60-65mph seems to limit the vertigo type symptoms which is much better too

3. When there's no hard shoulder and I'm panicking I can't stop if I need to I just keep thinking that if I desperately needed to I could put the hazards on and just pull over if I had to.

I might actually ask for some proprononal too.

I think I will have to talk to my GP about the antidepressants which is really upsetting, I was so proud of myself and I put on so u h weight when I was on them I never wanted to go back.

Maybe a hormone check if he would do it would be no harm, along with a round of bloods.

Thanks @lifesnotaspectatorsport x

The feeling of fainting totally resonates with me, that's what I'm ultimately afraid of.

Thank you for the tips, I'll try them... I was telling myself out loud in the car 'you've driven this road a thousand times, you love driving' over and over and it didn't help.

And I'm honestly just gutted because I LOVED driving, I want that back, not just feel like driving is a chore I need to get on with, I want to enjoy it again. I've been home an hour and I'm still crying and chest is still tight. This just sucks so much.

This happened to me a few months ago, started when I got my lovely new car, took it for its first spin on the day it arrived, took it up the local duel carriage way and suddenly my legs started to shake, my hands were sweating, heart pounding and I had to pull over into a lay-by, I think it was my first ever panic attack, luckily my husband was with me so he took over. I initially put it down to me being worried about damaging the new car and it being a totally different type to what I was used to driving. I thought it was a one off and happily drove around town for a few weeks but when I had to go on a duel carriage way again I had another panic attack but worse this time, in my head I was convinced I had no control and my car was going to veer off the road, I think I actually screamed I was so frightened, I immediately pulled off into a lay -by and knew I had a real problem. Unfortunately things got worse and I could then barely drive down the road outside my house as I really felt the car was going to veer off, it was a real physical sensation.

Anyway to cut a very long story short I have put it down to two things, menopause anxiety and the car itself, we changed the tyres and various other things which made it feel far more stable (it’s a tall quite high vehicle) and this really helped my confidence, the veering and toppling over sensation has mainly gone, though I do still have to distract myself particularly on wide open roads surrounded by miles of fields. I feel much happier on small roads with hedges around me, makes me feel safer for some reason. I do still avoid duel carriage ways but I’m working on it. I really sympathise OP, there are some helpful YouTube videos on sudden onset driving anxiety, it’s far more common than I realised! I hope you find a way through.

Here’s one of the videos I found helpful and not so alone!

@Celibacyinthesticks I could have written this post, this is exactly how I feel. Like I'll lose control and just drive off the road, like the car will topple over if I take a bend too quick, like I'll fall off the edge of the road is in anyway high. As you said, it's a very real physical sensation. And I also feel much happier on roads with headers surrounding, I'll happily travel 100km+ but can't do it on a wide open road.

I drive a low profile car and always loved that it 'stuck to the road'...now I'm terrified it'll topple? Maybe I need to give up my idea of a coupe and look at bigger cars like a Volvo or something?

So many posters have said menopause... could I be peri menopausal at this age maybe???

Thank you @Celibacyinthesticks x

Hi, I have this too and unfortunately haven’t tackled it so it’s become quite a debilitating part of my life.
E.g., I now can’t even drive near motorways.

I was in a bad accident with a drunk driver but cracked on fine after that. It was when lockdown stopped me driving I suddenly developed all the anxiety, then you feed into it.

What helped is propanol as others mentioned, and EMDR therapy. I’m hoping when I can afford to resume this and pay for some practice lessons, I might get back driving long journeys again!

Even if there’s not one specific trauma, EMDR - poss like hypnotherapy - rejigs your memories and responses, and ultimately takes the power out of the thing that causes anxiety.

Good luck OP, so many of us out there (and many with no accidents but common as women get older). I wish rail services were better and cheaper so we were less dependent on cars incidentally, but I think the sooner you tackle it hopefully the quicker you can nip in the bud (unlike me!)