Hello,

Going on 9 months with PCS after injury last November. Over the past month I have noticed marked improvements in my cognition. I am thinking more clearly, remembering more, and capable of more activity before cognitive fatigue sets in. But one recurrent experience has been really troubling me, and left me wondering if it will ever go away.

Last night one such experience manifested, and so I kept a log of what went down. First of all, during my nightly walk, a car full of thuggish kids (or maybe young adults) began threatening me and following me down the street. My adrenaline kicked into gear, and I spent the next few hours very anxious after I got home. I did some meditation and relaxation work, and decided I was not particularly anxious anymore, and should try to get to sleep.

As I was in bed, my body suddenly got very hot. I felt a "zap" or shock in my head. My heart began to race, vision blurred (more than my PCS blurry vision), head felt numb, and so on— this usually happens with anxiety, I reminded myself. I tried to focus on my breath and remain relaxed. It was at this point that my thoughts became very frenzied. Images flashed before my eyes in addition to sounds/voices. Sounds included loud bangs, explosions, lightning, and conversations. After some time experiencing these images and sounds, I became unaware of what was strictly in my head and what was in the room with me, or if there was any difference. I would open my eyes and remind myself that I was alone in bed. When I lay back, the sounds and images continued.

Suddenly I woke up gasping for air. The thing is, I couldn't recall falling asleep. It seemed to me like my consciousness had just cut out for what I figured were a few moments. This sudden waking sensation occurred again at least 3 more times. Frantic at this point, I decided to get out of bed. I looked at the clock and, much to my chagrin, what felt like 30 minutes had been 3 hours! I went for a walk outside, feeling like I was in a dream. When I returned to bed, I passed out instantly, and woke up today very sore and fatigued.

This nocturnal nightmare has occurred at least every other week for months and months. It seems to occur on days that something especially stressful happens. I remind myself that these are just panic attacks. But as someone who's had panic attacks for many years, I consider these ones to be panic on steroids! Especially the auditory hallucinations. It's exhausting and like nothing I've ever dreamed of, and I wish my brain would cut the crap.

This sounds like a PTSD triggered anxiety attack.

I suggest you talk to your doctor about having a quick acting med for such events. It can be a benzo (Xanax or such) or a beta blocker (propranolol). I have propranolol and atenolol in the cabinet for such events. It works faster and is out of the system faster so it just treats the individual event.

You might need something stronger like Zyprexa if the others don't help.

Great suggestions. I'd definitely like to avoid benzo drugs. The hangovers from those can be grueling. But I am going to seek out the latter.