Hello,
I have had (what I think) is an atypical symptom of anxiety off and on for the past 20 years. I get a strange electric jolt type feeling, followed by a warm almost tingling sensation down my left side of my body and out my left foot. It lasts about 10-15 seconds and comes and goes in cycles ranging from 1-2 days up to a few months at time, where I'll have anywhere from 1 to 100 of these shocks in a day, then go months at a time without any. It started when I was a teenager and often (but not always) seems to start after a stressful event. It is very clear to me that my anxiousness about the events makes them worse and prolongs the cycle.
I've been tested by neurologists for several things including epilepsy, MS, lupus, and all tests have been normal. My general doctor thinks it MAY be some kind of nerve issue, but I am convinced it's anxiety because it's strongly tied to my emotions and has never progressed or changed over the years beyond this one symptom. (I've also never had any kind of accident or head trauma and don't have any kind of pain.)
I never realized until seeing it listed online as a symptom that an electric jolt- type of feeling can be a symptom of anxiety. When I was younger and they first started, I would appear to "panic" when I have one, but I learned very quickly out of necessity to control my reaction to it and now it happens all the time without others being able to detect it. It's not debilitating and is more of a nuisance feeling that makes me feel anxious and edgy when the cycles start and are prolonged.
My question is- has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Could this lone symptom just be anxiety? If so, what medication have you found that is helpful? I tried prozac and klonapin years ago to no avail. More recently I tried xanax and ativan, but both wore off very quickly it didn't do much to quell the shocks. I started taking elavil about two weeks ago, and my mood is a little more upbeat, but I'm still getting the shocks regularly. (Although I've heard elavil can take up to a month to really get going in your system, so I'm still holding out some hope.)
Anyone have any advice on what else to try? I don't feel like I'm generally an anxious or stressed person, except when these jolts start up often out of the blue. Are there other medicines that you've had success with for this type of anxiety? (If that's what it truly is?)
Thank you for any advice!