Hi there, I am writing this because twice I have had the weirdest experience. In both instances I was having an anxiety attack....once it happened will into the attack, the second time it happened at the very beginning of the attack. What happened was my insides became absolutely ice cold! The first time it happened I was at home in the middle of a huge anxiety/panic attack which I had no reason to even have!! The intense cold scared the death out of me...I layed on the bed thinking this is it! Something serious is happening and I am going to die, right here, right now. I contemplated going to the hospital but was too tangled up in the panic to actually get it together enough to take myself to the hospital...I considered dialing 911 for an ambulance....but was worried if it was "nothing" I would be really embarassed! It was also the first time I took a whole 1mg Ativan instead of my usual .5mg. I waited it out and it did pass. That horrible coldness only lasted for 3 or 4 minutes, but it felt like an hour!!

The second time this happened was today, I was driving on the highway with my 17 year old son, taking him to see a cardiologist. I admit I was a little anxious about this appointment....and as I was driving along chatting with my son the anxiety/panic started up....heart rate jumped and then that terrible coldness radiating throught my body, because I was driving I tried really hard to ignore it and concentrate on driving. I did some breathing, slow, from the belly and stopped an actual panic attack from striking. The coldness did go away, a little faster this time, maybe two minutes and it was gone. I had to take Ativan and it took awhile to get rid of the anxiety and relax so I could be there for my son...but I did it!!

I wonder if anyone has had this. Not long term chills that make teeth chatter....but short intense cold that is short...like a hot flash, only in reverse! And for me it seems to be an anxiety side effect? It is kind of freaky and I wonder if I should mention it to the doctor. could it be meno? stress? both? some weird killer disease? is this a new PS symptom?

Any comments, ideas would be welcome.

Dear Floater,

Is this what you meant in chat yesterday? If so, I got terribly mixed and thought you were talking of the typical Peri chills.

Well, now I know exactly what you mean, yes, I can answer this. I had exactly the same thing happen to me for about 3 years after the incident you know about happened to me

I was already anxious and then the utter cold, as if it was coarsing through my veins happened. This was happening to me even during the night, and after many, many tests, they picked up a heart rate that firmly stated "Panic attack". No, not your normal run-of-the-mill panic, but all out horrifying terror. Have you ever heard the terms "ice cold with fear" "I went as cold as ice" "I was frozen with fear"? .......In reference to fear? That is what it means. The cold feeling is the bodies manifestation of 'fear'.....pure fear.

Baseline, you seem to be having panic attacks and not knowing this is a symptom, albeit not a well known one. If this happens again, walk and walk. It helps. Accepting the feeling as you did made it pass quicker. If that were to happen over and over to you, eventually they would stop at the start of the ice feeling as your brain would know it was harmless. Just a matter of interest, too much lignocaine at the dentists can evoke this same 'ice' feeling in me, but I no longer react to it, as I know it is pouring adrenaline. I know we all think adrenaline makes us hot........not so.

On EKG, my heart rate was elevated, but within rythmn. My BP was a bit on the low side, and my BP goes low with panic, and that is how they arrived at the conclusion that the cold was panic. So you didn't stop a panic attack, you did better, you dealt with it.

Many Hugs to you my friend, you have suffered a lot of late and need a break.
Viktoria

There we go again with Ms. Flushing being your guardian angel!!!! She is a God Send - plain and simple.

Hugs and kisses,
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuz

Dear Floater,

Although I can't empathize with this particular symptom, I can identify with symptoms in general. I am so sorry you are having another thing to deal with my friend. Anxiety attacks are horrific. Plain and simple. Hang in. There are a lot of people here that really care about you.

Hugs aplenty,
Marcy

I can be sitting at my desk, working on a project, heat on underneath keeping me toasty warm and still I will get an "icy" feeling internally, eventally covering my entire being and then poof, gone and a major hot flash. Doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it can be a bit alarming. No reason for it to even get started. Don't really notice heart rate changes. I am seven years post and still get these "hit and miss" symptoms.

I am also having cold flashes or chills in addition to having warm spells. It's very bizarre for me because I am usually too warm and I'm a cold lover, so I very rarely feel cold. The cold flashes sometimes happen to me while I'm just sitting at my desk at work. Like the rest have mentioned, I feel cold from within, but I'm not so frigid that my teeth are chattering.

If I could choose between cold and hot flashes, I would definitely take cold flashes !! :-)

I have to say I hate the cold flash!! Hate it beyond all reason. Terror reaction FL figures? Well it sure could be, the first time it happened I did feel terror...although of the panic attack and the cold!!! LOL!!! The second one I had to deal with it as I was driving on the highway at 110 kph (70 mph) and could not lose control like I did the first time!!

I have not had another one since, but I am not going to say this is the end of it either!! I have had way fewer hot flashes since the weather has gotten cold...either there is a bearing on weather, or they are slowing down, or there is a change in my hormone levels. Who even knows on this crazy roller coaster ride we are all on!!!

Kathie