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Mental Health > Sleep Disorders Forum > Sleep Attack/cataplexy Misdiagnosed As Anxiety Attacks?
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Q: Sleep Attack/cataplexy Misdiagnosed As Anxiety Attacks?
asked by: charismatic_irony on April 11th, 2007
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There are a lot of times when I feel out of it, my breathing feels shallow, my limbs and face feel strange (like I can't feel them as well as I should), and sometimes I feel detached from my surroundings. I told a psychiatrist about this, and he said I was having anxiety attacks. I told him that I didn't feel anxious when it happened, and that I've had what would definitely be anxiety attacks a few times and it was a much different feeling. He said that they could be mild anxiety attacks.

I generally don't actually sleep during the day (I have had what I called "involuntary naps" more than a few times, but that was generally when I was taking a day off from a stimulant medication after having taken it for like a week straight). I often feel tired, but if I try to take a nap I don't get beyond the first stage of sleep (as far as I can tell). However, I do sometimes do things without remembering doing them (I've misplaced a lot of things this way). I've blamed this on ADD, my mind wandering. Suddenly I'll realize I'm in the kitchen (or where ever) and don't remember what I went in their for. Sometimes I'm driving and miss my turn or turn the wrong way, then suddenly snap out of it and realize that I'm going the wrong way and have no idea how it happened. It's not uncommon for me to just stop saying something, and then person I was talking to asks me what I was going to say, and I don't remember (though sometimes if they remind me of what we were talking about I remember). I've blamed my not remembering conversations or not hearing someone trying to get my attention on ADD, too.

Do the things I'm describing sound like automatic behavior during sleep attacks?
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CataplexyRme
replied on January 15th, 2009
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to misdiagnosed
I understand your questions. After many years of seeing many docs, I finally got a diagnosis of cataplexy for the strange loss of muscle tone attacks I get that last up to 3 hours, then I am fine. Along the way to getting this diagnosis that finally put all the stray pieces/symptoms together, I have been diagnosed with ADD and prescribed stimulants, with depression/anxiety and prescribed antidepressants, with poor sleep and prescribed Ambien. Now that I understand cataplexy/narcolepsy, I can see why those previous diagnoses and meds have made sense. But the cataplexy attacks no longer have the initial component that appears with symptoms of anxiety: now that i know the attacks are not life threatening, i just lie and wait them out. Previously I panicked! many trips to Emergency Rooms resulted in being treated as if i were faking it or on drugs, especially when i would suddenly get up and be able to walk after being "paralyzed". So ity is certainly a possibility that your diagnosis is not quite on the mark.
Your daytime naps are eerily familiar as well.
I have experienced the kinds of possible automatic behavior that you do but most people/docs argued that they also experience that sort of thing.
If you live somewhere that has a large medical center, you might want to get a referral to a sleep clinic for closer look at the symptoms.
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kaozzz
replied on March 27th, 2009
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cataplexy natural cure
i have been going threw the samething where i cant feel my muscles i feel very week in my legs as if am about to calasp i have also been suffering from anxiety i have a hard to beeing around alot of poeple or when a writing my hand starts to shake i feel like people our watching me and i know there not but it because of my cataplexy. i was recently diagnoused. i dont go out as much where i mite feel like an attack ma take place so it make me depressed that i dont go out because of this and i dont have servear cataplexy but i feel like an attact can take place.i was currently on zoloft, but i stop talking that cause how it makes me feel.it help a little but the side affects that what i cant dill with like i feel i feel wierd and i have been on it for 3 months but am scared of the side affects, so i have been looking for some natural, i take a multi vitamin, now. it getting warm my girls wonts to go out now but it feels like am about to calasp out in public and that turn it into anxiety let alone my sleep disorder am not driveing yet because of this so am looking for help in this 25 years of my life am not liveing it to the fullest my girlfriend and her friends wonts to go to miami and am not going cause of the fear of cataplexy wich leads to very high anxiety can you help me am not working niether, now again it not servere but it affects me everyday i wont to have a normal life and get married to my girl who been so surpportive but this is leading me to being dpressed from feeling my life cant get better can you help me on this
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tinner
replied on August 6th, 2009
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I have had episodes of cataplexy since I was knee high to a grass hopper. I'm now comming up to my 40's. I was diagnosed with it 8yrs ago and was told that the rages that I get when feeling threatend are connected to it. Now i'm trying to get my child diagnosed but the consultant has stated that the rages has nothing to do with cataplexy (even though he does collapse when laughing)also i've been told that in this county it costs too much to diagnose. so my child has to suffer with it. My family has a history of the condition.
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