Driving anxiety help

Hello,

Im a 29 year old male and have been driving problem free since I was 18. I work in the film industry usually requiring lots of late night driving/ long distance commutes.

Around april this year, I had smoked some pot,l (pot smoker for 10 years, everyday, have now stopped)
I am very aware that driving while having smoked marijuana is a bad idea, and have had ill effects in the past, however this time I ended up having a full blown panic attack on the highway while driving a panal van for work, I needed to pull over, and once calmed eventually drive to a near neighborhood and have my partner pick me up. Throughout the following months of work I avoided the highways, taking routes around them for my commutes, ay this point it still wasnt full blown and more annoying. Come july I was tasked with driving to our airport, there is a way around on a slower road but its quite a bit longer and the highway is much, much faster. Partly out of frustration I decided to drive the highway, prior to this trip I was more anxious than I had been previously and while I did make it to the location by taking the highway, I had a near panic attack while nearly there. I took the long backroad way home after. July first comes around and my work day is shooting near the airport (I should mention I was tasked with driving the cube truck for my job every day, big 5-ton) I did not take the highway to get to work but rather the back roads, and felt a newly found feeling of anxiety all day that wouldnt go away, physical symptoms were mostly brain fog and a general sense of doom while driving home at night. I eventually talked to my production manager and had someone else take over the cube for the rest of the show while I recieved a drive home that night. Throughout the next few weeks my anxiety worsened, fearing driving even more and more each day, until eventually gave up smoking pot cold turkey and decided to see my GP, thinking that Anti depressents would help me. I tried ciprelex for 1 day and it made me feel so terrible that I stopped and was perscribed sertraline instead. I eventually recieved a week off of work to start the drug but as that week came I began to fear starting the drug knowing that it wiuld most likely me feel terrible. I decided, when the week started that I would not take drugs and try to approach this problem with a more drug free treatment. I began driving again, short distances, mainly where I would be for work the following week, both locations only 20 minutes from my house and not down any highway, eventually I felt OKAY-ish enough to drive that week. After my week off I began driving to closer locations for work but would get drives to the locations farther away. I was eventually able to drive the cube with my boss in it down highways and beyond etc etc, things were feeling better, but the anticipation of driving the next day would always get to me, I would over think and worry about having another panic attack and resetting my progress. Cut to now, I finished my 6 month contract aylt the start of september and had driven on and off throughout, I recieved another job that would begin in october. I started off okay on my break, practicing driving, being able to drive many previously undrivable roads, but as the week to starting drew closer, my anxiety got worse, especially for driving the freeway at night, very dark, especially having to be "on" all day at work for 15 hour work days and then drive home at night. I was worried about not only driving but having brain fog while working and lowering my ability to work. I called my employer and explained I was having health issues and would not be able to work the next job. So this is where im at now, taking a break from work to get my **** together and figure out what to do, should I go on SSRIs? Has anything worked for you? Should I continue exposure therapy? Im at wits end with this and want my life back, missing work for anxiety is new and incredibly frustrating, does anyone have any similar accounts or situations that have been solved for the most part? Thank you very much for any input

Hello Mcdaidde: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to Psych Central.

I'm sorry I don't think I can be of help with regard to what you are experiencing. (I'm not a mental health professional. So I can't comment with regard to the use of SSRIs for a situation such as yours.) You mentioned having been prescribed an SSRI by your GP. It may be best to consult a psychiatrist should you wish to pursue the psych med option further. Perhaps other PC members will have some insights or suggestions they can offer.

You mentioned exposure therapy. I wasn't sure if you are participating in some sort of formal exposure therapy program or if you were simply referring to what you've been trying to do on your own. Exposure therapy may be a good therapy option for you. However it is important that it be provided by a therapist who is experienced & skilled in its use. Here are links to 2 articles, from Psych Central's archives, on the subject of exposure therapy plus 1 on treatments for specific phobias:

What is Exposure Therapy?

Interoceptive Exposure for Treating Anxiety

Specific Phobia Treatment | Psych Central

I hope you find PC to be of benefit.