What's causing my crazy energy and how can I calm it down?

June 16, 2012 5:33 AM

What's causing my early/mid-afternoon surge of lots and lots of energy?

I'm usually a pretty relaxed person, energy-wise-- I have anxiety, but physically I'm pretty chill, can sit for long periods of time with no problem, am generally full of good posture and appropriate body language when everyone else is lolling over the table with exhaustion in meetings, etc. For the past two days, however, I've had a large surge of twitchy, super-caffeinated-feeling energy in my arms and legs that goes on for five hours or so, starting maybe in the late morning and lasting through the mid-afternoon. I find it really hard to sit still and moderately hard to focus on my work. I can run up flights of stairs that normally make me a bit tired with no problem at all, I feel like jumping around at all times, and I don't really like it-- I have actual work to do, and today I postponed a meeting due to "illness" because I was so preoccupied with the energy surge, what was causing it, and also I couldn't sit still! I had some seriously sugary cookies yesterday, but not today.

I am:
prone to anxiety, so am dwelling on this a lot
feeling a little fuzzy-headed, but I think that's a consequence of my nervousness about the energy
26
female
at an office job all day
feeling normal about myself aside from this, sleeping fine, eating normally--not acting manic, is my point

I'm not:
a caffeine drinker
on any drugs aside from vitamins, though I did take .5 mg lorazepam on Wednesday to fly
feeling it strongly now that I've walked home from work, though I still have more nervous energy than normal

It's really distracting and also (as I mentioned!) makes me feel nervous that something bad is going on. YANMD, etc., but have you experienced this before? How can I get it to calm down? I'm not very active right now, aside from walking a few miles a day--is this just a sign that I should be working out more? Throwaway email: [e-mail]

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

Symptoms are too vague at this point, but it could be an early sign of hypomania. My hypomania first suggests itself as a surge of physical energy.

Another concern is that you called in sick due to this...what did you end up doing? Exercise? Sit around the house? Call/email/text everyone you know?

In any event, watch yourself closely, get some quiet time with yourself (maybe journaling? That can help center you, and you can "talk" to yourself) and alternately spend some time with close friends, people who know you well and would know if you were "off."

Of course, avail yourself of a MD appt as necessary, whether at an urgent care center, emergency room, or regularly-scheduled visit.
posted by Pocahontas at 6:30 AM on June 16, 2012

Have you ever taken lorazepam before? Or taken it and had the same surge of energy? As a (relatively extreme) anecdote, a family friend is bipolar and whenever she has to have any kind of anesthesia she almost certainly has a manic episode a few months later.

I'm not saying you're bipolar, just that this person's doctors realized that there was a relationship for her between the drugs and then mania down the road. Maybe the lorazepam has a similar side effect on you.

I would definitely journal this and let your doctor know.
posted by fromageball at 6:37 AM on June 16, 2012

What is the make up of your vitamins and have you changed when you take them? I also have anxiety and I can relate to that jumpy feeling. I recently experienced a similar late morning boost-into-almost-panic sort of thing you're describing and after carefully noting what I was consuming and when I figured out that it was my multi-vitamin. Apparently I'd accidentally grabbed the "Energy Support with Extra B-Vitamins" formulation last time I re-upped. I usually take my vitamins with breakfast, so the combination of Super Energy vitamins and morning coffee would set me off. (And even taking them at night sans caffeine they would trigger my insomnia.) Fromageball is right on about journalling -- I didn't know WTF was going on with my deal until I was writing stuff down and I noticed that 1.5 - 2 hr. after taking that damnable vitamin I was jumping out of my skin. Good luck.
posted by macadamiaranch at 8:14 AM on June 16, 2012

Mod note: From the OP:

"Thanks for the responses so far. When I went home from work, I did a little yoga, ate a bunch of takeout, watched internet TV, had a drink, called my boyfriend just to chat, and generally hung out. I feel normal-to-alert this morning, will keep an eye on things as y'all suggested."

posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:40 AM on June 16, 2012

Just a quick one: hormones? I get super-energised on the other side of the month from my period, could that be a possibility?
posted by greenish at 10:30 AM on June 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

Also, you know...it's springtime. the increase in vitamin d exposure from the sun, the increase in outdoor activities to be had, the decompressing from the winter.

Maybe you're just, you know....excited. Why do you need a pill or a cure for it?
posted by softlord at 12:07 PM on June 16, 2012

I have a friend with Grave's disease who has described the initial symptoms of an episode in almost exactly this way.
posted by overhauser at 12:55 PM on June 16, 2012

Maybe you're coming down with something. I find that I often feel great—well, full of energy and creative—a day before I end up sick with a cold or flu, etc. I assume it's due to a surge of my body's immune system fighting off the virus that has already invaded, but I don't realize I'm sick until the crash and the illness symptoms start.
posted by Eicats at 7:32 AM on June 18, 2012