Has anyone cured severe driving anxiety?

[Anonymous]

My son and I have inattentive ADHD, low processing speed and anxiety. While my ADHD is mild and unmedicated, and I learned to drive after many, many hours of lessons, my son needs Adderall during his driving lessons. It makes him more focused. For myself, the day I got a GPS was the day I could drive without debilitating fear - just manageable levels of fear I was so anxious at memorizing the way on a map prior to starting to drive, since my ADHD and low processing speed means I can't just glance at a map while driving, and my sense of direction is terrible. Getting on and off the interstates were so stressful before the GPS years! Now I've been driving for 20 years and feel confident.

[Anonymous]

I have bad driving anxiety- I've been taking a beta blocker lately before I travel on the highway and it is a game changer

[Anonymous]

Ssri helps a lot with this problem (I take lexapro).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have bad driving anxiety- I've been taking a beta blocker lately before I travel on the highway and it is a game changer

For goodness' sake be careful with that. I was briefly on a beta-blocker for hyperthyroidism (had tachycardia), unwittingly took too much, and nearly passed out in the Bed Bath and Beyond. Don't do that at the wheel!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son and I have inattentive ADHD, low processing speed and anxiety. While my ADHD is mild and unmedicated, and I learned to drive after many, many hours of lessons, my son needs Adderall during his driving lessons. It makes him more focused. For myself, the day I got a GPS was the day I could drive without debilitating fear - just manageable levels of fear I was so anxious at memorizing the way on a map prior to starting to drive, since my ADHD and low processing speed means I can't just glance at a map while driving, and my sense of direction is terrible. Getting on and off the interstates were so stressful before the GPS years! Now I've been driving for 20 years and feel confident.

While I didn’t have a lot of anxiety surrounding driving myself, getting lost in unfamiliar areas before GPS was awful. One time I got off on the wrong exit in Hartford, went a bit down the road, and stopped at a gas station for directions. The man looked at me, said go this way, do NOT stop and lights, just GO. It was under 1/2 mile but it was clear he wanted me OUTTA there FAST. So I’m not afraid of the drive, love long drives by myself, but have learned to be very wary at rest stops, etc, and often map out which stops to go to before a trip to ensure I won’t get off on an exit in a dangerous area.

GPS has made it so I know how to right my wrongs very fast, adding a lot to my security.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son and I have inattentive ADHD, low processing speed and anxiety. While my ADHD is mild and unmedicated, and I learned to drive after many, many hours of lessons, my son needs Adderall during his driving lessons. It makes him more focused. For myself, the day I got a GPS was the day I could drive without debilitating fear - just manageable levels of fear I was so anxious at memorizing the way on a map prior to starting to drive, since my ADHD and low processing speed means I can't just glance at a map while driving, and my sense of direction is terrible. Getting on and off the interstates were so stressful before the GPS years! Now I've been driving for 20 years and feel confident.

Same poster who responded before. Was in AZ recently and missed an exit and ended up in Phoenix. Panicked a little but having the GPS tell me how to get back on the highway gave me the peace of mind to check out my surroundings and see that I was OK where I was. It gave me the time to breathe, not panic. You are right when you say these devices help with confidence.

[Anonymous]

I had severe driving anxiety after crashing my car with my two toddlers in the back. I didn't drive for 2 years.

But I realized I needed to get them around - to the doctors, to schools etc. So I got back in the car (same car, fixed). It took a while. I just slowly reacclimatized to driving, around the block, around another block, back home etc. Then to close, familiar places. Eventually I got my groove back.

I wouldn't ever drive on a freeway, and I rarely go out of my comfort zone, but I drive almost every day now, safely and confidently.