Do you ever panic around large groups of people?

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From what I can remember, I have done this a couple of times in my life. Most recently, I was at a close friend's wedding and I started to feel extremely uncomfortable at the reception. It was very loud with music and talking, there were a ton of people I didn't know there, and I had this overwhelming urge to just get out of the room. Not to mention, I was already very emotional from watching my friend get married. I remember feeling shortness of breath, a knot in my stomach, and the need to cry. And when I say cry, I mean sob. It's an absolutely horrible feeling that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

As you might imagine, this is one of the myriad reasons why I am unable to actively make friends. A few months ago, I tried going to a club meeting at my university and the exact same scenario happened. I don't know if it's due to AS or social anxiety or what, but I absolutely hate it. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it still an issue for you? If not, how did you address it? Thanks!

I don't do well in crowds.

I went to the town's 4th of July parade for the first time ever, but I stood at the edge of the "crowd" by the corner of the park and watched and then went back to my office half a block away.

I went back to the park for the barbecue lunch but instead of eating it there, I brought it back to my office and ate by myself.

I think one problem is due to the prosopagnosia. I should probably have known nearly everyone in the park, but of even the few people I saw, I didn't know who they were even when they called me by name.

For what it's worth, this is a small town. The town is the second largest town in a county with such a small population that we only celebrate the 4th of July on even numbered years and we haven't held a Democratic Primary in about twenty years.

I don't actually live in town but in a community with a population of seventy in an area of about fifty square miles.

The parade itself consisted of a couple of sheriff's vehicles, a couple of ambulances, a couple of firetrucks, a couple of antique tractors, a couple of new tractors, a couple of old pickups/trucks, three or four old cars, an off road vehicle, a couple of floats, and a couple of horses. Behind the parade was some woman in a car so we cheered for her, too, like she was part of the parade.

Sounds like you were having a panic/anxiety attack. Yes, that's common amongst us on the spectrum, but many NTs suffer from it, too. I am not fond of being in crowds, but fortunately, I am not as bad off as some of the others on the spectrum. Part of the problem is caused by having to mentally take in and process excess info from too many people at once, part of the problem is caused by being uncomfortable around a lot of strangers. The loud noises, and sometimes bright lights can also cause a problem. Years ago, after my mother stopped driving, I had to drive her to family functions. I took to hiding in the public rest rooms at halls that were rented for wedding receptions and anniversaries because the music was played far too loud, and the DJs would never lower it. I no longer have to do that, as my mother passed away about 11 years ago, but I still feel uncomfortable attending large family gatherings, as I am a solitary type of person. I don't have a lot in common with other people, including family, so I have trouble conversing with them. My solution is to avoid most family gatherings. I did spend yesterday afternoon and evening with my father and stepmother, though, and they had a couple of friends over for dinner and fireworks watching, but that was a small gathering, so it didn't overwhelm my mental processing abilities. When I get overwhelmed I tend to avoid the cause of the problem. That works with some things, but not others. It doesn't work with chores or paperwork.

When I used to live in the Houston area, I often had a low-level anxiety attack when walking into a mall depending on the size of the crowds.

To second what another poster said: Yes, it sounds like a panic attack-people with or without AS can be subject to them.
Being in a group/crowd, being out in public, for me is like being stuck in a room with 20 tv sets on, each blaring a different channel-too much stimuli, all of which clash with each other & I can't possibly sort out/make sense of it.

I had a panic attack when I was 15 years old, going to a concert in a city (larger than where I lived/grew up), it was the combination of the people and the environment-even the tall buildings surrounding me made me feel like they were going to fall inward towards me and crush me (not literally, but on an irrational yet compelling level in my brain). I sat in a public park on bench with my father and cried. I didn't have the knowledge to explain what was happening to me, it was very confusing & embarrassing.
Since then I've avoided crowds to extent possible-it was agoraphobia, social anxiety, and sensory overstimulation combined that provoked my decompensation on that occasion.

15+ years after that, I got the AS dx-which very much added to my ability to articulate what is going on when I'm having trouble coping. My psychiatrist rx'd me Ativan to take on special occasions when I have to deal with a stressor like that, be it a social function with stranger(s) or other situations that I have phobias about (medical appts., for instance).

Afraid I haven't much advice on how to handle the crowds, though-when I was 22, I moved away from the large city (where my family had moved several years earlier) and now I live in a small town, where I still get anxiety but it's not as massive as it was in the large city. Also, this area is sort of known for having a lot of "weird" folks, so I blend in maybe a little better.
But I still have a stunted social life, due to difficulty mixing with people I don't know.
Most people are exchanging info. about their jobs & kids, driving & cell phones, none of which are parts of my life (which I'm okay with, but makes me the odd one out)-I can't relate to those people & they can't relate to me, because our circumstances seem so dissimilar.

Being at parties made me want to hide (under the furniture, in an empty room, anywhere "out of the way"/invisible), so now people don't invite me to them anymore-
I don't blame them, but it's also too bad because that seems to be how people meet and get to know each other. Sigh. Aaargh !

I don't tend to panic.
I just become increasingly aggressive with every person who gets in my way or interferes in any movement or action I try to take... and then I start losing patience with all sorts of people for doing things I don't like around me....
... and then I just have to leave because getting annoyed at people inevitably makes me overheat. And once I start getting the sweat, that is when it is time to leave.

I only get that way at work. I'm a grocery cashier, so I have to deal with people all while pretending to be cheerful. Not to mention, the work is incredibly boring and I'm often left twiddling my thumbs waiting for something to do. Sometimes I'm not very good at masking how I truly feel, though. I don't lash out or anything. I just get passive-aggressive. It's probably a sign that I should find work elsewhere.

Speaking of large crowds, there is a major party in my area that I would really like to go to coming up either this weekend or next weekend.

It's a barbecue rib cookoff at a friend of mine's ranch. I should probably know about 75% to 90% of the people there.

Most people will spend the afternoon and evening at the benefit. The one time I actually went I only lasted about an hour before leaving.

Because I'm shy, large crowds around me often make me feel awkward. I always feel like I'm going to be in someone's way, and I kind of like standing there looking confused, although I'm not confused on the inside but my shyness gives off an unsure expression and then it makes me feel self-conscious.

I don't like people being too close to me in shops and supermarkets either. I know you can't stop that, which is why I don't react, but inwardly I feel annoyed. I just lose concentration when other people are hovering about behind me, reaching their arm across my face to get the item that's exactly in front of my face, like I'm always standing in the wrong place all the time. It just makes me flustered. It makes it worse when the aisles in a shop are too narrow because people are even nearer, and everybody gets in each other's way and I just can't concentrate. I especially can't stand it when kids are around me, like when I'm choosing sweets and suddenly a person comes along and says to his or her kids ''now choose some sweets'' and the next thing I know I'm surrounded by all these excitable kids. I usually then walk away and wait 'til they're gone.