Anxiety

DiviturLabimur

Anyone up her have anxiety? I mean like full on anxiety constantly worrying about if you're going to live another day or if you might die of a heart attack or a brain tumor any second now. This all started for me a little over 3 years ago. I was really overweight at the time at about 235 lbs. sitting at work staring at my computer screen when all of a sudden out of nowhere I felt like I was going to pass out. I then of course got incredibly nervous, my hands were getting clammy and I was sweating, my legs where getting weak and all I could think about was, this is it, I'm going to die, I will never get to see me wife and kids again. Long story short, went to the ER, EKG, ECG all came back fine. Went home still didn't feel right, went to see a doctor and he says General Anxiety Disorder and prescribes me Ativan.

So I decided to start taking the Ativan and wouldn't you know it, I felt better, almost immediately. Then I started reading about how addictive this drug is and decided that I'm going to stop taking it. This was not pretty. A day or so later I started having serious panic attacks and demanded a referral to a Cardiologist which I got and was seen for and of course he says something like, your heart is one of the strongest I've seen and everything looks good. Did the stress test, the halter monitor, everything came back normal.

Now I've had headaches / migraines on and off my entire life and never thought much about them, just pop a pill and the headache goes away. Now though I'm constantly wondering if there could be something more going on. Last night after working out I sat on the couch and leaned back a little to relax and almost immediately started feeling pressure at the top of my head on both sides and had this strange empty stomach sour almost wanting to puke type of sensation. Sat up and the pressure went away and stayed gone for a while until I leaned back again. So then I got worried took an Ativan layed down on my side which didn't result in pressure and fell asleep.

I'm just so sick and tired of constantly worrying. I sometimes am afraid to even do high intensity workouts because I'm worried that I may have some kind of aneurism that could burst because of increased blood pressure.

Life just really sucks sometimes. I can't talk to my wife about it anymore because she doesn't understand. She just thinks I should take the medicine and be done with it. She thinks I should be able to block it all out because its in my head. I don't really have any friends because I'm completely anti-social so I was just hoping that somewhere in this great big world, there might be someone who shares at least in some regard what I'm going through. Even better would be someone who's overcome this and has been able to resume a normal life.

Wow long post, I've condensed as much as possible. This isn't easy for me to share either. Anyway hope everyone has a wonderful day and thanks for listening.

kittenswithtiaras

Hi Chrs I know exactly what you mean. I'm a 10+ year sufferer of multiple anxiety disorders and I feel your pain. Well done for sharing; it was very brave of you! I also struggle with what you describe on a daily basis, although it is diminished thanks to medication. I can't promise you it goes away. But I can promise you it gets better, and it's manageable, with a little self care.

The most important thing is to stick to your medication or find one that works best for you. I don't know about Ativan (it sounds like an on-symptom medication, rather than a regular one?), I take Risperdal and Prozac daily. But if it helps you, STICK TO IT! If you had a broken arm, you'd wear a cast. It's so important to keep those chemicals balanced; this is the foundation for your recovery. You have a doctor that knows what GAD is and can diagnose it, that's a good start! If you're happy with him, stay under him and check in regularly with how you are feeling on those meds. If your Ativan is prescribed to be taken regularly, make sure you take it on time and when you're meant to. Also, please consider a referral to a therapist. You have nothing to be ashamed of in doing so. CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is a very helpful technique for dealing with anxiety flare ups and is very useful to know. It's also good to have someone to talk to about how you're feeling. If you haven't done so already, please consider it!

The second most important thing is to take care of yourself. You need to sleep? Go and take a nap. Hungry? Eat something (sensible). Sad? Then cry. Need a treat? Do it! You have to make allowances for yourself. Mental illness is still illness and anxiety is absolutely exhausting. You deserve to treat yourself with love and care, the same way you'd care for someone else if they were sick! My top 3 are Drink plenty of water, rest plenty, and laugh as much as possible.

Also, the internet can be helpful for some research but in some cases (like our anxious selves), delving too deep can be a recipe for disaster. Stick to factual and trusted websites for best results! I love the internet with all my heart but honestly, you will find some pages that say a papercut can kill you (and at one point I would have genuinely believed it. I've come far since then.)

It sucks that you find it difficult to talk to your wife about it. Unfortunately awareness for anxiety is not that high, and it's really something you have to experience before you can understand. This isolates us further (more so when you have crippling social anxiety ) One of my favourite quotes is from the Harry Potter books; “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

I can promise you you aren't alone. The problem with anxious people is... we're too anxious to reach out to other anxious people, because we're anxious that our anxiety will screw things up. I for one am pushing my limits by posting this (my social anxiety is on a flare at the moment!) but I hope that it may have helped in some small way. You have a super smile - try to keep it on your face whenever possible! And if you can't, that's okay too. Some days are not smiley days. Just remember that the smiley ones will come round again.

annak84

Hi,

I suffer with this too. I went through a very bad patch a couple of years ago. I was absolutely convinced I would drop down dead. This gave me terrible anxiety and panic attacks. I kind of feel a little better now, but unfortunately it has robbed me of my ability to do every day tasks alone. I can't just go out of the door any more without feeling stressed. It gives me bad physical symptoms too.

I don't really have much advice, but your not alone. My partner doesn't understand either, I just don't think people understand how scary a panic attack are

seltzermint555

I would really recommend, if at all possible, you talk to a professional about this stuff...I know it can be pricey and seem "silly" but having your anxiety under control (to some extent) is important to your quality of life!!

I have generalized anxiety disorder and for the most part, it doesn't manifest in the same ways as you describe your anxiety - but I can relate to a lot of the overwhelming parts and the urgency, as well as the feeling that others don't truly "get it". Talk therapy helped me so much! I know everyone is different, and I don't claim to be in control of my anxiety all of the time since it (unfortunately) will always be a part of my mind and life. But even just a short term counselor could help you in feeling validation for your worries and learning to better cope with them!

Good luck!

EleanorLynn1989

I was depressed and sad before I even knew what depression was, because I was just a kid and I had no one to talk to about my feelings. I went through a pretty rough time which caused me to go into a diabetic coma. Then I tried changing my life after that and it didn't seem like it was going to work out, so I got depressed again and now I have a problem with constantly eating and eating my feelings. I've always had social anxiety and a phobia of people. I hate being seen by others and I hate being around others unless I'm comfortable with them. I don't get out very much because I hate being around people I don't know. It's not as bad as it used to be but I still don't like leaving the house. I was supposed to have a doctor appointment on New Year's Eve a couple weeks ago for my diabetes, but because I was seeing a doctor I had never met before, and because doctors are terrifying, I got sick from an anxiety attack before I left home and I ended up missing my doctor appointment. Now they won't stop harrassing me because I haven't gone since June and I have diabetes, it's making things really difficult for me having anxiety, but I know if I don't overcome it I won't live a normal life. I need to be able to support myself. Depression and anxiety is what led me here because I gained a lot of weight these last few years, and now it's something I'm going to try working on.

carolyn000000

Have you tried ashwagandha? It works great for anxiety, I used to take Xanax when fly or when I am extremely stressed out but ashwaganda works just as well. I have been taking it for several years and it is not addictive nor does it give you a drug hangover. It just makes you feel normal. You should research it at least and see what you think.

When someone like your wife or my husband tells you to snap out of it or whatever it only makes it worse. What I learned is that often anxiety is from suppressed anger and that if you can figure out where that is coming from it helps.

Another thing is to remember it is just a feeling. It can't really hurt you. It is what it is. Think of worse case scenario, for me that would be running of an airplane screaming. Even if I did, I would still be okay. Also, the anxiety will end. I think I read that after 2 hours your body does not have enough adrenaline to keep you in that state so you will calm down. You can always speed the process up by exercising. Sounds crazy, but it works.

Anxiety sucks. Like the person above wrote, people who have never experienced it have no idea. Good luck, and keep posting how you are doing.

missjamie_lee

I've suffered from GAD for almost 12 years now. That's close to half of my life! My symptoms go up and down all the time. I would get debilitating migraines and tension headaches extremely often. The one thing that helped me most with those was chiropractic treatment. And with those happening less often, I felt some areas of my anxiety lessening.

I wish I had more advice for you in the other areas. My primary physician told me years ago that every one is different, and his best directions for me was to keep trying different avenues until I found what works best for me. Cooking has been one of the best outlets for me (not so much for the fit of my pants though!)

Good luck and know, you're not alone!

DiviturLabimur

Wow. Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. Since the beginning of my anxiety just a little over 3 years ago it has gotten better. I used to not be able to leave the house at all. I never wanted to stay home with my 3 year old by myself. Whenever my wife would leave to go shopping or run errands I would always have to be sure that her cell phone was fully charged and that her ringer was on and set to loud. Being alone was the worst. Now I'm ok being alone and I can even go out and stuff so a lot of that part has gotten better but then something like a headache out of nowhere happens or a sudden heart palpitation and all of a sudden I find myself reaching for that Ativan (Lorezapam) bottle for a quick fix.

I can't even mention anything about anxiety to my wife anymore because she just thinks I'm crazy. I've completely turned my life around when Anxiety hit. I started slowly by eating a little healthier and getting in some exercise and drinking plenty of fluids. Started walking to lunch at work everyday which gets me a nice 30 minute workout. Stopped smoking just a little over a year ago and now I'm pretty much throwing myself into exercising, eating right and working. The more difficult part is now my wife and I are heading in different directions. She was supposed to stop smoking with me but she couldn't do it so she still smokes and doesn't understand how nauseous it makes me to just be around that smell. She promised she would start working out and eating healthy with me. That went down the drain. So yeah the worst part about my anxiety to me is that the one person who's supposed to be there for me doesn't want to be there to talk about my problems.

So mostly I pretend they don't exist but I don't think that's the right way to handle it either. I've started meditating and that actually helped a lot until I just couldn't find the time to do it anymore which is really sad because like I said it helped a lot.

Anyways.. I'm just waiting for someone to ask me if I'd like some cheese with my wine..

Hope everyone has a great night and if anyone is interested in becoming friends to keep each other motivated and maybe to have someone to talk to about anxiety then feel free to add me.

knittnponder

I struggle with anxiety too. I've woken my husband in the middle of the night, certain I was having a heart attack! I try to stay off of WebMD and the like because anything I read makes me sure I've got that and my days are numbered. Heck, I had to quit watching Grey's Anatomy because everyday I woke up with a new disease!

I am not and have never been on medication so I can't comment on what works or doesn't in that area. I can tell you that figuring out some of my triggers was very helpful. For example, I cannot eat anything with artificial sweeteners in it. I don't know if it's all of them or just one or two of them as I didn't really pay attention to which ones were in the foods I realized were triggering me, I just cut them all out. I'm apparently so sensitive to it that even chewing gum a few days in a row will cause anxiety in me.

I also make sure I get enough sleep and don't drink too much caffeine. A recent on I discovered is that I can't take synthetic B vitamins! I had been taking a b-complex and was getting worse and worse and couldn't figure out why I was having so many issues and panic attacks! I mentioned it to a friend who commented on the synthetic nature of the vitamins and suggest I stop them. I quite taking them and things got better within a week. Tried them again out of curiosity and sure enough, anxiety through the roof! Now I take a methylated b vitamin and have no issues with it.

Exercise is extremely important for me in managing anxiety. I try to keep the stress down and eat well but sometimes life gets in the way. When I am having an anxiety issue, working out almost always calms me down and gets the anxiety to a manageable level. My husband is also really helpful because he's made himself available to me when I'm having an attack. Just being able to tell him that I'm feeling anxious takes some of the power out of it. I know there is someone who will walk me through it if it gets bad and if I am in fact having a heart attack, he's aware of that too and knows CPR. If you can find a friend who will be that calm person for you, it's very helpful.

Natural Calm is a powdered magnesium supplement that I also find very useful. I take it once in the morning and once in the evening and it really helps me relax and mellow out. Nettle tea or hibiscus tea are both calming as well as chamomile tea. I don't have the answers or a magic "fix it" (I wish!!) but I do manage mine without medication pretty well these days. I hope you find some relief and at the very least, know that you're not alone and not crazy (at least not anymore than the rest of us! )

1princesswarrior

Hi Chrs,

I'm bipolar and have both panic attacks and chronic migraine syndrome. My panic attacks and anxiety have gotten better with talk therapy, the right medication (although I still have a fast acting anxiety med on hand), and working around animals. I have a service dog that thankfully I have the skills to train myself that goes everywhere with me where I might have a lot of anxiety. I also work around horses. I started riding lessons after I was diagnosed to get out of the house and now I have my own horses. Taking care of them forces me out of the house daily except when my headaches are horrible, then my husband helps out.

I also have a terrific support system and I can't stress this enough. You need to get your wife on board, she needs to understand this is real. Maybe some marriage counseling is necessary. I just got married in August and my husband doesn't understand bipolar but he's trying to learn and he's very supportive. I've explained to him my triggers and the importance of my meds so he makes sure I always have my refills because I'm bad and he's always willing to go to therapy with me when I need to go.

Even though your doctor understands I'd still recommend a good psychiatrist because they are more up to date on the most current medications and may be able to give you something besides Ativan to help. They may also be able to help you find a therapist that specializes in anxiety.

I'm glad meditation helps. Yoga also helps me when I'm having anxiety problems.

I wish you well and know you're not alone.

Lovee_Dove7

Have you considered blood tests to see what your adrenal function is doing? Your symptoms sound like adrenal fatigue. I've just begun to read about correcting this problem using diet, it's called Adrenal Reset Diet by Alan Christianson NMD. He says that improvement is within days, healing and complete return to normal is in weeks to months.

sandy4443

Hello I'm new here and I have anxiety and depression , on medication for a year . Im also on medication for high blood pressure and I'm anemic . I'm only 25 so I need to try and get healthier to get off medication , when my anxiety is really bad I can't go anywhere around people , I can't talk or make eye contact without a panic attack starting its horrible

cfausset85

I was recently diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder so I know some of what you speak of. Mine revolves a lot around social fears and irrational fears that keep me awake all night. Fears like my house is going to go up in flames or my children are going to stop breathing or a fully armed burglar is going to break in and kill us all in our sleep). My sister has panic disorder and suffers occasionally from agoraphobia. She has the sweaty hands, the quickened pulse, the shakiness, etc.

We now both seek professional help with psychologist's who practice cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It has helped my sister immensely. She does take medication occasionally but doesn't rely on them heavily. I've only just started but the act of speaking to someone who I know won't think I am crazy, helps even a small amount and it all adds up. It's also helpful that my sister and I, while we have different disorders, can speak to each other about our issues and be compassionate for each other. Many people have a hard time explaining mental disorders to loved ones who can sometimes be unsympathetic.

If it is seriously interfering with your life, perhaps seek professional help. There is no shame in doing so. And you can tell your psycho-analyst that you prefer not to use medications if you'd like. One thing I will say is sometimes they will explain to you that taking medication can be a stepping stone- if it is all too overwhelming to focus on how you can become better, sometimes medication helps to level the playing field until you can get a little control on the situation.

That being said, panic attacks are the result of your body trying to compensate for fear. Often times, a first panic attack is caused and it is actually the cause of every following panic attack- because you fear the repeat incident. Panic attacks can be scary and make you feel as though you are going to die, but they cannot harm you. There is no harm in checking out all the possibilities. But, talk to your doctor about seeing a psycho-analyst and they can help diagnose better than we all can here.

Also, panic disorders and anxiety disorders when left unchecked, can become more serious and result in agoraphobia as well as depression and insomnia. My sister let hers go unchecked and she developed agoraphobia because she was so afraid of having a panic attack in public or that if she wasn't around her husband, she would have a panic attack and die alone. I left my anxiety go unchecked and it resulted in insomnia, severe depression and a mass of phobia developments.

But until you have it checked out, feel free to friend me. It helps to let some of the pressure off by talking to people who understand. As my psychologist explained it, I'm like a shaken up cola bottle every time I stuff all of this stuff down further and don't deal with it. The littles tiny things now set me off as though that cola bottle's cap was barely twisted and it spits out everywhere. I even blank out during emotional episodes that could trigger my stress, because my body isn't able to handle it.

My stress levels, when they get too high, can trigger severe headaches which cause severe nausea too. So that could explain your sour stomach but it is still best to see someone who diagnoses these things for a living.

cfausset85

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BoyMomE

Hey everyone! Surprise, surprise I suffer from anxiety too and depression. That's not even the worst part... I gave birth to my youngest son 6 months ago and I have postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety which is just intensifying (particularly my general anxiety) the issues like crazy. I've been having such a difficult time even leaving the house and being in a constant state of irrational worry about my infants health and wellbeing is beyond exhausting. Speaking of being exhausted he has something serious against sleeping and I'm nursing so yeah, Im up all day and haven't slept for more than a 2 hour stretch in 6 months... no bueno. I've been on medication before but personally it didn't help at all, mostly because meds didn't change my life circumstances at the time. I'm trying to avoid another trial, and certainly while I'm breastfeeding. I figure if I can get my body at peak performance and healthy again then my brain will follow suit... fingers crossed! Good luck to everyone ❤️

Alphadite777

I've been dealing with the same thing for about 2 years now, and it's so debilitating and exhausting.
I'm sorry your wife doesn't understand. Honestly, before I had panic attacks and people would tell me they couldn't do something because their panic and anxiety prevented it, I would think to myself "What a lame excuse, just get over it and go do it!".
Man, was I wrong... I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.
I totally feel you on this. Rationally, I know I'm not going to die, but the fear response says "But what if you do?" I feel like I'm scared of everything now, I worry about everything, and this completely changed me as a person. I'm working on getting through it, but anyone who goes through this knows it's not an easy road.

Stay Strong ♥

Fitgirllife72

I know exactly how you all feel. I have suffered from GAD as long as I can remember. I know I was going through it in junior high and high school and I'm now 44. It definitely goes in waves for me. I go through months/years where it intensifies. In fact, it was during a rough two years that my most recent weight gain happened. In 2016 I was able to get a handle on it to a degree in the level of intensity I was feeling it Day to day but by the end or 2016 it started back up again. I've been having extreme anxiety and panic attacks again. The worst is the medical anxiety. Each day I get up certain I have stage 4 cancer somewhere in my body. It's a horrible feeling. Or that I have an aneurysm brewing, or heart attack symptoms, you name it. Lately I am back to feeling like death is imminent every single day. It interferes with everything I do. Oh and my social anxiety is getting worse too. It's a viscous cycle.

lsitterley89

I thought I was going to die on Memorial Day! I have had some anxiety in the past like 10 years ago which I attribute to getting off Wellbutrin. I was shaky, thought I was going crazy, or going to pass out. This happened while I was driving to my 82 yr old moms. It happened after that too, at work, but not as severe. I went to the dr. My thyroid was fine. He offered drugs I just said no lol. Reading about it helps, cbt I think helps but what my big secret is .... try vitamin d and a super b complex. I take a multi, super b, and 3000 iu of d3 daily. I can feel the dread coming on when I skip it for more than a day. I now have more energy than I have had in years.and if I start feeling it start I say not now not today. I think you gotta keep busy and distract yourself... my house is now cleaner than ever!