Why won't it stop....
emilybeaver
Posts: 365 Member
So the past few days my anxiety has skyrocketed and I'm shaky. I don't know if it's correlated to this diet or not. I am dizzy and anxious and shaky again today. I've been eating to my calories a day or over. I almost want to eat something carby to just see if that helps, but my mind is telling me NO!
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I think you should get a blood sugar monitor and check it when this is happening.
If it is low blood sugar, eating carbs would certainly "fix it", but it's not a good long term plan to manage it that way as the underlying cause will just progressively get worse.0 -
Most likely the anxiety is hormonally or situationally driven, rather than dietary unless something has changed drastically in the last week or two. Stick with your carb consumption. Don't up it unless this continues on 6-12 weeks.
Exceptions being if you have known/treated issues in this arena and/or already take medications.0 -
My coworker has diabetes and I've asked him before to check it when I was having these symptoms and it was 86. I've been trying to get lower my AS and not drink caffeine. I don't kn0
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Whoops. I don't know if it's coupled with that and the awful weekend I had or what.0
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »Most likely the anxiety is hormonally or situationally driven, rather than dietary unless something has changed drastically in the last week or two. Stick with your carb consumption. Don't up it unless this continues on 6-12 weeks.
Exceptions being if you have known/treated issues in this arena and/or already take medications.
I take Effexor daily at the lowest dosage. I've tried to up it (per dr order) and I had awful side effects with it. I was prescribed an "emergency drug" for my anxiety a couple of weeks ago. I just feel like it's gotten worse since I started this WOE. But I love it and don't want to stop doing it because I love the results I'm getting.0 -
Hmmmmm...
There must be a hormonal trigger of some other sort then. Or possibly just a mental thing? Do you find yourself feeling restricted and thinking about foods you "can't have" but you still want?
I had to literally work in my definition of what food is. I do not even consider bread, pasta, sugary stuff... Etc, food anymore. It took some work, and I had to think of that stuff like a bad drug, but I am no more tempted by those foods than I am a can of dog food. I could eat either one to stay alive, but they aren't ideal foods for me. I don't want to just stay alive, I want to be the best I can be.
If there are thoughts like that on your mind consistently, it could simply be a little panic related to feeling like you're missing out or restricted too much.
You could either lighten up a bit or work to change the mindset.0 -
I don't think that is the issue. I don't think of bread and pasta anymore. Sweets is still my big thing. I haven't found one I like yet and being TOM I want all the sweets. I wish I would have documented when it happened last time. Maybe it is just a hormonal thing. I'll document it this time and then see what happens next month.0
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emilybeaver wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »Most likely the anxiety is hormonally or situationally driven, rather than dietary unless something has changed drastically in the last week or two. Stick with your carb consumption. Don't up it unless this continues on 6-12 weeks.
Exceptions being if you have known/treated issues in this arena and/or already take medications.
I take Effexor daily at the lowest dosage. I've tried to up it (per dr order) and I had awful side effects with it. I was prescribed an "emergency drug" for my anxiety a couple of weeks ago. I just feel like it's gotten worse since I started this WOE. But I love it and don't want to stop doing it because I love the results I'm getting.
A good friend of mine had to shift from keto levels to a higher low carb because it was fueling her manic episodes within her bipolar/manic-depressive disorder. Do you take anything like Inositol or any other natural (non-interfering) supplements to help with the anxiety? It sounds like the "emergency drug" might not be working. I know that neither myself nor my ex-husband had any real luck with Effexor - and the withdrawal symptoms from it were total hellish misery.
And like with our health and metabolism, sometimes things have to get worse before better. I would make sure you are actually seeing a psychiatrist for anything to do with anxiety if you're aren't already. A PCP has limited knowledge of prescription meds, which typically only extends to the stuff from pharma reps and their own studies...0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »emilybeaver wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »Most likely the anxiety is hormonally or situationally driven, rather than dietary unless something has changed drastically in the last week or two. Stick with your carb consumption. Don't up it unless this continues on 6-12 weeks.
Exceptions being if you have known/treated issues in this arena and/or already take medications.
I take Effexor daily at the lowest dosage. I've tried to up it (per dr order) and I had awful side effects with it. I was prescribed an "emergency drug" for my anxiety a couple of weeks ago. I just feel like it's gotten worse since I started this WOE. But I love it and don't want to stop doing it because I love the results I'm getting.
A good friend of mine had to shift from keto levels to a higher low carb because it was fueling her manic episodes within her bipolar/manic-depressive disorder. Do you take anything like Inositol or any other natural (non-interfering) supplements to help with the anxiety? It sounds like the "emergency drug" might not be working. I know that neither myself nor my ex-husband had any real luck with Effexor - and the withdrawal symptoms from it were total hellish misery.
And like with our health and metabolism, sometimes things have to get worse before better. I would make sure you are actually seeing a psychiatrist for anything to do with anxiety if you're aren't already. A PCP has limited knowledge of prescription meds, which typically only extends to the stuff from pharma reps and their own studies...
I've been on Effexor for almost 5 years at the same dosage. I have yet to take the emergency drug because they have not been full blown panic attacks yet. I'll have to do some research on the other supplements. I never thought of doing that.
I actually have a referral in to see a psychiatrist and have yet to get a phone call. I probably will be calling today.0 -
So I've been doing some research this morning. I think at some point I'm going to order SAM-e and GABA. They are all natural and have been proven to help with anxiety. They are more expensive than my Effexor but if they are natural and help me I'm willing to try them.0
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Oh and I got a unsweet tea with AS from McDonald's. Not near as shaky now and I feel better!0
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emilybeaver wrote: »So I've been doing some research this morning. I think at some point I'm going to order SAM-e and GABA. They are all natural and have been proven to help with anxiety. They are more expensive than my Effexor but if they are natural and help me I'm willing to try them.
With the SAM-e, lookg for the balancing side of it too, the I think it is 5-HTP? Definitely worth a try!!! Good luck.
Mental...hiccups....shall we say are so annoying, darn it! 0 -
I'll have to look in to that one as well!!! I just refilled my Effexor too. Ugh. At least it's only $4. I've been struggling with anxiety/depression/OCD for years. And I hate it! Especially when I have (I like how you said) mental hiccups!0
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emilybeaver wrote: »I'll have to look in to that one as well!!! I just refilled my Effexor too. Ugh. At least it's only $4. I've been struggling with anxiety/depression/OCD for years. And I hate it! Especially when I have (I like how you said) mental hiccups!
I'm currently fighting to find out formally if I truly bipolar, and I've run the gamut of diagnoses myself, so I promise, I get where you're coming from... If you need to vent more, I'm SOOO here. (hugs) Mental hiccups suck.0 -
Same here actually. I told my PCP that I thought I was bipolar. He put in a referral to a psychiatrist just waiting for a phone call. But I would love to not have to take "man made" drugs if I can help it.0
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Be prepared for an absolute nightmare of a time coming off of that Effexor if you don't want to take man made drugs any more. I think it's good to come off of it if you don't need it anymore or can go to something milder. I know several who have gone off it and they were horribly miserable for weeks until it finally let go of them. I think the drug company made it that way intentionally.0
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I haven't had time to read all the responses so if this has been said I'm sorry... I went threw something like this and it was because I had lost weight and my blood pressure Meds was dropping my bp to low is if u take Meds check ur bp. Feel better soon!0
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The dizziness and shakiness could be from low sodium, have you tried drinking heavily salted broth or adding a lot of extra salt to you food?
That said, I take daily meds for my anxiety, but have read a lot that this WOE could actually help my anxiety, so I'm hoping that in the future I'll be able to get off of it completely, but for now, it's what I need to be a sane and functioning member of society.0 -
ruffneck813 wrote: »Be prepared for an absolute nightmare of a time coming off of that Effexor if you don't want to take man made drugs any more. I think it's good to come off of it if you don't need it anymore or can go to something milder. I know several who have gone off it and they were horribly miserable for weeks until it finally let go of them. I think the drug company made it that way intentionally.
The last time I went off of it, I weaned myself from taking one every other day to three times a week and so on until I was off of it. I was off of it for a month and then I got pregnant and I had no anxiety while pregnant. Since I've been on it now for almost 5 years I think this time will be harder to wean myself. I was talking to my husband last night about taking those other natural supplements and he said are they FDA approved...and I said no...but I still want to try them!0 -
St. John's Wort is a very inexpensive remedy to try. I've never seen anyone mention side effects. At one time there was a study on WebMd that stated it was more effective that any single prescribed medication. I can only guess why it isn't mentioned now.
I have only mild depression but got results with 1.5 times the recommended dose. It does take a while to see results. YMMV.0 -
St John's wort can help but dosage control is unreliable n unregulated.
Hope you feel better soon. I found Mindfulness (our March challenge) as the best technique to use to identify n observe racing thoughts then let them go. Imagine: (like watching trains of thought come into your busy station and recognise that you do not have to get on board each train. That train can leave the station without you and you can chose one with a more fun destination). That visual helped me disconnect from repettitve anxiety creating background thoughts.
Aside from life stresses n unhealthy thought patterns other anxiety causes for me are a lack of exercise/ movement plus nutrient stress like inadequate sodium levels, too much caffiene, insufficient water and high histamine foods. Hope that helps.
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I really don't wanna be the odd one out, but I do wanna warn against mixing prescription meds with natural ones. If they have similar mechanisms of action, they can cause serotonin syndrome or other synergistic, undesired side effects.
I side with the warning about natural drugs as well considering they are not regulated and can easily be unnatural or lack the ingredients they claim (they are trying to make $ just like big pharma).
These are all your choices to make of course, but please include your PCP or psych in the discussion. They are there to work for you and often have an understanding of brain physiology that can aid you and a learned skepticism of scientific research that can act to filter the countless "studies" that lack significance/appropriate methods.
I do hope you get the relief you desire. My father suffers with bipolar disorder and refuses to take medicine because of the side effects. It has taken him on a very mean and dark ride for the last 30+ years, but he is quite stubborn. I'm guessing in hindsight, the side effects would be a lot less undesirable than the jobs he's lost, the financial despair and the strain on all of his relationships. This is strictly speaking from my experience with my father though.0 -
@Evelynandchris you're not the odd one out, I totally agree. Even basic OTC cold remedies and pain relievers can cause problems when you're taking prescriptions. It's so important to talk to your doc and pharmacist about herbal remedies and OTC drugs when you take prescriptions.0
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I have reactive hypoglycemia. I would get the shakes, with increased adrenalin and dropping blood pressure, when my blood glucose was falling. Even if BG wasn't that low, the dropping seemed to cause it. I would be shaking by time my BG was in the 4s.
Could it be the BG drop that started it? Too much protein or carbs, or more than normal? As Michelle mentioned, low sodium would magnify it by causing BP to be more affected.
The funny thing is that if I am fasting, or deep in ketosis, my BG can go much lower than where it is when I go the shakes. There is no sudden drop of BG so low is fine.0 -
As someone who has bipolar disorder and struggled for over a decade prior to getting a proper diagnosis - very nearly dying from it - I will also say don't knock the drugs too much either! If your brain is missing chemicals... well I can only say for ME, the drug medications were a godsend and absolutely lightyears better than the herbal/supplemental stuff I desperately tried on my own for the years before I finally secured a diagnosis and proper medication.
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Evelynandchris wrote: »I really don't wanna be the odd one out, but I do wanna warn against mixing prescription meds with natural ones. If they have similar mechanisms of action, they can cause serotonin syndrome or other synergistic, undesired side effects.
I side with the warning about natural drugs as well considering they are not regulated and can easily be unnatural or lack the ingredients they claim (they are trying to make $ just like big pharma).
These are all your choices to make of course, but please include your PCP or psych in the discussion. They are there to work for you and often have an understanding of brain physiology that can aid you and a learned skepticism of scientific research that can act to filter the countless "studies" that lack significance/appropriate methods.
I do hope you get the relief you desire. My father suffers with bipolar disorder and refuses to take medicine because of the side effects. It has taken him on a very mean and dark ride for the last 30+ years, but he is quite stubborn. I'm guessing in hindsight, the side effects would be a lot less undesirable than the jobs he's lost, the financial despair and the strain on all of his relationships. This is strictly speaking from my experience with my father though.
@Evelynandchris your points are medically valid. I take or have taken a boat load of 'natural ones'. My wife is a pharmacist and I hold on OD degree and we know 'natural ones' can be helpful or deadly just like most any Rx of manufactured medicine.
It boggles my mind the way some people thinks "natural" means "medically safe". While I am Rx med free thanks to LCHF and some supplements there are real health issues that do not need to be managed with web based sources of 'medical advice' and Amazon secured 'natural' meds.
Wishing the best for your father.0 -
You could look into some of the gut bacteria stuff. Adding fermented foods, kombucha and the like shouldn't be an issue for meds and many believe gut bacteria are the overlords of the body and wellness. I don't doubt they are probably right.
Could be a worthwhile experiment.0
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