Does anyone here have anxiety?

I don't do medication, but I've had GAD since early childhood. Finally due to some stressful events in my life I sought help. I have been doing talk therapy for a little over a year and it has really, really helped - along with taking fish oil supplements.

Me! I've a pretty intense phobia which gets triggered fairly regularly (phobia pretty much is anxiety, and when a passing suggestion that a spider could, theoretically, be on me can send me into a full blown anxiety attack with shaking, hyperventilation and feeling like I'm covered in little eight legged abominations until I panic and start scratching at my skin and accidentally pull hair out, I think it qualifies as "intense" and not just "she's not fond of spiders"). I also have social anxiety, and working in a crowded casino doesn't help matters in that respect at all. Also, I have trouble eating in front of other people (I get anxious when I know I have to), and my family's always home, and my grandmother loves to force everyone to eat in the kitchen, which is in the same room as the living room, and the rest of the nosy family spends most of their time there, so between that and working at a casino, any time I have to eat, it's in front of people, and that adds an extra layer of "I'd rather just skip it all together so I don't have people judging me for what I eat, watching me, or commenting on my food" (and in my family, it seems to be a favourite pass-time to play "Let's See What Cora's Eating Today!!" which is a lovely segment where they question me about how almond milk tastes, comment on how many frozen vegetables are in the freezer and how no one could possibly like brussels sprouts, stare at my plate - which makes it nearly impossible for me to actually eat at that moment - and if that fails to get more than two syllables out of me, they choose that time to try and make conversation) to the equation. Unless I have made plans to eat with someone, which means I spend the entire day mentally preparing myself for the fact that I WILL be eating in the presence of others, I don't want to be talked to while I'm eating. It's uncomfortable, especially if the other person isn't eating. That uncomfortable situation makes me anxious as well.

Let's just say I'm 24 and have a lot of gray hair already, and I'm not sure all of it is hereditary, since when I was eight years old, and again at twelve, and then pretty regularly from thirteen on, medical professionals have always told me that I need to stop worrying so much and stop getting myself worked up over everything all the time. I refer to myself as a "Professional Worrier... which is like a Warrior, but spelled differently."

I don't take medications for it. Probably should, but it's so expensive and I can't afford insurance right now. At some point I need to have a sit-down with a therapist, I know I should, however, last time I did that, I felt like I was paying someone to listen to me b**** and be neurotic, and convinced myself I was wasting her time when she could be talking to someone who was in dire need of her attention... Irrationality after irrationality after irrationality...

I was on anti depressants about ten years ago. They really helped me get through a difficult time. I was on them for about 18 months. However I did put put around 70 pounds on in that time. I would recommend going to the doctor but make sure the medication he gives you doesn't have the side effect of hunger!

HI-
I have a number of mental health issues.... have been on every anti depressant/ anxiety medication out there... I have also gone thru an extensive amount of counseling. When I was having horrible panic attacks I finally spoke to my doctor about it and he prescribed ativan for me to take as needed - it helped tremendously! I know the concerns with weight gain and anti depressant medications but for me its worth it so that I feel ok as a whole -
It cant hurt to ask your doctor for suggestion and just tell him/her your concerns with weight gain as well... for me it is worth it to be talking the medications I take and feel better than the alternative. I take effexor and lamictal daily as well as ambien daily because i dont sleep. (i am bipolar) ... exercise has helped some... some days are harder than others - those days I wonder how it would be if I was not taking my medication...

I have social and generalized anxiety, it sucks doesnt it? My problem is i should take meds but I dont because I am a dumbass. Anyway when I took them no, they didnt affect my weight loss efforts.

I've been on Celexa for about 3 years, and it did not hinder my weight loss efforts at all. Part of the problem with anti-depressents putting weight on people may be that it makes them feel a bit more relaxed, therefore they might be hungrier or feel like indulging more.

When I am depressed or anxious, I will actually forget to eat, or just not feel like eating. When I started Celexa, I put on an extra 20 pounds because I ate more. It wasn't because of the drug essentially, but because I was eating at a surplus. That's mainly why some people put on weight when starting the medication.

When I started tracking my intake, the weight fell off.

The best thing you can do is be mindful of your intake and make sure to log your food, to ensure that you are not overeating.

I have PTSD, and there are circumstances in my life that triggered it. I didn't ask my doctor about it. But, when I went in to see her, she said that I was experiencing stress related health issues, and she prescribed clonazepam (Klonopin) at a very very low dose of .25. I didn't fill the prescription. Then 20 days later I started losing my hair in hand fulls and lost a lot of hair over the course of a month (it was from the stress). I've been able to manage the stress better now and my hair is growing back in (you can see all the new hair growth). Luckily I have thick enough hair that it just thinned my hair, but is not noticeable.

So, now it is a year later and I have another situation coming up again that is going to trigger the PTSD. So, I filled the prescription. I have found that the low dose of .25 is enough. I only take it on rare occasion, not regularly. So far, I have not had weight gain. But, I do not plan on taking it regularly, probably will not refill the prescription whenever it runs out, I could even end up tossing it before I finish it. And also it is addictive if taken regularly or in higher dosages. So, I definitely want to avoid that (having seen family members that struggle with addiction). But, taking it a few times did help me be able to process some of the issues that caused the anxiety from a calmer, more rational place. So, I do feel that taking it had a long term benefit to me.

This is the only experience I have with this.

Bump... Not because I have an answer but I know there are lots who do.

Good luck OP :flowerforyou:

I lost on Zoloft

I've had pretty severe anxiety for as long as I can remember. I'm on medication for it and it helps quite a bit. I've definitely noticed an improvement. So don't be too afraid of trying medication if you think it'll help! I was able to lose weight on it just fine, so I don't think it hinders anything too badly. c:

I had an anxiety attack that put me in the hospital overnight... doc put me on cymbalta... um... my weight loss stalled... until I stopped taking it due to an allergy to the meds... (made me cough and sneeze)... lost a few since being off... but I think I have gotta find something else...I highly recommend doing SOMETHING...

I have had anxiety for about ten years, give or take.
It really does blow, but it is something that we have to live with. I would recommend going to see a doctor for help, but not a medical doctor, someone that deals with this (psychologist I think? I always get them mixed up) and they have different kinds of medication that they can put you on. I have Xanax, I have not gained weight from it... But each person is different.

I had that before. If you don't want to take meds, you could try something more natural. I took st john's wort extract. It's an herb, and is not addictive. It takes a few weeks to build support your body's ability to normalize, but you'll feel pretty normal within 4-6 weeks. It takes several months to heal your imbalance. I found that I could taper off my dosage after 3 months of taking it. You can keep a bottle on hand in case you feel you still need support.
A nice side benefit is that you will sleep better after taking the herb, which helps weight loss IMO.
Here's a link, if you want to read about the herb. Best wishes!
http://www.enetmd.com/content/treat-anxiety-and-depression-hypericum-st-johns-wort

My understanding is that it does interact with some meds, so you should be aware of that. I never take meds.

I have anxiety and depression. Last year I was on medication for it which caused me to gain over 30 lbs in 2 months. Currently I'm not on any medications due to the weight gain and other side effects. I am in psychotherapy for the past 2 months and despite the cost it is helping a lot. I just got back from a concert where I didn't cry or have an anxiety attack. There are some days where I still feel it a lot, but this has surprised even me. I'm not sure if the depression will ever go away, but my treatment is far from over. I just want to let you know that it can get to a much better place than where it is at.

I've been on Celexa for about 3 years, and it did not hinder my weight loss efforts at all. Part of the problem with anti-depressants putting weight on people may be that it makes them feel a bit more relaxed, therefore they might be hungrier or feel like indulging more.

When I am depressed or anxious, I will actually forget to eat, or just not feel like eating. When I started Celexa, I put on an extra 20 pounds because I ate more. It wasn't because of the drug essentially, but because I was eating at a surplus. That's mainly why some people put on weight when starting the medication.

When I started tracking my intake, the weight fell off.

The best thing you can do is be mindful of your intake and make sure to log your food, to ensure that you are not overeating.

^^This. Plus I've been on Fluoxetine (the generic form of Prozac) for several years and it's never contributed to my weight gain. Most of the gain was from me being an idiot and eating as a form of coping. Tracking with MFP has helped a lot.

Plus your doctor should know the side effects of the drugs they prescribe and if they don't, they better find out. I make my doctor do that before I leave the office. One, I like to know what it is I'm taking and Two, they can't remember everything. So you might find out by making them look that it reacts with another drug your taking or what not. They are getting paid more then I will ever make. Get your answers before you leave.