Anxiety ever make you sick?

My anxiety has actually gotten worse as I've gotten older. What I could tolerate as a 20 something, I can no longer adjust to as easily in my 30s. It's bad enough that I chose (after long dithering over it) to remain on anti-anxiety medication.

However, I don't vomit (and have never to my knowledge) because I get anxious. I get violent stomach cramps and end up having to hide in a bathroom because of it. Apparently, the doctor I had as a young adult said my extreme stress and anxiety was causing my IBS to massively flare up (and I'll admit, it was terrible regardless of how much I changed my diet).

I haven't figured out which is worse: soul crushing depression or anxiety so severe that you don't leave your house and socialize with people because you fear your anxiety kicking in and driving you away.

And yes, I sympathize. As a person who has high anxiety related to being around groups of people, if I feel anxiety creeping up, I immediately remove myself to another location and hide out. And sometimes, I do it and I'm only talking to one or two people.. people I've known my entire life. And yes, it's incredibly frustrating trying to explain to them that medication doesn't automatically make me "happy" or "not anxious", it just helps me be functional and doesn't always mitigate outside circumstances.

It's never made me sick, but I've had some pretty debilitating episodes of general anxiety...just can't turn the brain off. Fortunately, it's been about three years since I've had an episode severe enough for me to take my tranquilizers. I think regular exercise has done wonders for me and my episodes are much more mild and much fewer and further between.

OMG yes, it affected me at school so much so that I waited 20 years after graduating to go to college because that is when it was finally all online. I don't have to deal with classmates and love it, I still have nightmares though of being back in High School and it takes days or a week to get over it. But I eat when I get anxious, which has led to my lifetime of fat-fights.

I've been dealing with this new thing lately where any time I'm checking out at a store or wherever my eyes go all blurry and I go temporarily blind. So that's a little inconvenient. I feel generally sick all the time because of my anxiety but I haven't physically gotten sick in awhile. Usually the only time that happens is if I'm around a lot of loud noises or yelling or something like that. I've been thinking about trying out some kind of medication but I'm too scared to go to the doctor. It's a never-ending cycle.

I have social anxiety, generalised anxiety, and panic attacks. I am in therapy, and I take anti-anxiety medications. Without them, I would not be able to live life; I'd just be stuck in my closet or under my desk or something. I have gone from debilitating social anxiety to moderate to severe social anxiety, and from multiple daily panic attacks to maybe a panic attack once or twice a week. It is still difficult, but I am able to have a life.

Anxiety can definitely make you sick. Other than just what panic does (chest pains, throwing up, cramps, etc.) long term anxiety increases your cortisol levels which is detrimental to your health. So, please seek help for your anxiety if you are able to.

You will have to try various methods in order to determine what is best for you. When it comes to medication, you may have to try several different medications as some may be too long lasting, some might not work quickly enough, some may make you too sleepy, some may not help, etc. You'll also have to go through figuring out dosages. It can be a difficult process, and may take some time. When it comes to therapy, you may have to try different therapists, different methods, etc. If your medication or therapist isn't helping, try something or someone else.

Controlled breathing has been shown to help with anxiety. If you breathe deeply and slowly, you engage your parasympathetic nervous system which slows your fight-or-flight response. Now, this can be hard to do in the middle of severe anxiety so it is best to practice this when you're feeling relaxed at first, then keep practicing it in different situations, places, etc. When I am able to do this, it takes me out of my panic enough to try to find other methods to calm down.

Mindfulness is another thing that can help with anxiety. I practice this as well. This is another thing that requires practice to be useful in all/most situations. I also try to distract myself with things like games on my phones. Exercise can also help with anxiety. Music might help you - it doesn't help me. Standing in the superman pose can help.

In order to even try some of these, you may need medication. Plenty of people need medication to calm enough to learn these methods, and then wean themselves off medication when they can cope with their anxiety better. This may take months or it may take years. I've been on these medications for years, and I don't plan on going off them any time soon.

Ultimately, how you choose to cope with your anxiety is up to you, but I urge you to talk to professionals, and to give things like deep breathing (look up four square breathing or just breathing and anxiety), mindfulness, and other methods a try.

Three things to note:
1) You're not going to "cure" your anxiety. What you're doing is trying to find ways to cope with situations that make you anxious or give you panic attacks. Right now, your coping methods are dysfunctional or non-existent. The goal is to build up an arsenal of coping methods that reduce and help you deal with your anxiety/panic in a functional manner.
2) Anxiety is your brain lying to you.
3) Some people will judge you for using medication; *kitten* them. Your experience is yours, and you need to find what works for you.

I get it from time to time. I exhibit all the symptoms you described and I also feel the muscles in my upper back and neck get tense.

Taking a walk helps, also exercising or listening to my favorite music
. Something to redirect my thoughts.

@Fitkam90

I have been living with anxiety as far back as I can remember (age of 2 believe it or not) and and think that certain types and level of anxieties can have positive influence in our lives... provide motivation to achieve those things we wouldn’t ordinarily strive for. However, some anxiety (esp if sustained over lengthy periods of time) can be detrimental physically as well as mentally, with some cases leading to stress so bad that it results in actual damage to our brains.

My 2 worst negative anxiety peaks was when I was at the age of 24. Anxiety in my workplace was so bad for me that it put me in a constantly high-stressed state which manifested itself as bleeding ulcers in my stomach which were so bad, I couldn’t keep water down.
SOLUTION:
1. Got completely away from the source (my job) stress
2. Added high-fiber cereal to my diet throughout the day to absorb increased amounts of stomach acid
3. Added more physical fitness activities to my week

My worst negative anxiety peak was at the age of 51. Sustained levels of anxiety in my life day and night led to sustained (about 7 years) stress levels so severe that I started to experience memory loss (long/short-term).
SOLUTION:
1. Sought professional help from psychologist and my primary doctor
2. Determined cause (lack of serotonin in my brain)
3. Find the right serotonin booster and the right dosage
4. Remove those things which cause my anxiety or remove myself from their proximity
5. If 3 is not possible, then develop techniques to better manage my anxiety
6. Add exercise to my daily activities

THOUGHTS:
1. Everyone is different in dealing with anxiety
2. Nobody should ever feel the slightest bit embarrassed to seek profession help from people you trust
3. Wish you all the best for a perfect solution for Lovely You Gurl!