Depression and Anxiety - Causing all these problems???

I believe that I am a sufferer of Anxiety and Depression, but I have an awful lot of symptoms that make me feel completly overwhelmed (I have the feeling that it could be millions of thing making me feel this way, so its too much effort to try and search it out, and I can't bring myself to put confidence in any doctors to figure it out).

I would say that the earliest that I've noticed anything like this was back in 2004, when I think I had a panic attack, and it has progressively gotten worse since then.  Everyone is telling me that anxiety and depression can cause a whole bunch of physical symptoms, but I can't help but feel like thats impossible.  Most of my symptoms seem to be text book, I guess I just need the reassurance that all of this can be caused by Anxiety and depression.  I shoudl also mention that I am not fully sure what I am anxious about, or if I even feel anxious at all.  I am currently NOT medicated.

My symptoms:

Hot / Warm flashes

Fatigue

Dizziness

Feeling like I will pass-out (almost like how your head would feel after 5+ alcoholic drinks)

Decreased Sex Drive

Nauseous (sometimes)

Progressively worse Acid Reflux (medicated, but has been excessive lately)

Heart Palpitations (1 strong heartbeat probably 3-5 times a day)

                - I do have Mitral Valve Prolapse, but its never been that frequent

Skipped Heartbeats (followed by the palpitation)

Body aches

Headaches

Muscles pulsate at times

Low Energy

Very afraid that my heart is damaged

Feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen

Paranoia

 Fear of going crazy, losing control, impending doom, death / sickness

Constant feeling of EVERYTHING being too overwhelming to take on

          - Feeling that everything is too much effort

Desensitization (morbid and disturbing things don't seem to phase me nearly as much (And I'm necrophobic)

Difficulty concentrating

Repetitive thinking

Obsessed with trying to find a cure

Depression

More difficulty forming thoughts and words than even before

Short temper, no patience, cold and angry (definitely has never been me, I've never raised my voice ever)

Remembering how things used to be and wanting to go back

Sour and upset stomach (especially related to eating)

On exhale, tends to feel like it would after your adrenaline is pumping and after there is no more need for alarm. Like I am exhaling my alarmed state / adrenaline (happens unprovoked, or from little things like going through a traffic light and having anxiety about it changing to yellow).

Worry about:

Having a heart attack

having a serious illness

dying early

going crazy

My loved ones dying

Potential Depression symptoms:

Not very interested in anything I used to be anymore

Too lazy to care about things and hobbies that were dear to me at one time

    - I thought that maybe I was just uninterested in my hobbies now, but even when I explore new hobby ideas, I can't find anything I'd find interesting

Easy but tedious tasks are hard and drive me crazy (i.e. painting)

Constantly irritated at everything

Feel kind of like no one can help me and that theres nothing that will fix ALL of this

Not very fond of myself at times

Trouble concentrating, learning, making decisions and remembering

Trouble staying motivated to learn new things

Bitter, cold and very short tempered (but I internalize it all)

I would say that any given day, I feel just about all of these symptoms 60-70% of the time.  I do have moments where I am happy in the moment, but they never last.  Primarily, the "happiest" I ever am is that 2 week period where the seasons change from winter to summer, and from summer to fall, but the happiness doesn't last.

I'm smart enough to know that nearly all of these symptoms are textbook for depression and for Anxiety, but I just can't bring my mind to accept that it is the culprit for ALL of this. My thought process is that there must be some biological / physical reason for all the physical symptoms.

I guess I am jsut looking for support or some friendly stories of symptoms of people with anxiety / depression and if they all went away after treatment.  I can say I don't really want to talk to a psychologist about my past, I'd rather go straight to adjusting the feelins.  Are there any anti-depressants that also address anxiety?

Thanks

Post Edited (Krimzen) : 8/12/2008 12:39:17 PM (GMT-6)

Hi Krimzen, You have listed a lot of symptoms that could be many things.  It does sound like you do suffer from anxiety and depression.  I think the best place to start is with a complete physical with your PCP.  Your dr. can rule out anything you don't have.  Also, you could probably benefit from some meds for the anxiety and depression.  One thing you did not mention was your age, and I know that is a private matter.  But so many of your symptoms seem to resemble menopause or possibly peri-menopause depending on your age.  You can have peri-menopause 10 yrs before you go thru menopause.  Another suggestion would be to get a check up with your gynecologist to discuss your symptoms,  Your gyne will know exactly what you might be going thru if you are the right age for this.  And it can start as early as 40.  So those are the things I would do first to see if you can get some answers. It is hard to see someone go thru so much and I think there is real help out there if you will get it.  Take care and post how you are doing.

Aurora

I'm 23 years old, and I'm actually male, so the menopause / gynecologist thing probably won't work, lol. 

Everyone,

Thanks so much for the feedback.  The main problem with this, as Brandy has said, is that the depression comes and goes.  Right now I'm doing alright.  I'm not perfectly happy, and I still suffer from alot of theose symptoms, but I have periods of time where I'm ok (i.e. interested enough in something that I either feel ok or indifferent), and then I have periods of times where I am in horrible shape.

Well, its the times that I am in horrible shape that I seriously consider getting help, but it never lasts long enough usually for me to go out and do something about it.  Like I said, I begin to feel better, but never great. 

I feel just "well enough" to get by without medicine or therapy in these times.  I look at it like, you don't take antibiotics when you don't have an infection, so why should I need anti-anxiety / anti-depressants when I'm feeling "ok"

The worst part is that I will get little bursts of energy and become interested in something that used to interest me in the past (I have alot of dork hobbies, D&D, Magic, RPG's, etc...).  But those spurts usually only last for 10 seconds.  I am also a guitarist and am in a very well known band in New Jersey.  Music has been my life for 10 years, and only recently have I just had absolutely no motivation to play.  The only time I feel good is when I am on stage, but I don't want to deal with everything else that goes on with the music scene (i.e. no one shows up, waiting 4 hours in a sketchy bar to play our set (great for anxiety), always being on guard that someone will harrass my wife, etc..  But this isn't a music forum, so thats for another topic.

I don't know, I've been extremely busy lately.  I just bought a house, am in the process of adopting a Siberian Husky (I hear dogs are great for stress reduction), and have been completly slammed at work, so I guess I haven't really had time to sit and think, which is a very good thing.

I have had alot of horrible things happen to me this year.  It is easily the worst year of my life, and I try to completly forget horrible events in my life, so I don't want to talk to a theripist and I sure as crap don't want to have a convention with everyone to talk it out.  I even moved 40 minutes away from my hometown to ease the pain. 

Out of paranoia and fear that someone involved in the horrible events that happened to me this year will find this thread and start drama with me, I will not go into detail on anything.

I have never raised my voice ever in my life and now I find myself full of hate and with a little bit of a temper because I am so sick of everyone.  I'm well-liked and have alot of friends (guess my self-esteem is ok, lol), but I tend to be the butt of just about every joke.  This is something that has been going on all my life, so I guess I am just really really sick of it.

Mind you, this isn't the start of my depression, but this year has intensified it further that it has ever been.

And now one more thing, I feel like perscription drugs only hide the symptoms and don't address the problem, and actually do some damage to the body.  I would love to cure this naturally, but it is alot of effort and money, and as most of you probably know, effort is very difficult to exert when you are depressed.  I've read Kevin Trudeau's book and he really opens you up to new ideas (and makes you feel like crap), but my god, it is a full time job to do everything naturally.  Who has that kind of time when you work full time?

I'll stop now because I am beginning to ramble,a nd it's really not like me to open up like this.  I have more or less been conditioned to think that nothing I ever go through is bad enough to complain about and that I am weak if I do and over-exaggerating.

Post Edited (Krimzen) : 8/25/2008 7:09:32 AM (GMT-6)