Waking early every morning with bad anxiety!

So, every bloody morning around 5:00, I jolt awake from my sleep with yucky severe anxiety. It is constant (doesn't blow over), heart pounding, shaking, intense fear and doom. I can't lay there, so I have to get up and pace around! It is so exhausting.

This goes on each day, but gradually diminishes throughout the day. Typically by 3:00 it passes and the remainder of my day is anxiety free. I feel very relaxed before bed, although not tired (my insomnia has returned as well. Only to awaken the next morning with the severe anxiety all over again.

This was my first and worst symptom 6 yrs ago. Last year, I was put on the antidepressant, doxepin, and it did wonders! My insomnia and anxiety literally melted away in days!! I remained symptom free for a year! .......Until I started Lyme treatment with doxy/flagy. Now it's back! Even though I quit the doxy/flagyl 2 weeks ago, it remains! I just can't stand waking every morning this way!

I have to medicate with 1 mg Xanax each morning. I hate using that stuff, but it does take the edge off. Sometimes I need another Xanax late morning as well.

What causes these early morning attacks? Anyone else have these? Is it lyme? Bart? Ehrlichia? Am I going crazy? I've never had anxiety or insomnia issues before! Something is wrong with my brain!

Any ideas for me? It really is torture. I'm sorry I even started Lyme treatment. My suffering is so much worse now.

I have the same problem except I have woke up everyday for the last three months at 3:00 a.m. with out of control anxiety. Anxiety has always been my issue with bartonella but has only worsened with treatment. I tried antibiotics two years ago but had to quit due to stomach issues. I am trying again starting slowly with rifampin and azithromycin. Adding in doxycycline tomorrow. My doctor feels that I now have adrenal fatigue due to the constant fight or flight response. I am going to do a saliva cortisol test. I start feeling better everyday by 5:00 p.m. and the anxiety lifts. My doctor started me on Xanax but moved me to Valium because it has a longer duration. I believe my anxiety is caused by a bartonella herx coupled with adrenal issues.

I am really having a hard time with this. I would love to hear from others how they are handling it.

I just wish I could die in my sleep.

.........

oh dear, hang in there. I remember feeling like dying at some of my worst moments too. It is the lyme and co-s making you feel that way.They can put really dark thoughts and feelings into a person. You have a long rd ahead of you to wade through this crap. But you have good doctors helping you. Even if you can get to 85% you will be so much better than you are now. Every time I felt at my lowest and had those dark thoughts, they would pass and then I would feel hope again. You will feel hope again too. Hang in there. Maybe Xanax isn't the right sedative for you? Perhaps ask your dr for valium? I really hope you feel better soon. When you feel really bad try telling yourself that this will pass and you will not always feel like this. So sorry.
Also, you Just started the rifampin and it kicks a powerful punch. for me the rifampin herx was horrible but then it was the very thing ( after a week or two) that gave me some relief. Hopefully in a week or two some light will come back into your being.

Maybe lay off on some of the herbals while you are in the early days of the rifampin, just to not over do it with the die off? alka seltzer gold can really help a herx pass too.

I am envisioning angels of well being love and light coming to your side and helping you. they are chipping away at the horribleness and putting love and peace and health back into you.

Post Edited (Katebirch) : 12/8/2014 10:56:09 AM (GMT-7)

My waking early would come and go in waves. The associated general anxiety takes untill late afternoon to improve. Morning are tough.

And to think I used to drink coffee in the AM, that would send me to the moon now.

When its real bad, I take valerian and niacin and hylands nerve tonic. It helps a little.

Thank you, all, for your kindness. It helps to know that I am not alone in this. I really do feel crazy sometimes. Anxiety is the worst symptom ever! I can deal with everything else. But constant anxiety is enough to make me want to jump in front of a bus! Lol.

I will keep posting here for support. I really need it.

I'm really scared to go through this craziness. I wonder how long before it lets up? I wonder why I am so sensitive to the meds? It must be the rifampin. Last time it was the flagyl! I'm only on 150 mgs of rifampin. I'm supposed to bump up to 300 mgs next week.

I wish I could just have some pain or numbness instead of the crazy anxiety, panic, crying, depression stuff. I wonder if I get that way because it's the Neurolyme that I have? So my herxes are in my head! I really feel like I'm emotionally unstable. Like I'm on the verge of a breakdown.

Thanks for listening and trying to help me. I feel awful.

Xoxoxo

Maybe it's the medication. Hate to say it, but it might be. I had a friend that took ativan, xanax, and valium. She had a surgery and ended up back in the hospital because the stress on her body or whatever made her go insane. She was trying to rip her face and chest off, punched a nurse in the face, punched the other one in the stomach...etc. Turns out it was a reaction from those meds.

She swore she needed them to function and had been taking them for years. She was extremely upset that she couldnt take them anymore. about 2 months off of them though, in hindsight she realized how much worse they made her. It did take 2 months for her to feel better though! Thats a long long long LOONGGG time to wait to see any results.

Those pills might seem like they are helping you, and I think they are great for people that do have a good reaction to them. My mom did wonderfully on them. But it makes it worse for some people. If you are relying on a pill to even you out and take you anxiety away you're not doing well. I really really hope that they are actually helping you and not making you worse!

Do you have a stressful life? Are you overwhelmed? Are you having family problems or anything? You should dig deep and see if there is a reason behind your anxiety. If there isn't, then blame it on the bugs. You have little bugs crawling through your entire body messing everything up. And that's not something you have control over. So be gentle on yourself. It's likely not a problem with YOU, just that you have crazy infections calling the shots right now.

My advice is to aware. I visualize the bugs in my brain messing with my dials when my anxiety gets out of control and it actually helps alot. I woke up in the middle of the night last night in tears because my anxiety was so bad. That stuff is no joke! But having a deep awareness of where its coming from and why makes all the difference for me. I don't get as swept up in it if I keep my focus on the bugs being the cause. I imagine the medicine and my immune system killing them and tell myself that I will win the fight becuase I'm stronger and smarter than they are.

It sounds silly, and it probably is. But it works for me. It took some practice but after a few weeks, I'm much more calm. I can let those feelings flow through me and it's easier to work through. I tell myself constantly that it's not a personality trait. It's not really ME feeling like that. You have a good reason to have anxiety girl! This stuff isn't easy! For me the awareness is key. As soon as I changed my perspective I felt better.

It will probably come back to bite me in the butt at some point. And I'll be ready for it! I'll be there for myself and get myself through it. I'll tell myself that I love me enough to be gentle and that everything will be OK. I'll tell myself it won't last forever. And I will come here and cry to all of you loving, compassionate souls. I know I can always count on all of you to help me through the hardest of times.

You can do this!!

I had/have horrible anxiety. (Have Lyme, babesia and bart for 2.5 years.) I noticed changing up the meds helps a little or Ativan can also help.
Also ...one of the hardest parts (for me anyways) was to truly accept the disease and not allow it to control you. Even though at times it seems as though it does, you have to take a time out for yourself.
Incorporating activities such as yoga or even a brief meditation can help with some of the anxiety. It took me years to get a grip on my anxiety and I'm still struggling day to day but it is much better now than in the past...

My anxiety is not psychological. I am not worried or stressed. I don't get situational anxiety. My anxiety is very physiologic in nature. The switch to my "panic button" on my brain gets turned on every morning.

I recently read a paper in a psychiatry journal. Wish I had saved it. It compared regular anxiety disorder to anxiety induced by Lyme. The psychiatrist was saying how so many people get labelled with general anxiety disorder when in fact they really have Lyme!

Some of the points the author made which should be a red flag for Lyme:

- anxiety/panic starts midlife or later.....never had it before
- no family history
- anxiety meds/antidepressants don't help much or make it worse
- the attack is severe, and /or drawn out. Does not blow over fast.

I'm sure there were more points made, but I can't remember. But I fit into all of those! Drives me nuts that I was wrongly labelled the last 6 yrs! And because I was only being treated with psych drugs and not abx, the Lyme has caused more symptoms over the years.......weakness, fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, hair loss. Of coarse I was told all of those symptoms are from anxiety. Lol.

Sugar does not seem to influence my attacks. I wish it were that simple.

Utah gal maybe it's an issue with your vagus nerve? Also if your heart is beating irregularly it can give you instant anxiety, that might explain the timing of it too waking you up like that..

I wonder if your cortisol levels are higher now. Some ABX increases the potency of other medications.

A pharmacist told me this. I had to lower thyroid med from ABX use - Flagle, doxy.

No, I haven't checked for metals. Maybe I should ask my LLMD?

My new increased anxiety is definitely a result of the flagyl and rifampin. They stirred up a hornets nest!