Severe anxiety

Can folks recommend or share ideas on reducing severe anxiety that I am experiencing.

People have mentioned having Neuro Lyme. Is the severe anxiety indicative of having this?

Welcome to our community, Gbryan!

I'm sorry you're having the anxiety...but I am glad you found us here.
There is a lot of knowledge and support here...so keep reading, posting, asking questions.


It would be helpful for you to read through the thread at the top of the page titled: "New to Lyme?..Start Here!" It's packed full of good information.

Yes - a symptom of Neurolyme is anxiety.

Would you be interested in sharing some more information?

I think we were posting at the same time, PeteZa!

I also had anxiety and depression at the same time...talk about adding insult to injury...it was horrible.

Hi there Gbryan, I am sorry to hear that you are suffering with this, I know how difficult it is, as do many others here.

One of the most important ways to reduce your symptoms, especially while herxing, but also while doing any treatment, is though detox. Since it sounds like you have only been treating for a month it is not unusual for you not to have made significant steps forward in your healing yet. But do know that when anxiety and depression is caused by Lyme, then ultimately treating the Lyme will mean that these symptoms will go away too.

Personally I found that pharmacuticals for the anxiety and depression did not help me, they infact made my symptoms worse, but I know that they have been very, very effective for others.

Would it be possible to discuss some alternatives with your LLMD? For example I take tryptophan, which has helped me (in conjunction with SAMe and kudzu and ashwaganda), others find that motherwort brings relief (though you do have to take care with possible thyroid interactions).

Honestly I think it is a case of finding the one that works best for you (or combo), which can take a little trial and error, which is why your LLMDs input might be useful and also that you can be sure that anything else that you wnat to try isn't contraindicated with the clonazapam and fetzima or anything else you are taking. I stopped all pharmacutical meds for depresison and anxiety BEFORE I started the herbal meds that I am taking now for these symptoms.

Ultimately though, I would say that doing as much detox as possible will be of great benefit regardless, have you seen the detox info on tiredoflyme.com? There are some great ideas there.

I've been taking L-Theanine for anxiety when herxing, it really helps. But if you're already taking clonazepam it's definitely not as strong as that.

I was actually considering getting a script for xanax or clonazepam but it seems they may impair your immune system, so it might be worth trying to switch to a natural option.

www.goodtherapy.org/blog/studies-show-klonopin-and-xanax-may-impair-immune-system-101612

Yes, my cortisol levels were high (in range, but only just, and my evening level was above the normal range). I personally think that while they were in range they were to high for me.

Lowering your stress levels is a must, as this is a big contributor to Lyme symptoms. I couldn't handle what I would refer to as 'everyday stress' without feeling completely overwhelmed.

Silly Sheep -
I am the same way. Normal stressors send me into a panic.
My only symptoms right now are Neuro - lack of concentration, foggy brain, depression, panic, anxiety. I do not have joint pain, much fatigue

My test came back positive. I have enormous stress right now. Is it Lyme or is it stress? I am so confused. Has anyone else had just the neuro symptoms and not others? If so did treating the lyme help?

astroman,
I don't know what kind of Lyme I have. they tested me for the most common I guess.
taking antibiotic doxycycline
detoxing with magnesium, Epsom salt bathes, Energetix - Rehydration and Fields of flowers.
Recommendations for detoxing?

If yiou have a look at www.tiredlyme.com you will find some great detoxing suggestions :)

Life stressors are normal, big or small, but it is the Lyme that means that you cannot deal with them in a 'normal' way, so they become overwhelming. Treating the Lyme is what will get you back to being able to deal with the stress of life again.

I have Lyme and Bart and treating these has definately helped. I can deal with things in a far more rational way....like I used to before I got lyme :) Also taking the suplements like tryptophan made a big difference to me too.

Hi Gbryan,

The benzodiazepine, clonazepam, as well as other benzos (Ativan, Xanax, Valium, etc.) can cause similar side effects as Lyme and its co-infections. 4 mg is a pretty high dose. What happens is your symptoms from benzos will get worse as you become tolerarant to the drug and you will either have to up your dose to prevent further anxiety or SLOWLY come off the med which will also cause withdrawal effects. A good site to view is benzobuddies.org. Just some interesting info for you.

Patty

You only started treatment a month ago and then stopped the antibiotics? If this is a true statement then you need to be back on treatment. That is the ONLY way you will get over lyme disease. It does not heal by just "running its course" like a cold does. You must have treatment.

The lyme bugs in you are living and dying. You kill the living ones with treatment (antibiotics in your case) and you get rid of the dead ones by detoxing.

If I were you I would start detoxing NOW. www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html

I just tried that page and it is not working right now but here are some things you can do.

Drink lots of water. And if you can squeeze a little bit of lemon into this water. This will help your innards get rid of the waste, which is the dead bugs.

Do you have a bath brush? If you do it is helpful to dry brush your skin prior to getting into the shower. Our skin is a living breathing organ and you can get some of the dead bugs out that way too.

Those are a couple of easy starters and you should add a new detox way as often as you can. This way you are helping your body get rid of the dead bugs that the dying in their cycling life.

You should do what your doctor says and combined with this detoxing you will feel less horrible.

Make sure you tell your doctor about all your meds. Also tell him about your thyroid and adrenal questions. He should be told everything, including your anxiety and depression.

I sat at my first visit and cried telling everything, so don't feel alone in this. I do suggest you write everything down and take a pen so you can write down his answers. You want to take complete advantage of his time with you and you want to be able to read it later in case you forget.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. You will do fine and you will get better. It will take some time. And it is very hard with a husband that doesn't understand. Under Our Skin is a video he can watch and there are many other videos on YouTube that you can see if he should watch with you.

As for your son, kids are so very resilient. My Mom was very sick when I was about 8 years old and what I remember the most is that she let me make dinner for the whole family! I got to start the washing machine. I felt empowered and necessary. I did not know how sick she was until I was in my 20's and we talked about it. Just some hints..

~Annette

I am hurting for you, it is so hard to try to live a normal life while having Lyme. I had so much anxiety in the first 6 months that I would curl up in a ball on the sofa for hours. It felt like a panic attack on steroids. It was the Lyme, another part of the disease since I did not have anxiety before becoming ill. I also out of necessity had to go back to work after about 6 months and it was really difficult. It was 2 years before I had an actual diagnosis and treatment with IV Rocephin, I thought that I was never going to be the same me..... but it does improve and you will get stronger.
It is especially difficult for spouses to understand the level of feeling bad that we experience. You feel like you are going to die but it is invisible from the outside.
Hope you begin healing soon. We here know how hard this is for you. Is there a Lyme support group near you? It may help to have a couple of people who understand what you are going through.