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anti-anxiety medication

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/27/2008 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
has anyone tried any anti-anxiety medication?  My mother suggested that I might give it a try and talk to my doctor about it.  I have a very high stress personality, I have been doing pretty well for the past 3 months about it.  But i can feel myself getting stressed again, and I get exam anxiety really bad, so during finals I am a mess!  Any suggestions?  I use to do yoga, but I had back surgery to remove a pilinaidal cyst and its still healing so working out and yoga are difficlut with out pain.  I started walking outside every day for about 30 mins (well almost every day depending on the weather.)  But I still feel like I have high anxiety.
Posted 3/27/2008 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Anti-anxiety meds only made me a zombie, but I was also on anti-spasmodics at the time, so maybe it was a double whammy. Have you considered mindfulness meditation? It could give you the stress relief of yoga without the physical component.
Posted 3/27/2008 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
I had fear aniexty do you have this? I was afraid of my own shadow and I couldn't even tell you why. I know when I'm in a bad flare my body sugar might be off, but I get scared sometimes when driving. More protein less table sugar.

Posted 3/27/2008 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
close your left nostril with finger and breathe through right only . it helps in my anxiety . XANAX is the popular anti anxiety med and it is highly addictive also . take it for few days and see..
Posted 3/27/2008 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't say i have fear anxiety, its more of a stressful anxiety. But I also feel like my mind is ALWAYS working, I am always thinking and over thinking about everything and anything. I get really bad test anxiety and I also am doing some student teaching and I got really bad anxiety when I got in front of the class on Wednesday, it was my first day as PE lead teacher, and the class was a little all over the place. But I just feel like i can't let things go, i have been trying to work on this, but I can't just stop thinking about things I have to do, or could have done better, or converstaions I had or wish i would have said something. UGH i just need a way to shut my brain off some times, it also makes it difficult to sleep sometimes but thats a whole different issue. Thanks for the input everyone!
Posted 3/28/2008 12:10 AM (GMT 0)

 I too seem to have the same type of anxiety you do.  I just can't calm down I guess, my mind is always going.  The prednisone didn't help me either.  I have that vicious cycle of not sleeping well from the pred, getting up early for school, working hard, studying, and all that and then trying to function but I just didn't have anything left in me.  I too developed test anxiety.  It sucks!  I have started taking Lexapro 10mg daily and then I take 1/2 a 0.125mg Xanax at night to sleep if I need it.  I was totally against these things to start but I went to see my family doctor about my sleeping issues (because my GI doc was not familiar with sleeping meds) because I knew that was out of control and my doc suggested the Lexapro too.  I trust her, so I took it.  I came home and told my boyfriend that she said I have anxiety and he was like "you know what, that is totally it".  yeah I think it has helped.  I just don't have that "up and down" feeling anymore.  My number one complaint was that I couldn't have that kind of feeling and effectively be in nursing school.  I think it has done what it is supposed to.  I highly recommend.  I also saw someone wrote about Xanax being addictive and I have heard that too but in my experience... and keep in mind it's only MY experience... I have not had any trouble stopping/starting taking it and really never feel like I have to have it or anything.  I haven't felt anything like that.  Good luck lizzielu!

Becky

Posted 3/28/2008 12:27 PM (GMT 0)
So.. do you all think it's the medications that are causing the anxiety or the UC itself?? I have recently been thinking I have anxiety issues... but only really since I started the Entocort. Sometimes in a stressful situation I get the shakes. But like I said, I have been blaming the Entocort for this. However.. the more I think about it... the more I wonder if the anxiety/stress actually caused my most recent flare up... and not the Entocort.. because I only started Entocort during my flare up. Hmmmm.... any help would be appreciated on this one !!!
Posted 3/28/2008 1:29 PM (GMT 0)
for me i know that i had high anxiety, and very high stress before dx with UC. But i really do not think that the UC or meds have helped any. I think i get more anxiety from the meds, especially the pred side effects. And last year after i was dx, looking back on it i become very depressed and everyone around me noticed a huge change (not for the better). But I've tried to redue my out look on life and situations, it has been tough but i did pretty well for a while, but i can totally feel myself getting high anxiety. I can just feel it all over, i get extreamly tense. I tryed explaining this to my boyfriend and he just thinks adding another medication is unnecassary and that i can do it on my own. I tryed to explain the feeling but I just couldn't put it into words. Next time i meet with my doctor it is for sure something that i see worth talking over with him. Thank you everyone!
Posted 3/28/2008 4:30 PM (GMT 0)

  I just wanted to reply to the question about is it the UC meds causing the anxiety or are we just anxious?  I think that I have always been a little more affected by stress.  However, I have always been able to keep the "UC" part of my life in "it's own little cage" so to speak.  I went to college, got a degree, worked a job and it was a bothersome issue sometimes but it never took over my life.... until this fall.  I was a slave to the UC.  It affected my ability to work, to function in school and hurt my relationships.  I could no longer keep it together like I had.  This is where the anxiety came in.  I was in a really uncontrolled flare (no meds were working) and I was really getting scared that I was going to get in trouble at work, get kicked out of school, my boyfriend would leave me and that I would continue to be sick because nothing was working for me.  What I'm trying to say is that I think the unpredictability of this disease and the way it butts in your regular life can make someone who normally can handle stress crack.  That's my take on it at least.  I finally went in to my GI doc and said I "couldn't take it anymore!"  I have started working with a chronic illness psychologist in order to better deal with the UC.  I think I was maybe in some kind of denial before of how much it should be a part of my life.  Working with a psychologist is kind of a new trend... I know at Rush University Hospital in Chicago they are starting an "Irritable Bowel Disease Program" that incorporates a gastro doc, psychologist and a nutritionist to provide you with overall care.  That's the attitude I've taken is that it is going to affect me in a lot of ways and I'm learning to not let it take over.  Hope this helps... I know I am rambling.  :)

Becky

Posted 3/28/2008 11:00 PM (GMT 0)
Many with a Chronic illness IMHO have anxiety and may also have panic attacks talk to your doc there is self help techniques like deep breathing, relaxation, Cognitive behavioural Therapy in conjuction with anti anxiety meds
Small doses usually will not bother you or at least have not bothered me and I have been on them for years I suffer with social anxiety, SAD, anxiety and just plain all around am an anxious person prone to sudden panic attacks
I have done many of the self help regimes and for me they have worked
Check out some of the a/p posts and see if something may help you there
Just a thought

LYN

LYN
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