Just joined. Am desperate!

I don't know what to do with myself. My doctor says I have anxiety. I don't believe him! I think I have something really wrong with me. Physical symptoms constantly! My head feels all wrong. Like it's being squished or pressure from inside. Then bad pain sometimes too. My heart rate is all over the place. Racing like it's going to explode sometimes. I am shaking uncontrollably constantly. From the minute I wake up til I fall asleep from exhaustion. Only to wake several times in the night gripped with fear. I've stopped sleeping in my bed. I am too scared to go into a quiet dark room. I think I'm going to die in there. So I sit up with the telly on all night. Sleeping sporadically. I've been on 20mg fluoxetine for 4 weeks, but it was doing nothing. So it got increased a few days ago to 40 mg. Still no change. Worse maybe. I have tried diazepam when I'm really bad but that works for about half an hour before I'm back to square one :-(((. My stomach is hurting so much too. All the time!! I can't eat at all. My whole body just hurts and feels wrong. I need to know what to do. I can't go on like this I really can't!!!!
M

Hi and welcome! Reading your post brought back many memories of the onset of my anxiety. I was also afraid to fall asleep for fear of not waking up. I needed a night light for the first time in my life! I didn't believe that my sypmtoms were all anxiety caused either. There is hope though, today I am soooooo much better. I can sleep, eat and get through the day without panic, and much redudced anxiety! Looks from your post like you have seen a doctor, which is good. May I also suggest that you look into therapy? It is a long term solution to many who suffer with A/P. I credit my recovery to it. Stick aroung here too. Read the archives-I'm sure that you will be able to relate to many of them as I did. Let us know how you are doing-we understand and care
Be well,
Scaredy Cat

Hi and welcome. Yeah, it's crazy how many different and extreme physical symptoms can arise from anxiety and panic. When my anxiety first started I was afraid I had a heart condition because I was skipping heartbeats and my left arm would hurt. I was afraid to go to a doctor because I was afraid of having invasive tests done and/or having surgery. I would shake and shiver, I couldn't sleep, and I barely got off the floor for days in a row. At one point I thought my heart was so weak that I would jog in place "to strengthen my heart", but then because it was late lie down hoping to fall asleep. As I lied there I would think about how my heartrate was slowing down. "What if it keeps slowing down and eventually stops?!" So I'd jump back up and jog some more. I did this every night and wouldn't fall asleep until around 4-5AM out of sheer exhaustion. Then I had to get up an hour or two later to go to work. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and had the tests done (nothing invasive as I feared). I was told that there was no medical reason for my symptoms. I then had to put the pieces together myself and with the help of other, multiple professionals in order to realize and confirm that I really did have an anxiety problem. Nobody came out and actually said, "this seems like anxiety". But a proper diagnosis is important because, only when you know what you're dealing with can you make progress towards overcoming it.

If you're taking medication it often takes awhile, 4-8 weeks often to feel the real benefit. But there's also the question of which medication and how much (dosage) will work for your unique body chemistry. It can be a long and frustrating process - so try to be patient. And as was already mentioned you may want to consider therapy. It can help you to learn techniques to help you through specific challenging moments as well as to explore where the anxiety is coming from in the first place. You can always get a second medical opinion if it makes you feel better, but I'm glad to see that you're at least considering the possibility that this could be anxiety. You may also want to look back at some of the older posts where there are discussions about physical symptoms, fear, anxiety in the bedroom, etc. I wish you well!

Hi,

Just a few thoughts here regarding your symtoms.  Have you always been an anxious person?  Has anything happened in your life that may have brought on anxiety?  Have you lost a loved one...lost a job or changed jobs.  Have you moved recently...developed an illness...have you changed your diet or have you had your blood sugar checked?  Many things can happen that can send us into anxiety.  I've always been what I've called a "high-strung" person...not long ago I suffered through family deaths...I stopped smoking and drinking alcohol and had also changed my eating habits because of becoming pre-diabetic.  All of this really sent me over the edge.  I developed insomnia, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, shortness of breath.  So many symtoms!  I've been through many physical exams and everything is normal.  Anxiety can make us feel as if we're dying.  We aren't dying...just knowing what is happening to us can start us on the road to healing.  I am getting better every day and you can, too.  Take care...Joni

17 years is a long time to suffer without knowing why. It took me about ten years before I realized that some of my thoughts, actions, attitudes, etc. were causing me anxiety and I've paid the price for not addressing it sooner.

So I congratulate you for taking these first steps and exploring your history. At the same time, I would encourage you to have a support system so that you don't have to go through this alone. In instances like this when you start uncovering things you might feel a little worse before you feel a whole lot better. I don't say that to scare you or make your more anxious, but rather to encourage you to keep going. If you're just discovering now that you've had anxiety for at least 17 years, you might next start asking "what was happening then?" or "what's different about when I'm anxious and when I'm not?". Not to push the issue, but these are some of the things that therapists can help you to explore in a safe and supportive environment.

Im not a doctor but when my anxiety was at the worst which sounds like yours i was on fluoxetine it did nothing but made me feel like i was taking really rubbish extacy, my doc put me on miritzapine which at first was horrible made me very jumpy, after a couple of weeks it did calm me down then 3months later i manged to come off them, still not 100% yet but getting there.

Try to observe your thoughts, like a river, instead of getting taken away by the flow of the river imagine your standing on the side watching it. when you feel the fear try not to put a thought to it, instead simply observe the fear. If you dont put a thought to the fear it has no where to go and dissolves. (not easy to do but when you get it, you mind goes quite)

the worst thing about anxiety is its yourself doint it, and of course you cant fight yourself.

I have had the stomach pains too, along with jaw pain, constant headaches the lot. sounds odd but dont fight it, makes it worse, could not sleep either for months.

Its not nice, you will get there. just hold on.

Hi M,

I am just giving you a bit of info that may help you understand why the medication may work for you.

Modern studies indicate that as a result of past, present or perceived circumstances that occurred to an individual, a chemical imbalance may have occurred in the brain. The emotions we feel are based on the release and reuptake of neurotransmitters in the brain. This is how cells within the brain communicate. Feelings off anxiety are triggered by an imbalance of specific 'neurochemicals' in the brain. The specific neurotransmitters that may be affected include serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA and dopamine.

When we feel stressed, anxious or depressed, our brains may be releasing or absorbing (re-uptake) chemicals either too rapidly or too slowly. If left untreated, a chemical imbalance disorder may increase in severity as time passes.

My disorder is chemical imbalance but that does not mean my meds are the cure all.   I still have anxiety that I have to work through and I have a therapist who has helped me greatly as well as a Pdoc that prescirbes my meds and also works with me.  Everyone has to choose for themselves whether or not to go with medications.  I support your choice. 

Remember there are many different forms of anxiety disorders and anxiety treatment.  It is good to know if you have generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obessive/compulsive disorder or PTSD to name a few.

I am going to post the info for the free online CBT course that you can take from home on your computer.  It has helped many.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts
cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations,
and events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to
feel / act better even if the situation does not change.

the MOOD Gym : http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

Kindly,

Kitt