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Posted 8/24/2011 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

I had anxiety since I was 14yrs old and now I'm 30yrs old I been on paxil cr for a very long time and like the end of June I began to get this pressure type tension headache everyday and all I thought was " do I have a tumor could it be something very badd" so I use to think that I might pass out or something and that made me very nervous so I used to think the worse and that cause my anxiety to come and I hated it, so I might of thought that it was the paxil giving me this headache so I decided to stop taken it on my own which I did not know I was not suppose to do that so I went through the withdraws.. And 2 weeks pass and my headache/pressure still haven't go away I was getting them everyday and I didn't want to go out or do nothing cause all I was thinking is what if I pass out what if something might happen to me. So all I did was stay home I July came all my friends went to the beach, traveling and I did was stay home just nervous and felted like crying cause I wanted to go but my headache stopped me.. So then I went to my phycatrist and I told him how I been feeling and he told me that that's part of my anxiety it's cause stress headache so I told him that I stop taking my paxil so he was kinda MADD that I didn't called he and let him know because I was suppose to taper off slowly so now it was like the end of July so he told why did I decide to stop taking it and I told him why, so then he said ok let's try Prozac so I started taking them everyother day so I was on my 10th Prozac and I felted the same the tension didn't go away and I still felted nervous and very emotional and kinda weak, so two days ago I had another appointment so I went and he told me how was I doing and I told him that I felt the same I didn't felt improvement all I do it's wanna be home and I don't like to be alone and just be sad and always thinking negative stuff, like when will this go away why is this happening to me will I ever be normal... So he told me it takes more then 2 weeks for the medice to actually work and he told me to still take them but everyday now.. So I said ok and yesterday I suppose to take but I over slept and couldn't take it but I will today.. And these past days like I been feeling very afraid and feel like crying I don't know why, and I tried so many pain killers for my head and nothing works.. What do u guys think about everything I said?
Posted 8/24/2011 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hey BabyGabe. You have to be careful with medicine... be it self medicating or deciding to get off of a medicine without the input of a doctor. As you know now, there are medicines that you have to taper off of or you can experience some pretty bad side effects.

Anxiety can most definitely cause stress headaches. I get those! When you're stressed the tension seems to go right up the back and shoulders and into the head. NOT FUN! Best thing for that of course would be to just relax. turn Wish I could do that! Easier said than done. turn Anxiety can also cause you to feel like you're going to faint, but you won't. Do your friends know that you suffer from anxiety? Sometimes confiding in a good friend or friends really makes all the difference. Not everyone has anxiety/panic, but a lot of people are going through something in their lives.. and will have empathy.

Glad you're seeing a psychiatrist. Combination talking and meds can be effective. Different approaches and meds work for different people. It's true that it takes some time for medicines to reach their effective stage... just try to be patient. You're far from alone in everything you've been dealing with regarding anxiety and how it's affecting your life. I think the headaches are probably stress induced... that would be my guess. You could always see a neurologist if you choose.. they often deal with migraines and whatnot and they could definitely rule out anything more serious should this provide you with peace of mind. They might have a better idea on how to deal with the pain or otherwise lessen the severity and frequency of the headaches. Do you suffer from allergies during the summer?

Just another thought off of the top of my head.. you could ask your Dr. if you could take a muscle relaxant.. it might relax your muscles enough to be helpful.. would just have to be careful about the side effects of that medicine and follow the suggestions on how to take and what not to do while taking. Stretching or yoga also comes to mind when you're mentioning these headaches. Anything that you can do to relax yourself and your body.

Anyway, hope there's something helpful in my rambling. :) Anxiety and all its friends are very annoying!!! rolleyes

Present "Two Cents" Tensed

P.S. Usually missing a dose of medicine.. the instructions just say to skip that dose and resume with the next scheduled dose, (don't want to take two doses too close together). All depends on the medicine. Missing one dose shouldn't affect the good this medicine may do.
Posted 8/24/2011 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your relpy PresentTensed :).... Yes my friends do know about my anxiety some tell me to get up from bed and walk around or go to the park but I am so lazy to get up and ones my head hurts I feel like laying back down again and don't want to be bother, sometimes when they even come over I tell someone in my house to tell them I'm sleepy cause I want to be alone but I do have one friend who stays with me and helps out alot I feel very conftabel around him cause he knows me the best and know how to calm me down if I have a anxiety attack or just feel very down... No I don't suffer from allergies but I do always have a stuffed up nose and it never goes away I tried e erything and it just still stay stuffed I always gotta breath through my mouth and also I have sleep apnea if that counts but I don't use my machine cause the air is too strong and get me light headed.. So I hardly don't have a good night sleep... Yes I was taking a muscle relaxant called cyclobenzaprine I believe thats how it's spelled for the tension but it worked like for 2 days and I stop taking them it did made me sleep though but I stop them I haven't told my dr yet.. I do wanna see a neurologist but I gotta call my dr to recommend me to one, I will call him tomorrow and talk about that. Later on I'm going to a chiropractor hopefully that will release some tension, thank you again and have a good day.
Posted 8/25/2011 12:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hello and welcome,

I am wondering if you have been seen by your PCP for a medical screening exam to rule out any physical problems for you feelings.

If you choose  to go the direction of not taking meds, you should do this under the supervision of your p-doc if your p-doc agrees that this is in your best interest. I would strongly recommend that you look into therapy as right now you seem to be very lost and confused.

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. Check out our resources above and you will find a free online site for CBT that you can work from home if you cannot find a CBT program in your area.

You can ask people to help and support you but in the end you are the one that must make the decision to beat your anxiety. Accepting anxiety is easy in prinicple (after all, it is a completely harmless phenomena that is also completely natural; anxiety can not hurt you) however, anxiety has evolved over millions of years to be extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable. That is it's function, to kick us into action. Learning to accept it is your first step toward beating it.

Posted 8/26/2011 12:47 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you stkitt for your reply... Sorry but what it a medical screening exam? I never have been told about that exam. I try to fight the anxiety but it always seem to win, you can say I'm afraid of it when it's coming I pannick and that's starts my anxiety attack, I guess I need to practice on how to beat it lol, I will do my research on how to face it and try to beat it, thank you again.
Posted 8/26/2011 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi BBGB, I'll try to answer for Kitt as she is out of town right now.

I think what she is referring to is just a regular check-up from your doctor. (PCP=primary care physician)

It is always a good idea, when having physical symptoms, to get an all clear from your dr. to rule out any health issues. Then you can be sure that it is anxiety causing the issues, and start to/continue to treat it.

I hope that you find the answers that you need soon. Do you also do any type of program with your p-doc such as CBT? I would really encourage you to if you haven't, or revisit it again as a booster if your anxiety is ramping up again. I myself had to go through it twice (not a fast learner I guess;p) and it was completely worth it!

Take care and let us know how you are doing soon,
Scaredy Cat
Posted 9/1/2011 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
When I go see him I will ask him about that. Thank you for the info and for your posting.
Posted 9/14/2011 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
My appointment is change to Friday :)
Posted 9/19/2011 3:39 AM (GMT 0)
I too am experiencing this tension headache. It is a pain in the ass. Aghhhhhh...I got this tension headache after I started using Xanax and Ativan I believe. Before I didn't have it this bad...I was having just normal panic attacks so I ask someone I knew that had Xanax so I can try it out. I used it for almost 2 weeks using just 1 pill a day and it seemed to work when I had the panics...I soon ran out of Xanax and was prescribed Ativan when I went to the ER..I took those and it worked better than Xanax for me...Works differ for different people I guess..but I too ran out of those...now I'm experiencing more severe physical anxiety than before which lasted everyday for this entire week and continuing as of right now my head is hurting...I notice when I get a massage on it relieves it for a short term. Oh yeah I got another set of Ativan and was taking em but I completely just stopped. I didn't read that your supposed to take half a pill 3 times a day. I would take it one pill once a day. But yeah..I don't want to rely on any of these pills. I guess I didn't wean off them either cause I didn't know nothing bout em. Dude never told me anything bout it.
Posted 9/19/2011 3:47 AM (GMT 0)
I'm thinking it could be my teeth causing the tension headaches so I got a appt next month..since I've only been to the dentist twice in my life when I was in elementary..now I'm 28...try that see if it's causing em..I'll update and see what happs...
Posted 10/19/2011 3:48 AM (GMT 0)
I went to a neurologist and he checked me out and said I dot have nothing badd in my head. So I asked what could it be, and he said it cam be the way I sleep or badd posture I think and to also go see a chiropractor that I might work for my headaches, that's all... I still getting them and they make soo nervous, I hate it...

I don't know what's next.
Posted 10/19/2011 7:24 AM (GMT 0)
Does anyone else get the feeling of strangulation or that you just cant get any decent breaths? i havent been able to shake this feeling for 6 days and its destressing me so much, ive been to hospital and to 3 different doctors. they perscribed vallium, is there anything else i can take that is more effective? some time sit gets so bad im gasping for air, altho my heart rate, BPM and all other vital signs say im fine.
Does anyone have any advise?
Posted 10/19/2011 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
To BabyGaBe, and Anxi_angel,

Baby, I am so glad to hear that all went well at the neurologists visit! That is a relief to know that it could be something as simple as an alignment issue. I have had chronic headaches that lasted for a couple of weeks at a time. Mine were caused by tension, and diet...when I am really stressed, I tense up constantly in my shoulders, and I also don't eat enough, so both of those combined make for a whopper of a headache(s).

Follow through with the chiropractor, do your progressive muscle relaxation exercises, and look into getting a good ergonomic support pillow:)

To Anxi, Hi and welcome to the forum. I am sorry that you are having the difficulty breathing! That is frightening and miserable. The more you focus on it, the worse it can get, right?

I had this problem early on in my anxiety. I found that therapy, and practicing breathing exercises were the best solutions for me. It seems strange to 'practice breathing' when you are having trouble doing it in the first place...but these help the process to become natural and automatic again...not hyjacked by the anxiety!

We have a great Resource Guide (main page 3rd post) with links that teach some of the breathing techniques. I also have a favorite one that saved me...if you are interested, post back, and I'll copy it here for you:)

Take care both of you!

Scaredy Cat
Posted 10/25/2011 3:50 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the info cat.. I have a question I'm very obese I'm 5'6 and weight 467 pounds could that be part of the reason why I have all these problems?
Posted 10/25/2011 4:24 AM (GMT 0)
Not as far as the anxiety goes...there are people of all sizes and shapes who deal with anxiety.

Over-all good health is of course a good place to start when trying to heal and recover from anything, be it physical or mental...but easier said than done right?

We can all tend to self-medicate with our 'comfort of choice' whether it's alcohol, nicotine, food, ect...I don't know anyone who hasn't had a coping vice!

But if you can make small, steady steps toward better over-all health, you could start to see your symptoms decrease:)

Consult with your doctor on how to get started if you want to give it a try.

I hope that you are feeling better this week, and keep up the good work on finding the path to wellness!

S.C.
Posted 10/27/2011 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Do you think my anxiety headache will never go away?
Posted 10/27/2011 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
That is hard to answer...anxiety is often a chronic condition, and if this is a major symptom for you, then it could be something that you will have to deal with off and on.

Getting into therapy and/or learning some self-help relaxation techniques will help in reducing your stress levels, thus reducing your symptoms, but if the anxiety creeps up again, you may get the returning headaches.

For me, when I get anxious, I can get headaches and other 'favorite' symptoms that my body likes to throw at me, like dizziness. When this happens, I know that it's time to work on my coping strategies to bring my level down.

I can be anxious without even realizing it, but the symptoms are a dead give away, and I start my breathing, relaxation, positive mantras, ect., to try and relax:)

Try some of the techniques taught in our Resource Guide. You may have to do them everyday for awhile. (remember you didn't get to this anxiety point in one day, and it will take some time to reverse it too!) I think you will find that it will start to work for you:)

Hope you feel better soon,
S.C.
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