Can't sleep, seeing things that aren't there, imaging the worst...

I feel like I'm going crazy. First of all, a little general information.. I am a 23 year old, married female with no children.. I've been seeing dark shadows out of the corner of my eye. When I look at the shadows they disappear. Some are small like a cat, others are as tall as a man. Also, I feel like my skin is crawling contantly. It gets worse at night. It even happens in the shower. It feels like tiny bugs, but I never have bites or marks and my husband doesn't have this problem even though we share a bed. Another problem is that I imagine awful things happening on a daily basis. Sometimes I imagine things so horrible that it makes me cry. I can't sleep, I can't stop thinking about things. Am I going crazy? My doctor put me on Lexapro but it caused me to show no emotion. I was completely cold but calm. I quit taking them months ago at my husband's request. I have gotten to where I regularly have migraines and pain in my chest, left shoulder and arm. Sometimes I can barely breathe. I don't know what to do. I'm desperate for relief from this. Any opinion is greatly appreciated.

Hi

Good to meet you and I am glad you have posted here you will find good support and understanding from the other members here. I can relate to what you wrote in your post and have had all the same symptoms as you which for me get worse when I am feeling more anxious.

Lexapro is a good medication I was on that for a couple of years and I found it to work well for me but when it comes to AD we are all different and what works well for one person may not work as well for an other. The best people to speak with regarding these types of medication is a psychiatrist.

Have you looked into doing any kind of talking therapies such as CBT or Mindfulness? I have done both and found them both very beneficial in helping me to find ways of controlling my symptoms better so may be something you could look into. There is a lot of information on the web such as www.moodgym.com have a look and read through the information. I hope you feel better soon but please keep posting here we want to support you through this rough time.

Take Care

Hibee

Hi and welcome!

I am sorry that you are going through so much at the moment. anxiety can be a scary and confusing issue to deal with!

I do have to echo Hibee's advice in regards to considering therapy to help you manage your anxiety. This has helped so many of us here, myself included.;)

We also have a great Resource Guide here (main page, 1st post) that is full of self-help ideas. The breathing and relaxation/meditation exercise instuctions found there will help you to get started. Practicing these everyday, will reduce your anxiety levels...thus reducing symptoms!

Auditory, and especially visual hallucinations such as the ones you described (seeing things out of the corner of you eye) are not unusual with anxiety problems. However, you don't have to live with them! Seeking help for your issues will lead to a good recovery for you!

Keep posting with us if you find it helpful.:)

Talk to you later,

Scaredy Cat

Mam I have never taken an SSRI but I have used many different blood pressure meds and one of them
did me the same way you describe it was called Ellivel and I was flat lined as far as emotions it did control my bp but I just couldn't stand the effect. Peace

Larry ***