Struggling with Anxiety Could Use any Tips or Insight

Unfortunately the last year of my life has not been too great. The day after my 18th birthday (I am 19 now my birthday is on July 12th) I woke up, went downstairs and had a random vertigo spell. I remember I couldn't see anything and it felt like the world was spinning. After getting some water and a cold towel over my head the extreme spinning had stopped but i was left with an "off" feeling. Since then over the course of a year i have had the vertigo trip without the blacked out vision 2 additional times. Also, since then I have gotten multiple blood tests, an EKG, an MRI of my brain, an X Ray of my neck, and a neurological exam, and an examination by an ENT. All of my results have come back to be normal and I am thankful for that. Every doctor that I have been to believes that the incidence might have been a fluke thing or it may have been caused by my anxiety. I have had anxiety my whole life and have never had that happen before. This has only made me more anxious and depressed and has added some new symptoms i have never felt before along with it. I still think that there is something wrong with me like a neurological problem, although i would dread for there to be because i feel i would not be able to handle the fact if there was and i would do something bad to myself(i'm a perfectionist.) I've never heard of someone with anxiety having the same physical symptoms that I have. I also cannot comprehend how this could be anxiety because even when i feel that i am relaxed I still have the same symptoms. My real question to myself is should i be worried that there is something seriously wrong with me or should i just accept that what im going through is anxiety, and if it is anxiety what can i do about it to maintain it and overcome this dreadful unknown symptoms because when I try to say that it is anxiety in my head I can never get it to stick and it never feels right saying that. (Symptoms that I am having: dizziness, off balanced/unsteadiness, sore/heavy muscles and limbs, brain fog, trouble concentrating, anxiety, fear of impending doom, depression, muscle spasms in mainly my arms, legs, and back, feeling like im going to fall/drop, feeling like a force is pulling me down, feeling like the ground is shaking, difficulty getting to sleep, overall just not feeling right) There's probably more I can come up with but those are the ones that I can think of right now.These symptoms are not 24/7 but they are there for most of the day. If someone thinks that they could possibly help me I would deeply appreciate it. (Side-note: about 2 months ago I stopped meeting with my therapist because we were in this cycle of a cat and mouse game where he would tell me to get a job and that would alleviate the way i feel and i told him i want to feel better before i get a job. I also was taking medicine when this incident occurred and was taking it for years but have stopped taking it about three months ago. The latest medicine I took was 75 mg of venlafaxine also known as Effexor. I have also been told by a new psychiatrist I saw but have also stopped seeing to start taking medicine again but I have a fear of taking medicine for anxiety due to the things I have read on the internet bashing anti anxiety medicine and how it will do all these bad things to you down the road and that there is no evidence that anxiety medicines work by changing levels in your brain )

Post Edited (austinw712) : 8/22/2018 10:26:28 PM (GMT-6)

Have you ever considered vestibular issues or had that come up in conversations with your doctor? I have had 3 concussions in my lifetime and had balance issues at times when I have had inflammation occur, like coming down with a fever. This is years ago, but I went through a balance test and some other exams that can tell you if the eyes, ears, or brain are contributing to your issues. Vertigo is a balance issue, and the brain takes input from the eyes and ears to process how you need to react to what is in front of you. An MRI or EKG won't help in this regard. SSRI's are actually prescribed for these issues as it (in theory) calms down the nerves which can overactivate. Just my 2.5 cents here.

A.,

Yay for going to the group today! This is a great idea...as you will gain input not only from the others there, but also be able to tap into resources from the group leader as well, I am sure! Let us know how it goes if you like...we'd love to hear about your progress and keep you in support and encouragement here too!

S.C.

Hi

Welcome to the forum as you can see you will find good support here.

Well done on going to the group therapy that's a good first step to recovery. I have done group therapy a couple of times and have found it very helpful as you meet others who are in the same situation as you so they can relate to what you are going through.

I have actually been referred back to my phycology department for some therapy and have my initial meeting with a therapist on the 7th Sep to discuss what would be the best option for me.

Keep us posted.

Hibee

I certainly agree to check out the vestibular issue! If they don’t find anything, though, I have to say I have struggled with anxiety and panic on and off for 20 years, and I often have physical symptoms. I call it symptom du jour. whatever it is, is lasts for a few weeks until I accept that it’s probably anxiety, then it begins to resolve. I have experienced dizziness, chest pains, lump in throat, nausea, weak arms and legs, etc in this way. Anyone else have this type of experience?

I would certainly be open to trying medication if things are affecting your quality of life a lot. I took zoloft at a very small dose which has an off label use for dizziness. I was also instructed to take klonopin BEFORE I get on a boat when there are bigger waves. Living in MN and having a desire to fish a lot, I tend to spend time on the water. This is a preventative step that then allows me to do something I love, which in turn helps mentally. So consider the medication, it can help. Again, I have a pre disposed condition to the vestibular issues from past concussions.

Hi Austin and welcome back...

...although I a sorry to hear that your are having persisting challenges. It is so frustrating when we need relief and want to see progress but it is slow to come!

I am glad that you are willing to consider using the helpful tool that medication is. I think that mental health is so stigmatized in our culture...and I don't understand why!

If one needs insulin, or an SSRI...what is the difference? One makes up for what the pancreas is unable to do, and one...for what is needed for a balanced brain chemistry. If you ask me, there is NO difference between these two needs. They are both physical and can be corrected by medicine.

I do hope that you can at least get a consultation with your doctor in the works, so that you can come up with a plan of action when you are ready.

Keep us posted so that we can keep you in support!

S.C.

I think your therapist is a keeper. That sounds like a really solid and doable plan...and one that will keep you in your comfort zone throughout the process.

Great job on being open to it...and to continue pro-actively working your recovery plan!

S.C.

Hi Austin,

I just wanted to say I see your situation more optimistic at this point. You are seeing a therapist who sounds good. You are going to see the pdoc which is awesome and there could be a medication to help you. I hope you decide to give it a try.

I have anxiety too. But mine is like an anticipatory type. When I have to leave the house. I get very anxious before. I do have Xanax which I take when needed. But I do a lot of breathing type exercises and it helps some too. Keep in mind when focusing on your breathing (in through the nose and out through the mouth) that you aren't worrying about anything. So breathe.. It does help me.

Hang in there and let us know how things go.

Hugs, Karen...

I've been in your situation before, in more ways than one.

The first situation was, I was living by myself at about age 27 and lost my job, which had a lot of secondary results. Loss of money, loss of socialization, a rise of my emotional problems, which at about 27 was the appearance of my bi-polar ailment which I had not seen full-blown before.

I was also not use to making my own decisions. I was also negative unconscious when it came to solving problems. So everything is stacked against me, including myself (my negative unconscious, which really didn't want to solve problems, I wanted to be me (incompetent) like I was raised by my negative parents, with my bi-polar also fowling up my thinking.)

So I know I need to see a psychiatrist, but which psychiatrist? So, I can't decide on that, which gives me an excuse to not do anything, but when probably the real reason I'm not doing anything is my negative unconscious which doesn't want me to solve the problem (which my conscious thinking wants to solve the problem.) because that's the way I've been raised: worthless, incompetent, can't make a decision. I'm comfortable with that. That's who I am.

So I had a nervous breakdown.

What I could have done, from what I've read is, believe I can solve the problem before I go into it. To damp out my negative unconscious, which I can't see, I say three times, "Think positive."

Only then do I start to think of the problem. (See a psychiatrist, pick one on the list, if you don't like that one, go to another one, with my unconscious negative not nullifying my conscious positive decision because I've already damped it out: "Think positive."

As for the medicine, I was once in such a dilemma, but read in a book, if you;re concerned about a medicine, take only a portion of the pill, that way, if it has bad side effects, you'll only feel a half or a fourth of them. So you can try taking only a small portion of the pill, and if it has side effects you don't want to deal with, don't take any more.

You're pretty smart to be reaching out for help.

It’s interesting that you can also see your unconscious.

As in, we have met the enemy and it is us.

Were you raised negative? Does anxiety run in your family? Does dizziness run in your family?

OK, no history of dizziness.

No history of anxiety, but yet you say you are anxious. Do you think your anxiousness caused your dizzy spell, as in psychosomatic?

What do think your diagnosis is?

Healthline.com says symptoms of anxiety disorder are:

nervousness, restlessness, or being tense; feelings of danger, panic, or dread;
rapid heart rate; rapid breathing, or hyperventilation; increased or heavy sweating
trembling or muscle twitching; weakness and lethargy;

difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about;
insomnia; digestive or gastrointestinal problems, such as gas, constipation, or diarrhea;

a strong desire to avoid the things that trigger your anxiety; obsessions about certain ideas, a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); performing certain behaviors over and over again; anxiety surrounding a particular life event or experience that has occurred in the past, especially indicative of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Is this what you have?

You said you have a history of anxiety since you were 13.

You said you took Effexor, which net says is an anti-depressant, but you said you have anxiety. Maybe you need something for anxiety.

Would you be more comfortable with a female psychiatrist?

You also said you were a perfectionist, which will understandably make it more difficult for you to accept either a physical or a mental condition which calls for treatment such as with medicine.

This website offers information and resources that can help with these situations. This data is located above the list of names and problems of this forum if you want to look at that.

Included in that is being positive that you can solve this problem, which opens your mind to possibilities, while negative thinking about the problem closes your mind to possible answers because we aren't looking for one.

I can understand your desire not to take medicine at 20. I did not take Lithium for my bipolar until after 30, one because I was misdiagnosed as only depressed. I had rough times without the medicine, but medicine does have side affects.

We have a choice to live with our mental conditions, tyr out non-medicine procedures or to take medicine. So you aren't completely out of control here. This is your choice. Which is good that you have a choice. You're probably making the best one, I don't think you're making a negative one.

Are you able to function? Can you go to school or work or do volunteer work? Are you satisfied with your life without medicine or non-medicine efforts?

I know it has to be rough, it was rough for me as a bipolar with no medicine at your age and for 10 more years for I didn't know I needed it.

You said, "For some reason, I have all of the evidence in front of me and I still refuse to believe it's anxiety." That's understandable.