I'm new to this site. Hope all is doing well. I'm 35 year old female who has been dealing with what I've been told is anxiety. It suddenly came on one day out of the blue. Can that really happen? Why? I have not been able to find my triggers. I have made numerous doctors/ hospital trips thinking I'm dying. I have nausea, tremors, neck/upper back pain, tension, leg weakness, feeling faint, etc. I'm constantly noticing my pulse, breathing, muscle twitche, etc. is all this common? I need reassurance. I'm always googling symtoms trying to self-diagnose myself which is never good. My mind is constantly running. I cannot sleep, have lost appetite, etc. it's effecting my home life, work life, and social life. What can I do to change something if I don't know the triggers? I have noticed when I go to drive I feel fainty. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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BMW123
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You are describing anxiety perfectly. You were told right, you have an anxiety problem and all of these things you describe will go away when you have your anxiety under control.
Controlling your anxiety can be done 2 ways: (1) through your self control and (2) through medication. Some self control ways are through learning yoga, tai chi and meditation and breathing exercises as examples of learning about your body and self control. What you think about has a lot to do with your anxiety levels also. I have a long list of non-drug sources of information that helps you deal with your anxiety if you would like I can print the list here for you. It came from things that other people with anxiety problems found useful. Regarding number (2): a GP or internist or psychiatrist can prescribe an anti-anxiety med which helps control your anxiety levels when they are too great for self control only.
That would be very helpful and appreciated. My GP has prescribed me .5 Ativan as needed. I do try to self manage as much as possible but have to take the Ativan when I feel I'm loosing control. I don't want to be dependant in medication. I'm so scared of long term side effects.
Some natural remedies and non-drug sources of information are books, videos, and workbooks suggested by other people on this site:
1---"I've found David D. Burns' "Feeling Good" and "When Panic Attacks" to be very helpful."
2---"I am working through the anxiety workbook by Dr David Carbonell and it has helped immensely!!! "
3---Mindfulness has helped many people and is now recommended by doctors in the UK. Here’s just 1 link that explains it’s usefulness: heartwoodrefuge.org/benefit.... Another option of many is called MINDSHIFT. You can download it to your phone from Google Playstore.
4---TRE (Trauma releasing exercises) is something you can learn in a class but you don't have to talk about your problems and once you have learned the technique you can use it at home.
5---"A good book that I came across recently is "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 6th Edition" by Edmund J. Bourne, PhD. You might find this book to be of some help to you, although communicating your thoughts and feelings in a group setting is enormously helpful as well. "
6---“The book DARE, which is about anxiety. It’s a very good book about accepting anxiety and letting go of the fear. The author is Barry Mcdonagh and he also has a YouTube channel and a Facebook support group.”
7---For anxiety: Claire Weekes audio books on iTunes. “Self Held for Your Nerves” is one title that is good. You can see her on YouTube. “The Dr. Claire Weekes book is easy to understand and will help you on your way to recovery through acceptance.”
8---Another really good CD and book is the Linden method.
9---How to be good with yourself: self-compassion.org/the-thr...10---Try the meditation app called Headspace. It's done in 10 mins slots once a day.
10---Videos on YouTube by THAT ANXIETY GUY helps with anxiety re: depersonalization/ de-realization states.
11—For UK residents: Have you ever been in touch with the organisation called MIND? They offer one to one sessions with a Project Worker free. They also run courses that you can attend free of charge. One of the courses is about Anxiety. Their website is mind.org.uk
12---"Go on the psychology today site and look for a therapist that specializes in anxiety."
13---Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect? self-compassion.org/the-thr...
14---“Have you ever listened to Louise Hay on YouTube? Some of the talks help motivate you and hopefully you will feel a positive energy.”
15---“I called one of these online therapist sites. The therapist was really good. It was prestoexperts dot com. Her name was Lori Burke. Definitely a professional and she got me through this awful depression/anxiety morning.” (There is a charge for this service)
16---For meditation look at:
Tara Brach and Chopra Center
17---theworrygames.com/anxiety-f...
18---“AnxietyNoMore” by Paul Bywater. A phone app.
Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance
By: Matthew McKay PhD, Jeffrey Wood PsyD, Jeffrey Brantley MD
A Clear and Effective Approach to Learning DBT Skills
First developed for treating borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has proven effective as treatment for a range of other mental health problems, especially for those characterized by overwhelming emotions. Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively. In order to make use of these techniques, you need to build skills in four key areas-distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Source: NewHarbingerPublications
Caution for non-Buddhists: Zen Buddhism inspired aspects of DBT, along with behavioral science and dialectical philosophy. Source: GoodTherapy.com
Thanks! I will def look into some of these books. Just wish I knew my triggers. I do suffer from hypothyrodism. I have my blood work every 3 months to make sure I'm on the correct dosage. I wonder if something chemically is off and has caused this to happen. Like I said before, I rack my brain trying to figure out the sudden onset of anxiety. I don't feel I'm breathing too fast when I get the fainty feeling. I actually believe it is associated with my neck/ back pain. Pinched nerve from all the tension? I do catch myself being tense at times, like holding my shoulders up towards ears.
Hi, BMW 123 My anxiety came on all of a sudden too never had it before but after breaking my ankle all of a sudden weeks later I got it, I did also hear or read that low vitamin B can cause anxiety . I am one that hates to take anything that will be addicting but im hearing that SSRI med's are not??? Ive been also reading alot of books most of which want you to meditate which is very hard for me to do, I have done the deep breathing and it seems to help somewhat but nothing really helps alot...I found on Amazon a product that does seem to help somewhat it is called Zenapin, it is all natural, but I do think I'm going to make an appt with my GP and then a therapist...just hate to get on med's heard so many scary stories...Good luck with your anxiety...
Thanks for the lists, I seem to be finding out that they all pretty much say the same things as in meditation, deep breathing, and relaxing...I hate to keep reading the same thing is the problem...lol..I need to know something new and different that i can do easy meditation doesnt come easy for me. Does this ever just go away as fast as it came?
There are other things you can learn like Tai chi, yoga, mindfulness, everyday distraction which causes you to forget about anxiety because you are focusing on something else. There's Recovery International which is an entire system of thinking and responses to stimuli that was created by a psychiatrist before there was any drugs for depression and anxiety. It's hard at 1st but practice does help tremendously. It works if you work it.
No, I don't think this just "goes away" except that some small number of people probably can't explain what happened to their anxiety/or forgot/were out-of-it and they can be your people that had it just "go away"!
I think there is more variety in that list than just the things you mention but I'm not positive. I'll have to look into that someday when I have more time.
I'm sorry that you haven't found anything else more useful and with your broken foot getting in the way! There are workbooks, I wonder if those look at anything new by the work and research you must do to find answers.
Actually tai chi is very easy on the body and done at all ages. It's done slowly and easily. It's different than quick moving jump-here-jump-there types of martial arts.
Hi, Right now the Dr. said he doesnt want me to take anti depression pills, he is keeping me on Lorazepam 0.5 which i was taking only when it got bad since im afraid of addiction, he claims if i only take them 3 times a day morn, noon, nite I wont get addicted, since it is low dose I guess...he seems to think once that month is over I should be over this...hummm im wonerding, and then wondering once taperd off what then if not gone? I would thin in one month you could for sure get addicted, even low dose...??
I tend to agree with you that taking something addictive 3 x day for 1 month is still flirting with addiction or some kind of attraction you don't want. And then if you taper off the following month there's that question of what do you take now? Yes, a very good question. And why not take that 2nd drug right from the start? I have just learned that Effexor, an SSNRI that you might be put on for anxiety, has nasty side effects when you taper off of it. So remember that name and question if you're directed to go on it and research it yourself so you have proof of why you don't want it. Take care and be well!
Im beside myself but am trying to do as he says...Im feeling much better and if i have to feel like crap the rest of my life then i guess in order to live i may have to be addicted somewhere down the line, im older and so how long will i be a druggie so to speak?lol...Im feeling now like my old self and it feels so wonderful to be back in your own life.wow...I see the /shrink tomorrow at 3 so looking forward to it, thank God ive got these pills or id prob end up not going. Does a psycologist know anything about drugs I know they cant perscribe, but my GP will and can...Also the gp said take this 3 times a day so far ive done 2 and went through the night fine, seems my mornings and afternoons are bad esp mornings..so dont know if I should follow it to the T and take 3 or is 2 good for now till needed? what would you think?
I personally would take the least amount that does the job. I've reduced my benzodiazepine from 4 mgs per day to 1 mg per day in the last 11 months and told my psychiatrist at certain intervals and she was pleased about it always. I recommend you tell yours after you can say you've been at the same dose for a few weeks in a row. Never go higher than what you're allowed as that leads to big trouble with trust from the doctor to you. I have to leave now but I'll check on you later to see if you wrote to me again.
Hypothyroidism has some symptoms similar to anxiety. Possibly something to do with your tension, too. It's hard to say. Tension and stress can lead to anxiety all by themselves.
Wow im proud of you that you are taking less and all on your own, does it seem to bother you at all are you missing it or craving it? Has it been hard to cut it back? Has it made you sick? Do you or the Dr. think maybe once you cut back enough you can actually totally get off and not have all this come back? Im hoping for you that happens, and maybe to me too after this first month, the only thing about taking the 3 that he said to take is my sister the nurse said maybe it is to more balance your chemicals and / or make it be better in the morning since thats my worst time, i think it is cause im antisapating it will be there, cause I wake up sometimes fine till i really get up and start my day...ggggeeezzzzz...You go girl good for you...let us know how that works out...best of luck, you can do it..
I had a precipitating event where I suddenly had a huge amount of stress lifted from me. I'd then find myself nodding off to sleep while sitting up. I realized that was a huge clue I should cut back on the clonazepam but in small increments since it was known to be addictive. So I went by 0.5 mg here and then there but slowly. I learned by accident that I could skip a dose altogether and it made no difference. So I started leaving out certain dose times altogether.
I'm thinking logically that I may want to keep a tiny amount in my system so I can't get caught with none in my body for the more stressful times in my life which I can't always predict ahead of time. I always carry a little bit with me for emergencies and I always carry the little prescription paper with the essential information that comes with the pills to prove I have a prescription for the pills if questioned by any authority since it's a controlled substance. Clonazepam is easily and quickly dissolved in your mouth and doesn't have any strong taste so it can begin to work quickly.
I don't believe that GAD just goes away unless God heals it so I will always have the right drug with me until he does heal me. He healed me of fibromyalgia which is a really tough thing and very rarely healed. So you never know.....!
As for you, definitely plan your dose for the morning and another time when it makes the most sense for you. Like maybe 10-12 hours after the morning dose for coverage around the clock. But you know your needs better than I. If you should go to 3 x per day, think about every 8 hours to keep you covered at all times. This always worked for me.
WOW, Is the Clonazepam a tranqulizer or anti depressant? would that be a good one for me, is it a ssr? or addicting? So you are on more then one and still on the Benzo's right? are you going to try to get off those also later? you say to take mine like 10 to 12 or so hours apart but it doesnt seem to last that long more like 6 to 7 hour apart. but yet I dont seem to need it at night at all..I keep hoping since I feel so good after the second one like normal, that maybe when it wears off I will just stay the same, wishful thinking im sure...At least I sleep great...Thank you God...
Clonazepam is a mild tranquilizer and a benzodiazepine. That means it's addictive for most people and can also cause gaps in your memory but it's not guaranteed that it will do so. I have these memory gaps but my father has none. I showed no evidence of addiction when I cut down and cut out clonazepam. This is the only drug I take for anxiety. I do take 2 antidepressants for several reasons. Clonazepam is good for you as long as you agree that these side effects are worth the risk to you. I would try non-addicting drugs 1st. But I must say that 29 years on a benzo has kept me very smooth and easily the most comfortable a person could be who has an anxiety disorder.
It sounds like you should take the clonazepam in the am and then 6 hours after that...the way you described your need. Take care!
sounds good, wow I woke up this morn good for a change, havent taken a pill as yet but since im supost to and im going to the shrink I think I will just to make sure im steady in there. So im wondering if maybe my body just needed to be calm for a few days and now my react normal from now on?? maybe fooling myself huh? Usually the mornings are my worst, I think im always thinking it is morning so here goes.. but im good so far not sure for how long?? did you mean your Clonazepam is mixed with your Benzo? or are they seperate things? Hey as far as gap's in memory, wait till your older everyone I know cant remember S - - - Well best of luck with getting off your med's lookin good girl...
Clonazepam IS a benzo. It's MY benzo. You're not hearing me. There is no other anti-anxiety drug. My SSRI supposedly is somewhat helpful with anxiety as is my anti-psychotic quetiapine.
Yes, you will do better if you keep calm for a few days in a row but yes, you are fooling yourself that you no longer need your clonazepam from now on. Your clonazepam is the reason you are doing well and yes, you are smart to take it at the usual time and prior to your appointment.
Wait until I'm older? How old do you think I am? I'm 60 years old...that's pretty old to me. I do have memory problems from fibro, lupus and clonazepam but I can tell the difference between fog from lupus and fibro and total gaps of events from clonazepam. I wish you great success with your meds and counseling!
Hi, 60 your a baby im 72...well went to the shrink, she was nice, I only took my pill in the morn and saw her at 3, but I didnt seem to need it even in the morn, I felt good even about going to her, I felt slightly funny once in her office but nothing i couldnt handle i think it was a normal reaction. went home and still didnt take anything and was fine. She said sometimes they do come and can go, and thinks mine could be situational. But she thinks I should go on Prozac, , which I think im going to wait a bit as Im scared after some of the things ive heard of them and others like it, being sick in the begining, headaches, sick to the stomache, and so many side effects, wow, I sure hate to have to go through that for weeks or a month, then maybe to find out it didnt work for me and have to start over with something else. the GP seems to want me to do the Lorazepam 3 times a day for a month, ive been doing as needed and 2 a day till yesterday did one, this morn im not too bad and wondering if I should try not taking one at all unless it becomes worse...thats why I felt it was going away since I almost felt I didnt need one yesterday when going to the Dr. but took it in case. IF I dont need it should I really take it that is the question, maybe it will go away, as she said it can and does happen depending on the cercomestances. Your always such a help thank you so much it is good to be able to talk to someone about this. I am thinking about going to another shrink to see which I like the best, next week, IF the Ins will pay that soon for someone else...hope all is well with you..Gayle
I think you are pretty sharp and will make your own decisions despite how very old you are...just joking! We're close in the age department! But, seriously, you'll do fine deciding what to do. But I'm going to give you my thoughts anyway.
You might want to take a very low dose of the clonazepam maybe only once a day if you're doing so well instead of nothing or instead of 1-2 larger doses, even if it means cutting a pill. Pill cutters are available at any pharmacy but outside the pharmacy itself. Pills that are scored are meant to be cut, pills that aren't scored aren't meant to be cut and don't have equal amounts of their potentcy mixed well in each half should you cut them. After taking a small dose for awhile you could then take nothing rather easily and see if that works for you.
Prozac is still the gold standard for antidepressants and I've had about 18 great years on it myself with almost no side effects. The only 1 I had was the sexual satisfaction being limited. I can't say enough good about it. I've heard a lot of crazy and just plain wrong things said about it, but I have only good to report.
I hope you continue to do well and live a happy and peaceful life!
Hi I'm happy for your imput so please dont stop..when you say take the clonazepam are you refering to the Lorazepam im now taking? are they the same thing ? I know nothing about all this and these drugs, I'm new to all this, sorry. Well the sexual satisfaction doesnt matter to me since I am alone have no one so im glad, cause someone told me it made them very horny and I dont need that with no one in my life. So it didnt make you sick when you started prozac till it worked for you? I hear such horror stories makes it hard to believe, and I guess it is different for everyone..but it does have alot of bad side effects that I know. what made you change from prozac to something else if it was working so well? Next week im going to a different Shrink to see which one seems best for me, hope that works out...Thanks so much for your help..I only hope that these drugs what ever I end up on will go with all the many drugs I am on now, I have diaibetes, HBP, lupus, kidney disease , thyroid that was killed so must be on that pill forever, to name a few...ggeezzz
Yes, I'm on clonazepam you're on lorazepam and they're very close and both are benzodiazepines. I'm sorry I didn't make that clear.
Prozac didn't make me sick, that's right. I had hardly any trouble at all. After about 8-10 years it just lost some effectiveness so I switched to something else for a number of years and when that lost effectiveness I switched back to Prozac for a bunch of years and so on. That's not unusual at all.
I'm on a LOT of other meds and have a lot of other diagnoses just as you are but still the Prozac and clonazepam have worked as well as some other drugs. Yes, lupus, restless legs, fibromyalgia (recently healed), sleep apnea, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, TMJ, High cholesterol, High BP, hypothyroidism, etc.
It ends sooner than that when you have God willing to heal you as I've had. If I can be healed of fibro when it's such a painful and lifelong disorder anyone can be healed of all kinds of things. I have stopped completely or reduced several drugs in the last 11 months so I'm very happy about my improved health. I've had 2 separate people come up to me and compliment me multiple times on how wonderful I have been looking lately and I asked if they'd been talking to each other and they hadn't! Something wonderful is happening that I'm feeling and looking better even to people I know that DON'T know about my dropping and reducing drugs and not having pain like I used to!! If it can happen to me it can happen to you!
Yes I pray all the time and have many of my family doing the same, Im so happy for you being able to get off things, do you think if you started to wean off the anxiety med's etc. it may be totally gone by now and then your free? cant hurt to try you can always go back. Personally from your picture I think you are a very pretty woman, and you have such a sweet face..today must have been just a bad day for me the first pill only worked in part, took another and still not too much difference, gee am I already needing higher doses? hope not. I even felt a little un steady on my feet not usually like that, even with 2, and I take them hours apart..
id put a pix of myself on here but dont know how didnt see a way...
I fumbled around until I finally figured out how to get my pic on here. I asked for advice a few times, too.
You're forgetting what I told you about my clonazepam. I went from 4 mg per day 11 months ago to 1 mg per day today. That's a huge reduction. I had no problem doing it. No addiction. For 18 years I never had to increase my dose. I don't think you are having to increase your dose "already" and my 1st guess is that you're having a bad day. I don't really know what happened but I wouldn't increase your dose but keep it at or less than 1 mg total per day.
1 mg a day mine are 0.5 each pill..im hoping it is just a bad day, tell me,when you do have a bad day and still take the med's that usually help you, do they not work as well cause of a bad day? I dont understand how you didnt have any addiction when going off your clonazepam, I thought they were addicting? Also thats just it, nothing happend out of the ordinary today at all...???? kinda more tired and back hurts today. do you still get those bad anxiety days even with your med's since you have been on so long? This shrink said if I take the prozac for 9 months after that I should be fine, hummm dont know about that,says something about will change the chemicals in the brain, but if I stopped before prob wont work and then have to start all over again...ugh..sound right?
Occasionally I might have a bad day that I would take my clonazepam an hour early but that's about it. I never took extra. Yes, they CAN be addicting but they don't HAVE to be. For instance, I doubt that I could've just stopped cold turkey. I had to slowly take less and less. I don't get any bad anxiety days, no. But sometimes I take my 0.5 mg a couple of hours earlier than usual. I still take the next dose at the usual time.
If you take the Prozac for about 9 months without changing the dose or time, that only means to me that you can expect very smooth sailing and very even moods. The same with lorazepam and clonazepam. Anything you take the same for many months means your body has gotten used to the regularity and continues to perform well due to this regularity. And after many years your body will say it needs you to mix up the drugs a little for variety and so you change the drugs around a little and then carry on for another long stretch of years. So this is what I think the doc means about setting yourself up for a stretch of taking a drug combo for a few months.
but once your body gets use to it doesnt it need a higher dose? I also dont take it at exact same times, but close enough I guess...maybe once in the system it should work better ya think? im so weary of all this, I just want to feel better, id rather be sick on the outside them in side, your head...mental is way worse...this is a first for me, from fine to crazy all in a couple weeks,,I feel like im going insane..like living in a clostaphobic head all the time...never had this before ...sorry if I keep bugging you..
You're not bugging me. No, it has never worked for me that once in my body I keep needing a bigger dose. I was put on 4 mgs per day and there I stayed for 28 years until I noticed I was falling asleep sitting up so I kept backing off of the clonazepam 0.5 mgs at a time because it was my only med that could make me so sleepy. I had already dropped Carisoprodol/soma, my muscle relaxer.
Yes, mental illness is much worse because no one can understand unless they've suffered the same things and people avoid you because they think you're a mystery and dangerous and weird. Few understand and accept us yet we suffer excruciating pain and lose jobs and spouses and destroy relationships.
Boy I sure understand now, it is terrible, and now I get it. I pray for all of us with this. Are you married or have a boy friend? Right now I dont and dont think I could handle one at this time going through this. I often wondered if my guy ever did come back would that make me happy enough to get over all this because my mind would be more focused on him and not all this crap that comes in now??? But havent had anyone since over a year after this happend to me. But I feel it could be of a help to focus on him and love dont you think that would help or does it just stay the same no matter who is around? ugh..guess I'll be single the rest of my old age...thank God Im too old to work anymore dont think I could work dont know how any one could but guess they do and have to huh? im lucky that way.I was a hairdresser all my life..
My husband died last March and I'm not interested yet in any other guy. Maybe some day. I've had them be interested but I just can't stir up anything and don't want to.
Your need to pay attention to your mental health so that it stays the same whether you have someone special or not. You still have to monitor yourself. If you lose track of that, you can quickly veer off into trouble and become miserable. I don't recommend it.
I'm grateful to God for this blessing of disability because it would be so hard to have all of the medical appointments I have and the pain and so forth and still work. I'd be in so much pain!!
So when you worked you were standing a lot! Oh how my legs would swell if I did your job! Did yours?
OH I am so sorry about your Husband, did all your anxeity start after he died? No believe me im not in any shape or form to be looking for any man dont think i could handle it now, but was only wondering if I did have someone if it would maybe take the bad feelings away cause id have some thing or someone to think about instead of all the crap thats there now..Oh no Im trying to work on me I have to, I cant live like this much longer..so you dont have to work cause this is considered a disability? Good to know cause if this goes on I can do anyhtin the way im going, Im not working as a hairdresser any more cant..and at this age it is hard to get a job anyways. How do you get disability?
I have GAD--generalized anxiety disorder--and was diagnosed 29 years ago. I've had it all my life and will have it unless God heals me. So no, I didn't get it when my husband died. What I did was drastically reduce my klonopin and eliminate several other drugs due to the huge amount of stress relieved after my husband's death.
It's possible you might do better if you had the loving support of a man you also loved. But you can't escape the diagnoses and the limitations.
My disability has been my limitations due to nervous breakdowns, short and long term memory losses which majorly affect any ability to work, and fibromyalgia plus bulging and herniated spinal discs and pain and arthritic pain and joint and muscle and connective tissue pain that limit what I can do/pick up/lift/hold/move in the workplace. I can go on but I'll just add that every week I have multiple Dr./medical/imaging/therapy appointments that I would have to leave work for.
Thyroid failure is not uncommon, and it can certainly cause anxiety. If you have never been tested for thyroid, you should be. Spoiler alert: most docs (GPs) only test TSH, which is a useless measure of function for some people. Write me if you decide you want advice on thyroid testing.
BTW, I see the doc is giving you Ativan 0.5mg. Benzodiazepenes are NOT safe in the long-term. I should know, docs gave me benzos in the past and it was not pretty. I have run into several people who have discovered that their bodies have become addicted to benzos - i.e. withdrawal is difficult.
Hi, See thats what I'm afraid of the dependancy of the drugs, do you have one now that isnt ? My thyroid was killed off years ago mine was Hyper, the Dr. checks it all the time, but who knows if he is checking for the right thing...They used Ionized raidation to kill mine I had a hot nodual...now im on thyroid pills forever, and they havent changed the dose in forever, wonder if that could be the problem?
No anxiety, panic, or depression now. My thyroid was slowly poisoned by gluten intolerance I had from birth; at age 45, the first severe/clear symptom was a panic & anxiety attack. The meds offered by shrinks weren't treating the root cause. It took 21 years to get the right diagnoses and treatment. Isn't allopathic medicine wonderful?
I was lucky. After I went off gluten, TPO antibodies went away. But that doesn't work for everyone, there are other foods and environmental pollutants that can trigger autoimmunity and destroy the thyroid. Unfortunately, some GPs don't even test for antibodies, and almost none of them know what to do with positive antibody test results.
I think it depends on how long your forever really is. Of course thyroid function tests should be run. And you will be dependent on thyroid drugs for the rest of your natural life cycle that a person would normally receive any of these supplements.
A TSH alone isn't enough to check on your thyroid function. But I'm no good to refer to for the reason why and why you should pay more for more tests. I believe Eddie83 can enlighten you.
Well since im old im on medicare so I dont have to pay, and I just saw the GP last week so wont be seeing him for a few months now, in which I will get him to do more tests, im hoping taking the high doses of vitimin B12 and D3 of 5,000 since im on the low side on the chart with the B12, and the D middle of the road...Ive heard those 2 vitimins cause cause Anxiety if low...Im hoping it is that, an east fix...Tomorrow I go to the shrink, for the first time, im looking forward to that...will keep you posted, thanks so much, you guys are such a big help for us new-B's
Hi, besides testing the TSH what else do they need to test mine were killed off so not sure if that makes a difference been on same med's a long time I asked about that and was told it is fine tested good?? so who knows...
Did you have TSI (Graves) antibodies? If the doc simply kills the thyroid to get rid of hyperthyroidism, that doesn't necessarily get rid of the antibodies. I don't know whether the continuation of TSI antibodies has ongoing effects on the patient.
Knowledgeable docs will do all of TSH/FT3/FT4/rT3, and the antibody tests appropriate for the patient's condition (usually TSI, or TPO+TGB). What the patient needs to feel well is a high-in-range FT3, but some patients have low FT3 because their body is not converting T4->T3 well. Also, the patient needs to have a low rT3, or a low ratio of rT3/FT3, because high rT3 negates the positive effect of T3.
TSH only doesn't work for me. I have to take T3 in addition to T4, to push my FT3 up. TSH just doesn't provide enough information for dosing, if your situation is at all like mine. Of course, the other problem with TSH is that many GPs think TSH=4.5 is good enough, but there are patients who have to push TSH down to range bottom, to feel well. If the doc didn't tell you what your TSH is, ask for the lab result on paper. High-powered practitioners tend to use a TSH range which is below the range most big labs use.
Wow alot of TSH's I dont think he did all those and they said it was good, Im going to take this to him when i go and see if he will do that test next time, the thing is ive been fine after prob 20 years or so that this was done...so not sure if it would be that or not?? But thanks for the info Im going to see about it...
It is common for thyroid hormone levels to drop with age. Unfortunately, most docs don't realize thyroid treatment is actually an anti-aging treatment. Most docs don't think "anti-aging", they just do the minimum HMO-style medicine.
Hello BMW, I'm new to this site as well. I too suffer from anxiety and depression. I totally get your symptoms. The driving issue I feel every time. I'm 44 and had my 1st panic attack in July this year. I thought I was dying. I'm on several antianxiety medications now and they seem to keep my symptoms at bay. For me, my triggers are financial issues, medical issues, personal issues. Just stress in general. It can be very overwhelming especially when you are doing everything alone. Hang in there... You're not alone!!! I go to support groups and practice meditation.
Hi, I'm wondering why do you have to take several anti anxiety pills? I take so many pills now just for my illnesses, that I sure hate to add more, did it take your anxiety totally away where you feel back to normal now? Are your's addicting? Im trying to find ones that work and are not addicting...
It sounds like you have a lot going on as far as symtoms. Go see a psychiatrist and see what he can do. What kind of docs have you been to see? And what did the hospitals tell you?
I go to many different Dr.'s but not for the anxiety this is new to me, im 72, have diabetes, some kidney problems, lupus, HBP, to name a few now this, just what I needed more pills and crap in my life...this anxiety makes me feel like i dont want to go on..do you ever feel that way?
Regarding kidney function, I found that my creatinine level (an indicator of kidney function) went down to the bottom of its range, after I got thyroid dialed in. The creatinine test is usually done as part of a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel. I don't have diabetes, but I also noted that my non-fasting blood sugar went down almost 20 points after my thyroid level was sufficiently high.
I believe lupus is an autoimmunity, correct? It would be interesting to know if you are still harboring Graves autoimmunity. Some autoimmunities have environmental causes - typically, food sensitivities and/or high levels of environmental pollutants.
yes lupus is an autoimmune I never had Graves , and so far nothing has happend to me except in the begining my hair fell out in patches, had to get shots in the scalp and it slowly grew back.my creatinine was bad once and they took me off a certain med I was talking, nothing ever became of it that i know but i do have some kidney disease too, seems in remission had no prob so far with it..
I am so sorry to hear of all your anxiety symptoms. I have anxiety and depression and OCD. It is really useful to educate yourself about anxiety and its symptoms.Find a good psychiartrist and get to know your symptoms. There are many ways to treat panic and anxiety that are drug-free. Most of the ssri meds are non-addicting and deal with anxiety as well as depression. Where there is anxiety there is usually some depression. I take Prozac, an ssri Med and an older antidepressant called Noritryptiline. I do use klonapin for anxiety but you don't have to use benzodiazepines. This is a great site. The people are honest and sincere. Anxiety is so common these days, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Write often. It helps LD
Hummm there again you are another that is on many different anxiety med's and I'm wondering doesnt just one work? How is the Prozac didnt it work alone? I keep hearing good and bad of that drug..How do you feel about it? did it work right away or it took time?
Rippy, I originally took only Prozac but that was 27 years ago. Some Drs. Add another Med to see if it can augment the main one you are on. I'm not sure why he wanted to keep me on the Prozac, maybe because I've been on it so long. But I got depressed in October and he added this Nortripyline to my meds. I think it's helping, I still get periods of depression, but not so bad. And I usually feel better sooner.You don't have to take a lot of meds, it's just sometimes they work together.
Hi, You said you were on the one i was on but I didnt know I mentioned it, Ive really been on only over the counter natrual ones which really dont work much very little, He did at first give me Larozrpam, low dose 0.5 which since it was a tranquilizer I was afraid to get hooked so took only once in a blue moon one a day, Now since im worse he wants me to take it 3 times a day morn, noon, nite...im usually good at night for some reason??? so this is the second day im doing this felt back to normal yesterday but only after taking 2 morn, and afternoon, nite was fine...he claims if I do this for one month then taper off I will then be fine it should go away...hummmm wondering if thats going to be true..I think he believes since it happend after the ankle break that it is situational and will go...sure hope so...
Thanks for all the replies. It does make me feel better knowing I'm not alone. I've went to my GP and he keeps telling me anxiety. The hospital docs tell me the same thing, give me a Valium and send me home.
I don't even want to leave my house bc I'm scared of having an anxiety attack in public. I've had to take time away from work bc it's so bad. Regarding the Ativan, I only take when absolutely necessary. I can go several days and not take it so I'm not worried about becoming addicted to it.
My doc has suggested an SSI and I am very leary about the long term effects of them. What happens when I'm ready to come of the meds? I've heard so many horrible stories.
but ive heard that the ssi are non addicting so why should they be hard to come off im wondering? is it just cause you get use to them and rely on them maybe? IF not addicting there shouldnt be a problem getting off ???? right???
I honestly cannot remember how many SSRIs docs tried on me, but I do remember Prozac and Lexapro. Neither of those produced symptom relief that was larger than the side-effects. I do know that Effexor is a very difficult med because I had a friend who was hooked on it. It took him many months to taper off it, and that property of Effexor is well known; many articles have been written about it. I read one extreme case where the patient was having so much trouble tapering, that he made an aqueous solution so he could taper at 1mg per day.
yes ive heard of Effexor, heard it is very bad, did you have bad symtoms with Prozac? did it not work well? I thought these kind of drugs are not addicting? so why so hard to get off?
The side-effects of Prozac were a killer for me. The side-effects of SSRI and tricyclic ADs vary widely from patient to patient. That is probably because they are substances which are foreign to human biochemistry, and our bodies vary in their ability to eliminate foreign substances (and especially so when nutritional and hormone levels are low).
Oh great I keep hearing bad and good..how was it a killer for you did you throw up get sick had a hard time getting off? I dont know what to take that would be good for me????
I'm not suggesting you avoid Prozac altogether ... it does work for some people. Like most BigPharma drugs, the side-effects vary widely from patient to patient. The bottom line is, medicine is an experimental science (in spite of docs acting like they are full of themselves), and you don't know what is going to happen until you try it.
So, the first shrink I saw after my collapse put me on two drugs: Prozac in the morning, and a benzo (valium) at night. The idea being to bring me up in morning, and put me down at night. The two main things I experienced with Prozac:
1) Mental: it gave me a feeling of hyper-awareness, but an awareness that seemed jittery and confused. Not at all like the awareness you have when you are in good health and get a good night's sleep. I desperately needed help to perform well at work, but Prozac didn't provide clarity and better memory.
2) Sexual: the drug made it impossible to orgasm, and I've come across other males who have had this effect. Which when you're feeling really sick, is miserable because the after-orgasm glow can produce a feeling of relaxation, helping to quell anxiety, providing a temporary respite from feeling like hell all the time.
The comparison between an SSRI and certain amino acids is: the SSRI tries to keep the serotonin you have from breaking down, whereas the right amino acids turn into more serotonin.
hummm doesnt sound fun were you on it long or got right off? Do you feel these symtoms right away or after a while...did you stay on long enough to reap any benfits from it at all?
I started on Prozac and Klonopin in Nov 1991. Switched to Prozac+Prosom+Trazodone in Dec 1991. Switched to a different shrink in Jan 1992, who put me on Prozac+Valium. By mid-March 1992 I had dropped the Prozac dose from 20mg to 10mg because of side-effects. By mid-May 1992, I had titrated myself off Prozac because I was totally fed up with side-effects, and the shrink's bumbling. I was on Valium-only until late Sep 1992, at which point my GP put me on a tricyclic AD (doxepin) which was more sedating than Prozac, and did not cause the high number of weird dreams I had while on Prozac. I ended up using doxepin for quite a while; its main side-effect (drying) was more acceptable than what Prozac did to me. Bottom line: I was on Prozac about 6 months.
Used a few other drugs in the interim. I only remember propanolol and Lexapro.
The shrinks I saw never suggested thyroid testing. I didn't get thyroid testing until my GP suggested it in 1997. But my gut and biochemistry was so scorched by gluten, that my body would not tolerate T4 at any but a trivial dosage, which was far below what I needed to be euthyroid. Didn't find out until 2003 (from a naturopath) that I had gluten enteropathy and wasn't properly digesting much of anything. Ended up struggling for another 9 years after that.
wow what do you mean drying, you mean dry mouth? man I have that so bad now and im not on any of these med's yet except for the ones for my i'llnesses, It is terrible I just thought maybe i wasnt drinking enough water.. and sleep with my mouth open.. but ive always been like this and never had this kind of dry mouth before.. so I see you did give prozac a long enough try to see benifits IF there were any..when you have to start off with another drug does this mean you have to start all over with there terrible side effects in the begining as when you first start any of these drugs? OR since your already on something it just takes over right away?
The tricyclic anti-depressants, or TCAs (doxepin is one) are drugs which have been around since the 1950s. They have antihistamine and anticholinergic effects, which means they are drying. Later drugs like SSRIs were supposed to be "better", however, depending on your symptom profile a TCA could have less-disruptive side-effects. In my case, I found I could put up with doxepin's drying effect, better than Prozac's effects. Doxepin does tend to be sedating, and I found this effect valuable from the start - i.e. the drug "took over", for me, right away. However, none of the AD drugs I tried, was as effective as correction of thyroid and other hormone levels.
If you do have kidney issues, then the drying effect of a TCA could be inappropriate for you. A competent doc should be able to make that judgement.
Do you set out a water bottle each morning? I do this to make sure I get 32-64 oz of water almost every day. Most of us don't get enough. I had an encounter with kidney stones late in my illness, and that is something I don't want to go through again.
I was diagnosed in 2009 with hypothyrodism. I keep up with my bloodwork every 3 months to make sure my meds don't need to be adjusted.
My GP is pretty good about following my thyroid issue. When my anxiety started back in Nov he checked it to make sure it wasn't out of range.
I had an anxiety attack last night. This is how it happened with symptoms in order.
I was sitting on couch watching tv when all the sudden I got pin/needles feeling down arms, hands went clammy, had to run to bathroom (#2), felt nauseous, felt like I was gonna faint, had to lie down. Symtoms subsided after 10-15 min. I didn't take any meds. My heart never races tho. Can this be anxiety if my heart never races?
Hi, gee Ive never had those type feelings mine seems to be there when i wake up and most all day and night with some better days and nights here and there..my heart does beat fast alot, I do get the run to the bathroom now and then, I havent got the pins and needles or nauseous yet, nor do I feel faint...But mine seems to be most of the time a fear feeling in the pit of my stomch just feeling not right jittery sometimes worse then others where my teeth actually chatter..This is horrible,do you take any med's do they help and what do you take? do you take them everyday, was wondering why you said you didnt take any med's that night...I guess everyone has different symtoms. Have you seen a Dr. for this?
Sounds very much like a fight-or-flight response caused by adrenal hormones. I am surprised that there was no rise in heart rate. However, thinking back on times when I was feeling high anxiety, I did not record my heart rate during those periods. Are you sure your HR did not rise?
I wish mine would come and go that fast but guess they can, mine are all the time with some times better then others...So I dont know if they can do that cause it hasnt happend to me as yet..
Yes he may tell you that but then have him give you something to fix it...how long have you had this? mine is a month aprox...
It can come on suddenly. There are always triggers things leading up to it but when the dam breaks seems there's no warning & unlikely of putting the genie back in the bottle. Mine started as a teenager, bad home life, bullying, being teased by girls that I didn't like & one day it had just gone on for so long daily at school & home plus physical abuse at home 4 years straight one day it all became too much & my thinking has never been the same. I am Leary around ppl don't openly trust them, expect them to dbl cross me, hurt me, laugh at me, because that's what they did to kefir the longest, family included. All alone,no support system. It was my way of coping although extremely uncomfortable, terrifying, mentally & physically unhealthy it kept me from doing myself in. Obsessive thoughts, low self esteem are results from repeated bullying, trauma, not feeling safe. Counseling, the right meds, low stress & do you & trynot to worry about what other ppl think or say, know easier said than done, if I hadn't cared so much about ppl that didn't give a crap about me wouldn't of got sick in the first place. You must put yourself first in whatever way that has to happen for your children's sake. Shut the noise of the world out as much as you can. Important to cultivate a trusted small inner circle of ppl that genuinely care about you, participate in outside activities that bring you joy & happiness. It's all about being gentle with yourself & self care. Best to you
Hi, Oh hon I feel for you what a terrible thing to go through, Thank God I had a normal home life so never had this before breaking my ankle. I hope that you have this under control and that you feel better now, it is terrible what people do to others, kids in school are so cruel and has ruined many of lives. I hope you have found some people that are for you and love you now. My gosh mine looks great after hearing what you went through, i shouldnt complain..Best of luck in getting yourself together and happy. Feel better God Bless...
Thanks for the response. I'm driving myself crazy trying to figure out my triggers. When it happened today I was fine, doing laundry. I just don't get it. I have a very supportive husband and kids. I do feel bad for my kids at times bc they don't understand why I'm always feeling ill.
My husband listens to me and stands by my side. I've got to get over this hump. It's killing me. I was back at urgent care tonight. All they said was it was a combination of anxiety and a possible pinched/trapped nerve in back 😔
Rippi, thanks for replying. My anxiety is all over the place. I have seen my doc many times. He does have me on .5 Ativan as needed. It helps but is very short acting, takes effect 10-15 min after taking abs last 3-4 hrs. I'm prescribed to take it 4 times a day but I only take it once if absolutely have to. I'm just worried about becoming dependent.
I too am on .5mg Lorazepam for Generalized Anxiey Disorder (GAD) but to stay away from becoming addicted I take half under the tongue when I feel my anxiety may be ramping up or when I get into a car. I cant drive very much any more (I'm 45) due to the anxiety. Lorazepam is great and if only taken as needed (1/2) I think it is helping me. It has a sugary taste and dissolves very easily and can be cut in half with your fingernail. I have anxiety all day but with other meds (Effexor, Zyrtec) I can function but when it really comes on with fear, shallow breathing, etc I take one. Cheers
Hi, have you been tested for Lyme disease? I had a lot of these symptoms too and now they have dissipated significantly after a few months of herbal treatment. Bacterial infections can go up into the brain and wreak havoc. Keep in mind, you can test negative and still have some form of Lyme as there are hundreds of strains. You know yourself best. Don't let people tell you you're crazy!
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