Anxiety

[Bryfry]

Does anyone wake up with anxiety? First thing in the morning

[Ubud2021]

Everyday.

I was prescribed some anti anxiety medications, especially some to take in the morning as well. Along with making a calming morning routine. I’ve come a long way, and now start to take my main anxiety medication usually around 11am instead of right when I wake up now. I hope you find some relief soon.💕

[Jeff1943]

For many people anxiety is always worse when you first wake up. I often wondered why. Certain hormones like cortisol are at their peak first thing in the morning but were unable to confirm a link. In the end the consensus of opinion is that we are relaxed and at our ease whilst asleep. Then we suddenly remember on waking we've got to face the problems and stressess of the day and the feeling floods our nervous system with fear hormone. But it wears off as the morning progresses.

[bonkers65 in reply to Jeff1943]

I agree. Reality kicks in.

[bonkers65]

Haha Read my reply to Tulip 1576 that I just posted.

[Jeff1943]

If you have access to them, half a 5mg diazepam will shift the early morning anxiety and usually it doesn't come back that day. Maybe xanax does the same but they are not available through the NHS in the u.k.

[elaine2447 in reply to Jeff1943]

Problem there is getting hooked on benzos and hell to get off so that makes the anxiety even worse in the mornings. Take it from someone who knows, Lorazepam and Xanax being the worst. I am in the UK and wish I had never started the Lorazepam and using diazepam to try and get off them.

[Jeff1943 in reply to elaine2447]

I disagree with this demonisation of diazepam, I have been taking a low dose as and when needed since 1975 without feeling the need to use more. Weeks can go by without taking one so no question of addiction. It's only if you take them daily for months that coming off them cold turkey is bad news. But then coming off any anxiety medication cold turkey after being on them a long time is bad news. You have to taper off them very gradually and it's no problem.

The great thing about diazepam is that it actually works and only take 15 minutes to be effective not 3- 4 weeks.

Lorezepam I know nothing about nor xanax which is not available on NHS prescription.

I'm in the U.K., take it from someone who knows (35 years experience).

[elaine2447 in reply to Jeff1943]

Take it from someone who also has 35 years experience. One occasionally okay but diazepam are quite weak, they don't do anything for me and contain histimines if one happens to be intolerant but have a long half life, the reason the are used in the Ashton Manual, whereas 1mg lorazepam equivalent to 10mg diazepam and has a very short half life. Not good to encourage people to take and the reason you can only get 2 weeks max of 2mg diazepam here or the alternative is the not quite dark web 😂

[Jeff1943 in reply to elaine2447]

No, I wasn't encouraging people to take lorazepam and xanax about which I know nothing and therefore didn't mention.

I wrote specifically about diazepam "as and when needed" and which you tell me is quite weak. Not a recipe for addiction taken at that strength and frequency I would maintain.

I presume the dark web is where people sell their medications.

My last 4 GPs have allowed me 28 x 5mg diazepam every 5 or 6 months. I break them in half, rarely feel the need for a whole one.

Back in the mid 1970s I took 2 or 3 half a 5mg diazepam (2.5mg) every day for over a year. They never lost their effectiveness and never felt the need to take more. But when I tried coming off them Cold Turkey I felt dreadful. So even at that low dosage if taken for a long time daily they are addictive just like all other anxiety meds I've been told about. So I allowed myself the luxury of tapering off them over 6 months. From then I have only taken them as one-offs when really needed which is rare as I use the acceptance method as devised by Claire Weekes.

Any drug that is highly effective is inevitably addictive ie insulin for diabetes.

[elaine2447 in reply to Jeff1943]

You are lucky you have understanding GPS our surgery are a pack of unmentionables, one in particular. Apart from being incompetent. No I was joking about the dark web, a chemist who gets away with it by paying a probably corrupt Eastern European (judging by the name) gp who oversees and okays his expensive luxury items!!

[Jackieyoga in reply to Jeff1943]

I swear by Claire Weekes too but struggle when itssst its peak. Especially when accompanied by a negative powerful thought. My biggest struggle at the minute. Any tips on how to conquer this xx new here so hi 🙏🙏

[Jeff1943 in reply to Jackieyoga]

I can only repeat what you have probably read in your Claire Weekes book.

Accept the powerful negative thought, it is harmless. Accept it fearlessly and avoid adding further adrenaline to your bloodstream by accepting it utterly. Otherwise the fear hormone will continue to over sensitise your nervous system causing the negative thought to continue.

Practice acceptance with persistence knowing that you need to 'Let time pass'. Stop struggling and accept, struggling causes more tension, you need less tension to recover not more.

Claire Weekes said that if you use her method you will recover no matter how long or deeply you have s

[Jackieyoga in reply to Jeff1943]

Thanks Jeff. I am in the midst of a bad setback after a year of peace Feel blessed for that year x I accept a lot of the time but fall bc apart at other intense moments. The adrenaline based in my legs and impending doom are my lingering demons. Thank u again for your reply xx I’m from Ireland so a long way away but thought it would be nice to connect to others who suffer xx

[Jeff1943 in reply to Jackieyoga]

Jackieyoga, regarding the feeling of impending doom. Nature gives all of us a feeling of natural concern that we do not die before our time. But because your nervous system is over sensitised by anxiety disorder this natural concern is exaggerated ten fold into an obsession that your end is imminent. Which it is not.

Do not let a symptom of nervous exhaustion which stresses you with thoughts if death spoil your life. You are in no danger, the obsession is harmless, do not fear it will become a reality. Instead accept this unwelcome thought but do not give it the energy to continue by constantly adding second fear to first fear. Accept it for the time being and before too long it will pass.

[Jackieyoga in reply to Jeff1943]

Not adding second fear is the key isn’t it. Accepting that first fear is out of your hands and letting it be while it’s here. So simplistic yet so damn hard when in the midst of the storm xx

[Jeff1943 in reply to Jackieyoga]

Great things are not easily won.

[Jackieyoga in reply to Jeff1943]

Today has been a tough day. Didn’t succeed enough at letting the first fear be. Added a few bits of second fear today xxxx does this ever happen u Jeff xxxx

[Jeff1943 in reply to Jackieyoga]

There is always that tendency but with time and practice we overcome it.

[Beevee in reply to Jackieyoga]

You recognise areas where you may not be fully accepting which is half the battle. Accept that too. I know how easy it is to react to the first fear flash (known to some as “what ifs?”) but like Jeff1943 says, keep practicing not giving the thought the attention it needs to survive. It’s just anxious energy being released in the shape of scary thoughts (I had thousands) and won’t be there when you recover.

Towards the latter stages of my recovery, I had the anxious feelings first thing but no anxious thoughts. Just shows you how misleading this thing is.

Learning not to give attention to the symptoms of anxiety does take time so don’t beat yourself up about it. Just let the storm rage around you and and adopt an attitude of “So what?” and crack on with your day.

[SearchingForTheLight in reply to Jeff1943]

I’ve never been on diazepam. I’ve been on alprazolam (Xanax). They do not prescribe medicine in the U.S. like Xanax unless you are taking it every day too much of a liability to have no tolerance and be overwhelmed teaching for a bottle. If you do go on the benzo path just know you have to take it the same time every day or it’s just going to make panic attacks worse. Sorry jeff1943 I just figured I’d give my experience with alprazolam not trying to discredit anything. Best of luck!

[Jeff1943 in reply to SearchingForTheLight]

I have taken half a 5mg diazepam when needed since 1976. I have only had one panic attack in my life which was in 1974.

So I question the suggestion that it has to be taken the same time every day or it will make panic attacks worse.

Xanax I know nothing about as it is not available on our National Health Service prescription in the U.K. Perhaps what you say applies to Xanax. But in my opinion, certainly not to diazepam.

In the course of the demonisation of diazepam I have heard many things but never before that it causes anxiety when its purpose is to relieve anxiety completely in 5 minutes flat. In recent decades I have only rarely taken diazepam.

Far better to live with a quiet mind without the need for any medication which is what Claire Weekes' method enables and Beevee describes above.

[elaine2447 in reply to Jeff1943]

"You have to taper off them very gradually and it's no problem" No problem, take a look at some of the benzo recovery groups on Facebook and BAT.

[Jeff1943 in reply to elaine2447]

Prescribing doctors should never let their patients get to that state, it's the doctor's fault not the medication. They should know that diazepam should only be prescribed for daily use for no more than a few weeks or they should only be prescribed for occasional use and the amounts they prescribe should reflect this.

[SearchingForTheLight in reply to elaine2447]

If you taper properly absolutely I had little discomfort. I agree.

[scarr6]

Yeah, I have felt that. One study that came out a few years ago suggested that our alarms put our bodies into fight or flight mode. The alarm itself can be anxiety provoking. I've recently changed my alarms on my phone so that they play gentle songs I love and find hopeful. I find that has helped some.

[SearchingForTheLight]

Yes I do and it won’t go away until I do a quick exercise 30 min get a sweat going then take a shower make sure you’re taking atleat a multi vitamin every day. You just have to wake up and be positive the workout is so important. Look into a high protein and low carb diet I have so much more energy get rid of pop bread sugar and I promise you you’ll feel much better. This doesn’t mean you have to be on keto diet just look into low carb high protein and give yourself. Benzo’s are a tough road to go on I wouldn’t wish it on anyone fight this! You can do this I don’t know you but I promise if you wake up every day and hit the floor and get your heart pumping life seems much less overwhelming. Best of luck!

[Audiomarc1]

Yes, every morning. I have to take a klonipen every morning or my anxiety gets real bad. It is something I have done for quite awhile. I'm sure other members have their morning solutions. I'd love to hear them.

[Baily]

Yes, it's horrible, I get bad dreams about past events & waken up sweating and my stomach in knots. I have a shower & then deal with it best way I can. I find my faith & prayer a great comfort and strength to me.

My heart goes out to you. God Bless....😊🙏

[SearchingForTheLight in reply to Baily]

Same thing for me every day just hop up and get moving seems to be the only thing that helps.

[Agora1]

Giada, worrying about anxiety constantly is "a thing". Called "fear of fear".

This is talked about in Dr. Claire Weekes' book entitled, "Hope & Help for Your Nerves"

If you haven't read it yet or would like to see her videos, turn into YouTune. It's a

promising basis to our Anxiety issues and the key is Acceptance. Something so simple

as accepting anxiety and not fearing it, can lower our adrenaline levels and allow us

to go forward.

So many of us as well as myself, have used her theory as the foundation of our healing.

Together, we help each other through our own experiences. xx

[Cupcake8341]

Hi, Iv just come by your post, I wake up every morning with sudden anxiety as soon as I am out of bed, I’m currently on no medication as I came off and wanted to try the self-help advice, as medication just doesn’t agree with me, I get anxious about taking it, I started taking Kalms 4-6 a day I take 2 in a morning straight after breakfast and they do seem to help ease my anxiety Iv also heard Good CBD oil is supposed to be highly rated

[mvillarreal]

I have had this issue before, though not lately. Do you have any emergency medications?