I've googled way too many times

Like many others with health anxiety we Google our symptoms, not our best decisions. In the past i googled my symptoms or google heart attack symptoms all the time. I started lexapro 5mg 3 weeks ago. It's been helping my anxiety but I think it's triggering depression. Has anyone ever had this happened to them? Back to my google problem. I haven't googled in about 3 weeks but the things that I have googled and acquired knowledge of is now hunting me. I don't feel well right now. Headache and my body aches. I've got some pains on the left side near my breast and armpit are. Doc did an EKG around 3 weeks ago. said heart was fine. Went to my OBGYN for a visit she said its anxiety, and since then it has subsided. But it came back yesterday. I do have some stressful things going on this past week that I think triggered it. I just get so scared because I once read an article that people get flu like symptoms when they have a heart attack. I'm so scared. My past Google searches are scaring me.

[RasAlGhoul]

Google searches are the worst because one simple symptom and google will decide that you have cancer when u just have anxiety or flu probably soo come here for help and people would help you if it is Anxiety because u know what they say '' ask an experienced person not a doctor ''

[Agora1]

Hi Justbreath123, in all the many years I've had anxiety, I have never googled. I have used my medical background in diagnosing the family along the way, but never myself. I remember the saying that even doctors need to see doctors, they cannot diagnose and treat themselves, so who am I to start telling the doctor what I think the symptoms mean. It's true in that once you read something about a symptom that's negative, it's hard to erase that from your mind. I wish you well.. I wish all of us well in our search for the real answer.

[SmellsLikeRalph]

I have had constant 24/7 stress, anxiety and panic for the last 8 months. I woke up 8 weeks ago with a lump in throat, hard to swallow, lightheaded, brain fog, memory issues, heat issues, light sensensitiy, severe weightloss, headaches and more. I started googling myself to death and made myself believe I had every disease known to man. I have been to the doctor and had every test you can every imagine. EKG, mri, cat scan, ultrasound, bacteria tests, x3 blood tests, had a scope done, you name it i had it done. NOTHING.

Started 20mg Prozac this morning. The doctor feels it's going to be a good start to getting my life back on track.

I had this happen when I was 16 years old and without medications it last 2 years. Until I was 18. Tho I never remembered it being this extreme

My doctor told me to stay off the damn internet. It's like a plague

[SmellsLikeRalph]

By the way he started me on Prozac yesterday and I was supposed to take it last night but guess what. I googled every side affect to Prozac and scared myself to death so I never took it. This morning I had enough and took it. Guess what I have had zero side affects

[jennyjolly in reply to SmellsLikeRalph]

Like all drugs sometimes side effects take time to appear,other people never get any

I binned mine after reading it can make you feel suicidal.

Took Bach Flower Rescue Remedy instead,found that worked for me with zilch side effects for anybody

Whatever you take wish you a speedy recovery.

[SmellsLikeRalph in reply to jennyjolly]

Oh I completely understand when my buddy started Prozac he was extremely tired all the time and felt extremely sick everyday for 2 weeks.

Like my doctor told me and it's something I have to do. Stop self diagnosing myself on Google and stop scaring myself by reading constant negatives and not positives. I always tend to look at the bad instead of the good.

Anxiety, stress, depression and panic attacks all suck. One thing im going to change is I'm leaving my high stressed job and the constant negativity of the people I work with

[Hidden]

Dear friend, I also get the same pain as you in the armpit and just along the side of the breast... You have tons of muscles in there, I actually used to be really scared about it and would get checked my my doctor all the time for recently, a year ago, I went to a chiropractor who told me my muscles were all tight in there and did a release therapy. It hurted a lot but the pain went away. Now it comes back whenever I get too anxious. You need to understand that without even realizing it, we do tense all our muscles when we feel anxious or tense or nervous. Especially when we sleep.... As for your lexapro, some doctors actually give some Ativan or clonozepam to relieve the edge or the medication as at the beginning, it might increase the symptoms of depression and anxiety. You need to give it 6-8 weeks. If you are finding it too hard to cope right now, go back to your doctor and ask for a benzo. Though be very careful with benzo like Ativan, they are very addictive. Take the smallest dosage and never more than 2 weeks. Take it at night, it will help you sleep and try to limit it to a week usage. Then your other med will have time to kick in a do the job.

Take care

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your kind reply. I haven't slept well in weeks. I just want to know that I'm not having a heart attack. It's my biggest fear. I'm going to go to the doctors Monday.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Trust me, if you are surviving such high anxiety, you are not having a heart attack. Your heart is a strong muscle and I assume your doctor has done some blood work to check any issues that might arise. This is what I want you to do. Lie down on the bed, or on the floor, feet falling away from each other, arm lying on your sides away from you. Close your eyes, and just focus on breathing slowly by filing up your stomach like you would a balloon and then exhale slowly all the air. Do that for few minutes and keep focusing on your breathing. Then take your pulse. I assume you know how to do that. Then get up, do the breathing again for two minutes and take your pusle then tell me what your numbers were. Just curious... I will tell you why later. It might help you understand the the dirty trick our mind okay on us.

[Hidden]

I wish I could never googled medical issues. I thought the lexapro was working, but now that I feel this way I'm doubting it. I'm terrified that I'm just going to have a heart attack. I hate feeling this way.