Anxiety suddenly appeared a week ago.

[atacama]

I have recently been having awful anxiety. It starts when I wake up, and follows me through the day, like a sick nervous feeling in my stomach for no reason. I am happily married, super family, and yet I feel tremendously overwhelmed at times with nothing to brighten the day. And yet sometimes it clears and I am normal again. I must say I am overweight and on a hated cocktail of medication for blood pressure. I am convinced that my long term use of these has caused or significantly contributed to this. Its an awful feeling, like nothing can be joyous ever again, and I feel like crying. But I know it will pass. I have started walking daily and am losing weight but the diet is mainly because my appetite has gone too. Sorry for ranting on, I just want this horrible feeling to end and get back to my normal happy self.

[Jenrolil]

I think I can relate. I wake with an awful feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach every morning for no apparent reason. Thinking of normal things that make me happy just cause more of the bad feeling rather than the happy feeling they should. I have a horrible bleak feeling that nothing can ever be good again or that everything is futile and meaningless. I cry every day. I also have moments where it just completely lifts and I feel normal and happy again, usually in the evening. You say you've felt this way for a week? Is this the first time in your life you've experienced anxiety ? Have you ever been diagnosed with depression?

[atacama in reply to Jenrolil]

No, but I used to get this horrible sick feeling before important exams or events, when I was younger.But once they were done, I was fine. I am 48 now, and have been fine for a long time but this week saw this out of the blue. Crying out of sadness for no reason, feeling jittery, pacing around the house (on sick leave from work) feeling that this wont go away and feeling like I am going mad. But the symptoms tend to go in the evening for some reason and I am ok. I have no idea why. I would love this to be something physical causing it. So I am doing the exercise, eating healthier (when my appetite is there) and going to lose weight big time to get off blood pressure meds or at least reduce significantly.

[Cares179 in reply to atacama]

I had this too. Anxiety would wake me up every morning and last throughout the day until the evening then it would taper off and I would feel normal again. I read that our cortisol levels are the highest in the morning hours starting around 4-5am. The only thing that helped for me was medication and deep breathing.

[atacama in reply to Cares179]

Interesting, I tend to delve too much into causes and effects since this nightmare started, if I can let my mind rest I am ok. Its really tough though, but tapering off now today already a little bit.

[Jenrolil in reply to atacama]

Are you female? Could this possibly be related to perimenopause or menopause ?

[atacama in reply to Jenrolil]

Hi, no I am male sorry I see I didn't mention that. But I am heading toward 50, and I do think of my mortality every day, and that is not healthy. I have another 30 plus years to go yet, and I am fighting to enjoy life as much as I can until then. I hope this is a blip on that road. I hope you feel better too.

[Jenrolil in reply to atacama]

Def not that then! I hope this is temporary for you too. Keep up the exercise and healthy eating and hopefully it will pass. If not then seek help

[atacama in reply to Jenrolil]

Doctor has actually upped my BP meds because it was too high the day I saw him last week, but that worries me more. I think unnaturally dropping blood pressure, though necessary short term, is not good long term. He did prescribe a medicine for anxiety which I haven't collected from pharmacy yet, cannot remember name until I get it. Begins with S and is used for nausea and sea sickness he said...anyway thanks, keeping up exercise and diet will be easier, now I have a real goal to achieve.

[Pollypocket1]

I know that feeling all to well. Would have trouble getting to sleep then waking up several times in the night, when I had to get up for work (have to been signed of for 4 weeks) as it got closer to when I had to leave home, I would get a sick feeling in my stomach and want to cry because I couldn't face going. My Dr said it had been building up for sometime subconsciously before the physical symptoms showed. Have been diagnosed with stress and put on antidepressants. At the moment they haven't kicked in, feel like I don't want to see or talk to anyone. Have you seen your Dr?

[atacama in reply to Pollypocket1]

Yes saw my Doctor, fell apart emotionally right there, scared me actually. He has prescribed a medicine which I will get tomorrow for nausea, sea sickness but he says may help. Reluctant to do this but will see how next few days go. Thing is, there isn't a factor that I consciously know of that set me off. Work is good, and life is fine, few bills but nothing mad. It's like a tap going on and the handle breaking with no way to turn it off right there. As I write, I feel better now, but worried the next wave will strike at some time. I will revisit the doctor, he asked me too, in a couple of weeks. I may be able to sum things up more coherently to him then. His advise re diet and exercise is sound and is being taken on board. Talking is very important if you can, even though you may not feel like talking, everything we need to do seems like an effort.

[Pollypocket1]

Just had a knock back. Had bloods taken on Wednesday and results back. Apart from showing I have an infection, which I already knew and being treated for, everything is normal. Got to go back to Dr next week as she has come to the conclusion I have ME. Said the anxiety, load moods and extreme fatigue with some days I am ok, are all pointing to it. It might not be what I wanted to hear but at least I seem to be getting nearer an answer. Going to take your advice and, it's a nice day, sun shining,don't need anything but going to take myself off into town.

[atacama]

Well back to update after three weeks. Thankfully haven't hit the extreme low of then but I still have anxiety spells all day sometimes with palpitations. Seems to get better at night or in the evening. One thing I have dropped is the beta blocker I was on. I am also on diuretic and a calcium channel blocker. All to control BP. I feel that the beta blocker atenolol 25mg for the past 18 months shut down the adrenaline response too much, and messed up something in the brain. Along with the other two medicines, I think my body said no more. I am aware of the side effects of BB withdrawal but I am staying on the diuretic and CCB, so the anxiety rebounds will become less and less as the body readjusts to having adrenline release controlled for that time. I am on weight loss regime and moderate exercise so that should at least decrease blood pressure and I hope get rid of the dread doom of anxiety. I pray for you all who suffer. I never had it until a few weeks ago, I have no idea how you all coped. I should also say my GP prescribed Stemetil 15mg daily but I never took it. At least yet. I really don't want too unless I really think I need it. Good luck all.