Is this Anxiety?

[Saw1977]

New here... I’ve always been a germaphobe, so it’s been rough for me. About 4 weeks ago I developed a sore throat and neck pain. My daughter had a cold, so I wasn’t too worried (although covid was on my mind). Within this time period, I had my first legit anxiety attack. My symptoms progressed where I became bedridden- extreme nausea, fatigue, neck and back pain, swollen lymph nodes. I started losing weight and had trouble walking. Reluctantly, my dr sent me to ER because I wasn’t functioning. I literally thought I was dying. The ER dr ran a zillion tests (CT scans)... all my tests came back normal! I was sent home. My dr prescribed me Ativan temporarily. I have been resting and doing slightly better. I take the Ativan and I feel normal (with some neck pain)... could this really be all anxiety? Should I try a long-term anxiety med? I’m new to all of this so I can’t believe it all.

[EleanorRose]

I think the fact that you’ve had all the tests come back clear and the Ativan are helping are both signs that anxiety is a likely cause.

Lots of people think of anxiety as a ‘mental’ illness and of course it is but it can cause lots of physical symptoms, too. There are some more ‘common’ physical symptoms that people might experience - palpitations, lightheadedness etc but everyone’s experience is different and there are ‘anxiety symptoms’ which are specific to individuals - it impacts people in different ways. It can be really confusing when you’ve never experienced it before. I always used to think, “It can’t be anxiety, I’m sure I’m not anxious ENOUGH” but of course, I was.

It’s also unsurprising that you’ve developed this at this time when everything is so worrying for lots of people. You’re definitely not the only person experiencing heightened anxiety at the moment.

Whether you should take long-term medication is really a discussion for you to have with your doctor and for you to really carefully consider if it is right for you. All I would say is, don’t rush to make that choice if all of this is new to you.

Take care,

Eleanor

[Saw1977 in reply to EleanorRose]

Thank you so much for your response... it’s been a rough few days. I have convinced myself that I have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia... my doctor keeps telling me it’s severe anxiety. I’ve never suffered like this before in my life and have been spending most days in bed. The nausea is constant... I’ve stopped the brief few days on Ativan but tempted to try a bit longer. Thinking about trying weed/cbd.... I’ve been trying to meditate and spend brief moments with my family, but overwhelming nausea takes over.

[Gretajetta]

Thank god all tests came back negative. I have bad anxiety and panic attacks and to me they seem to last days. It’s like I’m in a daze for a few days. It’s an awful feeling. I was at the point were I was calling 911 and pulling over on the highway leaving my Jeep and going in an ambulance to the hospital. Everything was normal. They started me on Xanax. I’m on the lowest dose possible .25. However it helps. I take it 3 times a day regardless if I’m feeling anxious because I feel it helps prevent anxiety. When having a panic attack if you take a Xanax it takes time to settle in so that’s why I take it 3 times a day. It’s highly addictive however I have been on it almost 8 years and I haven’t upped the dose. I take it as prescribed. I do not get high from it at all. I was also prescribed Prozac I started at 10mg and now take 60mh daily. I am not calling the ambulance any more but I still get anxiety and panic but I manage it. I also take 300 mg Wellbutrin. I think the medication helps but again I started off with low doses and the doctor worked my way up. Good luck feel better and discuss this with your doctor.

[Saw1977 in reply to Gretajetta]

Thank you for sharing your struggles and medication info. Thank you so much for your response... it’s been a rough few days. I have convinced myself that I have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia... my doctor keeps telling me it’s severe anxiety. I’ve never suffered like this before in my life and have been spending most days in bed. The nausea is constant... I’ve stopped the brief few days on Ativan but tempted to try a bit longer. Thinking about trying weed/cbd.... I’ve been trying to meditate and spend brief moments with my family, but overwhelming nausea takes over

[Kim00712]

Hi there,

Its good that you had tests done and things were ruled out. But now, the part that most of us struggle with, is realizing that anxiety does cause physical symptoms. I am not on any daily medication right now for several reasons. But I also have an ativan prescription that I use sparingly. I get 30 pills with will last me about 8 months or so. Sometimes a year. I find it helps me when I cannot get myself calm enough and can feel an anxiety or panic attack building. I suggest you start to figure out your triggers and then work on calming yourself when those arise. If its a deeper issue, don't be afraid to see a therapist. I also recommend the calm app. I never pay for apps and this is the only one where I do have a yearly membership. I use so many different parts of the app, I love it. You should check it out and see if it works for you.

[Saw1977 in reply to Kim00712]

Thank you Kim, my anxiety has always stemmed from germs, but I’ve always been able to to function. It’s been a rough few days. I have convinced myself that I have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia, brought on by my anxiety... my doctor keeps telling me it’s severe anxiety. I’ve never suffered like this before in my life and have been spending most days in bed. The nausea is constant... I’ve stopped the brief few days on Ativan but tempted to try a bit longer. Thinking about trying weed/cbd.... I’ve been trying to meditate and spend brief moments with my family, but overwhelming nausea & fatigue takes over