ANXIETY!

[Rach459]

Hi, ive had really bad anxiety since i had a really bad life threatening flare with lupus 4 years ago. I was treated with very high dose steroids and had intrusive thoughts whilst on them. I have not had steroids for 4 years now but i am still sruggling with the anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Has anyone else had this whilst being on steroids?? Xx

[Natura]

Hello Rach...I totally understand the anxiety part. I am not on medication, but treat my anxiety naturally. It is awful. I am healing my gut and liver (herbal support) which should heal my thyroid, and take an adrenal support blend (holy basil and ashgwanda to control hormones out of whack from leaky gut) to control anxiety, whilst taking passionflower herb when needed for anxiety till my gut is healed. And lemon balm for depression.

I may never be healed, thanks to the lovely genetic coding I inherited, but having anxiety is probably the worse thing you could ever have happen in your life! Feels like you are dying.

The Panic attacks have subsided since I have been doing all of these treatments. When it seems to be coming back, I take holy basil. I think anxiety is related to too much cortisol production in the body. I also do much more with diet, and other natural treatments. It is very complicated. And so is this disease. We cannot fix genetics (although someone told me there is talk about healing diseases through genetic fixing. Very interesting), but we can try to cope with it by using different methods.

I am not a doctor, but I talk to a lot of nutritionists, and read a lot. This may not be a course of action for you because everyone's body is so different, and reacts differently to medicine and/or herbals. It sounds to me like you are having a reaction to the steroids. Please call your doctor.

I hope others can respond that are taking steroids, but that is a path I did not choose.

I am so sorry this is happening to you.

[Rach459 in reply to Natura]

Thank you for your reply. Yes i believe the steroids have caused it and my doctor confirmed this. But it has scarred me mentally like a trauma. Im on citalopram and ive had cbt in the past but nothing seems to help. Im going to go back to my doctors asap. I hadnt taken my citalopram for 5 days last week as i had ran out of them and i feel that that may have contributed to why i feel worse this week. I dont wish anxiety on anyone it really is horrible. Xx

[SjogiBear]

Not sure if there is a link between taking high doses of steroids and subsequent anxiety. I have had problems with anxiety and panic attacks since I was on prednisolone for over two years towards the end of my teens. Of course, this doesn't demonstrate any association let alone causal effect as anxiety is also associated with having a condition such as lupus. ( onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi... ) It is horribly debilitating and I have never managed to hold down any particular job for very long. I'm glad to hear that you are going back to see your doctor very soon as this is not something that you can deal with on your own.

[Rach459 in reply to SjogiBear]

Thank you. Will post on how i get on with the doctors. I have good days were it doesnt bother me too much but when i have a bad day its awful. Xxx

[Treetop33]

I have insomnia, palpitations and intrusive thoughts on anything from 7.5mg Pred and above. It's a real enough thing.

I've found diet and herbal teas helpful - holy basil tea, and strong chamomile at night. Quite a few people here seem too use it for adrenal support.

[Rach459]

I havent been on the steroids for 4 years now but my anxiety and intrusive thoughts have never gone away. Ive been struggling with it the last few days but im seeing my doctor next thursday. Think i will give the chamomile a go. Thank you xxx

[Chanpreet_Walia LUPUS UK]

Hi Rach459,

According to The Lupus Encyclopedia, “About 25% of people who have SLE will have problems with anxiety”. The encyclopedia states that counselling, meditation and taking prescribed medication can be beneficial for people with anxiety. We published a blog article on stress management and relaxation which you may like to read here: lupusuk.org.uk/stress-manag...

The Lupus Encyclopedia does list ‘anxiety’ as potential side effect of systemic steroids (Pill or IV form).

Anxiety UK provides information on how to deal with anxiety and what type of support is available to you: anxietyuk.org.uk/

Having someone to speak to can help improve your overall wellbeing as well as help you cope with certain situations which can be tough. If you would like someone to speak to, we can provide you with LUPUS UK contacts who you can chat with over the telephone. These contacts are volunteers who mostly have lupus themselves; they are not medically trained but are there to offer support and understanding. If you would like a contact to speak to, you can email me at [e-mail] .

We published a factsheet that contains services and support helplines which may be of interest to you: lupusuk.org.uk/wp-content/u....

Please keep us updated, wishing you all the best.

[Rach459 in reply to Chanpreet_Walia]

Thank you Chanpreet. I am going to start meditation on monday to see if this helps. Will keep you posted xx