Anxiety

[Libertylane]

Thanks all. I do have extreme anxiety. Just got off klonopin after a long time and now taking some again. Very disappointing to me. I feel my heart feels strange and hard to be breathe which is probably anxiety. But in my mind it’s you never know. It really helps to vent here. Hopefully things will calm down and I can not be so needy on the site

[Mary63]

Needy sounds very negative. As though you are wasting people’s time. You are not! You have a need, and you need to vent. Things will get better soon I hope.

[SheffieldJane]

The site exists for these times. You are in a totally safe place to share all your fears, because we are all in the same boat. Anxiety is horrible. This is temporary though and drug induced. A drug that is keeping you safe.

Pop in a lot, there is always some sweet bod to help. 🌼

[SnazzyD]

In case it helps Pred made me feel this way and I didn’t have anxiety problems before it.

[Bridge31 in reply to SnazzyD]

Me too

[Yellowbluebell]

Pred makes a lot of people feel odd especially when on high doses. I know dorsetlady sent you lots of links about what to expect whilst on pred and gca generally. Have you read these,?? A low carb diet is reccomended to avoid weight gain whilst taking pred. There are lots of books available about low carb eating.

[Blearyeyed]

Some of the side effects that you have when you first begin to take Steroids , especially higher doses , have symptoms similar to those experienced with Anxiety , like feeling a little more alert or uneasy , palpitations , raise in temperature , or occasionally feeling flushed . It can also make it difficult to go to sleep.

So , it may be possible that the increase in Anxiety like symptoms are not just because you are feeling anxious or worried about your current Health concerns but that you are experiencing some of these Steroid side effects while your body adjusts to the new drug.

If your Anxiety medication does not work as effectively for these symptoms as usual this may be because it is Steroid related . This should improve as you get used to the medication and eventually Taper the dose.

Do you suffer from any other Diagnosed Mental Health conditions as well as Anxiety that you would be willing to share with us ?

This may help us in the future to understand your particular reaction to Medication and your Health Choices , and help us to find the right way to help you in replies .

Take care

[Libertylane in reply to Blearyeyed]

My anxiety has always been about health. It effects my feeling that’s its something about my heart especially. So this has really thrown me for a loop. Because of my past episodes my family chalks it all up to my anxiety and not the prednisone. Between this,my bad cataracts which my back cortisone shots made worse and my spinal stenosis it’s too much Of course this has led to depression I think. Can’t sleep. Need suggestions for that. Long vent

[Hidden]

Hi Libertylane, Sorry you have had to join this club... I have struggled with anxiety for over 40 years (it came on suddenly postpartum, after my first child) and having to rely on anti-anxiety meds is a drag indeed... but they help, right? So for now (if that's "what the doctor ordered,") why not? At one point, on my PMR/GCA journey, I was taking 80mg of Pred and I thought I was losing my mind! Anxious, hyper, aggravated, paranoid... I kept my Diazepine very close at hand. Please don't be disappointed in yourself, you're human, we break sometimes... and then we heal. Good luck, you'll be fine.

Breathe

[S4ndy]

Hi Libertylane, sorry you are suffering. As a long term anxiety sufferer I understand all too well. Just as others have mentioned Prednisolone in higher doses can make it worse.

I was a mess when I was on 30mg a day. Like you I had been able to get off most meds for anxiety and depression. I had to go back on a low dose of them and then had a massive panic attack (brought on by the dealings with the DWP but that's another story). I drove to my gp in full panic mode, no appointment and had a complete meltdown in reception. My gp doubled my dose of Sertraline and gave me more Amitriptyline to help me relax at night as well as help pain. This episode passed but 3 years later I am down to 3mg of Pred and have kept the twin dogs (anxiety and depression)away. I use CBT techniques and meditation to manage my mental state but I am still taking the meds as I recognise that I need them still to keep me stable. I have only one panic episode since tgen and that was at the Jobcentre for an assessment. They wanted to call an ambulance as they thought I was having a heart attack! So I hope that my experience shows that you are not alone in your struggle. This too will pass xxx

[Libertylane]

My anxiety is off the chains. I too started to take a little klonopin again and hated to do it. Will the prednisone anxious feelings get better with body adjusting to it? I feel like it is hard to breathe and chest heavy. Just feel weird. Hope it gets better later in the day like it did yesterday. Didn’t sleep at all last night. Any suggestions for that? I just want to enjoy life again

[Blearyeyed in reply to Libertylane]

It will take time for your body to adjust on high doses , and you will have side effects until the doses are lower but if you can note down what side effects you are having , and when you have them during the day you find a pattern emerges and you can take steps to reduce their onset of severity by choosing to rest and relax in a chair just before the symptoms usually occur . We often remind people that it is alright to build up your strength by taking a short nap when you need or want to during the Day , don't just sleep at times you think you should. A little Siesta can help you to calm down palpitations and reduce pain and tiredness.

Some people prefer to have a little walk when Fatigue or Anxiety sets in , or do some gentle exercises to help distract them , ease muscle stiffness unrelated to PMR/ GCA and to enjoy the relaxation that they can get from the Serotonin release after the physical activity. Hobbies and Interests , Art and music therapy , chatting on the phone to a friend are all helpful ways to promote relaxation and reduce the impact of drug side effects .

As is good nutrition and good hydration through the day .

Most of us use some form of CBT or Wellness exercises to distract our minds from the Anxious feelings that can be increased by taking steroids , or to prevent them growing in the first place. Positive Distractions and Restful Activities , Deep Breathing Techniques and Intellectual inspiration and activity will often help reduce these symptoms alongside your Medication.

Deep Breathing , Relaxation and sipping cool water during periods of palpitations and lightheadedness from any cause is very beneficial . Cool water sipping actually causes a distraction if the Autonomic Nervous System which promotes increased heart rate and alertness , it triggers your "Rest and Digest " to replace " Fight or Flight" and helps calm your heart rate and relax your chest to help your breath better.

There is no failure in taking Medication long term for any Chronic Condition , Physical or Mental . As long as your use of Medication is well controlled , it keeps working and controls your symptoms , taking medication is just one point on a triangle of Practical Measures that you sensibly take to improve your Health. Taking Medication when you know your triggers and symptoms just proves your have become successful at managing your own Health needs.

Insomnia and sleeplessness can be common with steroids at higher doses , and although they reduce for some after their bodies have adjusted to the change , some of us

( particularly those who had troubles sleeping prior to steroids) find they have less sleep until they reach much lower doses. You can try to just rest and not force sleep as resting the body and mind during regular sleeping hours is also beneficial even if sleeping hours are less.

You could try using some Sleep Hygiene techniques , winding down and relaxing earlier in the evening. Making your sleep space more comfortable . Stopping using devices , TV and even reading an hour before settling down to sleep. And , there is also nothing wrong with asking for Medicinal help to sleep too , especially if you also have Anxiety , until you get a balanced sleep pattern again.

It would also benefit you if you don't already receive any Counselling or CBT and relaxation Therapy to ask to be referred to these Mental Health services via your GP or Specialist. Getting all the assistance you can to help cope with Mental Health issues is as important as getting help for Physical problems it's a positive , proactive approach to getting back your Quality of Life.

You should probably also discuss your Mental Health issues with your Rheumatologist as this may make them consider trying you on other drugs in the future alongside lower dose Pred after the GCA symptoms have been brought under control to help you cope with both illnesses. They may also be able to send you for other add on treatments to help with relaxation.

Having a full Mental Health Assessment to update your History if you haven't received one in the last year would also be of benefit for anybody whom gets a Chronic Health Condition but is already experiencing Mental Health issues and has been on prescribed medication for them.

Knowing if you are Depressed at any level is a key part of Care with any illness , especially if the Depression is Clinical if there may be evidence of Bipolar and Manic State Activities in your History . These things can mean that you will need an adjustment on the sort of Treatment you receive for GCA as Long Term Steroid use is not always appropriate for these sorts of Mental Health Condition.

[gaqke10]

The best treatment for anxiety is an SSRI anti-depressant. Look up anxiety and you will find that information in many places, such as Medscape: "Antidepressant agents are the drugs of choice in the treatment of anxiety disorders, particularly the newer agents, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which have a safer adverse effect profile and higher ease of use than the older tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), ." Benzodiazapines such as

Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax should only be used occasionally, as they are addictive and you soon have to take more to get the same effect. I have been addicted to Xanax twice

and the withdrawal is horrible. A friend of mine was addicted to Ativan twice and each time

it took a year for her to withdraw. You get rebound anxiety, and you think you are not ready

to withdraw, so you take some more. Rebound anxiety can even happen all day long, if you take a Xanax, for example, because it wears off in a few hours and you think it's the anxiety coming back but it's really just withdrawal symptoms. If you withdrew from the Klonopin too fast you might have anxiety because of that. Doctors are not very aware of this problem. They tend to minimize it. Look up "benzo withdrawal".

That said, I too experienced some anxiety upon starting prednisone, though I was on an

antidepressant that had been working very well for me for years. So I increased my dose

of SSRI a little bit and told myself that the anxiety was a common symptom and it would

soon pass, which it did. You can also take 100 mg of magnesium glycinate or some such

magnesium chelate every few hours, also good for your heart. You can't get too much magnesium because whatever your body doesn't absorb is eliminated through the

digestive tract (and you will get soft stools--so back off one capsule of magnesium.)

Magnesium is very calming to the nervous system.

[Libertylane in reply to gaqke10]

Am under care for anxiety. Have tried several ssri over the years. Was doing good until this and some surgeries ahead. Even had the testing to see which one was good for my body. Thank you so much for all the good advice