fed up - Anxiety Message Board

Boxermad · 10-18-2006, 07:02 AM

I feel really fed up with myself today

After the doctors at the hospital told me my pains and symptoms are due to anxiety . Ive been reading through this forum all night to try and convience myself they are telling me the truth .

I am due to see a pyscatrist next week and I paranoid about what they will think of me , I dont take care of myself anymore and I dont talk to poeple, I never open my curtains I keep myself shut away I feel like ive got that many issues I dont know where to start with them and now I have a appointment with my gp tommorow and Im worring about admiting to him that this is all down to anxiety , Im also worried about any meds he may give me , I have never taken meds in the past because I have been terrified that they will trigger a heart attack (sounds stupid i know)

will medication take away the constant pain ? will they cure my panic attacks?

Do you ever actually accept that all this is down to anxiety or am I always going to feel like I am dying ?

ocdengineer · 10-18-2006, 07:09 AM

No, you won't always feel this way. There are many options that may help, but it helps to go to the doctor informed. Benzos usually offer the best and quickest relief from the anxiety symptoms you have described. SSRI's can help in the long term, but some poeple have to get through a rough patch of increased anxiety tot get to the useful amount. Also, CBT cognitive behavioral therapy can help a lot. It essentially teaches you to not worry about physical symptoms by creating them artificially in the doctors office. Also meditation and relaxation therapy. Seriusly though, the Xanax has always been the best solution if you read th threads out there lots of people have found relief from this medication.

You may go through some trial and error with your doctor and you may have to go through a couple doctors too before you find a good match, but trust me, hang in there and eventually you will get to a point where your quality of life will improve.

Take care

nuttygirl · 10-18-2006, 07:20 AM

I feel what you're feeling, or at least I did. I still do get anxious and panicky at times but it's better. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to isolate which is what you're doing. I know it seems right now that all is hopeless(been there) but truthfully once you go see the GP and psych and discover that you're not crazy or dying and they find a good medication for you you'll begin to see the light again. Don't be afraid to try the meds. I'm paranoid of meds too but am so glad that I decided to try them because it worked! I think you're depressed and anxious but I'm not a doctor so I don't want you to think I'm diagnosing you. I wasn't ever really depressed, only severely anxious with constant panic attacks. I now it's hard to believe doctors when they tell you you're ok it's just anxiety because the symptoms can mimmick so many things. If you're being tested to rule out any possible health problems and they find nothing than yes, it's anxiety. Hard to believe I know.
It's also important for you to take good care of yourself always as you'll feel better. When you go to your doctor today(?) just explain exactly what's been happening, ask for testing to rule out anything medical. If he thinks it's anxiety and/or depression wait for the psych to prescribe the meds as they are the experts and regular med doctors don't know a lot about these types of drugs and tend to avoid certain ones that really help people with anxiety. I really want for you to feel better, I care. Please don't be afraid of what a doctor might think of you, it's there job and they've heard it all. Be sure to tell them everything openly and honestly no matter how hard it is. Maybe you could make a list of things you've been experiencing and a list of questions so you don't freeze up and forget things when you're there - that's what I do.

Please keep us posted as to how you're feeling because everyone here is very supportive and care about each other. Know that you're not alone and you have a place here.

Take Care,
Tori

Boxermad · 10-18-2006, 07:20 AM

Thanks alot of your reply

I am so pleased ive found this site ,

I think you may be right about needing to find a new doctor , I get this feeling that I am detached from my body and I am watching my arms and move about , and its the first time ive read on this site that others get this feeling too , what a relief that was ! I explained this feeling to my doctor 2 years ago and he laughed at me, at this visit I hadent been out the house for months and I was begging him for help he just turned around to me and said 'well what do you want me to do' and told me there was nothing he could do .

Just by reading through this site things are looking clearer now and I can understand different feelings and syptoms more by other peoples posts .

Its very scary what the mind can do to your body

cecropia · 10-18-2006, 07:22 AM

If you are closing all of your blinds and not wanting to go out, it sounds like you are also suffering from depression. I know I have depression with my anxiety and it is hard to tell the symptoms apart. I can't take SSRI's, at least the ones I've tried made my anxiety worse. I am trying St. John's Wort along with my Buspar this time hoping it eases the depression. It's getting really bad with the dark weather we're having and the weather is not going to change except to get worse. Winter is coming and the cold and dark days like to kill me when I am in the middle of a relapse, otherwise I go through fairly well, but I'm in the middle of a relapse right now. My depression usually wears off on it's own after about 8 months, but boy do I struggle with it.

I hope you get the help you need and don't feel so bad that you've been told you have anxiety. So many people have it now and depression that it is becoming very well accepted and not thought of as someone who's crazy like in the old days. Notice, doctors never tell you that you are having a nervous breakdown anymore, they tell you that you are suffering from anxiety disorder. See, the world is accepting it now and not thinking of it as a disease that has to be hidden in the dark somewhere. So, you can open your curtains, your not weird or different and don't ever let yourself think that you are.