ok -- im 26 years old. i just had a baby in april. ever since then i have turned into a paranoid, nervous, anxious mess!!! ive been suffering from muschle twitches and i convinced myself that it was ms or als -- until someone on these boards told me that it was probably anxiety related -- i went to the doc today just to make myself feel better -- well while i was sitting there i had a total panic attack. i felt my chest racing, my face growing red, and i couldn't sit still. she said the same thing that the muscle twitches prob werent anything she did order complete blood work just to check.
whats wrong with me???? i feel like anxiety is taking over my life. im constantly worrying about something, i can't sit still, i get shaky, i hate going out in public because i fear having an attack, i feel tired and drained all the time, nervous, i can't seem to shut my mind off im either worrying about something or constantly thinking about something -- what should i do??? does all of this sound like anxiety??? thanks for the advice!!!
It sounds like anxiety to me. The good thing is, you're doing exactly what you should do. You are having your doctor rule out any physical/body cause of your symptoms. Assuming a clean physical bill of health (which is highly likely considering you have been to LOTS of doctors over the past year with the birth of your child), then you can deal with the anxiety. I know that I often experience muscle tension and the odd twitch. I think it's because my body is always ready to spring into action due to fight or flight. We don't often think about the "collateral damage" all of that worry and stress can cause.
Medication and talk therapy are often for helpful for people with your symptoms. That would be my next step if I were you.
hyper - thanks for your response -- im wondering since i just had a baby and thats when these probs started if its some sort of post pardum (SP) - i don't feel the depression side just the anxiety side though -- i mean ive always been alittle anxious and now since my second baby was born in april -- its out of control!
You're welcome. I'm neither a medical nor psychiatric doctor so I couldn't say for sure what the actual cause of your anxiety is. However, the fact that it co-occured with the birth of your child is probably relevant. The postpartum period is different for each woman, but the effects aren't always limited to depression. Just as you're having a physical once-over, it would probably be in your interest to speak to a mental health professional as well.
Sites like this one can be very comforting to one who is just learning about their anxiety. It is helpful both to read the stories of others and share your own story, as well as advice. But as theraputic as these sites are, they should not take the place of competent medical attention.
I had the same symptoms after my first daughter was born. She did have some major medical issues so the doctors kept telling me it was anxiety/depression. I didn't believe them. I thought I was dying. I had the muscle twitches, shaking, scared out of my mind. I also got to the point I would have the dry heaves every morning. I lost weight and couldn't sleep. Finally I gave in and started on an antidepressant and medicine for my stomach. It was a miracle. Within a week I was able to sleep which helped so much. I took it for about a year and then got off. I still have episodes but they have been manageable up until now. I am needing some medical tests and I have convinced myself the worst will be my diagnosis and so I can see these symptoms starting up again. I hate it!
just wondering ash -- what kind of depression/anxiety medicine did they put you on? i think im going to call a shrink today and get an appointment.
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They put me on Zoloft. I started with a low dose because I am sometimes sensitive to drugs. They wanted to see if that would work and it did. It worked amazing for me. Now maybe some other one would have to but this is what the doctors recommended for me. Up until then I had always believed you work things out on your own, but after my experience I realize sometimes that just isn't possible and you need help. It brought me back to my life!
I know exactly what you mean about the twitching. Sometimes I feel like my insides are shivering. I take Xanax whenever I have a panic attack. I calms me down in about 15 to 20 minutes althought it makes me very tired. I was on Celexa. Celexa worked great for me, but I will be trying to get pregnant soon so I switched to Prozac. My doc just told me that Prozac could cause pulmonary hypertention in babies so when I am pregnant I will switch again to Zoloft. I think any SSRI usually works. You just need to find the one that is right for you. The one that has the least side effects. I tried Zoloft 5 years ago and I have sexual side effects so I switched to the Celexa. That worked great for me. I was my old self again.
I had the same issues after my daughter was born. I have had some anxiety in the past, but nothing as bad. My pdoc perscribed me a low dose of xanax and it helps immensly. I can function at my part time job better and be a better mother. It has helped calm me. I also think lifestyle changes such as excersice, proper nutrition, and taking care of you, are really important. With a baby, it's easy to forget about you. Schedule some time for yourself.
