please help quadraplegic - Anxiety Message Board

nelklein · 10-26-2003, 11:14 AM

hi guys, i am a quad from diving accident and 4 2 months have had anxiety. my stomach is always queasing even after i eat which seems 2 trigger my anxiety. was able 2 eat a little more yesterday but noticed when i got in bed i got light-headed or dizzy. is there any1 out there who has experienced this. btw im on 100 mgs of zoloft. other anxiety feelings are my legs top of head even eyes sometime burn, itchey sensation. since dizzy spell last note w/ stomach pain convinced my life is in danger. if any1 can relate or recognize my symptons i beg u 2 respond. im very scared and tired of feeling this way. if u respond i sincerily thank u 4 ur time.
nelson

hry33 · 10-26-2003, 12:53 PM

Hi Nelkein

the zoloft often reduces anxiety, how long have you been taking it?

when first started, zoloft can actually cause anxiety like problems for the first few weeks

I expect your doc has run some tests and told you that its likely all caused by anxiety

learning how to relax and reduce your stress levels helps a lot

cattys · 10-26-2003, 04:55 PM

Hi nelson, Welcome to the forum.

I take 75mg of zoloft I have tried 100mg and that actually gave me symptoms of what I was actually taking it for, so the 75mg does work good for me.

I also get burning eyes at times.
Hang in there your body just might need time to adjust or you could call you dr. and ask if this is normal.

Best wishes

Jennita · 10-30-2003, 01:23 PM

If you will look at the prescribing info on Zoloft, it may explain some things, such as the stomach problems:

Gastrointestinal Disorders—Frequent: appetite increased; Infrequent: dysphagia, tooth caries aggravated, eructation, esophagitis, gastroenteritis; Rare: melena, glossitis, gum hyperplasia, hiccup, stomatitis, tenesmus, colitis, diverticulitis, fecal incontinence, gastritis, rectum hemorrhage, hemorrhagic peptic ulcer, proctitis, ulcerative stomatitis, tongue edema, tongue ulceration.

Also, the eye burning is no doubt conjunctivitus, which is also listed in the Zoloft adverse effects PDF. The definition I looked up in a medical dictionary says it is inflammation of the conjunctivia. Here also is the definition of conjunctivia:

Main Entry: con·junc·ti·va
Pronunciation: "kän-"j&[ng](k)-'tI-v&, k&n-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural con·junc·ti·vas or con·junc·ti·vae /-(")vE/
: the mucous membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelids and is continued over the forepart of the eyeball.

Zoloft PDF section I found it in:

Special Senses—Frequent: tinnitus; Infrequent: conjunctivitis, earache, eye pain, abnormal accommodation; Rare: xerophthalmia, photophobia, diplopia, abnormal lacrimation, scotoma, visual field defect.

Many antidepressants have various adverse effects on people, which are somehow explained differently as current/previous anxiety by doctors. Why they assume this in every case is beyond me....drugs are very capable of causing havoc on the body systems as much as stress and anxiety can!(maybe more so)