Anxiety Symptoms are ruining my life

[greeneyes91]

Hi guys.

I am new to this site, to be honest I am all out of options and I guess wanted some tips from people going through the same thing.

I have been severely ill now for nearly 3 years, struggling from ibs, sinus, constant stomach bugs and colds and always feeling tired.

 I've had every test under the sun (even had my appendix removed) to try find out what is wrong, it so hard to believe that anxiety is causing all of this. I don't honestly remember a day where I didn't feel sick or light headed. I've missed so many days from work im worried I will lose my job.

Im wondering if it is worth going down the road of medication?  I have tried everything- except for medication.  Ive done meditation,  yoga, breathing courses, cbt, counselling, relaxation massage and nothing seems to help my symptoms. 

I am hoping someone will read this and understand how much this is ruining my life and all of my relationships in it as I never go out anymore, I am always sick and only 24 years old. Any help would be greatly appreciated

[Neil_1]

Dear green eyes (great name by the way)

Welcome to Beyond Blue and thank you for coming here and providing your post.

When you say, “is it worth going down the road of medication?”, is this something that your doctor has prescribed for you?   Something that you perhaps have spoken about in an appointment?

I can fully understand you when you say that these kinds of feelings can destroy relationships, affect social outings and also jeopardize your job.  All of these are critical issues, but if there’s one there that I can really stress for you – is your job.  My opinion on this is to do all you can to be able to keep your job.  As jobs these days are a little difficult to acquire, it would be best (if at all possible) to hang on to it.

It is great to read how you’ve got a number of support mechanisms in place to help you out (aside from medication), but if you were to add some type of medication into this, it could assist you – after the usual “kick-in” time that it takes for such medication to take hold.  Usually about 4-5 weeks.

I hope that I’ve been able to say something a bit useful in this post and would love to hear back from you.

Neil

[greeneyes91]

Hello Neil.

Thank you for the reply. I haven't been to a GP for these problems in quite some time as I had given up a few months back when they couldn't tell me what was wrong and I considered it was more psychological.  Its hard to believe that something in my head can be causing all of this. My worry is that medication is going to make my physical symptoms worse or mae the anxiety a lot worse too. I think I will go see a GP and find out my options for medication.  

Thank you

[darthritis]

Hey green eyes, you're definitely not alone.

I'm only 28 and have been having panic attacks for about 22 years now.

 It is exhausting feeling unwell and scared all the time, but medication can play a huge helpful role. Make sure you start seeing someone for cognitive behavioural therapy. I have found learning more about the way my brain works, and the nature of anxiety useful and makes it less like an invisible scary illness.

 Stay strong x

[fatima]

the mind is a powerful thing and stress and anxiety can cause MANY physical symptoms.

although I wish I could do without meds, I am very glad to be on a low dose of AD as it really takes the edge of it for me. As many I was scared of the potential side effects etc but after having tried two meds that didnt work for me (one made me eat 8 times /day and the other gave me tremors), I found what worked for me. 

if you try meds, dont give up if the first type doesnt work or give you side effects. discuss with your GP and try another brand. It can take a long time before you start noticing the effects but I can clearly remember that one day I enjoyed hearing a bird whistle. That was the start of feeling happier.

Meds definitely dont solve the underlying cause but if they can help to get you through and give you the courage/energy to start dealing with things, then I believe it is worth it. 
Fingers crossed that you can feel a bit better soon. 

 

[james182]

Hi. I feel the same, I feel like I'm not going to be able to cope with my job anymore and I have a mortgage and a child on the way. Most days consist of me forcing myself to go to work after waking up covered in sweat and with my head aching from restless sleep. The only thing that makes me feel any better about being alive is that my partner supports me and loves me even though I'm an extremely crappy version of myself, always in a bad mood and I just want to sit on the couch all day.