I'm new here, & not sure what to do about my anxiety..

[Emjay6509]

Hi, I am new to BB and to be honest was quite nervous to post anything on this website but I am hoping to talk to some people who might understand what I have been feeling.

I am a 23 year old female and have been reasonably healthy for most of my life. I never really struggled with anxiety when I was younger although I have always been a "worrier" and "perfectionist" which I just accepted as me being me. I was however involved in a car accident about 5 years ago and my health has taken a bit of a dive since, as I developed chronic reflux and have been on tablets since. But even after the accident I never had any issues with anxiety.

About a year ago I started getting more frequent anxiety attacks - at first I dismissed it as stress and just hoped that it would go away when things settled down for me but instead they just got worse and worse. These attacks come on at random times, I will be feeling fine & out of nowhere my heart starts racing, I start shaking, feeling nauseous, dizzy and have even experienced vertigo a couple of times. I had these attacks on and off for about 6 months straight but they went away for a month or two. But they have just recently come back & it is starting to take its toll on me.

I haven't been sleeping properly - I wake up in the middle of the night with an attack and it can take hours for it to settle down. They can come on while I'm driving, and the anxious feeling just consumes me and I feel trapped and sick and feeling sick just makes the anxiety worse. Because I have experienced these attacks whilst I'm driving, it makes me not want to go out.

I have been to my GP who suggested I go on medication but I would really like to avoid that as I don't like tablets being the solution for everything & I don't want to become reliant on them.

I have been feeling like I am under so much pressure lately, and all I want to do is just curl up and cry. I just feel like whenever things start to get better, something else comes up that makes everything a mess again.

I just don't know who to turn to, and I apologise for the essay I have just written, but I really appreciate it if you did read the whole thing & hope that someone might be able to relate to all of this.

[Zeal]

Hi Emjay,

Welcome to the forum! Everyone is welcome here :)

I’m a 22 year old female, and I’ve also always been a worrier and perfectionist! I’ve had mental health issues since the age of 13, when I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). So, I can definitely relate to chronic anxiety. However, I didn’t have panic attacks as such, though I think I came close on occasions. It’s great that you didn’t experience mental health issues when you were younger. Your car accident has been the trigger for you. Chronic reflux must be uncomfortable; hopefully the tablets help significantly.

Even though you say you haven’t had anxiety since the accident, it is possible that you are just trying to be strong, and repress it. Your current anxiety attacks are something which needs to be monitored. I strongly urge you to see your GP regularly, which is especially important now that your anxiety is pervasive. Having poor quality sleep, as you probably realise, often contributes to anxiety. This is because sleep effects the production of serotonin in your brain.

Like you, I didn’t want to take medication my GP suggested. I didn’t want to take antidepressants because I was worried about the effect on my health, and on reliance. I agree that tablets aren’t the solution for everything and everyone. However, sometimes these medications are required for a full and successful recovery. I have been taking the same type of antidepressant for almost 3 years, because my brain doesn’t naturally produce enough serotonin. These tablets also help my OCD.

Don’t worry about your post being long – it only needs to be within the 500 word limit. It’s also good that you’ve provided enough detail for me and for others to understand your situation. Keep in touch with your family and with close friends. This sort of moral support is essential.

Good luck with everything. Remember to keep seeing your GP (discuss all your symptoms and concerns), and to reach out to others.  

Take care,

SM