Is it Anxiety?

[Whazp]

Hi All,

Back when i was a teen i suffered from OCD (Obsessive thoughts about food poisoning) & some sort of GAD - cant remember the specifics. Was put on medication and after a while everything picked up and life was good. Stayed on it for about 12 years until 2 years ago i decided that i didn't need medication anymore because i was doing so well. What a mistake that was... Got hit with some work stress pretty bad and started having faint dizzy spells. Had brain fog, irratibility etc. Ended up re-instating the medication after a little over a year & things started to pick up again. After a few months of being on the medication again i started having strange physical symptoms for around 2 hours each evening after eating and taking the medication. Thought that the medication was hurting me and i tapered off it in about 3 weeks. Ended up with'discontinuation syndrome' - id never wish it on my worse enemy.

Its now 5 months out from last taking the medication. What im not sure about is am i still experiencing discontinuation syndrome or is this what anxiety feels like? I have the following symptoms in isolation or sometimes together. Intensity varies and the sensations are not always the same.

• Tightness in forehead like a constant pressure in the head. Difficulty concentrating.
• Regular tension type headaches - usually left side.
• Weakness in the body - find physical exertion bombs me quickly
• Numbness in limbs
• Constant tingling sensations in the body and limbs.
• Feeling like going to pass out - not too often.
• Burning sensations in the face
• Some tightness in the chest
• Slight tremble
• Derealization - feels like im watching a movie picture. Feels like on drugs but without any euphoria. Has improved slightly.
• Random ringing in ears - only lasts a few seconds. Happens occasionally.
• Sometimes rapid heart rate.
• Confusion occasionally.

Is this Anxiety? I always thought anxiety was feeling nervous about something. Often i get these symptoms but im not worrying about anything?

[stormcloudz]

Ohhhh yes. That can all be anxiety.

I had all those symptoms (to varying degrees), typically when I didn't have any particularly anxious thoughts. I found it very confusing when my doctor said I had anxiety - I had been doing meditation, I didn't feel nervous....

It took me a while to realise that I had almost-subconcious negative thoughts that triggered the physical feelings, while my brain thought it was just fine, thanks.

Exhaustion was the strongest for me. Tremors, dizziness, muffled/whooshing ears,tight breathing, headaches, brain fog, chest tightness, tingling in face/lips - all that, and more.

It actually helped me to realise that the symptoms were anxiety - I was able to kind of say to myself "oh, that's the anxiety again, that's OK", and practice some acceptance. That was easier than googling to figure out what was wrong with me, which I had been doing previously!

I haven't been through discontinuation, so I don't knowif there is overlap between the symptoms, that's definitely worth discussing with the doctor.

I'm glad you posted, it's good to hear from someone with similar experience.

[Lici]

Hi Whazp,

Unfortunately I can't help you with advice on whether or not your symptoms are anxiety related or discontinuation symptoms as I'm not a health professional, but I just wanted you to know that I've read your post and to say welcome to the forums. The people here aren't medical professionals but they have experience with mental illness and are very supportive and won't judge anything you say.

My advice to you would be to book a double appointment with your GP and discuss your symptoms with them and your concerns. They'll be much better qualified than me to recognize what symptoms are anxiety related.

For me, my anxiety presents mostly physically. I'll have muscle tension, tension headaches, bloating, fatigue among other things. I too wasn't sure if this was anxiety or not as I didn't have what I considered excessive worry. I guess the point I'm making is that anxiety will present itself differently for everyone. I went to my GP and he explained it all to me and helped me understand my anxiety better.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you. Do keep me updated on how things go for you though.

Kind regards,

Lici

[Ggrand]

Hello Whazp,

Welcome to BB Forums, we are kind caring and non judgmental, friendly community. Well done on reaching out.

Im sorry your struggling with your MH.

I'm sorry, Whazp, We are not Drs or professional people we are just people like yourself who is /has gone through our own Mental Health struggles and are willing and very happy to share our insight and suggestions that may help you...I'm sorry but we cannot diagnose you or any one.

Please I would really you go to your gp, and book a long appointment and talk to him/her and tell your gp, how your feeling, your thoughts, and symptoms you are going through. That way your gp can give you a proper diagnosis and rule out anything else that may cause these symptoms..Please can you try and go to your gp,

When you feel an anxiety attack coming on...Breath...in...out...breath...in....out..deeply and counting in for 5 then out for 5, I find by doing this our mind has left our anxiety and is concerntrating on your counted breaths, which calms you..Maybe give this a try and just see how you go...

Good luck, and I hope to hear from you when you feel to post again..

Warm and caring thoughts,

Grandy..

[stormcloudz]

Ah yes, good point from Lici and Ggrand - definitely go to your doctor to rule out other possibilities - but anxiety is definitely one of the possibilities. Your list looks very familiar to me. I had a bunch of tests to rule out other things first.

[Whazp]

Thanks for the warm welcome. It helps to be able to draw parallels and share experiences and advice from others that have been through the same thing. I've been so confused about whats been happening to me over the last year and a half. I've had no idea what anxiety is and i have been looking for answers anywhere i can about what was happening to me. Dr google told me everything from Parkinson to encephalitis which confused me even more. I have intrusive thought and ruminating thoughts so i feel that's making things allot harder. I have a good doctor, only problem is its usually a 4 week wait to see him. Have tried other doctors when i haven't been able to get him. One thought it was a virus and id get over it in a week or two. Got an appointment in two weeks to talk about it. Likely that ill need to reinstate medication & keep riding the roller coaster for a while =(

I also have what id now call anxiety about taking medication now as i was convinced it was what was causing me harm and making me ill. Makes it hard to get back on it. I want to go back on it. Just afraid now as for some reason i react oddly to anything i take like over the counter pain medication. Makes reinstatement unpredictable. Maybe its just anxiety playing with me.

How long have you been dealing with anxiety for?

[blondguy]

Hi Whazp

Some of your symptoms do reflect those of anxiety. Using Dr Google on a mental health matter can sometimes make us feel worse than we actually are as the advice is so varied and sometimes incorrect too

As mentioned above making a double appointment with your GP will bring you some relief as then you wont be anxious trying to self diagnose.

The Good News! If you are diagnosed with anxiety it can be reduced over time with frequent counseling. It took me a while to get a handle on my anxiety but seeing a GP is crucial. The earlier anxiety is treated the better the recovery too

You have everything to gain and nothing to lose 🙂

Great to have you on the forums too Whazp

Paul

[stormcloudz]

Hi Whazp

Sorry about the slow reply. I've been dealing with this for about 12 months ...but like you, I didn't really understand anxiety. Now that I look back, I've had this most of my life. It's just that recently it's been so disabling that the docs could see it clearly. I found medication very helpful. I got some side-effects for a couple of hours after taking it initially, but luckily for me the side-effects weren't nearly as bad as the anxiety itself.

Hope you are doing OK.

[Concernedwife2018]

Hi there

this thread has really helped me. I am struggling at the minutes with my own head, initially when I joined these forums I was seeking support and assistance for my husband, but the more I think about it now, my own head isn’t in the greatest place.

i am worrying constantly - this isn’t new, I have always over thought everything and stressed over the maybes. i worry to a point that I have a headache and sometimes give myself diarrhoea (sorry)

even though this has gotten a lot worse since my husband told me he is unwell again, I can now recognise it has always been there.

i think I need to get help, I have already sought assistance through my work employee assistance program and have made an appt to speak with someone - I couldn’t get in until the first week of August though.

In the interim I think I need to see a doctor, request medication of some sort to help. I am curious to know your thoughts around medication? Has it helped?

[Lici]

Hi concerned,

I also had physical symptoms like yours but also had muscle tension and a few other things. I never suspected anxiety until my GP diagnosed it. Medication has been a life changer for me! I couldn't move my arm properly for a year and since taking the medication I've got a lot of my movement back, my muscle tension is gone, I no longer get 3 day headaches and the diarrhoea (and other ibs symptoms) are gone. I also don't over think things as much I've noticed. I do still worry though (mostly about uni related stuff) but it's not as intense as it used to be.

The thing to remember with medication is it can sometimes take 4-6 weeks to start working properly. It's also usually only part of the treatment for managing things like anxiety. Therapy is also important because it teaches you better coping strategies and can help you figure out what is behind the anxiety and how to recognise things that trigger it.

When/ if you do see a gp, I highly recommend booking a double appointment and finding a gp who is also a mental health practitioner. Seeing a mental health practitioner was such a difference for me. I went from seeing a gp who ignored my pain and just looked at me as if I was shopping for pain medication to seeing a gp who actually connected all of my symptoms and gave me a proper diagnosis. He also is very happy to talk through my worries and explain things to me. I really can't recommend seeing a mental health practitioner enough!

Hope this helps you some!

Kind regards,

Lici