Kylie

[Lavina]

I have different physical symptoms I am sure are anxiety related. Lots to unpack from my 52 years. Numb face and arm crying etc. Doctor puts it down to Psychosomatic issues. I hold down a full time job and adult children and friends.After a few years of saying “no” I took an SSRI for three mornings. I felt so unwell and depressed the third day I stopped taking them. Thoughts?

[sbella02]

Lavina,

Thank you for reaching out to us, it's great to have you on the forums. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Whether it's physical symptoms or emotional anguish, anxiety doesn't feel great. Have you been back to see your doctor or psych since taking your medications? There are several factors that could've influenced you feeling unwell and depressed on the third day... it could be a case of the wrong dose, or perhaps the wrong medication. It could be something else happening in your life, or sleep, stress, diet, anything like that. Your doctor or psych may have some other recommendations for you.

SSRIs may not work for everybody, particularly if anxiety or depression are not rooted in biological imbalances. Different treatments or management strategies may work for different people. Finding one that works for you may take time, and that's okay.

Take care, SB

[Andrew_G]

When going through chronic stress in the past, it turned out to be neuralgia. Similar to fibromialgia. It was fluctuating from numb to sharp tingling on the left side of my face. I ended up having acupuncture through a medical doctor, who also practiced Chinese medicine. The issue was that my nervous system was essentially sending me a message things are not right, and that's how it was doing it. Obviously, I don't know if that is your situation but it may be worth looking into. One of the best ways to help calm down our nervous system is through breathing, and trying to move into our resting state (parasympathetic state). Meditation also helps us do this. I can't comment as to exactly what is happening, but in my case the heightened issue to my nervous system was sending a source of pain to that area of my face, and I could almost feel the energy coming to that spot. I'd have a chat with someone about understanding your nervous system and how to manage this.