[LivinLuxuriously]

I'm 23 years old and for the past almost year now I've suffered from anxiety, which has now become daily. I never believed in anxiety prior - I always thought anxiety was the same as worrying. If you have a paper due tomorrow, you worry, you have anxiety. But worrying is not anxiety. Now I get this terrible pain in my chest and feel terrified - as if something really bad is about to happen. I get tightness in my stomach and chest and it's just awful. When working in a high-needs school district (junior high, during my student teaching) I began having awful anxiety - I thought I was losing my mind. I'd wake up in the middle of the night petrified. How do I solve this? My life is perfect! I just graduated college, got a job right away that pays great, am getting married in October to my best friend, who I've been with for over 6 years - I should be the happiest girl on the planet! What is wrong with me??

Is anxiety real? Or can you control it? Does it make you crazy? Can I solve it on my own or do I need to see a doctor? Do I take herbal supplements and do yoga or take a prescription drug from a psychiatrist? What do I do? How do I stop it?

[surlygirl]

Hugs to you. I think that anxiety can be very real, and from your post you do sound stressed at the very least! I would strongly suggest talking to your primary care physician about this. He or she will be able to prescribe the best course of action. It may take one thing or a combination of medication, therapy and behavioral changes to get you feeling better. But please start by going to see your doctor and being open about how you're feeling. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Edited to add: And there's nothing wrong with you. Everyone goes through different phases in life. You have a lot of exciting and fabulous things going on in your life right now. It's completely understandable to feel some amount of anxiety with that amount of change in your life.

[lorihmatthews]

I'm sure you've seen my posts. I fell on April 30 and had multiple injuries. I had to have surgery to fix a broken wrist on May 9. I will need a 2nd surgery to remove a piece of broken tooth that is lodged in my lip sometime soon.

I was having terrible anxiety beginning the day after surgery and it didn't let up. I had some panic attacks. I felt like hell most of the time. Rapid heartbeat, inability to concentrate, always feeling overwhelmed, fidgety during meetings. I finally broke down and went to a psychiatrist last week. She diagnosed me with mild to moderate anxiety due to trauma.

She prescribed Klonopin for me. I take 0.25mg before bed (it has a sedating effect). I've got to tell you I haven't felt this good since before my surgery. It's been a godsend.

Before I saw the doctor I tried to "control" it with chamomile tea, Rescue Remedy, deep breathing, yoga, etc. but it just wasn't going away. My doctor says this medication will help me through this "rough patch" and I eventually will not need it anymore.

I highly recommend seeing someone -- I cannot even express how much better I feel with this little extra "help."

Please feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk more about it. I know exactly how you are feeling.

[girliceclimber]

Originally Posted by surlygirl

Hugs to you. I think that anxiety can be very real, and from your post you do sound stressed at the very least! I would strongly suggest talking to your primary care physician about this. He or she will be able to prescribe the best course of action. It may take one thing or a combination of medication, therapy and behavioral changes to get you feeling better. But please start by going to see your doctor and being open about how you're feeling. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Edited to add: And there's nothing wrong with you. Everyone goes through different phases in life. You have a lot of exciting and fabulous things going on in your life right now. It's completely understandable to feel some amount of anxiety with that amount of change in your life.

Originally Posted by lorihmatthews

I'm sure you've seen my posts. I fell on April 30 and had multiple injuries. I had to have surgery to fix a broken wrist on May 9. I will need a 2nd surgery to remove a piece of broken tooth that is lodged in my lip sometime soon.

I was having terrible anxiety beginning the day after surgery and it didn't let up. I had some panic attacks. I felt like hell most of the time. Rapid heartbeat, inability to concentrate, always feeling overwhelmed, fidgety during meetings. I finally broke down and went to a psychiatrist last week. She diagnosed me with mild to moderate anxiety due to trauma.

She prescribed Klonopin for me. I take 0.25mg before bed (it has a sedating effect). I've got to tell you I haven't felt this good since before my surgery. It's been a godsend.

Before I saw the doctor I tried to "control" it with chamomile tea, Rescue Remedy, deep breathing, yoga, etc. but it just wasn't going away. My doctor says this medication will help me through this "rough patch" and I eventually will not need it anymore.

I highly recommend seeing someone -- I cannot even express how much better I feel with this little extra "help."

Please feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk more about it. I know exactly how you are feeling.

Both great posts. Please do see someone about this, because you don't have to fight through your anxiety alone. I hope you feel better soon!

[LivinLuxuriously]

Originally Posted by lorihmatthews

I'm sure you've seen my posts. I fell on April 30 and had multiple injuries. I had to have surgery to fix a broken wrist on May 9. I will need a 2nd surgery to remove a piece of broken tooth that is lodged in my lip sometime soon.

I was having terrible anxiety beginning the day after surgery and it didn't let up. I had some panic attacks. I felt like hell most of the time. Rapid heartbeat, inability to concentrate, always feeling overwhelmed, fidgety during meetings. I finally broke down and went to a psychiatrist last week. She diagnosed me with mild to moderate anxiety due to trauma.

She prescribed Klonopin for me. I take 0.25mg before bed (it has a sedating effect). I've got to tell you I haven't felt this good since before my surgery. It's been a godsend.

Before I saw the doctor I tried to "control" it with chamomile tea, Rescue Remedy, deep breathing, yoga, etc. but it just wasn't going away. My doctor says this medication will help me through this "rough patch" and I eventually will not need it anymore.

I highly recommend seeing someone -- I cannot even express how much better I feel with this little extra "help."

Please feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk more about it. I know exactly how you are feeling.

That's me. My anxiety started around the last September/October - and since then I've tried every Yogi tea, new exercises, more yoga - I even began praying and bought a bible (I am definitely non-secular). I began taking St. John's Wort daily and upped my B12 levels because I read there was a correlation w/ B12 deficiencies and an increased hormone that increases your "fight or flight" instincts - rendering you anxious. I even ordered an "anxiety rescue remedy" off of the internet. I tried Valerian root both for anxiety and sleep (around January/February - during work at that awful/sad school - I had panic attacks in my sleep) and melatonin. My mother's diagnosed with many a mental illness (she's mainly diagnosed as schizophrenic, not typically paranoid, and to complicate things, epileptic) and so has a large supply of both xanax and lorazapam (atavan) - and so my dad began giving me both to see which worked. Xanax (.5 mg) made me sleep. Atavan (.5mg) works okay, but not really.

Lately I feel like I've solved it on my own. I think I have a form of ADD. They tried to diagnose both me and my brother with ADD multiple times during our primary schooling, but my parents refused to hear it and just deemed the school's as "ADD happy". At work I panic the most because I feel like so much is being asked of me - and that carries onto my normal life. I feel like the world is spinning so fast and I can't keep up and I just want to cry all the time. Like I can't stop my thoughts and concentrate on just one and the task at hand becomes just impossible. I described these symptoms to my room mate with ADD back when I was in school (uni), and she had me try her Aderol (ADD drug)- which worked WONDERS for me at work. It was like a miracle! I was calm, cool collected - like each task presented itself to me as ONE thing - and that ONE thing was totally manageable and I wasn't afraid. Is it possible that I've had ADD all my life and just now, because my life has become, as I've gotten older, more understandably chaotic, that now I'm having panic attacks because the tasks of my life have become too difficult to manage with untreated ADD? I'm just ... arg I feel like no one gets me. When I tell me DF I'm having anxiety he asks "about what?" and nothing frustrates me more because I CAN'T answer the question! I don't know!!! I feel crazy

[ScienceNerd]

I agree a lot with what the others have posted. I work at Walgreen's and see that anti-anxiety medications help a lot of my patients. Every make and model come in for them as well. So there is no need to ever be embarrassed. I personally would suggest stopping caffeinated beverages, specifically sweet tea. Try caffeine-free coke products that are labeled. Regular sprite is. This helped me to unwind a lot. Find a good psychiatrist and know that you are not alone!

[rainrowan]

You might want to see a doctor for a formal diagnosis for ADD and ask them if Adderal is right for you - it could be chemical or nutritional or behavioral or a combination. As we grow older, we become deficient in the nutrients or hormones change that help us cope with stress. I was taking a PMS formulation with a B-complex and I was fine for years but they discontinued it and I don't think I'm anywhere near where I was before.

An adherence to a diet eliminating as much salt and caffeine as possible works for me. I practice cognitive-style therapy on my self - I see my anxiety and learning not to let my mind race too far ahead, to not think or react at all. Remain still, deep breaths. This is very hard to do when in the throes of it. I am better at the diet.

((hugs)) I know what you are going through. It can be agonizingly distressing, both mentally and physically. I hope you feel better.

[Jahpson]

...and soak in Epsom Salt (two cups per bath) three times a week

It relieves stress. Excess adrenline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of seratonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxtion which, you would probably love to feel like.

[JSH812]

Originally Posted by Jahpson

...and soak in Epsom Salt (two cups per bath) three times a week

It relieves stress. Excess adrenline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of seratonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxtion which, you would probably love to feel like.

Wow, I didn't know any of that. It's great general advice.

[lorihmatthews]

My doctor told me that Ativan is not the ideal drug for general anxiety because although it takes effect quickly, its effects do not last long and it also tends to lose effectiveness quickly after the overall dosage wears off. That's why my doctor prescribed Klonopin -- one dosage before bed lasts for 24 hours. And I feel "even" with no ups or downs all day.

[boxermom]

^^^agree with lori. Klonopin has a longer half-life, which makes it better than Xanax for anxiety. I take a small dose also and I see a psychiatrist every few months for monitoring how effective it is.

It's so hard for people who don't experience depression or anxiety to understand that we have almost no control over what the chemicals in our nervous system are doing. It can be absolutely nothing and I will notice an increase in anxiety. Stress contributes but often there is no apparent cause. it's very frustrating.

Call your doctor. With the correct diagnosis and possibly medication, you will be amazed at how much better you can feel.

Best wishes!

[LivinLuxuriously]

Thanks everyone. I'm actually on vacation in East Hampton right now with my family and won't be back until the 29th - so that's when I'll call a psychiatrist (already have a list my father generated using our insurance as a guide to narrow the list). I thought being on vacation and on the water would ease my anxiety - but no, not really. My fiance's with me too - and he's been wonderful. We woke up this morning and did yoga right on the water front - which was beautiful and wonderful - but within hours my anxiety crept up. It's just not fair. It makes no sense to be nervous here.

[lorihmatthews]

I hear you about the frustration of the situation. For me, the anxiety started after my surgery. It made no sense for the anxiety to start after the hard part was over! It just goes to show that many times we just don't have control over what our bodies do ... and to complicate things we just don't know why.

I am sure that you will feel a million times better after you are properly diagnosed and you find something that works for you. I can tell you I am so much happier feeling "like myself" again. I couldn't imagine feeling bad for another day longer.

Please keep us posted!

[bagatella]

I second Klonopin for anxiety! But I also applaud you for your natural approach for managing it; that is exceptionally helpful. Good luck. I wish you well!

[Krysta]

Originally Posted by lorihmatthews

My doctor told me that Ativan is not the ideal drug for general anxiety because although it takes effect quickly, its effects do not last long and it also tends to lose effectiveness quickly after the overall dosage wears off. That's why my doctor prescribed Klonopin -- one dosage before bed lasts for 24 hours. And I feel "even" with no ups or downs all day.

I agree with this.
A few years ago I had to get a new doctor because I moved countries, they insisted on playing around with my anxiety medications (which were working), they put me on Ativan, and then Xanax.
Ativan and Xanax were hands down the worst medication I've ever been given to control my anxiety, the mirror effects were horrible. I had my worst anxiety attacks while on these medications.
Benzos with a long half life really are a much better option, I currently take Valium but also have had good results with Klonopin.