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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Exhausted so many things.....anxiety the only thing left?
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
Exhausted so many things.....anxiety the only thing left?
by Klinktc79, Jul 19, 2006 12:00AM
I am a 27-year old male professional (attorney), and around five years ago, I began having episodes during which I was lightheaded and kind of felt out of touch with the world. It is really difficult to explain. The first of these periods began the summer prior to my starting law school and stopped after approximately two months. After feeling great for 2 1/2 years, the lightheaded sensation came back in my final semester of law school. Also, it seemed like my urination had become more frequent...not terribly so, but more often than I was accustomed. I went to the school clinic and they ran numerous blood and urine tests. Nothing showed up.
I was fine for another six months, and then the symptoms returned, this time for 3-4 months. I saw my GP several times and had many, many blood and urine tests. I also had additional symptoms, such as periodically feeling jittery and shaky, floaters in my vision, fatigue, and malaise. The lightheadedness returned, as it is the seemingly constant symptom when symptoms are present. At this point, I got on to the brain tumor / MS bandwagon, and the GP ordered a head MRI, which was completely normal.
The symptoms resolved, and I was good for another 1 1/2 years until February of this year. Many of the same symptoms returned, with the addition of intermittent light tingling in one foot. It has never progressed beyond just a light tingle in my heel and a few toes, from time to time. As always, the lightheadedness is the most annoying symptom, followed by the, periodic fatigue, "frequent" urination, and visual floaters. The floaters are always there, but seem much more noticeable when I do not feel well. The urination and fatigue come and go, sometimes weeks at a time, sometimes days. I have had a sleep study, seen ophthalmologists, and two neurologists (including an MS specialist), all of whom say they can find nothing wrong with me. I am scheduled to see a neurotologist next month at the recommendation of a neurologist. My GP has stated that he thinks it could be anxiety and stress from a high stress job. My only problem with this is that I have had reason to be stressed throughout my life. I felt great through most of law school and all of college. Law school, I would think, should have been stressful. I didn't feel bad at all prior to and during my Bar exams. Why would this not seem to crop up at those times, rather than during just everyday, routine life?
The GP also gave me some xanax, and told me to take them when I felt bad. Sometimes it seemed to help, other times it didn't. I was not taking it on a consistent basis, and basically I couldn't tell if it was helping or not.
Could all of these symptoms I have described be anxiety (or stress) related? If so, what type of medication is used to treat such a disorder? Is this very common in people with high-stress jobs and careers?
I realize you cannot diagnose, but thank you for any information or advice you can dispense.
I was fine for another six months, and then the symptoms returned, this time for 3-4 months. I saw my GP several times and had many, many blood and urine tests. I also had additional symptoms, such as periodically feeling jittery and shaky, floaters in my vision, fatigue, and malaise. The lightheadedness returned, as it is the seemingly constant symptom when symptoms are present. At this point, I got on to the brain tumor / MS bandwagon, and the GP ordered a head MRI, which was completely normal.
The symptoms resolved, and I was good for another 1 1/2 years until February of this year. Many of the same symptoms returned, with the addition of intermittent light tingling in one foot. It has never progressed beyond just a light tingle in my heel and a few toes, from time to time. As always, the lightheadedness is the most annoying symptom, followed by the, periodic fatigue, "frequent" urination, and visual floaters. The floaters are always there, but seem much more noticeable when I do not feel well. The urination and fatigue come and go, sometimes weeks at a time, sometimes days. I have had a sleep study, seen ophthalmologists, and two neurologists (including an MS specialist), all of whom say they can find nothing wrong with me. I am scheduled to see a neurotologist next month at the recommendation of a neurologist. My GP has stated that he thinks it could be anxiety and stress from a high stress job. My only problem with this is that I have had reason to be stressed throughout my life. I felt great through most of law school and all of college. Law school, I would think, should have been stressful. I didn't feel bad at all prior to and during my Bar exams. Why would this not seem to crop up at those times, rather than during just everyday, routine life?
The GP also gave me some xanax, and told me to take them when I felt bad. Sometimes it seemed to help, other times it didn't. I was not taking it on a consistent basis, and basically I couldn't tell if it was helping or not.
Could all of these symptoms I have described be anxiety (or stress) related? If so, what type of medication is used to treat such a disorder? Is this very common in people with high-stress jobs and careers?
I realize you cannot diagnose, but thank you for any information or advice you can dispense.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jul 20, 2006 12:00AM
, Jul 20, 2006 12:00AM
The history you provided strongly suggests that this is an anxiety reaction but not necessarily caused by high stress. For you it sounds more like a response to change and uncertainty, and may have much more to deal with the decisions you are making about how you want your life to work for you. Psychotherapy would be much better than any medication, and would probably put this issue to rest for you.
I have anxiety as well and while for most of my life (50 years) I never took medication. But a recent episode with a rapid heart rate...it sent me into anxiety hell. I took xanax for a few months and it did the trick. I have been off of them now for over 5 months now and I'm doing great.
At one time my GP wanted to prescribe Buspar to me but I decided against it. I was already taking xanax and weaning off of it, I didn't want to be faced with another med. They are very very addictive and I found that most doctors that prescribe them, don't have a clue as to the difficulty getting off of them. And I do want to say that I was at one of the best hospitals in the country and my doctor is well respected by his peers. He said that I would be irritable for a couple of days, but that was like saying that when you break your leg you feel a little uncomfortable. It was one of the hardest things I have done.
Research, research and research all the meds that are being dicussed with you.
Best Wishes
But it went away and I got better; I seen a pyschiatrist for 18 months and took medication during that whole time. It didn't take 18 months to get better; I got better within a couple of weeks, but I continued to see her because I needed someone to be aware of my condition and I wanted someone who I could count on to take good care of me and someone I could get reassurance from if I felt yucky.
And if it makes you feel any better, I thought I had all those illnesses that you thought you had. I was convinced that I must have had MS or some terrible brain disorder and praise God that I didn't, and it was only depression and anxiety (though those illnesses are hell to live with, at least it wasn't some deadly disease, I was so relieved, but never relieved enough or for very long)but once I got treatment for it, I felt 100% better (I've been treated for it 3 times in 10 years) I took effexor for depression and ativan for anxiety and to help me sleep (I only used it to help me sleep for about a year, I took one at night but she perscribed for me to take it 3 times a day but I didn't need it for anxiety anymore, so I just took it to get a good nights sleep.
I hope you feel better soon, very soon, I know how yucky you are feeling and I'm very soory for that. I wish you the best.
xx