24/7 Anxiety came on overnight

[sandy001]

I'm a 64 year old female.  Never had any erious health problems until this past year.  On December 1, 2006 had to have my gallbladder removed.  Kept me in hospital for 5 days as couldn't keep food down.  Sent me home on a liuid diet.  6 days later back to ER & they tried to tell me I had stomach virus & sent me home.  I have no family & live alone & had not seen one person.  Couple of days laterI believe I passed two gallstones and started to immediately feel a bit better.By holidays felt much better.

Than on January 15, 2007 as I was fixing dinner , I got the worst dizzy spell of my life, chills so bad I couldn''t get warm.  I didn't want to go back to ER so just laid on coach with heating pad & blankets.  Must have finally fell asleep.  When I woke up, I was shaking head to toe, heart pounding, throat closing up, etc.  Called EMS.  Had terrible experience at ER.  Saw doc for less than 5 minutes, gave me RX for a week of Xanax until I could find a PCP (didn't have one as had never been sick before), and a social worker came in and gave me addresses to Health Depts. down in an awful part of Detroit to see for depression.  I was appalled.  (I also completely lost my appetite during whatever this spell was).This 24/7 anxiety had just come on overnight.  Within a week of starting the benzo, I couldn't walk or drive and PCP just kept blowing me off about it.

Found a PCP who put me on .5 mg Klonopin twice a day.  About 6-7 weeks later it had to be uped to .75 mg twice a day.  It's now been 10 months and my condition has not gotten any better.  I have some breakthrough anxiety one in a while.  I hate this medication & the side effects, but I start to shake if I'm a tad late taking a dose.  Doc tried to give me Paxil ER and I laid on the couch shaking from head to toe for two solid days as it made anxiety worse.  I want to get off this med but can't find anyone to really help me.

I have no insurance and can't get medicare until December.  My frustration is that I don't know why this severe, acute thing came on to me overnight and why it won't subside some or go away.  In fact, it's gotten worse.  I have to hire a person to get my groceries, take me to doctor appts., etc.

Do you have any thoughts as to why this severe 24/7 anxiety could come on overnight?  Could I have suffered a TIA?

Any advice whatsoever would be sincerely appreciated.

P.S. - I contraced C-Diff Colitis and was hsopitalized for nine days each time in March and April and still feel just awful every day, sooooo nauseous, can barely eat, and have lost 40 lbs.  I look like one of those starving people you see in National Geographic.  Down to 102 lbs. & I'm 5''7".

Since Doc wasdn't concerned about me not being able to walk,  I went on my own in May to Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders and was diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy in both legs.  Gave me leg exercises to do, but they haven't helped.  I have none of the diseases that can cause this, but I was given a LOT of IV Flagyl when I had my gallbladder out, and then more Flagyl for the C-Diff.  No-one told me that side effects of Flagyl is Peripheral Neuropathy.  I'm wondering is I have ataxia or something from the benzo as problem of not being able to walk started a week after starting that med and exactly 6 weeks after the bag after bag of IV Flagyl after gallbladder surgery.

[crabby70]

thanks   i see its been a month  still have not taken it very starange because i not one to suffer when something is wrong i guess i dont want to admit i need it  it was a good weekend see what tomorrow brings :]

[crabby70]

if i may ask how long have you been on lexapro?  and if so was this your first time on anything?

[scaretcat]

Hummm... you have a dilemma. What strikes up my curiosity the most is the desription you give me of being so cold you could not get warm. Now I have had some major bouts of anxiety and know others who have also and I have never heard of coldness as a symptom. You may have some anxiety and you may have some depression, but I think there is something else going on with you. As a side note, have you tried a grief group? I know a woman in her 60's who lost all of her family in one year and she was alone and a grief group really helped out. Also, Some universities have graduate psychiatric departments that may be helpful. The students work under a licensed counselor and because it is about learning they pay very close attention to their clients they get. As a side note, I have been on xanax and it was a nightmare to come off of with bad mental and physical side effects. Lexapro works for me really well for my anxiety and depression. I had some nausea for the first couple days but nothing a few saltine crackers could not help with. If you can't eat at all, I suggest drinking shakes. They help keep up the calories. Perhaps soups and pudding or jell-o would help too. Anything you can keep down is progress. I'll pray for you.

[kimmi3333]

hi i am writing to you about the anxiety and i know how you feel i am 31 yrs old i take lozapam and it some times wars off my doc says take 1 mg but i have a 2 yr little girl...

[Tara41]

I would research some more about your condition, and find a more caring doctor. anxiety can be caused for many reasons. I have always suffered with generalized anxiety. but my panick attacks stopped long ago, then recently i was put on lexipro and nexium and got a really bad panick attack out of the blue, after not having one for years,, also got nausia, and diahrrea, with the lexapro and my doctor told me that there were no side effects...the funny thing is the reason i went to the doc in the first place was because i was getting alot of gas in my stomach..huh, then he gives me meds that cause nausia and diahrrea.???

.I also read that nexium can cause the same side effects as lexipro,. so i thought my stomach was getting worse, when in reality i was getting side effects...I know that my anxiety was making everything worse,..Once i calmed down and talked to my therapist, my stomach accually started to feel better...I am still taking the meds, because the side effects started to go away...I do not know why the doctors dont give us more info about these drugs...but there are some good doctors out there that really care..also there are good phychiatrists and therapists...good luck to you..