Anxiety Sensations

[Calzone]

I have developed severe sensations of anxiety over the last few months (almost constant muscle tension, shakiness, specially when I awake from sleep, insomnia, and dizziness). During this time I have developed thyroid issues, which my doctor attributes to the stress and I am being treated with a low dose of Armour Thyroid.  So far I have been given Xanax, in low (.25mg) dose, which I use occasionally for sleep. I have also tried Zoloft, but did not handle the side effects (panic attack).  I am not confortable to take the Xanax on a regular basis, due to its issues with dependency and memory loss. I am doing a variety of stress relief activities, but I just  cannot shake off the physical sensations and the insomnia.  Are there other medication/ therapeutic options availble?  Should I also consider that the sensations are due to other medical conditions?

Thanks,

[birdie0907]

There are many therapeutic options like meditation, cognitive behavior, philosophy etc. You can find fascinating books on these subjects at the library if you want to start with the cheap route.

You can try volunteering because you may be able to take your mind off the tension and learn something while helping.

Doc told me an hour of strenuous exercise = the benefit of 2 Ativans, but I wasn't able to get that relief. Sometimes I even had to pop Ativan to get me through my workout, or even worse, post workout when I am supposed to be so relaxed! Yeah right.
So the solution is a very individual thing.

[kalie1979]

Muscle tenson is one of the worst symptoms of anxiety, which i hate!! The only thing that seems to help me with that is seeing a chopractor(spelling)

kalie