Health Anxiety- will it ever end?

[scc112]

About a month ago I had my first panic attack because I thought something was wrong with my vision and this had me thinking I had a brain tumor.  At that point, my doc gave me xanax as needed.  I ended up taking them at least once a day with very anxious feelings, still thinking something was wrong with my vision, and having tension headaches.  After a week, my doc prescribed Lexapro 5mg per day.  I also had a complete eye exam and my eye dr said the only thing he saw was some floaters.  I started having weird sensations in the back of my neck/shoulders/down my arms at night and it was keeping me awake.  Tingling and warm feelings.  I went back to my doctor and she upped my Lex to 10mg.  I've been on that dose for a  week now.  I even convinced my doctor to let me get an MRI of my head and neck because my main anxiety was my fear of a brain tumor.  The only findings were "nonspecific white matter" and a herniated disc in my neck.  Doctor said the white matter is nothing to worry about, she would not send me to a neurologist for it and will recheck in a year.  Of course, i can't stop worrying about it even though she said not to.  I'm now going to PT for my neck and can't figure out if the warm feelings down my neck, shoulders and arms are from the disc or panic (maybe both?).  I wake up panicked every morning and get the warm feelings down my arms.  I still think I have blurry vision from time to time, but know this can also be the anxiety.  

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced anything like this and will this ever get better?  Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind worrying that there's something seriously wrong with me and I'm going to die.  I'm also starting to see a therapist in the next few weeks.  Hoping this helps!  

[Paxiled]

Wish you had seen the therapist first.  Getting mental health help from a general doc can be dangerous, as the only thing they know how to do is dispense medication.  But here's hoping the therapy works and you can get off the medication quickly.  Basically, if the therapy works, and it has to be a therapist expert in anxiety treatment, you will learn to think differently, which is your problem and mine, the way we think.  Drugs don't change that, they suppress that, and while many of us, and I'm in that category, need meds, it's best to see if you can solve the problem first.

[michigan07]

You seem to be on the right track by going to a therapist. It can be hard to stop your mind from racing when it starts but we can avoid things that may do it. Avoid looking up symptoms and try not to overthink either. Things you can do to help yourself would be reading a book and drinking some tea. Hang in there because it does get better.