New to Anxiety / Panic Attacks

Hello. I am running out of ideas on how to attack these issues. This is starting to affect my everyday-life, and I am open to any and all suggestions. Please help.


I currently work in the middle east and am subjected to months away from family & friends, long hours / days without sleep, and high stress.

I am actively looking for stateside work, but with the job market in it the state it's in, I may be stuck in the middle east for some time.


I have had issues with self-diagnosed pinched nerve / muscle strain for several months. 3 months ago, I reported this issue to doctors and they ran a separate stress test without dye or imaging (only treadmill + ekg). This stress test showed no issues with my heart.


Doctors have x-rayed my shoulder, neck, and upper spine area. They have not been able to determine the cause of the pinched nerve / muscle strain issues that I have been reporting. Regular stretching of the left shoulder area seems to diminish, but not eliminate, this issue. Rolling my shoulder forward (as in holding the steering wheel while driving, trying to fit into a cramped seat, etc) seem to aggravate this issue.


Until recently, the worst symptoms I experienced kept me up for several hours at night, trying to stretch the pain away or walk it off.


Recently, I visited the E.R. experiencing what I felt was a heart attack.

I have experienced similar issues in the past, but this is the worst that I have had yet.

I experienced chest pains, numbness traveling down my left arm, and numb lips.

The doctors found no issues with my EKG, my blood pressure was elevated, the doctors held me overnight for observation, and ran a stress test with radioactive dye imaging afterward. The imaging found no issues with my heart.


The ER doctors stated that the only additional test they could run would be a heart cath, but they didn't feel this would be necessary after 2 negative stress tests in 3 months.


I believe the trigger of this panic attack was some sort of pinched nerve in my left shoulder or muscle strain in my left chest / shoulder that led to cramps.


After this week's episode, my doctor prescribed me with 20 .50mg Alprazolam to take "as needed every 8 hours"




I am assuming that I can trust that I am not experiencing a heart issue at this point. Would you agree?

Does this sound like anxiety or a panic attack?

Can anyone suggest methods of coping with this? I would prefer to avoid medication if possible, if not, so be it.

Should I approach my general doctor regarding an anxiety specialist?


Can anyone suggest how to address / approach my general doctor about the pinched nerve / muscle strain issues that I am experiencing?

Any additional suggestions?

[M4Y0U]

Hi there,

Anxiety can be triggered by a whole lot of factor including doing a stressful job far away from your comfort zone. It can actually have a link with the pain you are experiencing with your self-diagnosed pinched nerve therefore i would suggest seeing a physical therapist that will be able to help you on this issue.

You mentioned that your doctor gave you Alprazolam which is a short-acting drug of the benzodiazepine class used to treat moderate to severe anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and is used as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with moderate depression.

It is okay to take this drug to give you a break of anxiety but remember that it can't be used for long term use since it's highly addictive and you will probably experience a withdrawal when quitting the drug. There are some medication available for long term treatment such as anti-depressant ( especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). There is a close link between depression and anxiety and both drug can treat anxiety very well if its a problem for you. Talk with you doctor about that if you have any questions regarding what might be good for you or not since i'm not a doctor and i am just giving you sugestions

You did say that you wanted a more natural solution too so maybe the drug would be only in last resort. On top of my list you have physical activity. Physical activity will make you body produces a lot of hormones that are needed daily and regulate you body and mind. You can google on physical activities hormones and see the benefits and get the knowlege by yourself since typing every hormones and descriptions would be too long here on this post.

Second on my list you have healthy diet ( which is closely related to physical activity ). A healthy diet will have a good impact on you hormones as well and you will feel better. A healthy body is a healthy mind.

Third on my list i would suggest talk therapy with a good therapist that know what is anxiety.

You can also try luminotherapy ( light therapy )

Luminotherapy means light therapy and usually involves half-hour sessions in front of a bright lamp (10 000 lux), specially adapted to treat seasonal depression. The principle is simple: light exposure slows down melatonin production, fighting sleepiness and depression. The light reaches the brain through the retina of the eye, as nerve impulses, to alter hormone levels, which in turn reset your body clock and boost your immune system. Some doctors and health farms offer luminotherapy as a treatment, but there are also special lamps on the market for home use.

I wish you good success in your fight against anxiety and remember that it's something that is treatable and you can have control over it if you work on it.

Best regards,
M4

[forlegion]

Thank you for your response.

So the muscular discomfort that I've been experiencing may be related to stress and anxiety.

I will talk with my general doc regarding a physical therapist. I'm definitely getting to the point that I'll try anything just to get back to a normal day-to-day life.

[remar]

M4YOU gave you great advice.
Stress can cause all kinds of problems and that includes muscle pain. It does sound like you have a pinched nerve. Can you see a Chiropractor? I think this would really help with the pain your having. Take care. Remar