OCD and inability to take a deep breath

[gmichael66]

So, my therapist thinks the reason I cant get that deep breath on a regular basis is because I think about it, obsess about it too much. She also says I am mildly OCD and that taking meds will help....How ?

I want to get well, I want to trust her, I dont know what to do, how does it work ? I dont see me not thinking about this and fear it will never go away. She promises that it will go away and I can stop obsessing about it....Im so upset about this.
What meds ? How will they help ? Any advice ? tips ?
I also lost 104 lbs and dont want to go on meds and gain weight or lose my sexual desires.

6 months now.

Geoffrey

[shelzmike]

Hello -

Well, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks in 2001 though I had symptoms before then also. Anyhow, I have had my ups and downs and have had times where my anxiety was worse and then times when it was not so bad. As of February last year I have been pretty much anxiety free for the majority of the time and have not taken any of my xanax in well over a year now.

The only lingering anxiety I have is related to health, though it is not all the time. I finally pinpointed where it came from just the other day, but that is another story!

Anyone, if there is one thing I can tell you is that it IS because you are thinking about it and obsessing about it. Trust me, I know because I have not only had the problem I have learned that it can be overcome, though it is hard to do.

I have even had the same exact thing happen to me about 3 years ago. I was sitting in the office and realized that I "could not seem" to get a deep breath. I was unable to and kept trying and obsessing for about 2 days and then got sidetracked with something else and before I knew it I realized it had went away.

Anxiety (especially health anxiety) is hard because you can manifest in yourself almost any and every symptom of weird illnesses known to man - trust me, you name it - I have "had" it at one time or another. Just know that a.) you are not alone and b.) if you KNOW that you have anxiety disorder, then it is in most cases this that causes many symptoms. I have always been told and thought that if it really IS something to be worried about, you would know because it would "feel" different. Hope that is worth at least a little peace of mind.

Mike

[TechGirlPa]

Hi! I guess the answer to your question really lies in you and how you feel about medication. It also depends on how severe your anxiety symptoms are and how much they affect your day to day. For me personally, I'm going no med at all, which believe be is not easy, but on the flip side I have chemical sensitivites and don't do well with most meds of any type. Of course this is only my opinion, but when it comes to anti anxiety meds and anti depressants for anxiety, I have a rather against them outlook simply because I feel that the cause of the anxiety should be addressed and not simply the symptoms. I too gained A LOT of weight on a med. If your shortness of breathe is caused by you thinking about it too much, you may want to first try diversion tactics. Diverting yourself should help, but start out doing things that would keep your mind occupied but that wouldn't change your breathing (just at first to avoid bringing your mind back to it). I hope this helps, but only you know what's best for you. =)