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Shortness of breath and anxiety
By way of background, I have had bouts of anxiety on and off for the past ten years or so. I can think of three times where I was put on medicine (Zoloft) for long periods of time and am happy to say that the medicine worked and that I had several years between bouts.
Recently I have developed shortness of breath which frankly I am not sure is anxiety or asthma (have had it all my life) or both. The shortness of breath came rather quickly after having a severe sinus infection in December and again in January. When I was sick with the sinus infection I was very, very anxious and worried about myself (hypochondria). I have now seen a pulmonary specialist who did a chest x-ray (normal) and a pulmonary function test (better than normal). He is sending me for a CT scan and also more advanced pulmonary function tests since I am symptomatic but he could find nothing on the less precise tests. I believe he suspects anxiety and he informed me that anxiety is a major cause of bronchospasms so it would make sense that anxiety can cause shortness of breath.
Has anybody else had this problem and does treatment for anxiety help it? I am going to see a psychaitrist next week and wonder if it will be back to the medicines again . . . .
Recently I have developed shortness of breath which frankly I am not sure is anxiety or asthma (have had it all my life) or both. The shortness of breath came rather quickly after having a severe sinus infection in December and again in January. When I was sick with the sinus infection I was very, very anxious and worried about myself (hypochondria). I have now seen a pulmonary specialist who did a chest x-ray (normal) and a pulmonary function test (better than normal). He is sending me for a CT scan and also more advanced pulmonary function tests since I am symptomatic but he could find nothing on the less precise tests. I believe he suspects anxiety and he informed me that anxiety is a major cause of bronchospasms so it would make sense that anxiety can cause shortness of breath.
Has anybody else had this problem and does treatment for anxiety help it? I am going to see a psychaitrist next week and wonder if it will be back to the medicines again . . . .
I too have had years between panic and anxiety. I was on Zoloft three years ago and now back on it because my anxiety has returned. I am more concerned about heart health, but I also see a pulmenologist because of clot along time ago. The short answer is yes, you can DEFINATELY feel short of breath during panic and general anxiety. You are doing the right thing by seeing your doctor to rule out other causes. I have anxiety about chest pains and BP mainly (Because it is always sky high in the docs office but always tends to level off when I'm calm). Anyway, for me, I have become oversensitized to my feelings, but I do do a few things that seem to help for me. When you think you are short of breath (which I always do), especially when I am running or going up a flight of stairs I often start talking; if you could not breathe, you would not be able to talk or I just divert my attention to something else, which I know can be hard to do.
What, are you bucking for the job of "poster child for anxiety?"
You nailed it, my friend: that breathless sensation seems like a separate deal all of its own. I know, because I have been there. And so have MOST people here. And YES, you do all the tests to rule out everything until only the anxiety remains as the trigger.
Did I say trigger? And I'm not talking about Roy Roger's horse here. I did NOT use the "C word" -CAUSE.
And that gets us to your meds. No doubt going back on them will give you relief until the NEXT time. But the recurrent theme here may suggest to you that the anxiety comes from somewhere -and you'd be right about that, probably. Find out WHERE and you may be able to drag it down a dark alley and strangle it -put it out of your life.
Anxiety ain't a CAUSE -it is an effect: your brain is telling you something is amiss somewhere. But anxiety is also part of a trigger mechanism that spawns the breathing problem and a host of other nasty physical symptoms, if you don't attend to it. And so, the idea of the meds as having to do with going after a "cause" would be doubtful in my mind. If you want to go after the cause(s) then therapy may prove to be fruitful -so consider a psychiatrist.
By the way, to continue this chat -and hopefull help others- please JOIN. Here's how: Its easy -just click the Join Link -enter some profile information about yourself -even a picture if you care to- and anything you think would help us get to know you faster and better, and you can change this material whenever you like. You will also be accessible to receive private messages when other members click the name you've given yourself -sort of a "push to talk" feature. After you've done that, spend some time just using various features of the forum. For example, to see all the posts or responses that someone has made, just click their handle, go to their profile, click Posts, and read to your heart's content. You may also enter search terms -including member names- in the search box at the upper right of your screen and the system will retrun everything matching the term(s) you entered. This INCLUDES a drug database that will give you both user posts about drugs as well as the medical information about the drug. A great way to get quick answers about therapeutic effect, side effects, interactions, etc.
One of the profile categories is your mood, which you may change anytime you like.
Along the right side of your screen is a section of Recent Activity, which not only alerts you to new posts, but new ANYTHING, including journal entries and mood. This is a way to telegraph the community at large without actually creating a separate post. Thus, if you see a friend's mood has changed while you are working on a response or post, it can alert you to send them a private message to learn more or simply let them know you're thinking of them. Likewise, if you are going to be "out," you could enter something like "off line for the night" as your mood, and people would know you're away from the forum for awhile.
"My Medhelp" is where you'll find all the features you can deploy: messaging, lists of friends, photos, etc.
If you do this kind of exploring and experimenting right away, you'll be up-to-speed quickly. If you see the message you are reading now as part of a direct response I (or anyone) has made to one of your posts, it was probably copied and pasted from this journal. I hate form letters and auto-responses as much as anyone -but I also hate forgetting to tell people what they need to know, so this is my safety-net. Consider it as part of your "Welcome" kit. So -please join and try things out.
You might also want to read my entries for the "Right Click Trick" and "When in Haste, Use Copy 'n Paste" for some other convenient time-savers.
We're glad you are here!
You nailed it, my friend: that breathless sensation seems like a separate deal all of its own. I know, because I have been there. And so have MOST people here. And YES, you do all the tests to rule out everything until only the anxiety remains as the trigger.
Did I say trigger? And I'm not talking about Roy Roger's horse here. I did NOT use the "C word" -CAUSE.
And that gets us to your meds. No doubt going back on them will give you relief until the NEXT time. But the recurrent theme here may suggest to you that the anxiety comes from somewhere -and you'd be right about that, probably. Find out WHERE and you may be able to drag it down a dark alley and strangle it -put it out of your life.
Anxiety ain't a CAUSE -it is an effect: your brain is telling you something is amiss somewhere. But anxiety is also part of a trigger mechanism that spawns the breathing problem and a host of other nasty physical symptoms, if you don't attend to it. And so, the idea of the meds as having to do with going after a "cause" would be doubtful in my mind. If you want to go after the cause(s) then therapy may prove to be fruitful -so consider a psychiatrist.
By the way, to continue this chat -and hopefull help others- please JOIN. Here's how: Its easy -just click the Join Link -enter some profile information about yourself -even a picture if you care to- and anything you think would help us get to know you faster and better, and you can change this material whenever you like. You will also be accessible to receive private messages when other members click the name you've given yourself -sort of a "push to talk" feature. After you've done that, spend some time just using various features of the forum. For example, to see all the posts or responses that someone has made, just click their handle, go to their profile, click Posts, and read to your heart's content. You may also enter search terms -including member names- in the search box at the upper right of your screen and the system will retrun everything matching the term(s) you entered. This INCLUDES a drug database that will give you both user posts about drugs as well as the medical information about the drug. A great way to get quick answers about therapeutic effect, side effects, interactions, etc.
One of the profile categories is your mood, which you may change anytime you like.
Along the right side of your screen is a section of Recent Activity, which not only alerts you to new posts, but new ANYTHING, including journal entries and mood. This is a way to telegraph the community at large without actually creating a separate post. Thus, if you see a friend's mood has changed while you are working on a response or post, it can alert you to send them a private message to learn more or simply let them know you're thinking of them. Likewise, if you are going to be "out," you could enter something like "off line for the night" as your mood, and people would know you're away from the forum for awhile.
"My Medhelp" is where you'll find all the features you can deploy: messaging, lists of friends, photos, etc.
If you do this kind of exploring and experimenting right away, you'll be up-to-speed quickly. If you see the message you are reading now as part of a direct response I (or anyone) has made to one of your posts, it was probably copied and pasted from this journal. I hate form letters and auto-responses as much as anyone -but I also hate forgetting to tell people what they need to know, so this is my safety-net. Consider it as part of your "Welcome" kit. So -please join and try things out.
You might also want to read my entries for the "Right Click Trick" and "When in Haste, Use Copy 'n Paste" for some other convenient time-savers.
We're glad you are here!
Good Morning,
Some people experience shortness of breath with anxiety, specifically if they are heading towards a full blown panic attack. Are you short of breath all the time?
It's good that you are seeing a specialist to get other medical conditions ruled out. If your shortness of breath is anxiety related than any treatment for the anxiety should help.
Jerz
Some people experience shortness of breath with anxiety, specifically if they are heading towards a full blown panic attack. Are you short of breath all the time?
It's good that you are seeing a specialist to get other medical conditions ruled out. If your shortness of breath is anxiety related than any treatment for the anxiety should help.
Jerz
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