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Avatar universal

could this be anxiety?

hi i'm 28 year old male. And i've had severe anxiety and ocd for about 16 years. when i was 22 i was drinking alchol alot one night and when i woke up i had alot of trouble speaking,thinking, and my memory. It lasted for  awhile and i still feel like i have problems from that experience. Nothing showed on ct scan and other tests. About 8 days ago i was anxious and was smoking a cigerette after i finished it i felt out of breath,light headed, and my heart was pounding fast. I've felt this way before from smoking but aftwards i felt really spaced out. And the days after i noticed my thinking,memory, and concentration is not as sharp. I've been only smoking for 6 months, i am about 50 pounds overweight. My concern is that i had a stroke and it caused brain damage. Or could these symptoms be anxiety?, i have been dealing with some very stressful situations lateley.
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Avatar universal
Quitting will make anxiety a bit worse for a short while, but I promise it will go away and you won't have to deal with the anxiety created by smoking or trying to quit anymore! I found that exercising, even just a short thirty minute walk helped a lot when I was in the process of quitting. I didn't smoke today... Maybe I can keep it goin!
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Avatar universal
Hey thank you  for your advice. I think i will see a doc just to make sure. So far i haven't smoked for 2 days now, and hopefully i can quit for good. I definetly feel more anxious not smoking though. Good luck on quitting  too!
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Avatar universal
I myself smoke and have on occasion felt light headed and out of breath, racing heart. Nicotine is in fact a stimulant and it can aggravate anxiety. That being said, if you are seriously concerned, visit a doctor, but it is unlikely you've had a stroke. Anxiety affects us in strange ways. I, for one, haven't been able to think straight or concentrate for a couple weeks. It's anxiety related, but it does get me thinking that I have a brain tumor, stroke, ect.
And in my sarcastic nature I must say, quit smoking and you won't have to deal with the out of breath/heart pounding :) when I quit I felt the best I ever have... And I definitely need to quit again!
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