is this anxiety???

[kaykay_]

or about a year now i have been getting the strangest most horrific symptoms. out of the blue i started to feel really weird/freaked out if you like, and i had constant symptoms of dizziness headaches nausia hot flushes i find it hard to breath properly my throat feels tight i get random pains in my body and i am constantly pulling muscles i also have this feeling that its a dream and nothings real . i also have brief moments of terror where like a wave comes over me an i cant stop shaking i know these are panic attacks but i worry about the constant symptoms, is anxiety supposed to be a constant thing?!  my doctor has diagnosed me with generalized anxiety disorder but i think i have something really bad , its only getting worse the more im in this visious cycle does anyone else feel like this? desperate to find out if ther are other people feeling like this :(

[qtpie1135]

Hi Kay, You are not alone, this anxiety and panic is an awful thing, it plays all kinds of tricks on our minds. Even though I have had many test done, I still feel like they are missing something. I am sorry that you are going through this! I would not wish this on anyone! I hope that you feel better soon! Please keep us posted!

[RubyWitch]

I take sertraline and have for about a year now. My PMM (Psychiatric Medication Manager) started me out at 25mg. I stayed at that dose for almost a month. The only side effect I had was a dry mouth, which went away by week three. Second month he bumped me to 50mg. I had no side effects that I was aware of. I think it made me a little sleepy, which is probably why they have you take it at night. I knew we were inching me up very slowly, but I'd only been on AD's once before and had a very, very bad experience. I was in no hurry to experience it again. To say I had a phobia about side effects is putting it mildly. I am now taking 150mg per day, my depression is 90% better, I have no side effects, and I have nothing but praise for Zoloft. But I'm giving my PMM the majority of credit for truly understanding my condition, for his incredible knowledge about psychiatric medications and knowing that my phobia about side effects had to be taken seriously if treatment was going to work. I think when your doctor started you out on 100mg, that was too much and you got hit with major side effects. He lowered your dose, but you're saying you're not feeling any benefits. How long have you been on the lower dose? How are the side effects now? If you're doing OK and your doctor continues to go slow, I say stick with it. While I can say that I think the stuff is very good, that is my experience. We all react differently and you may not tolerate it. AD's can be a real C*R*A*P shoot, ya know!
I think the CBT will be good. I hope if you don't like your therapist, they will let you change. It is probably the most important aspect of successful therapy............if you don't like your therapist, if you don't trust them and feel really comfortable with them, then therapy will go nowhere. So many people can't stand their therapist, go to a few sessions, quit and then say therapy is a bunch of hooey.
One small thing that I need to do much more research on is why so many GP's prescribe antidepressants for anxiety. You're NOT depressed. Why is he treating you with a fairly powerful drug for a condition you don't even have? I realize many of the new AD's have an off-lable use for anxiety disorders, but it's not the main reason to prescribe it. I also know that many GP's feel that if you have anxiety, you also must have depression. I totally disagree with that.
I take Zoloft for my depression and an antianxiety medication for my panic disorder. Not that I think my PMM is Ghandi, but I do trust him and he says if anxiety/panic is your only problem, then you only need an antianxiety. If you only have depression, you only need an antidepressant. If you DO happen to have both, you need both medications to treat the two different issues.
I think you should discuss with your doctor the need for an antidepressant when I've never once heard you say anything about being depressed. You have some pretty severe anxiety. Treat the damn anxiety. Don't treat what you don't have. AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH
I get really cheesed off at doctors and pharmaceutical companies and all the stooges who buy into all the garbage the reps tell them.
Do YOU think you're depressed?
Your therapy is going to help you a great deal. If you can find the correct medication for the correct condition, that will help you weather this storm, too.
I know the kids are the love of your life, but Lordy, they can be little volcanoes of stress. I hope you have some help with them. Getting some quality "you" time is sooooo important when you're trying to screw your head back on.
I'd come babysit, but the commute ...................
I think my blood sugar must be out of whack. I'm ranting like a lunatic.
Let me know how you're doing, OK?
Peace
Greenlydia

[kaykay_]

thankyou so much for replying i seem to have got myself in quite a state today and what you have said has helped the doctor has gave me sertraline he told me to take 100 mg per day but the symtoms from these meds were horrific i was waking up in the middle of the night feeling freaked out thinking i was going crazy doc suggested a lower dose but im not feeling any benefits i have now been referred for CBT i just hope this can help as i feel its spiraling more and more and im not going to be able to fight it as im feeling so mentally exhausted with it all, i have 3 small children also and for thier sake i just want to get better as i feel i cant go on living with this for the rest of my life

[RubyWitch]

Your symptoms sound more like panic disorder than GAD, but that is simply MY humble and non-medical opinion. Panic and panic disorder symptoms are far more dibilitating than GAD. I don't mean to infer that people who DO have GAD are not suffering with anxiety, but they normally don't experience what you described as "moments of TERROR where a wave comes over me........."   You also speak about "feeling like it's a dream, nothing is real." This is another symptom more common to panic than GAD. This sensation, which is incredibly frightening is called "derealization," or "depersonalization." It generally hits you out of the blue and it can feel as if someone has put a drug, much like LSD, in your coffee. That you can't explain it, that it happens so suddenly, is only part of why they are so frightening.
You ask if anxiety is suppose to be a constant thing. For those of us with anxiety and panic disorders, yeah, it's pretty much in our minds 24/7. We become hyper-vigilant for the slightest ache or pain. A simple headache becomes a possible brain tumor or stroke. A pain in our left arm is the heart attack, we have the ability to turn absolutely anything we feel into cancer. We are very special in that regard.
Did your doctor put you on an antianxiety med? If so, which one and at what dose?
If this has been going on for a year, I would recommend that you see a psychiatrist just to get a correct diagnosis, as all the anxiety disorders can be treated differently. The psychiatrist, after making his DX, will refer you to a therapist who deals with these issues. There is some underlying cause for your anxiety/panic. Medication is very helpful to deal with the symptoms, but keep in mind they only mask the symptoms. Only therapy will get to the root cause for you to deal with it and get on with your life.
I am quite certain you do not have anything "really bad." Trust me, the anxiety and panic are plenty "bad" enough. But you should have a complete physical to rule out any organic cause for these feelings. (Make sure your thyroid is checked)
You made a very astute observation when you said "it's only getting worse the more I'm in this viscious cycle........." That is a perfect description of untreated anxiety. (Therapy & meds)
Everyone on this forum knows full well what you're going through. We know how you feel, we know how scared you are, we know the chaotic thinking that just NEVER SHUTS UP! You are not alone.
Read some posts and you'll soon see that the anxiety bus is SRO!
If you have any more questions or concerns, we are always here.
Just know that you're going to be OK. It will take some time, but you can recover from this.
Peace
Greenlydia