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Avatar universal

need help

Something isnt right with my brain and my doctor just tells me im depressed.He sent me to a psychiatrist.I was put on anti depressants,and Ive never had a diagnosis given to me.It started when i was 17,I got sick for 6 months.I had headaches and my perceptions were changed(noises were loud,vision was choppy). I went to my doctor and was given a cat scan , nothing was found.Then it just went back to normal one night.Then when I was 22 I got sick again same stuff as the first but more symptoms. I developed more vision problems , a few small blind spots and very choppy field of vision, a tingling or burning in my head and some down my neck and spine. My thoughts were jumbled ,I had confusion, I couldnt hear my thoughts in my head as well.So I was scared as hell.I went to the doc and same thing anti depressants and no diagnosis.So after a while some of the symptoms went away,besides the mental and vision problems.So now Im 30, and about 2 weeks ago it started again, but this time its worse. Now my vision is very choppy(reading is mostly affected)My vision is 20/20 but my brain just doesnt see the whole picture of things. Ive been having the tingling in my head and a little in my neck. This time though the mental symptoms are scary. Its very hard to concentrate,my thoughts are very foggy and jumbled. I loose track of what im doing. If someone is talking to me I only get about half the coversation.I feel like im going crazy.  Something is just wrong and my doc hasent sent me to a neurologist to have some tests. If this gets worse I dont know what to do..When I see my doctor he doesnt see any physical problems so he doesnt do anything.  So Im terrified and need any advice you can give.Ive done all sorts of research and havent found anything like what im experiencing.Ive never had any hallusinations or delusions or strange actions.Ive always been a very social person but when this is going on I dont know what to tell people.I dont have a panic disorder.Im just scared to where this is going to lead. As of this weekend its gotten bad enough to where I dont think I can work, or do anything social. I have not been to my doctor yet because he looks in my file and says"your just depressed again" Should I go to the hospital? Im lost and scared.
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Avatar universal
Pager 1,
Please, Please...have your thyroid tested, and soon.  Many of the mental symptoms you describe are textbook thyroid/adrenal deficiency symptoms, yet commonly overlooked by over-booked doctors.  You don't have to wait for your doctor to suggest it - demand it for yourself. The test is inexpensive and the results could save your sanity. Nearly all insurance carriers will cover it.

There is a checklist on the website I'm listing below that will help you feel more confident about talking to your doctor.  I have no connection with the site at all- I found it during research for my own symptoms- and I've blessed its Webmaster for the eye-opening info.  

   http://www.drrind.com/scorecardmatrix.asp

Hope it helps you as much as it did me.  I wish you all the best.
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Avatar universal
Hi, What kind of symptoms are you having?
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Avatar universal
I new to this forum and i came here looking to see if anyone was going what im going through...and you are pretty close

When you say "Your thoughts are jumbled" could you be specific?
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Avatar universal
Hi
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Avatar universal
Magnesium deficiency can cause depression, unusual levels anxiety, imsomnia, heart palpitations, and quite a few neurological symptoms.  It is not a nutritional problem though.  The root cause starts as anxiety, which your body tries to calm with magnesium, but if the anxiety continues long enough, you lose so much magnesium you start having neurological problems.  

Go to the Neurology forum, look for the Magnesium Defficient (sp) thread.  I have posted related web articles there that outline the symptoms and the relationship with anxiety.

Hope this helps.
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Avatar universal
Your right.  your doc should send u to a neurologist (or at least for an MRI or CAT scan.  If he doesn't then I too would head for the ER.  Mental ailments such as anxiety and/or depression should be considered only after all physical ailments are ruled out.
I know how you feel about being swept under the rug.  I have problems w/ my heart where it beats so fast some days and feels like it's going to beat right out of my chest and my doc tells me it's anxiety.  anxiety is not causing my symptoms. my symptoms are causing anxiety.  i was given xanax and sent home (which i am now hooked on.)
hope u feel better.
regards,
Pan
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Avatar universal
I too have the same things happening to me.  I don't know what is happening to me.  I have never had anything bad happen to me to cause these problems.
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Avatar universal
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Avatar universal
Did you, by chance, have anything traumatic happen (emotionally or physically) when you were 17?  Is there anything extremely stressful or traumatic going on currently?  What are the conections between the times in your life when these symptoms reoccured?
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Avatar universal
If your doctor will not refer you to a neurologist, then go to the ER to put your mind at ease.  They HAVE to treat you there, regardless if you've had a referal or what your health insurance is.  They will give you a full examination, and more than likely if you describe your physical symptoms they will call in a neurologist.
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Avatar universal
Sorry but its not depression or anxiety. If you have never experienced your brain not working correctly ,you will never know what its like.I may have anxiety or depression as a responce to whats going on with me.This is a physical problem with my brain that I cant control,not emotional problems.Imagine not being able to think correctly in your head, and also not being able to remember things you just did or were thinking. This alone will cause anybody to have anxiety.I would rather have cancer anyday of the week. If there is a "magic" pill out there for me then I would gladly take it.I only have anxiety and am depressed because im pissed at the defective brain that I was born with.Doctors need to quit trying to just treat symptoms caused by what really wrong with someone. I think anybody with problems with thier brain (im not talking about depressed people)should get a whole run down of tests by a neurologist, just to rule everthing else that might be wrong. After that is all clear, then put them on medication. But most insurance companies wont do this because of cost, so throw me some pills and sweep me under the rug. This is why I believe suicide rates are so high.There is no hope!
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Avatar universal
Your symptoms were headache, abnormal sensation in the head and neck, visual problems, hearing disturbance and poor concentration. Your condition affected your work and social life. It ran a relapsing course and responded to some extent to antidepressant. The symptoms are rather vague and do not fit into any DSM IV criteria for a diagnosis. But by exclusion, its sound like masked depression, the diagnosis made by your doctor. There is always a risk making a definitive diagnosis online, as an interview and observation for signs cannot be done to their satisfaction. The exact antidepressant/s, their dosage/s, duration of administration, their effectiveness, and the duration of complete remission are not clear. The best way out is to consult a psychiatrist and psychotherapist for your condition. You can ask them for their diagnosis even if they were reluctant to offer you a definite diagnosis as the symptoms were so vague. At least you know there is no exact diagnosis for your condition. You are entitled to a second opinion too.
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242532 tn?1269550379
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You should go to a psychiatrist who can give you a full examination and diagnosis and not just give you pills.  It sound to me like a variation of panic anxiety, not something in the te xtbooks but something you see clinically quite often.  Anxiety can cause these symptoms, and if that ends up to be the diagnosis after a more careful review and examination, the anxiolytic medications will be more useful than antidepressants. For the short term, you might ask your doctor for some Xanax to see if you get some immediate help.
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