Please help...what is wrong with me?

I am not sure if this is the right forum or not, but there is definitely something wrong with me.  I have severe anxiety...I think.  I get agitated and frustrated very easily.  I have no patience for anything.  I go from one extreme to the next like happy one minute than something small happens and i just get all upset and angry and my whole mood changes.  Yesterday for instance, I was just sitting on the computer and all of a sudden it was like someone was sitting on my chest.  It was hard to breathe, I was sweating, and nervous.  I hate feeling like this.  It's not everyday, but it happens al lot.  I can literally feel my whole body getting hot and my heart starts racing.  I have a history of high bp and a rapid pulse sometimes for no reason.  When i wake up in the morning it seems to be worse.  My whole body hurts and my heart is racing.  I take .5mg xanax at night for sleep and that helps some but I can't take it during the day..it knocks me out.  Any thoughts?  I am only 22, married and I have an 8 month old little girl.  Me and my husband get in fights a lot because of me.  Please help!  Thanks in advance for your advice.

Brittaney

[J.M. Keyes, MD]

Hi Brittaney,

It sounds like you have a lot going on right now, and all of the stressors in your life will probably make your anxiety worse, and the anxiety will make everything else more difficult, so it kind of has a snowball effect.  Because of this, it is important that you get this issue dealt with so that you can lead a happy and productive life, rather than letting it control your life.

Your symptoms certainly sound classic for an anxiety disorder, and the sudden onset of racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating etc are likely panic attacks.  You can get similar symptoms from other things (eg hypertyroidism), so you should at least have a doctor examine you, but most likely these symptoms are related to anxiety.

There are a couple of issues- first, you need to seek help in controlling the anxiety and reducing or eliminating your panic attacks.  There are several medications that are very helpful for this (personally, I don't like drugs like Xanax, and there are several other medications that don't have the same side effects or addictive potential).  You should talk to your doctor about getting on something, and realize that it can take several weeks to work, so don't stop taking if you don't get immediate results.  If a month goes by and you aren't feeling better, it may be time to see your doctor about switching to something else.

Counseling or therapy can also be very helpful in dealing with anxiety and panic attacks (learning what to do when you feel it coming on so that it stops or is less severe), so this is another thing to consider trying.

I mentioned this before, but it is my suggestion that you consider weaning yourself off the Xanax, even though you are only using it for sleep.  This type of drug has a high potential to cause dependency, and I would hate for you to end up not being able to get off it if you want to.  You certainly shouldn't be taking it during the day, unless you are supervised by a psychiatrist who has prescribed it, and you have tried the many other options first.  There are also many other medications for sleep that you can be prescribed, if the non-prescription treatments for insomnia haven't worked for you.  Please consider talking to your doctor about switching to something else.  I almost never prescribe medications like Xanax, except in very unusual circumstances.

Good luck!

JMK MD