Panic... Anxiety?

[EMT9549]

So whats the big difference? I dont know if i have a anxiety disorder or panic attacks... I am constantly dizzy, lightheaded, no mood swings... and if I have anxiety is zoloft a good med to be on and can I be off it after a certain amount of time?  help me out

[dibren102]

Panic attacks are part of an anxiety disorder.  Your dizzy lightneaded feelings are from the anxiety.  Panic attacks occur when you (your mind) perceives a frightening situation and this pushes your anxiety up into a panic. What actually happens is that you fear a panic attack so much that you stop doing things you believe caused the attack in the first place.  This simply is not true and sooner or later you would just stop doing everything to try to prevent a further attack.
There are many medications out there, you would need to try Zoloft to see if it right for you, some people cant take what is called an SSRI medication, I happen to be one of those.  Medications can be helpful in bringing your anxiety under control while you learn to deal with it and yes you can always come of medications usually the same way you went on them slowly and cutting back, never just stopping.  There is no given time frame, most of it will be up to you. I wish you all the best in your wellness journey.

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

for me panic comes on fast and laves with in 10-15 mins, but anxiety stays for days on days,

[EMT9549]

Hey so do you think that the dizziness will go away, because honestly i have a little trembling and maybe worries, but besides that i dont consider my self anxious AT ALL! But I am trying to understand my disorder I guess... will it ever cure? and please tell me that the dizziness will go away.... another thing.... why cant you take medication what does it do to you? so what is your cure?

[barfer]

The dizziness issue is a hard one to answer because for some, it does go away either with CBT and/or with the help of a drug.  For others, it may stay but that depends alot on the root of the dizziness.  Mine has diminished tremendously recently since I started a new medication.  Make sure that whomever you are seeing about your GAD that they know about your dizziness, trembling and if you have depression...and if you have depression is it because of your anxiety or was it before you felt you had anxiety.  This will make a difference with your treatment and what if any, medication would be most suited to your situation.  As far as the "cure" is concerned...that is also very individual.  Some people have this problem, get therapy and then carry on and don't have much of a problem with it again.  Others go through periods where they feel invincible and then they get hit with it again.  Don't dwell on which one you think is you...once you get a handle on this it won't really matter.  If it goes away, then great...If it doesn't, you will have/learned the tools that will help you cope with it and if it goes away and comes back years later, again, because you've been through it once before, you will have the tools in place and there will be new methods for you to get help.  Think for now how to get a handle on this and that will help take care of any future problem in this area.

[EMT9549]

So I have been more then unwilling to except this disorder of anxiety... I feel like I am a happy person, I am not depressed. All my symptoms are: when I wake up I feel shaky, but I am not physically shaking, dizzy not a spinning dizzy, but the feeling when you sit up too fast BUT ALL THE TIME. I feel like I am not in my body sometimes... I dont know. This all started about  6 months ago when I was in class and all of a sudden I got sort of dizzy and my heart started racing, but i just ignored it and thought that I was just being dumb, well i went and got my thyroid checked and thats what it was I was diagnosed as hypothyroid.... I then got really sick towards the end of that week I was sitting in bed and all of a sudden I got really dizzy and my heart was going fast, so i freaked out and went to the E.R and they said its  Labyrinthitis... well i went to a specialist and they said no its not labyrinthitis... So after two months i got my thyroid finally leveled off and I still felt dizzy and just weird a huge brain fog.. I have been scared of my roommates leaving because I dont want to get that feeling again when I was in bed where I needed to go to the E.R... I am now on Zoloft 25 mg after a week and I get that feeling in your mouth where you feel like you need to puke but i dont.... and I dont know its just that I have been dizzy and thats the only thing that bugs me... I just wish it would just stop because even now when I am writing this I feel weird... just lightheaded.... thanks for reading this and if you know of anyone that has been through this could you send them this way... I just want advice and another oppinion and you sounded like a good source... Andy

[katemom]

I kid you not, when I first started going through this a couple of years ago, I used to literally BEG anybody that I thought could help to HELP- I meant explain it to me, why me, why this, why the hell is this happening?? I'd cry and cry and while everyone was very sympathetic, they all worked together to come up with a diagnosis. It took me forever to accept it because I was a 'normal' person up until then. Now I know I'm still 'normal', but I have a face to put to that anguish. It may last forever, it may go away, nobody can tell me that. I'm just a little bit different now than I was, not in a bad way or a good way. Just different. I accepted that my life had changed and some days I feel like it would be easy to call myself crazy and get locked up, like right now. Can't do it. Maybe this isn't the post you were looking for, but it's all I know to be true from my perspective.

[armenh]

I really much so agree with you, I have been in the same boat as you, but when I have started to just accept it and say what you say, that i am just different and it has nothing to do with not being normal, my anxiety has in fact gone down so much.

[dmbfan07cb]

I am always dizzy or lightheaded too, makes me afraid to stand up or go anywhere!  My panic only lasts about 30 minutes max but I have anxiety 24/7.  You can definately make yourself dizzy ALL THE TIME with anxiety.  I notice if I'm doing something really fun or something I really want to do, i'm not so dizzy and I feel better.  I also get a racing heart beat that I become aware of especially when standing up or walking up stairs.

Hopefully the medication will square you away, but you should continue and get your thyroid checked too, you will be ok with that though.  It's obvious you have some level of anxiety.  Get started on the Zoloft and get in with some CBT, that is my plan.  

btw, prozac worked really good for me with the anxiety, it's just occasionally I would still get a random panic attack.  plus I got some unwanted side effects from it.  I'm not sure about Zoloft though.

I can really relate to how your feeling, I was nearly your age when I started having anxiety issues, I was 19, that was about 3 years ago.  Get this in the bag while its not so bad.  I hope you feel better really soon..


-Doug