Anxiety

[Hol739]

Hi guys.... I'm suffering with anxiety... and it's something terrible... I want to know that I'm not alone and these normal symptoms are normal... I've been through alot with the last 2 years, I've lost my father, went through a bad break up, and moved on, I have amazing fiance and a son...!!!!!!

These anxiety attacks are terrible, normally I would get one maybe once a week, but they are happening pretty often, like today, I was sitting at work and wasn't thinking or down about anything and I started feeling extremly weird, got real dizzy, got super HOT, chest starting hurting, heart racing, sick on my stomach, and just felt like I was going to pass out. They just come out of no-where...........?????????????

My doctor gave me Lorazapan to take as needed.... and also gave me Zoloft... But the thing is I'm so afraid to take anything because of all the symptoms and worried of how I'm going to feel, but anything can feel better than how I feel now right??? Can anyone give me suggestions if the zoloft has helped?????????????

I've also starting counseling, to help try and talk myself out of it, right now I just want to run out all the time and be by myself, I got to start learning how to walk myself through so I can go on....

Anyone can help that would be wonderful....

[mammo]

Zoloft turned my life around!  Please don't get caught up in thinking that because this is a mental issue that you should be able to handle it on your own....because we can't.  Anxiety is like any other medical condition requiring medication to control our symtoms. Panic attacks are a normal response coming at the wrong time.  When we are in danger our brain signals the "fight or flight" mode which floods our bodies with adrenaline so we can protect ourselves.  But this response is coming when it's not needed and our bodies don't know what to do with all that extra adrenaline.  All the symptoms caused by a panic attack is just our bodies trying to adapt to all the extra adrenaline.  That's why they pass as the adrenaline winds down.  So know that as scarey as they are. they won't hurt you.  There is help for this, and you need to accept that help so you can feel better.  None of us want to take medication(s), but for most it has given us the ability to live a happy life, free of panic attacks.  Trust in your doctor and work closely with him. Best wishes.

[minithint]

Hello there,

I feel where your coming from. I used to have panick attacks every once in a great while but the last 8 weeks I've had constant 24/7 anxiety. Last 4 days its lead to depression. I cry out of no where. Probably because the anxiety is getting to me and it makes me sad because I just want to feel normal again. I feel like its never going to get better. I tried ativan for a while and I started taking a piece of it , then to half and then a whole one wouldn't even last that long. It made me worse so I stopped taking it. It was very hard at first but I made it through. I haven't taken anything in about 3 weeks. I wanna be drug free because I don't want to get addicted or worse. My symptoms are as follows:

As soon as I wake up I start getting the shakes
I lost my appetite completely
I feel dizzy and almost like my head is in a bubble.( can't explain it really)
I wanna just run somewhere
Nothing makes me happy anymore
Get bored of everything quickly
I can't stay focused
I quit my job cause I could not do it anymore
Much more .......

Message me anytime if you need to talk or discuss what your going through.

[nursegirl6572]

Welcome to the forum, glad you found us!  First realize you are FAR from alone!  There are so many people who suffer with anxiety issues, only we never seem to "know' any because most likely our friends or family members who go through what we do also feel the need to suffer in silence.  Once I started being a little more vocal about my anxiety/panic disorder...all KINDS of people in my life admitted to dealing with the same.  HUGE relief and nice to have company in the misery!  :0)

All of what you explain is very typical in anxiety, more specifically, sounds as if you maybe have Panic Disorder?  Have you received an official diagnosis?  Panic attacks are notorious for "coming of the blue", which makes them that much scarier and frustrating to us!  It's also why they impact us so greatly...because that surprise aspect of an attack scares us to death!  Also, soon, you start "fearing the fear"...where basically you simply fear having another PA.  You also may start associating where you had a PA with the attack in general, causing you to want to avoid that place.  It becomes a horrible cycle of anxious thinking and worrying.

The good news is...you've already taken huge steps in addressing the anxiety...by going to the doctor, getting on board with therapy and having your doc put you on medication.  Both meds and therapy together have worked wonders for so many of us.  Ironically, MY very first medication regimen when I was 1st diagnosed with Panic Disorder at 18 was Zoloft and Ativan...which were life savers for me.  They took me from non functional, barely able to leave my house, to anxiety free.

Now, of course this didn't happen overnight...it takes time.  The Zoloft will take 4-6 weeks to really start making a noticeable difference in your anxiety, which is where the "as needed" use of the Ativan in the interim really helps!  It will also help with any initial side effects you MAY have with the Zoloft.  Some people experience an increase in anxiety, feeling "jittery", insomnia, etc.  I did great with it...very little side effects.  You have to be patient, and if you DO get some side effects, they will start to dissipate within a week or two.  You may hear all kinds of different stories people have had with these meds, as everyone is different...but try not to put too much emphasis on any of them...allow yourself to have your own experience...and always communicate with your doctor regarding any issues/concerns you have with your meds.

Therapy is vital b/c it will teach you about anxiety and how to cope with it...how to undo that anxious cycle of thinking.  Again, all of this takes time and patience on your part.  That's not always easy as we want immediate relief and to gain our "old selves" back.  You'll get there...you're already on your way!

Best of luck, please update us on how you're doing!