Everyday Anxiety

[girlwithhope]

I know i asked this question b4,but i need to ask again..I have anxiety everyday for over 2 years now.I had all test done all normal.Does any1 have it everyday? If yes how do u deal with it i only take xanax as needed but i try not to take that too much cuz affraid of withdrawl symptom and being addicted. Some days i can go with the symptoms and some days are really hard.I tried all kinds of anti meds and they just don't work well on my body.I hate waking up and going to bed with anxiety.How do u when it is not anxiety.I keep telling myself that but what if it's a real sickness that i don't know about.I don't want to keep saying oh this is anxiety and all of a sudden i have a serious health issue that the doctor's missed.Idk i'm just curious..Thx for reading.

[jlroesner]

Hi kidda.
I'm sorry for the distress you are feeling right now.  Have you had a complete medical work-up done recently with your physician?  It is always important that you have a complete check up with a doctor before assuming anxiety is causing your symptoms.  There are some physical illness that can present as anxiety...  I know you said you've seen 5 doctors, but did they do a complete work-up or just treat you for whatever you made the appointment for?  OK, that being said, with your mother recently passing away I can't imagine the emotional trauma you must be going through.  I am sorry for your loss.  I know it must not be easy, and that's probably an understatement.  Yes, anxiety can cause all of the symptoms you are having.  I get each one of those, in fact!  The good news is that anxiety is a treatable disorder, but you need to see a psychiatrist who specializes in the disorder.  They can evaluate your symptoms and recommend treatment that is appropriate for exactly what you are going through.  In my opinion, diazipam is an addictive drug that is useful for some situations but seems like it causes more trouble than it's worth.  Kind of like a band-aid on a belly ache.  It relieves the symptoms of the anxiety but does not treat the underlying chemical disorder causing or perpetuating the disorder.  Again, I would urge you to see a physician to rule out something physical, then see a psychiatrist who can get you the right medications for you.  I'm glad you are taking a stress control course, but maybe a therapist would be more beneficial?  Grief is a hard task, anxiety is too.  Know that you are not alone, and we are all here to support you.
Jen

[kidda]

i suffer anxiety real bad dizzyness headaches palpitations  upset stomach pains in chest crying you name it i have it its getting me down now tried loads of medication only 1 of them worked which was diazipam which my doctor will not give me them again  i am doing a stress control course at the min helps a little this started 9 month after my mam died plus alot of other problems seen 5 doctors all say its anxiety can anxiety really do all this to you x

[Alisonj29]

I couldnt have said it any better than the posters above,
There was a time I had crippling anxiety all day every day. It does and it can get better. Your name says it all! There is lots of hope. Seek out any treatment it takes and read everything you can find, completely arm yourself with the knowledge of this horrible illness and fight back! We are all here for you. Good Luck

[DJ873]

Jen and i are so very alike, I too find the meditation the most helpful of anything i've done, in fact i am ordering the book off ebay now. You are not alone, never forget this too will pass.

[girlwithhope]

Thank You so much for your advice i really appreciated.I do exercise everyday but havent done it in 2 weeks now cuz weather is bad..i use to do yoga alot to.than got lazy..it was helping a little bit.i don't have good ins to cover 1 on 1 therapist..only group theraphy but they make me more anxious cuz some of them don't understand what i'm going thu cuz they are bipolar n adhd.sigh thx again.

[mammo]

I can't add much to the above post but I think you need to worry less about the medication and concentrate on how it helps you. Don't get caught up in because it's a mental issue you should be able to handle it on your own, because this rarely happens.  Anxiety is like any other medical condition requiring daily medication to control the symptoms. You need to do what will allow you to have the best days, and not worry about the addictiveness of medication.  You may reach a point where you no longer need medication, but you may not.  If/when the day comes that you no longer need it, your doctor can safely wean you off of it. Don't let your life pass you by while being miserable when there are medications to help you.  None of us want to take medication but we need to decide that enough is enough and do what is needed so that we can function and have a decent life.  Plus, it makes it easier to concentrate on other things to help us including therapy. You have to trust your doctors, and accept that you are fine because the health worry is fueling your anxiety and keeping it going strong. Don't suffer thru your days when your medication can help, it's just not worth it.  Take care.

[jlroesner]

First of all, I love your screen name, girlwithhope!  Hope is so important, never ever lose that!  I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder/Major Depressive Disorder 21 years ago.  Do I still have it?  Yep.  Is it as bad as it used to be?  Nope.  Are you in therapy?  Do you see a psychiatrist?  I don't take meds like Ativan, Xanax, etc. very often (only when I have to fly) because I'm afraid of them, so I understand you not wanting to take them.  There are other ways to manage anxiety.  For me, I have found mindfulness meditation (w/Jon Kabat-Zinn) to be the most helpful.  Also, drawing and painting and working with clay helps.  I know it doesn't seem like it would, but it does.  Getting some exercise every day is a wonderful thing that helps as well.  That being said, all of this does take time.  For me, wellness was not achieved overnight, heck, I'm still working on it!  But the days without anxiety are now more than the days with anxiety.  And for that I'm grateful.  This support board is great too.  You'll find lots of us here suffer from the exact same things you do and it really helps to be with people who understand exactly what you are going through.  We are not like your average everyday friends.  Here we accept that anxiety is real, that is crippling, that it is a constant battle you fight.  Here we understand how real the physical symptoms of anxiety are and know just as well as you do the horrors of having health anxiety.  While we can all realize with our logical minds that there is probably nothing wrong with us (though you should see a MD to confirm this), we know this fight all to well to convince our brains that all is well.   My therapist used to tell me to remember the word HALT.  It stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.  All of these things make anxiety worse.  So please, make sure you are taking good care of your body while you are going through this.  I wish you peace.  Jen