Is there hope for a person with anxiety?

[LNCorner]

I have been dealing with panic and anxiety for a bit over a year. My first panic attack I believe was caused by drugs which I immediately quit afterward.  I constantly feel like there is no hope, no reason to live, no happiness for me to have.

Everyday I feel like I am going to die a different way, sometimes its terminal diseases, sometimes I think I'm just going to drop dead. I constantly am feeling or my pulse, I notice it skips beats quiet often and changed from overly slow to overly fast very rapidly.

I have come to fear everything around me to the point where I am afraid to go to the doctor and get actual real problems checked out. I went to a therapist for awhile and although she helped she thought I had gotten better so she let me go.

Now I'm worse then I was before I saw her and am to afraid to go back to her office. I can't stay up for more then twelve hours without being consumed by anxiety, usually those twelve hours are night not day. My anxiety has such a clutch on my life I can't even go out and get a job.

I'm not even sure what scares me about it since I've had a job before but whenever the topic comes up I am engulfed by a all consuming fear and run for cover. I've reduced myself to only having one friend who also has anxiety problems.

I am afraid to go any more then an hour away from my house because I am afraid I am going to die and I wont be able to say goodbye to my mom. I hear a ticking in the back of my head whenever I walk, it'ss start and stop the entire time.

I'm unhealthy both in nutrition and in activity but I can't seem to help myself in either. I often sleep 14+ hours a day. It is very very hard for me to convince myself to get out of bed. On the therapy note, I am to afraid of taking meds not only because I am afraid they'll hurt or kill me but also because if this is only anxiety I would rather try and get through it without meds first.

I could go on about more problems but this is getting pretty long. Any help? How do I live life and get a job if I have no goals no motivation and no interests in life? Please help me!

[LNCorner]

It's getting worse and better all the time for example, tonight I feel so numb and out of body I wonder if at any moment I'm going to pass out. I feel so distant from life, why can't I remember what it was like to be happy.

[LNCorner]

Thanks for the comments and advice everyone, gshanereid besides the nightmares I know exactly how you feel, I never was overly active but I was in a lot better shape then I am now, sometimes I get a rush just going up the stairs. As for Jimmy I don't think I'll ever be able to take medications. It's like the job factor I was speaking of an over consuming fear.

[gshanereid]

Hey I deal with the same situations you die. It drives me absolutely nuts. My heart races and I fear I am dying of a heart attack. It is really affecting my life in every way. It is even hard to get up in the morning and I just wish I could go back to the way I was. I keep telling myself it will get better but the voice in my head tells me to I have serious heart problems. I have very gory nightmares as well. Last night I couldn't fall asleep because I though I would stop breathing in my sleep and die. I had three night terrors. In one I died of a heart attack, the next one I died of a stroke, and lastly an aneurism. This **** is really freaking me out and Im positive Im going to die of heart problems. I'm 18 years old and just started college. I use to work out all the time. I would ride a bike for 2 hours every night and lift every single day. Now I honestly feel  like if I were to try to get back in my workout I will die of a heart attack. You are not alone, it is affecting me very deeply and I pray to God I get over it and return to my life. Somedays my heart races so much I cant even get off the couch. But lets hang in there. I think we'll be ok.

[Jimmy1975]

Hi LN , I am also going threw what you are . I was taking  Vicodin for two years for pain at first then abuse . Drugs can be very nasty when you stop taking them and anxiety and panic are two of the worst . I am 70 days off of Vicodin and I am starting to have more good days then bad . I take 10 mils. of Lexapro everyday and Klonipin as needed . I know I will not be on the AD's forever also . I can tell you this young lady narcotic drugs of any kind can can do this and it takes time for your brain to heal . But rest assured it WILL go away I promise ! I have been dealing with this off and on for 10 years and every time it always seemed to be related to some drug . First time was stopping Ritalin as UCLA had diagnosed me with adult ADHD and after about a year of taking that and stopping when it started making me paranoid my first anxiety attacks started . I lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks . I was pretty free of all anxiety and panic for years until the knee injury and the vicodin . Do you see the pattern ? If you want some more help I will be more then happy to do that LN . Remember you are going to be fine and I know this . Get help NOW not later . Don.t be afraid as help is a phone call away ! I go to the UCLA anxiety clinic and they have helped me like you can,t even believe ! Take care Jimmy

[iDaleo]

I feel the same way you do right now. I was afraid to take medicine for fear it would make me crazy or something. I couldn't eat, sleep, or do anything. I failed classes in college even though I am a straight-A student, I didn't go out, and I didn't work. Anxiety changes the way you think. You just have to try as hard as you can to put the thoughts in the back of your mind. With medication and proper treatment, anxiety can be easily managed. Right now my anxiety/fear is that I am going to catch HIV and die. I had sex with my ex-girlfriend 2 weeks ago and ever since she told me she was with another guy before me, my heart has been racing every ten minutes. Every doctor I've talked to tells me I was at extremely low risk and that I don't need to worry about it, however, when someone has anxiety its nearly impossible to forget about it unless properly treated. Don't worry, your not the only one. You'll get through it. Go to a therapist, get some medication, force yourself outside your comfort zone, and trust me you'll be fine in no time.

[Jipper]

Yes there is hope. And by the way, all of the stuff your experiencing is all part of how anxiety makes you feel. Also, it sometimes (like in my case) spills over into depression as well so then you end of with a double whampy, which seems like what you are dealing with.  And don't walk but run to a doctor. You make need some meds to help you for a while. And if you don't want to do the meds then at least get some herbs. But get something in your system. A dry system for people with anxiety is not good. This stuff is to overwhelming and has too many twist and turns to not having something in your system to help you. Hope this helps