Scared, left arm is tingling, and have chest pain

[miche31263]

I started getting tingling in my left arm yesterday.  I was sitting and reached out arm out to pet a cat, gently, and my arm started tingling.  Since there I have noticed it.  I woke up at 5am, in my usual state of anxiety and had bad chest pain.  All I could think about was I should get to the hospital because it's symptoms of heart attack.  I don't know what to do.  I took my propanolol and a Xanax, and I also took a Prevacid because I know last night I had heart burn.  I am now on Day 18 of Lexapro, and almost to the 10mg mark.  I took a Buspar yesterday during the day, didn't notice a lot, but it was after that the tingling came, not saying or thinking that's related.  But, I don't feel like it's a pinched nerve.  I know when I get really nervous, both hands tingle, but it's only my left arm.  And yes, the arm muscle hurts,  I hate myself and not being able to tell when something is real or not  :(  Still no relief on the Lexparo either.  Can anyone at all relate and help me please?  Michelle

[miche31263]

I hope someday I look back on this and laugh.  Yes, your right about everything you wrote.  My Dr. wrote the Xanax, but then I told her it knocks me out and then the anxiety comes right back.  She didn't tell me to take both that and Buspar, it was mostly to help the side effects of the Lexapro but since I don't like it, she recommended the Buspar.  She Is actually a really good Dr., the only one that would take me seriously when I had my svt and pacs diagnosed instead of saying it was in my mind.  She also most definetely thinks I need therapy, it's just trying to find someone good in this town.  
I have to see her on Thursday, she said call before then if I need to.  The whole reason this anxiety all came rushing back was because I'm having some health issues in the first place.  She's going to run blood work next week to make sure there isn't something else going on.  Maybe even hormones, I don't know.  I do have hypochondriasis with severe health anxiety.  That's why it's hard to tell something "minor" from something "major"
I don't know if I want to continue the Lexapro or not.  If I do, I'm going to 10mg and trying that for a few days, or else I'm going to just stop tonight. I haven't made up my mind.  Honestly, I don't know if I can take this extra side effects of anxiety until it kicks in.  
I just tried to take a nap an hour ago, and couldn't sleep.  No matter how much I want to during the day (cause I'm tired), as soon as I close my eyes the vivid thoughts and hallucinations start coming.  It's getting very old.  Thanks again for talking to me.  Oh, yes, Dr. did say what you said about the Buspar dosage, and I did only take it once yesterday.  That was my fault for not taking it last night or today.  Michelle

[RubyWitch]

Lexapro can take up to 4 WEEKS to reach therapeutic levels in most people. Remember that everybody is different and no two people react exactly the same to a medication and that includes the time it takes to begin working. Quite often with Lexapro, if, after one week, you haven't noticed a clinical improvement, the dose can be increased to the max of 20mg per day. So, it's possible you're either not on a high enough dose or your body is just taking the longer, normal range of time to kick in. I'd say give it the full four weeks and if you've felt no improvement at all, it's time to up the dose AFTER consulting your doctor!
You said that you've had some really bizzare visual images which didn't begin until after you started on the Lexapro. Hallucinations and abnormal dreams are two side effects of Lexapro. But your doctor doesn't think they're connected.........who am I to argue, eh? I'm just reading what's in the PDR.

You have scripts for both Xanax and BuSpar. Were these prescribed by the same doctor? The BuSpar should be taken at 5mg tid (three times per day) and can take up to 2 weeks to reach therapeutic effects. It sounded to me like you took it as if it was a PRN (as needed) medication like the Xanax. This doubling up on benzos would be something I think you should discuss with your doctor and ask about the dosing schedule if it doesn't clearly state what it is on the bottle.

Talking with your step-mom seemed to be a good idea until she dropped the "one of these times you're going to be right" bomb. Personally, I found that to be just a tad insensitive considering how upset you were and actually, on further thought, it was quite cruel. And what did she mean about being so "out of balance in your body?" And what did she recommend you do to fix that? She told you to go in if you felt you needed to. Hmmm Isn't that why you went to see the top notch RN.......to get her learned advice about whether or not you should go in? When she said the tingling could be from "overuse, a pinched nerve or something else," that got my goat as well. An experienced RN knows exactly what "OR SOMETHING ELSE" could mean, which she apparently didn't share with you.
(Did she offer you a nice red apple at this time?)
If it sounds like I'm dissing your step-mom, I am. I don't think she was supportive in the least.

Nobody in their right mind likes living the way you currently are, but you're working on changing that and you will. It's going to take some time and some work on your part, but there's plenty of light at the end of your tunnel.

In my totally non-professional capacity, I'm guessing you have health anxiety with emphasis on your heart and a large helping of hypochondriasis.

My advice? Get some things straightened out with your doctor and get a referral to a good therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist. Figure out exactly what sort of anxiety issues your dealing with, the correct medications for them and adequate therapy to get to the root cause of that anxiety. Get rid of the anxiety, get rid of the pills and get your life back. Doesn't get any better than that!

Oh, and if your doctor doesn't agree with seeing a therapist and thinks simply throwing more pills at you is the better way, find yourself a new doctor.
Peace
Greenlydia

[miche31263]

Thank you so much for responding.  I went up to my step-moms right after I posted.  She is an RN, and I told her what was going on.  She is one of the top nurses at our hospital, and is very laid back when I talk to her.  The chest pain went away, it always comes and goes, as I have acid reflux, and just the usual pain with anxiety.  Anyways, the tingling is still in my arm, and I'm just trying to be practical about it. She said it could be a pinched nerve, or just overusing the arm without noticing, or something else entirely.  She told me to go in if I felt I needed to, but she thinks that I am so out of balance in my body right now.  Of course, she did say "One of these times your going to be right" and that didn't help.  I just don't understand why the Lexapro isn't kicking in yet.  Everybody else seem to be doing much much better by two weeks, and I'm on Day 18.  I seriously don't like living this way, and I do sometimes hate myself for being like this.  I'm not suicidal, far from it, as Im afraid of death, but I don't ever know what's real or not physically.  I constantly want to run to the hospital and ask them if I'm dying of something new.
I talked to my Dr. two days ago, and she said it isn't enough time yet for me and that I'm also not taking a high enough dose.  She prescribed Buspar, which I took yesterday, didn't notice much, than I took my Xanax last night.   Ever since starting the Lexapro I wake up every morning around 5am, and I'm anxious with my heart pounding and I can't go back to sleep.  When I close my eyes, even like right now, I'd have really bizarre visual images, some not always good.  Dr. doesn't think it's from the Lexapro but from my anxiety, but I didnt get this crazy until after starting the Lexapro.

[RubyWitch]

I think you've gotten yourself into a tremendous tailspin about your symptoms, especially the heart anxiety. I would strongly recommend a chat with your doctor about both the symptoms and your medications. If you are waking up in your "usual state of anxiety," something is either not working or it hasn't had enough time to work and you need to find out which it is. Perhaps your doctor will refer you to a cardiologist for a work up which should end any concerns you have about your heart. How frequently do you have these bad chest pains? Or was this the first time? I'm not a doctor, so I can't tell you what is causing these symptoms, but any time you have pain, tingling or numbness in your left arm and concurrent chest pains, you really should have someone drive you to the ER or call 911. It's just smarter to be safe than sorry.

I REALLY dislike hearing you say you "hate" yourself because you can't tell when something is real or not. Millions of us would have to hate ourselves because our anxiety or panic makes it impossible for us to know what is or isn't real. Just one of the reasons these disorders are so incredibly frightening, and why so many of us end up in the ER believing we are having heart attacks. The symptoms ARE real, the difference is that it's not our hearts creating the symptoms, it's our monstrously powerful minds. Even if a cardilolgist was having a full blown panic attack, they'd be hard pressed to know what was real and what wasn't. I never want to hear you say you hate yourself because of this again! IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, IT'S NOT A CHARACTER FLAW....................
It's a medical condition just like any other medical condition and there are treatments and cures for this as well.
Please see your doctor and while there, discuss getting into some therapy to find out what the root cause of your anxiety is and begin to deal with that. Your pills are only masking the symptoms but the problem remains. Get rid of the problem, get rid of the pills and get your life back.
As far as wondering if anyone can relate..........every single one of us on this forum can relate. You've never been less alone in your life!
Keep posting if you need to talk. We're always here!
Peace
Greenlydia