Thanks for writing! This post is VERY old. I have been basically cured 100% of anxiety. I believe all of my crazy symptoms were do to ativan tolerance withdrawal. It was a terrible 4 years on and off that drug. Once I got benzo wize, I got off the ativan through the help of a specialist. I have been anxiety free and symptom free for almost 2 years now. :) Amen! Pills in my experience were the cause of most of my bad symptoms and anxiety issues. They were a HELL of a drug for me. I'm cured!!! :)
My bf shares some of your same symptoms. He has the anxiety issues and the same tight throat. Seems to be worse when his routine changes or when he works out, runs, or has lots of activity. He also has a bad gag reflex. When he has an attack, his throat tightens and he starts to gag (dry heave). You guys seem to have a lot in common. Have you done any better with this. He has suffered with this since high school and he is now 31 years old. He has tried various medication, muscle relaxers, etc. nothing has stopped it completely.
Anybody tried Magnesium for this?
yeah i hope the combo of the meds and the cbt help. my next drs appt is in 2 weeks for just an anxiety check up. if im still having this issue ill order him to do a scope.
I have had similar symptoms. Have you ever gotten an upper endoscopy? It is a simple procedure that could help shed some light on your situation. I am not a fan of doctors who make a diagnosis of anxiety without thorough medical testing. I was told for months my chest pain, tightness, and burning with odd throat sensations was "anxiety" after some tests on my heart revealed nothing beyond a "harmless" arrythmia. It turned out to be a significant erosions on my esophagus. But of course, yeah, I had anxiety. I think anyone with unexplained chest discomfort would.
Agreed...CBT is a great way to confront this. Just remember to apply what you learned. Having a 'lump in the throat' is a classic sign of anxiety in my opinion. It really depends what you focus on in my experience. When I was concerned about my health and it was one particular symptom I was worried about, I would tend to focus in on that part of my body and naturally all sorts of symptoms related to it would arise.
CBT helped TREMENDOUSLY for me. You learn to accept the anxiety, confront it, and ultimately deal/beat/live with it. Along the way, you learn so much more about yourself and this pattern of thinking....just keep working through this.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the way to go for treatment without medication. It teaches you how to relax and retrain thoughts and behaviors you have been used to that obviously have not been working for you. I am in week 3 and am loving my therapist. Finally feel hopeful, seeing someone who doesnt want to just feed me meds!!!
Good luck to you!
Did you used to have this symptom too? Globus hystericas? How long did you have it for?
In my opinion, it is quite possible. You know it is anxiety related and therefore can confront it and beat it, in my opinion. For me, when I was going through this, I remember when I would finally get over one symptom and move onto the next one that would bother me. I agree with the fact that you are going through therapy...remember, it can be a long hard slog to get through, but try to focus on the long term gains and not the short term setbacks.