Anxiety/Depression!??? Please Help!!!

[cnote]

26 Male. I started suffering from anxiety 2 years ago, My most common symptom was nervous stomach, no appetite, pacing, mind racing with thoughts like "when am i gonna get better? when will this stop?" I would also lose sleep. Had nightsweats. Etc. The Dr. put me on Lexapro and it worked for a while... then I went off of it, and did good for 6 months without it, then I started getting it again... let me explain, these are not panic attacks, these are anxiety episodes that last for weeks.

Well, just about a month and a half ago, I was doing fine. I then had a work project that was a month long project that got to be REALLY stressful towards the end. I was getting my anxiety symptoms slowly... it started out with a nervous stomach... then no appetite... Then I started getting IBS symptoms... and of course that scared me and it made my anxiety worse, and I lost more appetite... I went to the Dr. twice for the IBS just to make sure that's all it was... and he said that he didnt need to run any tests b/c that's all it was was IBS. He put me back on lexapro 5mg. I was on it for about a month... until yesterday.

I had to go back to the Dr. b/c about 2 weeks ago I started getting this sensitive gag reflex in my throat... and it has been lasting EVERY DAY for the past 2 weeks. I never actually gagged til 2 nights ago... and it was when I woke up and had to cough to clear my throat... my throat felt tight etc. My legs then started trembling with anxiety... and I cried to my wife "what the heck is wrong with me!?" I took 2 ativan and finally relaxed and fell asleep. The next day I went to the Dr. and was still having the sensitive gag reflex issue. He told me that it was also probably caused just from anxiety and that we really need to work on this.

He gave me Paxil.

My question is, can anxiety REALLY do all of this? Should he run more tests? Or should I trust him? I've seen him for the past 2 years. He knows me.

[cnote]

Thank you so much. I'm on my 2nd day of Paxil, and I can already feel the gag relfex thing easing some. =) No appetite yet, but I'm certain it will come back... and that the IBS will eventually leave too once I start eating 3 full meals a day like I used too.

I'm also scheduled to see a therapist next wednesday. I think the combo of the therapy and the Paxil will help. =)

Thanks for responding.

[Ted A Grossbart, Ph.D.]

Anxiety could well be the whole story.  That said I think it is fair to say to him.  "I realize this is probably anxiety, but are there other possibilities that we can test for?"

You might also want to think about learning more anti-anxiety techniques like self-hypnosis, relaxation, meditation, etc.  Hypnosis especially can work well for IBS and other symptoms.  

tg