anxiety question

[friday]

I've had a really hard time dealing with anxiety lately. It seems to come out of nowhere a lot. I know a lot of the time it has to do with how well I feel. If I'm having a good day, the anxiety lays low, but if I?m feeling really sick it comes out more. I know it has to do with the fear I feel of getting sicker and worrying it won't get better again. But it also seems my mind is just more nervous in general even when I try and make a conscious effort to control my thoughts (cognitive therapy) It just seems at those times it's just soo hard to deal with anxiety and mood swings. Anyway, I was wondering what some of you do for anxiety. I have done relaxation techniques in the past, but that?s a problem if I?m anxious because I?m having trouble breathing. Then it actually increases the anxiety to try and control the breathing. It's like I can't take a deep breath its too much work. So I have tried anti anxiety meds like Ativan. I've been on and off this a few times. I went through major anxiety as a 20 something and I used it then. I never really had a problem being addicted because I always knew if I didn't need it, don?t take it, otherwise I would just increase the need for it. Anyway, I have been taking it now, but like I said I don't want to depend on it, I know that can get bad. So what else works? I have been on Zoloft and Anafranil but I don't feel they help. I have never felt any difference in my moods that I could relate to them. I had been on other antidepressants and they also don't seem to work on me. I have nothing against them, but I think I may be one of the lucky ones that are just resistant to antidepressants. It seems all of the drugs out there for anxiety are short term addictive ones. Depression?s not really my problem so much as anxiety. Does anyone have any other way of treating anxiety? PS going for a walk or visiting friends, stuff like that won?t help because at the times, I?m sick and anxious, I am usually bedridden.

[lalalisa]

Friday,

Hello! I know what youre going through! Anxiety can be the worst symptom at times because it seems to control everything about you and your day! My Dr. perscribed Paxil CR in the lowest dose (12.5 mg) and it has worked wonders for me. I have no side affects and I have little to no anxiety.

I know this med isn't for everyone, but this is what works for me.

Hope this helps and that your anxiety gets better!

Lisa

[opus88]

My anxiety has disappeared since I added magnesium lactate to my routine. It also helped my fatigue and my feeling of constantly being mentally overwhelmed by even the littlest thing. I don't know that it would be the right thing for you, but I highly recommend just trying it for a few days. I used the Standard Process brand and could tell a difference after only 4 days!

I saw in another post that you are on magnesium, but it may not be the right form for your body chemistry. It may also be a synthetic or franctionated magnesium that isn't absorbed properly (either due to not having the "helper" foods with it or because your body doesn't know what to do with a non-food form). The Standard Process magnesium is whole food-based and therefore keeps its synergistic ingredients, which allows for better absorption.

Also, the B vitamins, particularly B6 and B12, may be needed. I used a high dose of Nature's Sunshine B6 for a few months and all trouble with palpitations, etc., went away. And while I'm on the subject, I used the same brand of GTF Chromium to get rid of my muscle weakness and heavy limbs.

[morgan617]

when you are constantly under barrage from your own body's fight or flight response, it's just about impossible not to have anxiety. i know a lot of people on here benefit from low dose anti depressents. that sounds like it might be a good option for you. i have just found over time, if i sit quietly and tell myself this episode is going to pass and i know i'm going to feel drained, but will be ok it seems to help some. i unfortunately can't take antidepressents, so i just talk myself to death about how it's not lethal and it doesn't last forever and i've had worse things, (colonoscopy preps lol) and it does always pass. till the next one. but you might try the med route as sometimes we get stuck and then develop a generalized anxiety, just that vague feeling that's always there. my son has it and uses celexa. it works great for him. hope you feel better soon. morgan

[Merrill]

Friday, I know what you're going through--or at least I know what my version of that looks like. I had panic attacks pretty frequently when I was much younger (in my late teens and through my 20s ... They happen less often now and I'm in my 40s--and in fact, I've felt much calmer in general since I was diagnosed 9 months ago. I know this sounds strange, but when things get bad (and my guts ALWAYS go wacky and then I feel sick AND anxious about being sick and all the rest that can spiral out of control), I remind myself that it's just the POTs--that it's not in my mind, it's in my body, and I just have to wait a bit for things to get re-regulated. Just knowing that my mental reaction to a stressful situation is actually causing a severe physical reaction (and not depression etc) helps me keep things straight in my head. Straighter than before, anyway. I hope this makes sense...

Sometimes, though, I still can get carried away by ideas of imminent catastrophe, and I worry and fear the worst etc. Sometimes, especially if this happens at night or during the night and I don't want to take a sleeping pill, I'll write everything down that's flying through my head. I find that writing is very cathartic--very therapeutic. By putting it down on paper or onto the computer screen, I can actually feel the anxiety leaving my body. So that's one suggestion, especially if you are truly bedridden when you feel this way.

The other suggestion I had is to try your hardest to get out of bed when you're feeling especially anxious and DO something. Anything. Put pictures in an album, scrapbook (actually, those things can be done in bed ) or better still, go outside! Take a brief walk to the corner and back. Pull up a weed from your yard or someone else's. Grab a plastic bag and pick up trash in a park or from the curb by your house. Anything that would refocus your energy and your mind.

And for heaven's sake, if you're having trouble breathing, think about anything BUT your breathing! (That's my advice, anyway. I find it makes me nuts to think about my breathing--even if I'm feeling good and in yoga class, where that's a main focus of our work.)

I hope you find something that works for you soon!

Merrill

[EarthMother]

Dear Friday,

Hugs to you dear, I know how hard this is. Sometimes it seems like a cirlce .... better at times, unbearable at others. I am going through a very unbearable period myself right now ... so my heart goes out to you.

Meds have never been an option for me, so I continue to pioneer alternative paths and recently I've committed to a regular meditation practice. 20 minutes every morning and evening. I also love to read, (good thing to do when POTS has us on our backs so often!) The book I just finished is called: Turning the Mind Into an Ally. I figured, I could use that!! Here's the author's web site:

http://mipham.com/

And he even has a free seven+ minute download: http://mipham.com/audiotalks.html

Free is good.

If you want to look into a good healing panic program. I really like the work being done by Bert Anderson. http://www.healingpanic.com/ He also has lots of free advice on his web site and compared to other panic gurus I think his stuff is reasonably priced.

Good luck on your healing adventure. Feel free to give me a shout out any time you need a shoulder.

EM

[ethansmom]

I just wanted to comment that I also have a lot of anxiety- but it seems to manifest itself in the form of stress. Every little thing that happens becomes a "big deal", so to speak, but I haven't yet been able to find a way to chill out. I am constantly on the go although I also worry a lot about getting really sick again.

I also try to avoid any more medication (I take Florinef and Pro-Amatine) and of course those don't do much for the anxious feelings. I worry a lot, and am always hyper & my brain is in a million places at once. I feel like I can never let things go and just relax...too much adrenaline I guess

I am getting ready to look into taking yoga classes outside the home, to sort of separate myself from everything that is going on and have some time to relax, just for me. I think practicing relaxation is difficult too, and I know what you mean about the breathing (how can you relax when you can't draw a deep breath?!). But I think meditation and self talk can be helpful. I talk myself down a lot...Jess, this isn't that big of a deal, you will be fine, don't worry about it, etc...

This is definitely a frustrating problem

[DancingLight]

jess...did you go inside my brain to write that???

that is EXACTLY HOW I AM TO AN ABSOLUTE T...

and it drives me nuts. my mind is always going, going, going....

and in my head i can think of all these things i want to do, but my body is saying...no way.

i have got to go eat some dinner...b/c you know how it is if you get too hungry...i can't handle it.

anyway, all of the posts were so good on this topic...friday, i hope that you find something that helps soon.

i will try to post more on this topic later, b/c there were so many good answers on it and i also struggle with the "anxiety issue."

although, just talking about it here helps a lot b/c it is validated and not alone...which sometimes i think is the worst part of anxiety...feeling like you are crazy and will be judged as weak for it, you know?

merrill...you crack me up too! i have some thoughts on the breathing thing too!

hey, i finally learned how to use these little clickable smilies...boy, i am high-tech now...they are fun!

emily

[KarenLorrel]

Hi Lisa..noticed from your bio that your husband is in seminary in Kentucky...by any chance his he in seminary at Asbury in Wilmore?

Karen

[ramakentesh]

When i have a very bad attack, i get very restless and anxious - a feeling sort of like impending doom and my whole body shakes, i get pale and so dizzy i cant stand.

My doctor says that the sympathetic response of the nervous system to hypovolumina is to shoot off huge amounts of adrenal to maintain blood pressure to the brain - thus you shake, sweat, feel hot or cold, spaced out, panicky and anxious.

I find that a betablocker works wonders - or valerian tea.