Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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Anxiety Disorders
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Advice needed!

Papabear627
Papabear627

im a 31 yr old father of 2 little ones. I think I’ve dealt with anxiety for a long time but just over the past week or two it’s reared it’s ugly head officially in my life. It started with a trip to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. Doc says most likely panic attack. He’s prescribed me 10mg Paxil that I took once because it made me feel so much worse. I used to smoke pot to help with sleep to just unwind for the day. I’m full time school, full time work and it worked great for me until one night I literally thought I was gonna die. I spiked my anxiety so bad I laid in bed and couldn’t move and I kept trying to swallow my tongue. It was the worst I’ve ever felt in my life. Everything I’ve tried seems to make it worse... (pot, anxiety meds, chamomile) it all makes me nervous or worse. Today I hit an all time low. I had a complete meltdown at church I started sobbing uncontrollably and had to get up and leave the sanctuary and went into a dark room to cry even more for awhile longer. One night this week I talked myself back into control of the situation, golfing helped me another night and today playing my guitar helped me come down from my church experience and now the chest tightness is back and I’m sick of it. I’m not sure what to do.

arfie
arfie
Hello Papabear. Welcome to the forum.

You just did what I recommend for a situation like this. Find a support group and lean freely. You just described enough stress load to bring on panic attacks to the most hardy of individuals. Such a stress load is easier when shared. Be gentle with yourself.

Welcome aboard. Share freely. Share often.
Caty
Caty
I can empathize with you. Funny, I avoided church today because I didn't think I could keep it together there. You said that you tried different medications but you mentioned that you only took Paxil once and it made you feel worse. I understand that too but keep in mind that Paxil is an SSRI and it takes at least 6 weeks to feel the benefits of it. There are side effects to SSRIs but sometimes the benefits outweigh the side effects. Also, although they are all similar, all the SSRIs and SSNRIs affect people differently and it might take a while to find the best one for you. In the mean time you could ask your doctor for low dose ativan to take as needed. Anxiety is a monster. Hang in there.
CrazyMonkey
CrazyMonkey
Take a deep breath. I like the guitar idea. Any type of music helps me. I recommend showers, walks, reading, writing journals. Do you write entries on your ds journal?
Papabear627
Papabear627
Thank you for the quick reply. It’s still early in this to rule anything else out. My doc said my glucose levels are inconsistent and thinks there may be a thyroid issue behind this. I’ve got labs in the morning. I will say that I tend to feel nervous after I eat I am about 40-50 lbs heavier than my typical weight. I’ve been on a diet for months and can’t lose it. Mom says I’m obsessing over it and trying to dig to deep but I can’t help looking for any research or blogs on relief. Idk guys.
Papabear627
Papabear627
Crazy monkey- showers with dr.teals stress relief has been a God send to me this week. I am starting a walk/jog routine this week. I’ve seen too many friends fall victim to pills that I don’t even like to take ibuprofen so i want to do this as natural as possible.
SimpsonsOK
SimpsonsOK
Papa, you have gotten some great replies. I hear your overload. I hear your stressors. Let the docs sort the physical stuff out. BTW, I had a schedule with a full time contract, two part time positions, and the only break was trips overseas. When I realized there was only one day a month that I was not at worksites or away, I slowed down. I then had my agitated depression symptoms become the more classic depression I was running from. Also BTW, many of us are on more than one site here as most mental disorders like company. I take buspirone, an old time anti anxiety, during the day, and valerian or sleepy time tea at night. Welcome aboard, and healing hugs on your journey.
Community LeaderMid
Mid
Keep a journal, including the times and what and when you eat.

To help get your health back on track to balance, instead of focusing on one part, work on the whole to find what works.

You're going to make it through this panic cycle (and yes, it is a cycle...learning how to make it work for you can take trial and error, well worth the effort and determination and courage to find your strength).

Panic is overwhelming until you feel your balance returning, and you notice little things that help you find the difference of panic reaction to a particular detail.

Stop. Pause. Breathe. Be in the moment.

Best wishes.
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