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...
Hi,
I'm the new girl on the block here, and sure could use some support. I have a lot of friends who have had depression and talked to me reg. meds but none that have experienced anxiety in the intensity I have.
It started about ten years ago. I went on meds, it got better then I went off them. About a year later the anxiety started to come back. I tried going on meds again, but the side effects really bummed me out this time, and I toughed it out and didn't take meds. I was miserable for a year, but overcame it with no meds.
About two year later it hit me really hard. My then boyfriend (now husband) proposed to me when I wasn't ready. It was a disaster. He was fine with waiting, but it put me into this really maddening downward spiral of anxiety and some depression. It lasted a few months. I went on Effexor XR , started exersizing, did CBT (Cognative Behavioral Therapy), quit drinking, etc. I felt better a month later.
I was on Effexor up until six months ago with minimal side effects. I started tapering off a year ago about, was on 1/2 dose thru my wedding last summer, and was almost 100% off of it about a month ago.
Then about a month ago I had the craziest worst panic attack of my life. Now my world is nonstop anxiety. I feel like there is an elephant standing on my chest 100% of the day. I've been doing what i can with going to work, but when i was in the office last thursday i just started crying because of it all and I couldn't deal. Had to go home and take friday off.
I started the full dose of Effexor last Monday, so i know i have some time to wait till it kicks in again, but i can't help worrying what if it doesn't work again, what if i have to feel this way forever? Crazy thoughts I know.
Is there anyone out there who feels anxiety all the time. I mean all the time, a pit in their heart. Nothing really triggers it, it's just always there. Like my little buddy who follows me everywhere.
Anxious chick.
I'm the new girl on the block here, and sure could use some support. I have a lot of friends who have had depression and talked to me reg. meds but none that have experienced anxiety in the intensity I have.
It started about ten years ago. I went on meds, it got better then I went off them. About a year later the anxiety started to come back. I tried going on meds again, but the side effects really bummed me out this time, and I toughed it out and didn't take meds. I was miserable for a year, but overcame it with no meds.
About two year later it hit me really hard. My then boyfriend (now husband) proposed to me when I wasn't ready. It was a disaster. He was fine with waiting, but it put me into this really maddening downward spiral of anxiety and some depression. It lasted a few months. I went on Effexor XR , started exersizing, did CBT (Cognative Behavioral Therapy), quit drinking, etc. I felt better a month later.
I was on Effexor up until six months ago with minimal side effects. I started tapering off a year ago about, was on 1/2 dose thru my wedding last summer, and was almost 100% off of it about a month ago.
Then about a month ago I had the craziest worst panic attack of my life. Now my world is nonstop anxiety. I feel like there is an elephant standing on my chest 100% of the day. I've been doing what i can with going to work, but when i was in the office last thursday i just started crying because of it all and I couldn't deal. Had to go home and take friday off.
I started the full dose of Effexor last Monday, so i know i have some time to wait till it kicks in again, but i can't help worrying what if it doesn't work again, what if i have to feel this way forever? Crazy thoughts I know.
Is there anyone out there who feels anxiety all the time. I mean all the time, a pit in their heart. Nothing really triggers it, it's just always there. Like my little buddy who follows me everywhere.
Anxious chick.
My psychiatrist, has changed my meds four times over the past six months, mainly because ive been unable to handle the side effects.
Im on pristiq an antidepressant and zyprexa an antipsychotic. Ive just started to settle down now, with a few adjustments of the dosage still.
Without meds i just wouldnt cope, because even on meds i still suffer with anxiety, i guess its just not as intense.
I too had a severe panic attack recently, it scared the hell out of me, mainly cause it lasted a week.
Talk to someone, how your feeling, hopefully taking up your antidepressant again will help a bit too.
I've battled anxiety problems off and on since I can remember (at least since junior high...i'm 29 now). They've been spaced out enough to make life enjoyable and productive (usually, about every 7-8 years severely, with constant personality stuff that reflects anxiety).
My current episode started in March, after a series of stressors hit right about the same time...ongoing relationship stuff, serious car accident, a couple injuries from sports, work stuff, financial hits, etc...I began with constant worries about my physical pains (at the time, my right side). Worried from the time I got out of bed, til the time I went to bed (and many nights, through the night). Finally went to have myself checked out (a couple times, actually...including a CT scan later, which came back clean). Despite the results, I still struggled with worries (just new ones). Had a weekend of panic attacks in April, followed by just non-stop anxiety symptoms for months (dizziness, poor focus, minor panics, heart palps, throat tightening, poor sleep, etc...).
I've finally (I pray, anyways) started to find some healing. The past month has been much better. I continue to have dull headaches more days than not, and still have some funky physical symptoms (they change all the time), but my focus is probably better (at the bottom, i'd say i bordered on dispersonalization...now, i'd say i have 75% of the focus i've had in the past...improving with time) and overall I'm starting to get my thoughts in better order.
Its a long road (I'm sure you already know it)...but there is hope and it really does get better. Its hard...I battle (just like today), from the moment I get out of bed, til the time I get back in, with defeating, negative, obsessive, automatic, self-antagonizing thoughts. But...I have hope that it will get better.