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...
I'm an anxious person. I worry all the time, about everything. I have a thyroid disease, and I'm not sure if that is why I always feel awful, but that seems to be an ongoing saga. My dad died suddenly three years ago and six months after that, I had my first panic attack, which just happened to be in my car driving out to my college campus. I had two others in quick succession, one while by boyfriend (now fianc) was driving, and then one in my friend's car. Since then, things have spiraled out of control and I have developed a phobia about driving alone and having other people drive me places. It makes me feel awful because I feel like I'm abnormal, and my world has become very small because I'm constantly worried about how I feel and about having a panic attack. I don't like going places alone, either. I used to be so independent, but the last three years have just killed me emotionally. Someone please tell me it gets better, I'm so lost. I'm not doing as well as I could in school because I keep focusing on how uncomfortable I am sitting in class instead of paying attention to the material. Life is getting to be a struggle. It sucks. I'm getting married in less than a year and I just want this to GO AWAY.
The only meds I have ever tried was Lexapro and it made me feel like a zombie, so I stopped.
I did have it under control for a while, but I was pregnant last year and after I had my baby my anxiety escalated. I am now trying to get it under control again, but I have a lot of physcial symptoms and that tends to put me into relapse everytime.
Prayer works well for me and staying busy.
As far as medication, "Luvox" was the first medication given to me - it is a combination antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication - when this wore-off after two years (but it worked really well for those 2 years) - I started on Klonopin, which I found to be enormously effective. Talk to your doctor about which medication to use, should you decide you want meds. I have also found the antidepressant Zoloft to be helpful.
You need to make sure that your thyroid levels are under control and within range. I have hypothyroidism (since i was 15, now 25) and for as long as I can remember I have been depressed on and off, anxiety has only gotten worse for me. I am not on any meds other that Levothyroxine, 150 mcg and my dr won't prescribe me any other meds for my symptoms because she wants to be sure that my thyroid is under control first. My thyroid has never been under control, I went through RAI twice and then had a total thyroidectomy. Your thyroid really messes with you emotionally, and it really sucks. I recently started seeing a therapist for depression, anxiety, and anger and I noticed that since I started going I'm a lot more calm.
It is kind of hard though, because being hypothyroid there are days when I'm dragging ass to get out of bed and there are days when I have all this energy. When days are "good" I feel like I'm wasting my time seeing him, but then I know I just can't sweep my problems under the rug.
I would suggest seeing a therapist, and I hope that things do get better for you.