Hi Sammy, welcome to DS. I am sorry you are not feeling well. The brain fog can be a symptom on anxiety, but I am not sure about your pain. I have similar symptoms but have an pinched nerve. It can be very painful. Have you asked to see a specialist like an physiatrist or orthopedic doctor for further evaluation? Sometimes primary care doctors try to diagnose based on just x-rays that don’t show soft tissues and impact to nerves. Hang in there. Anxiety can be difficult, especially now with the added stress of the pandemic. I hope you feel better soon.

Welcome Sammy! You are not alone. I have been dealing with anxiety for over 20 years, on a daily basis. It is not easy. Sounds like you are doing good things for yourself. Try not to be so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can do. Do you also talk to a therapist? My therapist helps bring my racing thoughts back down to earth.

Oh, and for what it's worth.... you would KNOW if you were having a heart attack or a stroke. They are not 'I think I'm having a stroke..." You would know! So, you don't have to worry about having those. Hope that helps some.

Hope you're doing better today and again, welcome!

Hello Sammy. Welcome aboard.

Proof unavailable, but my experts and I are reasonably confident I was already suffering anxiety as I slid down the birth canal. For certain, anxiety has been an undeniable force in my life for as long as I can remember. I treat ^it^ like a birth defect. ^It^ is a condition I live with. ^It^ is not who nor what I am.

My peer support network is a critical tool in managing my condition. They clue me to things I cannot see through the psychic fogs and help me sort which tool I need for the current spin on the not-so-merry-go-round. As a bonus, they help me to feel like less of a freak for ^it^.

DS is part of my peer support network. Welcome aboard. Hope you find stabilizing companionship here.

Thank you guys for ur replies. It really helps to connect with people who know what I'm going through and can relate.

Welcome to the anxiety board at DS.

Separate your sentences and write out the feelings for each sentence. This will help you sort through all the thoughts and find the pattern.

Keeping track of your symptoms and what's happening will also help you figure out how to work through the anxiety part.

Best wishes.

Hello SlammySammy,

I'm sorry to hear your suffering. You are not alone!!
Until recently, I suffered silently- felt doomed to never get better. It is an absolutely painful lonely place. Family and friends just don't understand, and frankly I didn't understand my own symptoms.
However, I discovered a website called: Benzobuddies.org.
Upon reading the stories and their experiences on this site, I came to realize my symptoms are shared by so many taking these medications. (Benzodiazepines: Ativan,Xanax,Klonopin, etc)
It may be hard to hear, but it could possibly be the mind altering effects of your medications. Until you can rule this out, as a precursor to your symptoms, you will spin your wheels. All your efforts, as hard as you may try, may not be successful under this medicated state. They alter the chemical makeup and processing in your brain. I was prescribed medication for twenty years, there was no progress. Continuously declining in my physical and mental health. Until I looked at my medication, specifically, and awoke to the fact that I will never get better taking these. If they were supposed to heal or treat me, why was I never getting better? Only getting worse! This is not an anti-medication stance. This is my reality and from what I read- so many people are suffering.

Benzobuddies.org has forum for "Success Stories". These stories are people whom reclaimed their lives after tapering off these medications. Their lives are like a rebirth, attempting to makeup for all the years they were in a state of being medicated. I just wish I hadn't waited so long to figure this out!!

Personally, I am in the process of tapering off of Xanax, as I taper the symptoms are subsiding with the taper. The taper- withdrawal process is paradoxical-all the symptoms are exacerbated, they subside very slowly. It is hell on earth withdrawing and tapering....but I read the "Success Stories" to keep my eyes on the prize, so to speak. Freedom from this hell.
Symptoms:
Extreme anxiety, debilitating depression, insomnia, depersonalization (feeling of being a detached observer of oneself) derealization (mental state where you feel detached from your surroundings. People and objects may seem unreal.), tremors, heart palpitations, agoraphobia (fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment) hypochondria (obsession with the idea of having a serious but undiagnosed medical condition), digestion issues, fatigue, etc...
Your brain takes time to heal and to readjust to life without the medication.

***Disclaimer***
Do not stop taking your benzodiazepine, it needs to be tapered very slowly by your physician. Seizures and death can occur. Alcohol and benzodiazepines are two substances that you should never just abruptly discontinue. Read : The Ashton Manual.

Ativan is a benzodiazepine.

Ativan side effects: Drowsiness, dizziness, loss of coordination, headache, nausea, blurred vision, change in sexual interest/ability, constipation, heartburn, or change in appetite may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. - Ativan on WebMD.
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Dr. Heather Ashton, whom was the premier leader and researcher on the effects of benzodiazepines: "Benzodiazepines: How They Work And How To Withdraw"

Aka; "The Ashton Manual"

I've listed excerpts from Dr. Ashton's book below. These symptoms and side effects are too numerous for me to justify taking. Risks vs. benefits.

Adverse effects of benzodiazepines are:

1.) Oversedation: Oversedation is a dose-related extension of the sedative-hypnotic effects of benzodiazepines. Symptoms include drowsiness, poor concentration and vigilance, ataxia (slurred speech, stumbling, incoordination), dysarthria (slurred,slow speech) motor coordination, diploplia (double vision), muscle weakness, vertigo(sensation of spinning while stationary), and mental confusion (change in a persons awareness).

2.) Impairment of Memory: Benzodiazepines have been long known to induce anterograde amnesia (inability to recall the recent past). Oral doses of benzodiazepines , in the range used for hynotic and anxiolytic effects, can also cause memory impairment. Acquisition of new information is deficient, an effect that may be partly due to the sedative actions.
Episodic memory ( the remembering of recent events, the circumstances in which they occurred, and their sequence in time) is particularly impaired. By contrast, semantic memory (memory for words) and immediate memory (ability to recall a series of digits over a few seconds) are unaffected, as is retrieval of memory from long-term stores.

3.) Paradoxical Stimulant Effects: Benzodiazepines occassionally cause paradoxical ( increase in symptoms its supposed to treat) excitement with increased anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, hypnogogic hallucinations at sleep onset, irritability, hyperactive or aggressive behavior, and exacerbation of seizures in epileptics. Increased aggression, hostility, and impulsivity occur in some subjects and may result in attacks of rage and violent behaviour. Such effects are likely to occur within the first few days of benzodiazepine administration.

4.) Depression, Emotional Blunting: Long-term benzodiazepine users, like alcoholics and barbituate-dependent patients, are often depressed, and the depression may first appear during prolonged benzodiazepine use. It is possible that benzodiazepines cause or aggravate depression, perhaps by reducing central monoamine activity. However, anxiety/depression often coexist, and benzodiazepines are often prescribed for mixed anxiety/depresssion. Sometimes, the drugs seem to precipitate suicidal tendencies in such patients.
"Emotional Anaesthesia," the inability to feel pleasure or pain, is a common complaint of long-term benzodiazepine users. Such emotional blunting has similarities to the anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure) seen in anergic (lacks physical and mental energy) depression and is probably related to the inhibitory effect of benzodiazepines on activity in emotional centres in the limbic system. Former long-term benzodiazepine user often bitterly regret their lack of emotional response to family events during the period that they were taking the drugs.

5.)Withdrawal Symptoms: Abrupt withdrawal from high doses can cause a severe reaction, including convulsions and psychotic episodes. Withdrawal symptoms from therapeutic doses are mainly those of anxiety, both psychological and somatic, but certain symptoms such as sensory hypersensitivity and perceptual distortion may be especially prominent, and depression may sometimes be a prominent feature.

6.) Some Socio-economic Costs of Long-term Benzodiazepine Use:

A.) Increased risk of accidents-traffic, home, work.
B.) Increased risk of overdose if combined with other drugs.
C.) Increased risk of attempted suicide, especially in depression.
D.) Increased risk of aggressive behaviour and assault
E.) Increased risk of shoplifting and other antisocial acts.
F.) Contributions to marital/domestic disharmony (due to emotional and cognitive impairments).
G.) Contributions to job loss, unemployment, loss of work through illness,
H.) Cost of hospital investigations/consultations/admissions.
I.) Dependence and abuse potential (therapeutic and recreational).
J.) Cost of drug prescriptions.
K.) Cost of litigation
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YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best wishes and big (((HUGS))),

Cindy

Sorry you're going thru this. My vertigo has started back up and it's giving me all sorts of triggers for health anxiety. I am trying to stay calm and do what I remembered...but I know how you're feeling!

Sending you some light and love!

Hi Sammy,
I’m sorry you are having a rough time. Welcome to the group!
I hope you will find comfort here. Please stay in the forum, it will help you to feel less lonely and not alone.

I have a sister who was also diagnosed with anxiety. She refused therapy and medication. She didn’t want to share her feelings to anyone even to any support groups, so we prayed for her and encouraged her everyday. Me and my other sisters are her support group. We talk to her about anything. I chat with her almost everyday. It’s a big help, she’s slowly getting back to her old self. So keep posting, we are here for you. If you have someone you can trust, you can also talk to that person. I pray that you will get through this difficulty. Take care of yourself. God bless.

You guys are awesome!!!! Thank you so much.

It’s crazy because stress and anxiety can cause pain in your body. I first was diagnosed with my anxiety because I held it in my chest . I had so much chest pain I was scared because my father passed away at 50 and his father at 39 both from heart attacks. So I ended in the emergency room. But stress and anxiety can cause physical pain to yourself..

I also have a variety of diagnoses which cause a lot of trouble. What are some of your coping skills? I find that talking to a therapist is very helpful but I also recommend crisis lines for when you need something NOW. There is no shame in asking for help.

I usually try and distract myself..I play a lot of games on my phone or start cleaning or something to take my mind off of my anxiety..it works about 90% of the time..but when my health anxiety kicks in nothing helps

I spent 2.5 years being dizzy 24.7 when I would stand up and at its worst when I was sitting at my desk. It wound up being anemia and hypoxia was causing the dizziness. As soon as I got oxygen, the dizziness went away, Have your. Good Luck blood checked. A simple CDC would be enough for the doctor to know if your anemic or not

I went and had my blood drawn a couple days ago and I have an infection. So that is prob what is making my body go all crazy. Hopefully with the meds it will get better