Anxiety

[mmc]

Don’t really post on this board often, and I don’t really know what I’m looking for with this one, but I've struggled with anxiety for pretty much my entire life, pretty much at all times, to varying degrees.  However for the last 2 months I’ve literally been panicking pretty much all day, every day, with nothing really working.  It’s impossible to pinpoint it to one specific thing for me, I get anxious thinking about pretty much everything, from life, to death, to work, to relationships, and everything in between.  I’ve been having serious panic attacks, some of which have led to me involuntarily screaming or flailing my limbs uncontrollably or just sprinting out my door and down the street, however far until I tire myself out, not due to any particular thought but just an overwhelming feeling of being unsafe and needing to “escape”.

 

I know I’m not the only one here who struggles with this, I guess I’m just curious to hear other people’s struggles with anxiety and what you guys do when these thoughts come on, or if anyone has these same type of attacks I do.  Thanks in advance to anyone who shares.

[fan_since79]

Wow.

I've been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder but my level is much less than yours.

Metoprolol 25 mg twice a day has helped me a lot. First prescribed to lower my rapid heartbeat, it stopped the adrenaline rushes, and calmed me down. But I never had panic attacks. 

But I'm not a doctor. You would do well to start with a good psychiatrist.

Good luck!

[mmc]

14 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

Wow.

I've been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder but my level is much less than yours.

Metoprolol 25 mg twice a day has helped me a lot. First prescribed to lower my rapid heartbeat, it stopped the adrenaline rushes, and calmed me down. But I never had panic attacks. 

But I'm not a doctor. You would do well to start with a good psychiatrist.

Good luck!

The constant panic attacks to this degree are a rarity for me, I've had periods of these before, starting when I was 10 years old but I hadn't actually had one for a few years.  Usually it's just a general thing where I tend to overthink a lot of things and psych myself out but usually either medication (clonazepam) or weed and therapy kept it under control.  This funk I'm in now though nothing seems to be able to help, and nothing has really helped in the past when this has happened.  I usually just wait for it to pass.  A bit different now that my semester and job are about to start though, the distraction alone will probably help a lot but I just fear it'll impact me in both areas.

[Taylor]

While I've never had panic attacks, I'm very familiar with anxiety. I was diagnosed with social anxiety and general anxiety in college. Since then, I've been on different antidepressants. I'm currently on Pristiq (desvenlafaxine), 50 mg per day. When I first started taking medication, I noticed a difference almost right away. After 10 years, I'm in such a better place than I used to be. I also have a counselor I see regularly in addition to being on medication.

Do you have health insurance? Counselors/therapists provide talk therapy, while psychiatrists can diagnose and prescribe medication. Both are equally important when it comes to fighting anxiety. 

With insurance, copays to see mental health professionals are typically manageable. But it can sometimes be tricky to find doctors that accept your insurance.

Thanks for being honest about this. Opening up is an important step. I kept my anxiety to myself for almost five years before finally sharing with my dad about it (I was 21 at the time). He was incredibly empathetic and helped me get started toward treatment. 

[failos]

I have the same problem plus IBS (which exasperates the anxiety). It’s tough. I oftentimes have anxiety for no reason—I don’t have panic attacks though.

I’ve been taking a benzo and it’s just a bandaid. It helps, but it isn’t healthy.

Edited August 18, 2021 by failos

[failos]

4 minutes ago, Taylor said:

While I've never had panic attacks, I'm very familiar with anxiety. I was diagnosed with social anxiety and general anxiety in college. Since then, I've been on different antidepressants. I'm currently on Pristiq (desvenlafaxine), 50 mg per day. When I first started taking medication, I noticed a difference almost right away. After 10 years, I'm in such a better place than I used to be. I also have a counselor I see regularly in addition to being on medication.

Do you have health insurance? Counselors/therapists provide talk therapy, while psychiatrists can diagnose and prescribe medication. Both are equally important when it comes to fighting anxiety. 

With insurance, copays to see mental health professionals are typically manageable. But it can sometimes be tricky to find doctors that accept your insurance.

Thanks for being honest about this. Opening up is an important step. I kept my anxiety to myself for almost five years before finally sharing with my dad about it (I was 21 at the time). He was incredibly empathetic and helped me get started toward treatment. 

Glad you’re in a good place, man and I’m happy your dad supports you. Depression and anxiety are tough. I took an antidepressant for a few years and decided to stop taking it because it started making me fat and caused other side effects…it helped with depression and anxiety though.
 

I’m happy I don’t take it anymore, but I still have the depression and anxiety. Just learning to live with it I guess.

[failos]

20 hours ago, mmc said:

The constant panic attacks to this degree are a rarity for me, I've had periods of these before, starting when I was 10 years old but I hadn't actually had one for a few years.  Usually it's just a general thing where I tend to overthink a lot of things and psych myself out but usually either medication (clonazepam) or weed and therapy kept it under control.  This funk I'm in now though nothing seems to be able to help, and nothing has really helped in the past when this has happened.  I usually just wait for it to pass.  A bit different now that my semester and job are about to start though, the distraction alone will probably help a lot but I just fear it'll impact me in both areas.

How often do you use weed? I noticed it gives me severe anxiety and borderline panic attacks—so I don’t touch the stuff anymore.

[failos]

Just now, cals said:

You guys ever think about drinking more?

I drink all the time. Probably makes things worse tbh.

[NrM]

I've suffered with anxiety/depression. My mind always enters "fight or flight" mode. I actually took adderall for 2 years everyday which probably fucked my dopamine levels.

I also drink a lot of Caffeine and vape, which tends to make things worse.

Been experimenting with some supplements recently. L-theanine+Caffiene and L-Tyrosine. I'll report back once I have used them enough.

[Taylor]

20 hours ago, mmc said:

The constant panic attacks to this degree are a rarity for me, I've had periods of these before, starting when I was 10 years old but I hadn't actually had one for a few years.  Usually it's just a general thing where I tend to overthink a lot of things and psych myself out but usually either medication (clonazepam) or weed and therapy kept it under control.  This funk I'm in now though nothing seems to be able to help, and nothing has really helped in the past when this has happened.  I usually just wait for it to pass.  A bit different now that my semester and job are about to start though, the distraction alone will probably help a lot but I just fear it'll impact me in both areas.

Sorry, I posted before reading this post. Sounds like you've tried medication and therapy before. Still, from what I've learned, the right combination of therapy and medication is the best way to go. 

[Taylor]

16 minutes ago, failos said:

Glad you’re in a good place, man and I’m happy your dad supports you. Depression and anxiety are tough. I took an antidepressant for a few years and decided to stop taking it because it started making me fat and caused other side effects…it helped with depression and anxiety though.
 

I’m happy I don’t take it anymore, but I still have the depression and anxiety. Just learning to live with it I guess.

Thanks, man.

Antidepressants do have some side effects, but I've learned that none of them are as bad as the anxiety I used to feel.

[NrM]

2 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Thanks, man.

Antidepressants do have some side effects, but I've learned that none of them are as bad as the anxiety I used to feel.

When I took them, It made it extremely difficult to cum. And I lost a few pounds. And turned me into a zombie. 

bout it.

[failos]

12 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Thanks, man.

Antidepressants do have some side effects, but I've learned that none of them are as bad as the anxiety I used to feel.

That’s a very good point.
I guess my family ultimately pressured me to stop taking them.

Exercise supposedly helps. I bought a peloton, but I haven’t really used it. If that doesn’t work I might go back to the antidepressants. 

[failos]

22 minutes ago, cals said:

Sure, but while you're drunk it's pleasant. 

It’s true. I’m drinking right now and I feel great. But, guys like me overdo it.

[Taylor]

11 minutes ago, failos said:

That’s a very good point.
I guess my family ultimately pressured me to stop taking them.

Exercise supposedly helps. I bought a peloton, but I haven’t really used it. If that doesn’t work I might go back to the antidepressants. 

Why did your family pressure you to stop?

[failos]

21 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Why did your family pressure you to stop?

They didn’t think I needed to take Zoloft and it made them uncomfortable because they see me as someone who is so successful in life—you know, someone who should be happy and worry free. It kinda made them uncomfortable that I would even need to take such medicine.

My sister, a pharmacist, also encouraged me to find different ways to combat the depression/anxiety (like exercise, a good diet, etc…) after I complained about the side effects to her. She also thought resorting to medicine was overkill for what I was experiencing. 
 

She ultimately helped me taper off of the medicine towards the end of 2020 (I had been taking them for 4 years). But my depression/anxiety is back in full force.

A lot of this stems from my parents’ flawed Christian perspective of praying your anxiety/depression away (which is true to an extent). But the medicine exists for a reason.

I’m a grown man and can make my own choices, but I decided to listen to my family because I care about what they think and want them to be happy.

How does your Christianity factor into all this and your approach to defeating your anxiety?

[Taylor]

42 minutes ago, failos said:

They didn’t think I needed to take Zoloft and it made them uncomfortable because they see me as someone who is so successful in life—you know, someone who should be happy and worry free. It kinda made them uncomfortable that I would even need to take such medicine.

My sister, a pharmacist, also encouraged me to find different ways to combat the depression/anxiety (like exercise, a good diet, etc…) after I complained about the side effects to her. She also thought resorting to medicine was overkill for what I was experiencing. 
 

She ultimately helped me taper off of the medicine towards the end of 2020 (I had been taking them for 4 years). But my depression/anxiety is back in full force.

A lot of this stems from my parents’ flawed Christian perspective of praying your anxiety/depression away (which is true to an extent). But the medicine exists for a reason.

I’m a grown man and can make my own choices, but I decided to listen to my family because I care about what they think and want them to be happy.

How does your Christianity factor into all this and your approach to defeating your anxiety?

That sounds tough. Balancing our parents' expectations with what we think is best can cause a lot of stress.

Regarding your question at the end, I was lucky to grow up in a Christian household that saw mental health the same way it saw other health issues. So by the time I had the opportunity to seek treatment, I was met with understanding from my parents.

This is one of those issues where Christians have traditionally been on the wrong side. Thankfully, the views of your parents are becoming less prominent as pastors, churches, and Christians become more educated about mental health.

The way I see it, if a person is diabetic, they take insulin to treat the chemical imbalance in their bodies. When a person with clinical anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, etc. takes medication, they are doing the same thing: treating a chemical imbalance in their brain. There's a proven physiological component to mental illness. To deny that is to deny how God designed our body chemistry.

Saddleback Church has an excellent mental health ministry that was established after Rick and Kay Warren lost their son to suicide.

https://hope4mentalhealth.com/

[Jason]

5 hours ago, failos said:

I have the same problem plus IBS (which exasperates the anxiety). It’s tough. I oftentimes have anxiety for no reason—I don’t have panic attacks though.

I’ve been taking a benzo and it’s just a bandaid. It helps, but it isn’t healthy.

I think @tdawg87has anxiety and IBS too

[Stradling]

I feel for you guys. Obviously everything from the last year certainly isn’t helping anyone that has these issues.  While I don’t suffer from these issues I had my moments last year and had days where I was off which is totally foreign to me. Last year with work, the responsibilities of work, some changes at home, really shook me for a few months. I still struggle with some motivation.  This year, still dealing with the change at home and a really good possibility of changing roles at work going into next year. 

[Kotchman]

I usually have a beer / smoke and count the 2300 the va pays me every month for anxiety. I don’t get panic attacks but I tend to be overly alert and never sit with my back to the door. 

[mmc]

5 hours ago, Taylor said:

While I've never had panic attacks, I'm very familiar with anxiety. I was diagnosed with social anxiety and general anxiety in college. Since then, I've been on different antidepressants. I'm currently on Pristiq (desvenlafaxine), 50 mg per day. When I first started taking medication, I noticed a difference almost right away. After 10 years, I'm in such a better place than I used to be. I also have a counselor I see regularly in addition to being on medication.

Do you have health insurance? Counselors/therapists provide talk therapy, while psychiatrists can diagnose and prescribe medication. Both are equally important when it comes to fighting anxiety. 

With insurance, copays to see mental health professionals are typically manageable. But it can sometimes be tricky to find doctors that accept your insurance.

Thanks for being honest about this. Opening up is an important step. I kept my anxiety to myself for almost five years before finally sharing with my dad about it (I was 21 at the time). He was incredibly empathetic and helped me get started toward treatment. 

5 hours ago, Taylor said:

Sorry, I posted before reading this post. Sounds like you've tried medication and therapy before. Still, from what I've learned, the right combination of therapy and medication is the best way to go. 

Yeah, I've tried several medications, none seem to really be all that affective at solving the problem though.  Just always seemed like the equivalent of breaking your leg and only taking opiods to treat it, yeah it'll solve the most pressing thing ailing you but the underlying problem isn't getting resolved.  I don't see my psychiatrist nearly as much as I used to, just becoming too hard to get an appointment, seems like covid might've brought in a whole new demand for mental professionals.  Usually only see him every 2-3 months at this point, though we message back and forth when general issues come up.  I wasn't seeing a psychologist for awhile either (right before covid started until about a month ago), my psychiatrist put me on an app called Mindstrong that I think is only accessible if you're recommended to it by a psychiatrist.  I have a telehealth therapist I call every week, and they also have a hotline you can message 24/7 and get a response if you're ever having a serious panic attack or start feeling suicidal or just whatever that requires immediate attention.  

5 hours ago, failos said:

I have the same problem plus IBS (which exasperates the anxiety). It’s tough. I oftentimes have anxiety for no reason—I don’t have panic attacks though.

I’ve been taking a benzo and it’s just a bandaid. It helps, but it isn’t healthy.

 

5 hours ago, failos said:

How often do you use weed? I noticed it gives me severe anxiety and borderline panic attacks—so I don’t touch the stuff anymore.

I think I might also have IBS, I've had serious stomach problems for quite some time now, feeling bloated, full, or nauseous constantly regardless of what I drink.  Had multiple procedures done but nothing has come up with any actual ailment that I might have.  I've yet to see a gastro doctor though, it's the next thing I plan on trying.

Agree with you about benzos, it can help me in a current moment but it doesn't actually solve what's wrong with me, which can honestly end up making me feel worse.

With weed, it's really all just based on how it makes me feel.  I've never had any sort of addiction to it, so when I feel like it makes my anxiety worse, I just stop for awhile, and if I feel like it's really helping me be productive I will several times a day.  Other times I'll just have a vape that I'll just use whenever I start getting anxious about something.  Also pretty much just a bandaid, but it can help more than medication does (and might be healthier?  who knows)

 

 

 

One thing that's probably bothered me more than anything is just not knowing when I'll ever see my long distance girlfriend.  I mean, I know when I'm seeing her, she just booked a flight for next month, but back when we first started dating, when I was 16 and she was 17, we would see each other every 2-4 months or so , and we'd never really have more than a month when at least one of us didn't at least have our flight to see the other booked.  I live in Orange County and she lives in Toronto, so once covid started, and just as we got older and had way more responsibilities (we are 21 and 22 now), I've only spent time with her once since December of 2019, when I stayed at her house for 2 and a half months from November 14th of last year to January 31st.  During that whole near we didn't see each other though, we had no clue when the border bullshit would allow us to, and then again from when I left until she booked her flight last week.  She also is wanting to move in with me and has for a few years now, and is able to now that she just graduated university, but it's of course a lot harder of a decision for her to actually make rather than talk about, and I have no idea when she'll be ready to do it full time.  Good chance she looks for a job when she comes next month and hopefully finds something that enables her to stay here long term.  Either way it's just been a really stressful time for us which I feel has really contributed to it.  At least once she's here these feelings will likely be gone.

 

[arch stanton]

mmc, to be honest just looking at your posting history gives me anxiety. The first thing I would prescribe for you is to dump all the political crap out of your social media. Gotta find a better balance between being up on current events and trying to fight every battle in every situation to the death

[tdawg87]

6 hours ago, Jason said:

I think @tdawg87has anxiety and IBS too

Yeah thanks for calling me out, asshole!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tdawg87]

Btw don't look down on benzos and medications. I literally couldn't work or leave my place without them. 

Obviously that's not an ideal situation; I don't want to be reliant on meds, but they serve a purpose and help keep you grounded while you work on yourself through therapy and other means.

Medications aren't the cure, but they can be a significant piece of the puzzle. 

[Jason]

1 hour ago, tdawg87 said:

Yeah thanks for calling me out, asshole!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be honest, IBS would enough to cause me anxiety.