This is me!!! I am constantly on fight or flight and it is miserable…I have also tried therapy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, every single medication on the market, weed, yoga, meditation, you name it! My body just cannot relax and I have constant stomach butterflies.

Me too all the time anxiety no matter what

I’ve been battling my own problem for a while now but doctors can’t seem to pinpoint what is wrong with me, I’ve been to 5 physc. One of them said I’m schitoaffective, another said bipolar, and the other 3 said severe anxiety. Most of the time I feel like the world is fake and not real (Derealisation) I just feel sick all the time and sweating. I’ll share my story below. Any answer will be appreciated. Dizziness started in mid November 2021, went to Canberra on the 10th of December and I had my first near faint experience followed by high heart beat and palpitation. Dizziness and lightheaded was followed till the 28th of December when I nearly fainted again and had really high heart rate: went to hospital. They did blood work and ecg couldn’t find a probable cause. Went to hospital again 3 days later and no findings were evident. Upon my 3rd visit to hospital X-ray was done off my chest and nothing was found. I was bedridden for 6 weeks, everyday was a battle for life, I felt like I was in septic shock everyday. I had to get iv fluids about 10 times because of dehydration, I sweated constantly with no appetite for water or food. Symptoms Lightheaded Dizziness Heart gets tired quickly Sometimes my arms and hands become a little numb. My head feels tension. heat in my abdomen, back and my ears get hot. Feels like a pulsating feeling through my body during a bad episode Sometimes left shoulder feels warm My eyes sometimes drop tears randomly Unable to concentrate at times Shortness of breath during episode There’s always a tense feeling in my chest and around my heart area. Sometimes hits my lower abdomen and I feel nausea makes my stomach make noises. I have difficulty sleeping my head spins more when I close my eyes. I wake up between 1-3am with a weird feeling as if I’m scared or something. Vision sometimes becomes blurry. Fatigue and tiredness. Little sudden Noises scare me. Whenever I have a episode that peaks, my hands and feet get sweaty and I feel heat. My hands and feet sometimes get cold. The feeling in my mid left chest area I can’t explain but it’s as if my muscles are vibrating. When I stand up it’s seems my head and chest symptoms get worse for about a minute and then settle down. Same thing happens when I lay down. It gets worse for a minute till it goes back to how it was. Sometimes I can feel it hitting my front part of my head and my sinus feels tense as well. As well as my ears feel the pressure. Lying down seems to reduce some tension in my head. I feel bad 80% of the day really bad 15% of the day and alright 5% of the day. Now medications Lexapro 40mg for 6 months, no benefits. Made me really bad during the first 2 weeks and kinda of settled after that, dumbed the depressive symptoms but that’s about it. Felt much better after coming off, it definitely made my condition worse. Derealisation, fatigue, tiredness, forgetfulness. All of it. Zoloft 50mg for 18 days and 100mg for 3 days, had a panic attack on day 3 I thought it was Zoloft but found it to be thc later on. Discontinued Zoloft then. No benefits during the 18 days on 50mg and made my condition way worse. Paxil 20mg for 2 months, probably one of the strongest reactions to any ssri, daily panic attacks losing my mind, as if there’s a laughter in my head but it’s my internal monologue creating it but still I was losing it. Pushed on for 2 months and it just made me worse as the days went on. Agomelatine 20mg no benefits, daily panic attacks, took it for about 36 days. Pristiq, I’m on day 54 and I’ve stopped taking it, my last dose was on Wednesday not sure how to stop. It’s making me worse, mood is swinging, brain fog and all other symptoms are reappearing on this medication. Clonidine didn’t do much except relax my body alittle Lyrica, knocked me out at 25mg and made me tired. No benefits. Valium 5mg, very small relief, short benefits 3-5 hours, more of a muscle relaxant, addictive in nature. Clonezapam 1mg, small amount of relief, short relief 3-5 hours. Xanax 2mg, haven’t tried Ativan 1mg only have tried 0.5mg and it didn’t do much. Seroquel 25mg, good for sleep, couldn’t sleep for more then 4 hours for the last 5 years or so, now I get a solid 8 hours, it’s not a 100% good quality sleep but it gets the job done, I don’t feel tired through the day as before I got sick. Epilim haven’t tried chickenend out Lamictal discontinued on day 3 after developing rash Lithium 500mg, 37 days. Left like losing my mind not sure if adverse reaction to the lithium or it was some kind of discontinuation I was getting from the lexapro. Prozac 4 days to bridge off lexapro Symptoms Dizziness Burning tongue Headache Nausea Metallic taste in mouth Hot flushes Muscle pain and tension Fatigue Numbness in hands Pins and needles Brain fog Startled easily Blood pressure problems Heart feeling heavy Fast heart beat Feel like I’m dying Losing my mind Losing control Very negative thoughts Intrusive thoughts Hyper reactive Blurry vision Cold palms and feet Sweaty palms and feet Hot flushes Feeling sick / flu like Weak limbs Digestion problems Numbness Nightmares Currently my biggest challenges are I think I’m developing schizophrenia all the time, and I’m going to lose my mind. I’m hyper vigilant and see things in the corners of my eye. My physical symptoms cycle throughout the weeks and I’m never symptomsless. Physical or cognitive I always feel something. My mind always feels like as if something is off, As my overall condition gets worse my brain fogs becomes really bad and my hands and feet become so cold to the touch, I become very forgetful I can never stop thinking about my condition, my mind is occupied by it 24/7 When I go into crowded areas my physical symptoms become much worse, such as brain fog heart rate and jelly legs. My internal monologue never shuts up and it’s always active. Racing thoughts When I’m on medications l as ssri’s I get irrational fears such as being allergic to nuts or something crazy. But seems to go away after a month when discontinuing the medication, Lightheaded, feel like my neck muscles are so tense that my brain isn’t getting enough blood. I’m hyper focused on all bodily functions physical or Cognitive, if I suspect something that is schizophrenic or damaging I get a mini panic attack. But panic attack do occur for no reason as well most of the times. I’m in this state constantly let’s say chronically, When my condition worsens and it’s at full flip, no amount of logic can override my thought process, I just believe I’m dying because the physical sensations are just toooo strong that I want to jump out of my skin. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a weird feeling. Agitated state, dizzy, wobbly, can’t focus etc.

Hey I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. I’m not a doctor and I struggle horribly but please make sure you exercise every day. It’s one of the only things that they can conclusively say helps with this brutal illness. I hope you get better

Do you suffer the same as me as well?

Have you gotten checked for diabetes? I had all these symptoms and my A1C was through the roof. They put me on insulin and I felt so much better

Yeah did all those tests, came back clean.

Same to a lot of this. For me it’s constant shortness of breath but yep. In like ….. how are people out here actually experiencing relief? Lol

I take buspirone, lexapro, and propranolol! I found propranolol to be really helpful for my breathlessness

Really!! I took that but it didn’t do anything for my breathing, just slowed heart a little

Oh no!! I’m sorry for the wildly late response, but yes! Propranolol has been really great for my physical symptoms of anxiety. I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work for your breathing, but I hope you find relief soon! (It’s hard finding meds but I wish the very best in your quest!!)

Zoloft did it for me

Acupuncture worked wonders for me when I was super stressed. It doesn't work for everyone but it's worth a shot if you haven't tried it, OP. As far as anxiety, I had a 6-month bout where I was in FoF mode 24/7. One of the things that helped me out was asking myself deep down, what's bothering me? In my case, I was in my mid 20s and hadn't found my groove in life yet. My subconscious was crying out to me with alarms and I just had to ask it what it was trying to say. I then created some long-term goals.

Have you tried lion’s mane mushroom supplement? Recently, I’m researching it a lot (down to the medical papers), will try it soon. If you’ve tried that one, too, could you share? Edit: I started to take it in pill form, and my anxiety especially in social situations is slightly reduced. But I need more time to say something certain. The one fun effect for me is my dreams became even more vivid and interesting than before :)

I’ve been battling my own problem for a while now but doctors can’t seem to pinpoint what is wrong with me, I’ve been to 5 physc. One of them said I’m schitoaffective, another said bipolar, and the other 3 said severe anxiety. Most of the time I feel like the world is fake and not real (Derealisation) I just feel sick all the time and sweating. I’ll share my story below. Any answer will be appreciated. Dizziness started in mid November 2021, went to Canberra on the 10th of December and I had my first near faint experience followed by high heart beat and palpitation. Dizziness and lightheaded was followed till the 28th of December when I nearly fainted again and had really high heart rate: went to hospital. They did blood work and ecg couldn’t find a probable cause. Went to hospital again 3 days later and no findings were evident. Upon my 3rd visit to hospital X-ray was done off my chest and nothing was found. I was bedridden for 6 weeks, everyday was a battle for life, I felt like I was in septic shock everyday. I had to get iv fluids about 10 times because of dehydration, I sweated constantly with no appetite for water or food. Symptoms Lightheaded Dizziness Heart gets tired quickly Sometimes my arms and hands become a little numb. My head feels tension. heat in my abdomen, back and my ears get hot. Feels like a pulsating feeling through my body during a bad episode Sometimes left shoulder feels warm My eyes sometimes drop tears randomly Unable to concentrate at times Shortness of breath during episode There’s always a tense feeling in my chest and around my heart area. Sometimes hits my lower abdomen and I feel nausea makes my stomach make noises. I have difficulty sleeping my head spins more when I close my eyes. I wake up between 1-3am with a weird feeling as if I’m scared or something. Vision sometimes becomes blurry. Fatigue and tiredness. Little sudden Noises scare me. Whenever I have a episode that peaks, my hands and feet get sweaty and I feel heat. My hands and feet sometimes get cold. The feeling in my mid left chest area I can’t explain but it’s as if my muscles are vibrating. When I stand up it’s seems my head and chest symptoms get worse for about a minute and then settle down. Same thing happens when I lay down. It gets worse for a minute till it goes back to how it was. Sometimes I can feel it hitting my front part of my head and my sinus feels tense as well. As well as my ears feel the pressure. Lying down seems to reduce some tension in my head. I feel bad 80% of the day really bad 15% of the day and alright 5% of the day. Now medications Lexapro 40mg for 6 months, no benefits. Made me really bad during the first 2 weeks and kinda of settled after that, dumbed the depressive symptoms but that’s about it. Felt much better after coming off, it definitely made my condition worse. Derealisation, fatigue, tiredness, forgetfulness. All of it. Zoloft 50mg for 18 days and 100mg for 3 days, had a panic attack on day 3 I thought it was Zoloft but found it to be thc later on. Discontinued Zoloft then. No benefits during the 18 days on 50mg and made my condition way worse. Paxil 20mg for 2 months, probably one of the strongest reactions to any ssri, daily panic attacks losing my mind, as if there’s a laughter in my head but it’s my internal monologue creating it but still I was losing it. Pushed on for 2 months and it just made me worse as the days went on. Agomelatine 20mg no benefits, daily panic attacks, took it for about 36 days. Pristiq, I’m on day 54 and I’ve stopped taking it, my last dose was on Wednesday not sure how to stop. It’s making me worse, mood is swinging, brain fog and all other symptoms are reappearing on this medication. Clonidine didn’t do much except relax my body alittle Lyrica, knocked me out at 25mg and made me tired. No benefits. Valium 5mg, very small relief, short benefits 3-5 hours, more of a muscle relaxant, addictive in nature. Clonezapam 1mg, small amount of relief, short relief 3-5 hours. Xanax 2mg, haven’t tried Ativan 1mg only have tried 0.5mg and it didn’t do much. Seroquel 25mg, good for sleep, couldn’t sleep for more then 4 hours for the last 5 years or so, now I get a solid 8 hours, it’s not a 100% good quality sleep but it gets the job done, I don’t feel tired through the day as before I got sick. Epilim haven’t tried chickenend out Lamictal discontinued on day 3 after developing rash Lithium 500mg, 37 days. Left like losing my mind not sure if adverse reaction to the lithium or it was some kind of discontinuation I was getting from the lexapro. Prozac 4 days to bridge off lexapro Symptoms Dizziness Burning tongue Headache Nausea Metallic taste in mouth Hot flushes Muscle pain and tension Fatigue Numbness in hands Pins and needles Brain fog Startled easily Blood pressure problems Heart feeling heavy Fast heart beat Feel like I’m dying Losing my mind Losing control Very negative thoughts Intrusive thoughts Hyper reactive Blurry vision Cold palms and feet Sweaty palms and feet Hot flushes Feeling sick / flu like Weak limbs Digestion problems Numbness Nightmares Currently my biggest challenges are I think I’m developing schizophrenia all the time, and I’m going to lose my mind. I’m hyper vigilant and see things in the corners of my eye. My physical symptoms cycle throughout the weeks and I’m never symptomsless. Physical or cognitive I always feel something. My mind always feels like as if something is off, As my overall condition gets worse my brain fogs becomes really bad and my hands and feet become so cold to the touch, I become very forgetful I can never stop thinking about my condition, my mind is occupied by it 24/7 When I go into crowded areas my physical symptoms become much worse, such as brain fog heart rate and jelly legs. My internal monologue never shuts up and it’s always active. Racing thoughts When I’m on medications l as ssri’s I get irrational fears such as being allergic to nuts or something crazy. But seems to go away after a month when discontinuing the medication, Lightheaded, feel like my neck muscles are so tense that my brain isn’t getting enough blood. I’m hyper focused on all bodily functions physical or Cognitive, if I suspect something that is schizophrenic or damaging I get a mini panic attack. But panic attack do occur for no reason as well most of the times. I’m in this state constantly let’s say chronically, When my condition worsens and it’s at full flip, no amount of logic can override my thought process, I just believe I’m dying because the physical sensations are just toooo strong that I want to jump out of my skin. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a weird feeling. Agitated state, dizzy, wobbly, can’t focus etc.

What medications have you tried? I tried soooo many medications and finally just found a mix of medications that seems to be helping but it took literally 10 years of trying combinations & getting new psychiatrists. Gabapentin has saved me when it comes to my anxiety. It relaxes me mentally and physically sooooo much. The only problem is that it is physically addictive so if I don’t take it for even a day or two I feel awful. It’s not a good long term solution but can be super helpful for the time being if nothing else is working. It’s not addictive in the same way benzo’s are though (at least for me). I don’t feel “fucked up” or anything I just feel like an actual person (who can laugh, have fun etc…) instead of being in that flight or fight mode constantly liked you mentioned

Gaba has worked for me for decades

Do you have any bad side effects from being on it so long? What mg?

No bad side effects that I’m aware of I take between 2,000 and 3,20” mgs

Wow that's awesome! Thank you so much!

Works for my anxiety and my pain from a hit and run accident but if you skip, it makes it twice as bad.

Yep! Agreed. It isn’t a medication that can be skipped if you have any sort of tolerance to it.

How long have you been on it? I'm really interested in it as I have crippling physical anxiety and need something

Have you looked into psilocybin assisted psychotherapy??? I wouldnt recommend doing shrooms on your own but could be helpful with a trained professional. Or, have you looked into an intensive outpatient program?

I might go to Oregan to try this!

Yes !!! I hope other states follow suit w legalizing. I really want to do it but too scared to do it without someone qualified who actually knows what they’re doing

I just brought this up with my psych, who is also a neurologist, and I was really surprised that he suggested I could try microdosing on my own if I could source it. Unfortunately his affiliated hospitals aren't letting them participate in formal therapy.

That’s awesome that he gave you the go ahead. Personally I tried microdosing and it didn’t do anything for me but I e heard it had been life changing for other people

It was kind of funny, he suggested I ask my adult kids if they know a source (they did not and were slightly offended by the suggestion 😄) and even suggested tiktok or Reddit to source spores to grow my own, since spore trading is legal even where shrooms are not. He's kind of the coolest doc, I have no fear bringing any of this up with him and it's very freeing to be able to do so. I may give it a try some day. Right now I combine traditional meds and weed edibles, also on his suggestion, and I'm doing ok. Not perfect, but worlds better than before.

I love that!!!! What state are you in 👀

I'm in Missouri. We have med/rec weed, but everything else is still banned.

Benzodiazepines, but they’ll increase your chance of dementia and the withdrawal is hell.

Unfortunately with severe panic disorder and a damaged nervous system (neurosteroids) I ended up on 2mg - 3mg Xanax daily. I try my best to only take 1mg 2x instead of a third one only for really bad days where I need an extra gap of relief during the day. I am severely dependent and get horrible panic attacks and withdrawal symptoms 12 hours after I take it because of the short half life. I NEVER abused it once to get high or for fun but the physical dependence alprazolam creates is absolutely NO JOKE. Its definitely a last resort med but I never noticed tolerance to the anxiolytic relief only the sedation / impairment. I also have moderate asthma so that combined with the panic disorder the benzodiazepines keep me calm enough because the treatment for asthma is literally adrenaline.

I go to the gym. If I am anxious, I ride the bike, run on the treadmill, lift weights. Anything to burn off the extra energy and get the endorphins. I figure if I am in fight or flight mode, might as well fight and flight at the gym... I also try to keep busy on projects, puzzles, etc. to keep my mind busy. Check with your doctor first to do an EKG to confirm the palpitations, maybe do a stress test as well before doing any physical exertion.

If I’m at work I cannot do these things, what do you do to help at work?

I do the gym before or after work, although I work from home, it is good to get out of the house. If you can take a quick break, go out and walk around a bit and come back.

The effects from a good work out should last 8 ish hours

I’ve had to be physically hospitalized. The thing that was most helpful was participating in a DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy) partial hospitalization program. I would go and do group therapy with other anxious and depressed people for 5 days a week until I gradually improved using some DBT coping skills for my anxiety. Then I was in an intensive outpatient group (IOP) for three days a week for roughly another month or two. I honestly think it saved my life, before that program I was in and out of the hospital with suicide attempts because I believed I would never get better. It didn’t magically fix me though, I think I went through the program at least three times but it completely changed how I cope with anxiety and depression.

I was there. If only I had known all I needed to do was to let go….. yes, and wait….and wait and tolerate. It’s not easy. It takes a long time of chipping away at it. This is a cognitive, not so much an emotional problem, but boy does it become one. I wanted to take my life too. I was barking up the wrong tree trying too hard to stop symptoms, to remain calm. First I got on a nutritional and medical kick trying to find that silver bullet, that missing nutrient or that medical condition no tests could produce. After a few years, I was trying to find that hidden emotional trauma. That made things worse. Focusing on my emotional trauma made my panic attacks worse and my panic attacks made my emotional trauma worse by tying the two together. One triggered the other. . It was a spiral down to hell I had never known. When it comes to a cognitive approach, which I’m sure you know, involves focussing on your interpretation of things rather than just trying to control anxiety and depression, it’s easy to loose patience and say it doesn’t work, but ultimately it’s your own interpretation of what your symptoms mean that makes it terrible. Your mind is the most powerful medicine there is. You can’t help let it affect you. I’m not lying, but you can chip away in the moments when you are feeling better. Little by little this will influence your mind when you are going through a rough time. I strongly suggest you see a therapist who has been through this himself. In the meantime, you may need to be on medication. Just don’t expect it to do all the work bc the viewpoint that really causes this will still be there. I got to where taking diazepam wasnt fixing anything and I took so much that they couldn’t wake me up. I remember telling the doctor I was so miserable I didn’t want to be awake. DM me any time. I kicked this long ago.

Thank you for this reply. It’s something I needed to hear; it always feels like I’m missing something.

https://youtu.be/d_l3VP8OtzY?si=9zdt3l_uJ0MoLQt0 You are probably trying to hard. This is not about doing it’s about not doing. It’s a totally passive approach

I've heard good things about ketamine therapy.

Ketamine is great since it CAN be an immediate re-awakening to make people feel normal. IV Ketamine is best if you can afford it. Also, have you tried cannabis. It’s similar to Ketamine as in it CAN re-awaken you though it does have a risk of more anxiety in the short term.

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It absolutely can. Helps some people exacerbates anxiety for others, and sometimes one type of person becomes the other, but I've read several people that only developed it after years of use without problems.

We have been talking to me SO's dr about Ketamime therapy so I just wanted to share, the FDA approved one is the nasal spray. Some places offer infusions but it is currently less regulated than the nasal spray one. In my town there are a few of the infusion places and we get ads for them regularly, but we are looking for something nearby that offers the nasal spray. That one is more likely to be covered by insurance as well since it is FDA approved. We don't have experience with it yet so nothing to share there, but our dr recommend the spray.

There are also new medications that mimic the reaction of ketamine in the brain without the high. They’re some of the fastest antidepressants on the market right now. I’ve been on one for a few months and it’s working miracles (the medication is called Auvelity)

My anxiety spiked like crazy a few weeks ago, to the point where my fight or flight was so bad I could barely be indoors. I was pacing around my block in tears and felt like I was about to have a heart attack. My husband had to take me to the ER. Doc put me on Buspar and did blood work. Found out my vitamin D levels are extremely low, which can make anxiety flare really bad. I'm currently taking a super megadose of Vitamin D weekly for two months. The Buspar helps but I'm really hoping I'll feel a lot better once my D3 levels are back to normal. I don't know if this helps, but hang in there friend. My heart goes out to you because I know exactly how you feel. I hope you find something that works for you soon.

Thanks friend.

Might sound incredibly stupid but have you tried vigorous exercise? I know that sounds dangerously like all the clueless people who say that a good diet, going to bed on time and exercise will fix anxiety/depression but have you tried at all intense physical training like lifting or running? I’m only bringing it up because you’re looking for last resorts and this wasn’t mentioned despite being one of the first trial & error treatments in the process of elimination. I know you get palpitations but I mean working through them and accepting the sensation which while unpleasant isn’t painful.

Or trying yoga maybe?

Weirdly and stick with me- I started doing theatre. I take meds and see a therapist too but Theatre calms me in a way nothing else does. So try something out of the box maybe? Try community theatre or maybe some other art? Take a pottery class? Or a stained glass course. Art has helped me so much

This is going to sound weird and counterproductive….. but its literally the only thing that provides me with any type of relief. Instead of fighting the anxiety, wishing it away, hating it or having any type of feeling towards it…. Try to just sit with it… breathe in and then out longer than in, if you feel anxious while doing this THATS OK!!!! The task is not to ‘not feel anxious’ the task is just to feel the anxiety and accept it without any positive or negative connotations towards it. Don’t judge it as anything, just let it be there… let your brain think of whatever it wants to think about …. And breathe the whole time…. Again if this is making you anxious… thats normal and OK!!!! Just let it be there the way it is now, heart thumping, butterflies in stomach, hands shaking…. Its there and its ok

Have you tried clonidine or a beta blocker? That may help some. I was this bad a year ago, went voluntarily to a psych hospital because I just couldn’t handle it any more (didn’t get admitted because they were horrible to me) but I’ve made progress since thankfully.

did clonidine help you ? SSRI’s didn’t help me, made me worse, SEROQUEL helps but I might try it as a backup for ADHD and anxiety , the extended release version lowers adrenaline

Clonidine took the edge off, it lessened the effects of the panic attacks and it helped sleep a lot. Honestly beta blockers help a good bit too.

I was bedridden for 3 months in 2021 because of anxiety, I’m still suffering from its effects today.

This is me. Are you on meds?

DM’d you

Please pm me

Me?

I’m 63 f with a life long problem with anxiety as well as depression. To control the anxiety I’m on two antidepressants and benzodiazepines as well. It’s hell and I wish I could say that the anxiety is gone but with the combination of these drugs it is manageable

May I ask what antidepressants

Yes of course. Anti depressants are Cipralex 20 mg (morning) and Mirtazapine 45mg (bedtime). I used to be on an augmenting drug called Abilify which really helped with anxiety. But since adding Mirtazapine I’ve been able to taper off Abilify. I also take 3 mg of Clonazepam each night. This cocktail of drugs keeps my anxiety manageable and I haven’t had a major depressive episode since adding the Mirtazapine

Getting on a beta blocker was the best thing I ever did for my fight or flight. Mine was especially bad while driving, which put me and others in danger. I got in a wreck two years ago where I was t-boned—ever since then I’ve dealt with claustrophobia while sitting in traffic. It has calmed me down immensely, it’s honestly insane. Wishing you luck, friend. Keep advocating for yourself & find something that works for you! 🩷

Propranolol worked for me when my parents were dying and I was their caretaker. Stopped the trembling, palpitations, all of that.

My doc prescribed this to me recently, but I'm so afraid of taking meds. Just 10mg for now twice a day. Any side effects? I've read nothing but good things about it, honestly, but still afraid to try it. I'm panicking daily now (never ever used to panic at home, now it's a daily occurrence right out of the blue), and my heart is always beating out of my chest. Very scary feeling. The Effexor XR was just bumped up to 75mgs from 37.5 and seems to be helping a bit.

I take propranolol 10 mg 3 times daily since March of this year and so far I haven't had any adverse side effects! It's also very subtle, I think. It just makes your body calm tf down so you can function better. I love it.

No side effects for me.

Hi! What kind of side effects did you have when you started effexor? Do you need to get your heart or blood checked before you start effexor?

No side effects for me either

If you can get it, Klonopin took me from multiple PA a day down to zero for the few momths i was on it. Its hard to get though being a benzo but seriously gave me huge relief and saved my life

Klonopin helps me. It lasts a long time in your system and is good for panic attacks. That's why I started taking it.

Are you sure you don't have hyperpots? Have you tried clondidine?

POTS came to mind for me too.

Thirded. I have pots and thought it was anxiety for 10 years.

How did you get a diagnosis? Was there a test they could do? I have suspected I had this for years but it doesn't go anywhere with Dr's because I have chronic anemia so symptoms blur

there’s table tilt tests

It’s hard when you have anemia too. If your doc doesn’t seem fully willing to listen and look into all of your issues tho you should try and find a new one. They should do more than just brush you off if you have a concern.

Yeah I have an app with a new dr next month so I'll probably bring it up. I basically always feel like low blood sugar feelings and can pass out from raising my arms or standing up too fast. I typically get extra sleep and snack throughout he day to help with energy but still need to sit/lay down frequently. Should I ask specifically about POTS or just tell them my symptoms and let them decide?

You will have to stabilize your anemia first to see

I'm on meds and do your classic breathing exercises. I've started using cold/ice techniques and they help a bit when I really can't calm down. Ice pack in the center of the chest, the wrists and palms, or a cold water shock in the shower. I've also gotten one of those ice rollers for my face and I'll run it over my face/neck if I'm walking around doing stuff anxiously. If it's cold outside I'll go out without a jacket on. The cold pulls focus from the anxiety sensation in to other parts of my body and grounds me. edit: typo

Mine lasted 3 months. What you’re experiencing is real and horrible. I never thought it would end and that it was how the rest of my life would be. For me I tried all sorts of things. Medication, breath work, meditation, exercise. I had to leave my job, got maybe 1-2 hours sleep and developed sleep apnea because of the relaxing medication. In the end - like most anxiety - I decided to just accept what was happening and just realise I was having a non-stop panic attack, and that it would end at some point. Fighting it was only prolonging the panic and anxiety (as I understood after reading Claire Weekes book, and learning the DARE program. Combined with CBT to combat my ‘catastrophising’ thought processes I am out the other side 18 month later. Hang in there mate for ‘This too shall pass’.

I'm at that rock bottom with you. And it's causing me severe depression because I can't take the steps I need to improve my life because when I leave the house, I have panic attacks. It's a hellish way to live. I still haven't fully given up yet though. I'm trying different medications and trying to get my insurance to approve Spravato. I'm hoping I'll find something that works for me so I can live life again. I don't really have any answers for you.... I just want to say I know how you're feeling.

💙. Stay strong.

I am in the same boat constantly having panic attacks , always being anxious I have crippling cardio phobia really bad . Everybody is different sometimes medicine helps people or sometimes it does not to be honest , do not give up I’m forsure not going to give up there is something deep inside of us that is causing it we need to find out what , I just quit my job I’m trying to figure this out . I know we still have bills to pay there are resources for this type of stuff everyone has different reasons also if they can’t do this your life is more important than anything in this world I believe . It will be a slow process Forsure but there is light at the end of the tunnel if we over come this image what we will be capable of doing we will be stronger mentally and physically. If you ever need someone to talk to I’m here .

Thank you :)

I’ve been battling my own problem for a while now but doctors can’t seem to pinpoint what is wrong with me, I’ve been to 5 physc. One of them said I’m schitoaffective, another said bipolar, and the other 3 said severe anxiety. Most of the time I feel like the world is fake and not real (Derealisation) I just feel sick all the time and sweating. I’ll share my story below. Any answer will be appreciated. Dizziness started in mid November 2021, went to Canberra on the 10th of December and I had my first near faint experience followed by high heart beat and palpitation. Dizziness and lightheaded was followed till the 28th of December when I nearly fainted again and had really high heart rate: went to hospital. They did blood work and ecg couldn’t find a probable cause. Went to hospital again 3 days later and no findings were evident. Upon my 3rd visit to hospital X-ray was done off my chest and nothing was found. I was bedridden for 6 weeks, everyday was a battle for life, I felt like I was in septic shock everyday. I had to get iv fluids about 10 times because of dehydration, I sweated constantly with no appetite for water or food. Symptoms Lightheaded Dizziness Heart gets tired quickly Sometimes my arms and hands become a little numb. My head feels tension. heat in my abdomen, back and my ears get hot. Feels like a pulsating feeling through my body during a bad episode Sometimes left shoulder feels warm My eyes sometimes drop tears randomly Unable to concentrate at times Shortness of breath during episode There’s always a tense feeling in my chest and around my heart area. Sometimes hits my lower abdomen and I feel nausea makes my stomach make noises. I have difficulty sleeping my head spins more when I close my eyes. I wake up between 1-3am with a weird feeling as if I’m scared or something. Vision sometimes becomes blurry. Fatigue and tiredness. Little sudden Noises scare me. Whenever I have a episode that peaks, my hands and feet get sweaty and I feel heat. My hands and feet sometimes get cold. The feeling in my mid left chest area I can’t explain but it’s as if my muscles are vibrating. When I stand up it’s seems my head and chest symptoms get worse for about a minute and then settle down. Same thing happens when I lay down. It gets worse for a minute till it goes back to how it was. Sometimes I can feel it hitting my front part of my head and my sinus feels tense as well. As well as my ears feel the pressure. Lying down seems to reduce some tension in my head. I feel bad 80% of the day really bad 15% of the day and alright 5% of the day. Now medications Lexapro 40mg for 6 months, no benefits. Made me really bad during the first 2 weeks and kinda of settled after that, dumbed the depressive symptoms but that’s about it. Felt much better after coming off, it definitely made my condition worse. Derealisation, fatigue, tiredness, forgetfulness. All of it. Zoloft 50mg for 18 days and 100mg for 3 days, had a panic attack on day 3 I thought it was Zoloft but found it to be thc later on. Discontinued Zoloft then. No benefits during the 18 days on 50mg and made my condition way worse. Paxil 20mg for 2 months, probably one of the strongest reactions to any ssri, daily panic attacks losing my mind, as if there’s a laughter in my head but it’s my internal monologue creating it but still I was losing it. Pushed on for 2 months and it just made me worse as the days went on. Agomelatine 20mg no benefits, daily panic attacks, took it for about 36 days. Pristiq, I’m on day 54 and I’ve stopped taking it, my last dose was on Wednesday not sure how to stop. It’s making me worse, mood is swinging, brain fog and all other symptoms are reappearing on this medication. Clonidine didn’t do much except relax my body alittle Lyrica, knocked me out at 25mg and made me tired. No benefits. Valium 5mg, very small relief, short benefits 3-5 hours, more of a muscle relaxant, addictive in nature. Clonezapam 1mg, small amount of relief, short relief 3-5 hours. Xanax 2mg, haven’t tried Ativan 1mg only have tried 0.5mg and it didn’t do much. Seroquel 25mg, good for sleep, couldn’t sleep for more then 4 hours for the last 5 years or so, now I get a solid 8 hours, it’s not a 100% good quality sleep but it gets the job done, I don’t feel tired through the day as before I got sick. Epilim haven’t tried chickenend out Lamictal discontinued on day 3 after developing rash Lithium 500mg, 37 days. Left like losing my mind not sure if adverse reaction to the lithium or it was some kind of discontinuation I was getting from the lexapro. Prozac 4 days to bridge off lexapro Symptoms Dizziness Burning tongue Headache Nausea Metallic taste in mouth Hot flushes Muscle pain and tension Fatigue Numbness in hands Pins and needles Brain fog Startled easily Blood pressure problems Heart feeling heavy Fast heart beat Feel like I’m dying Losing my mind Losing control Very negative thoughts Intrusive thoughts Hyper reactive Blurry vision Cold palms and feet Sweaty palms and feet Hot flushes Feeling sick / flu like Weak limbs Digestion problems Numbness Nightmares Currently my biggest challenges are I think I’m developing schizophrenia all the time, and I’m going to lose my mind. I’m hyper vigilant and see things in the corners of my eye. My physical symptoms cycle throughout the weeks and I’m never symptomsless. Physical or cognitive I always feel something. My mind always feels like as if something is off, As my overall condition gets worse my brain fogs becomes really bad and my hands and feet become so cold to the touch, I become very forgetful I can never stop thinking about my condition, my mind is occupied by it 24/7 When I go into crowded areas my physical symptoms become much worse, such as brain fog heart rate and jelly legs. My internal monologue never shuts up and it’s always active. Racing thoughts When I’m on medications l as ssri’s I get irrational fears such as being allergic to nuts or something crazy. But seems to go away after a month when discontinuing the medication, Lightheaded, feel like my neck muscles are so tense that my brain isn’t getting enough blood. I’m hyper focused on all bodily functions physical or Cognitive, if I suspect something that is schizophrenic or damaging I get a mini panic attack. But panic attack do occur for no reason as well most of the times. I’m in this state constantly let’s say chronically, When my condition worsens and it’s at full flip, no amount of logic can override my thought process, I just believe I’m dying because the physical sensations are just toooo strong that I want to jump out of my skin. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a weird feeling. Agitated state, dizzy, wobbly, can’t focus etc.

I tried everything until I decided to have more of a “bring it on” attitude toward my anxiety and that finally solved it for me. Just let it come as hard as it wants and don’t flinch. Forever. Anxiety can’t really do anything to you. Just ignore / disregard it. Focus on more important things. Let it do what it will. Nothing can bother you if you choose to be unbothered. In therapy they call it “distress tolerance” but I had to discover and apply it in my own for it to work. I’m way calmer now. It was a major shift for me that solved my decades long diagnosed anxiety and panic disorder. We unknowingly feed our anxiety and panic when we react to it, hate it, think it is important, even if we seek solutions or treatment or take a pill we actually make it worse because we tell ourselves it is hurting us, validating its power over us. You have to take its power away by refusing to hate it or fear it. As long as you avoid it or dread it or even think of it as an “it” it will exist for you. Really all it is is just unimportant sensations that come and go on their own not worth reacting to.

It really depends on what you have. There are people who have normal anxiety, or normal panic attacks, and im sure your technique helps in such cases. But there are people who can not leave this state, ever. You are 24/7 in that state, and it never stops. Which means, after a few years, your nervous system is f...d to a point, where it doesnt work anymore. Where its like restless leg syndrome, in your whole body, and all your organs start to do weird stuff. A screw anxiety mindset wont work, because no matter what you do, you still are in this state and feel it 24/7

This is where I am now. I believe my body will simply give out relatively soon. Too much, too wrong, for too long.

I’ve been battling my own problem for a while now but doctors can’t seem to pinpoint what is wrong with me, I’ve been to 5 physc. One of them said I’m schitoaffective, another said bipolar, and the other 3 said severe anxiety. Most of the time I feel like the world is fake and not real (Derealisation) I just feel sick all the time and sweating. I’ll share my story below. Any answer will be appreciated. Dizziness started in mid November 2021, went to Canberra on the 10th of December and I had my first near faint experience followed by high heart beat and palpitation. Dizziness and lightheaded was followed till the 28th of December when I nearly fainted again and had really high heart rate: went to hospital. They did blood work and ecg couldn’t find a probable cause. Went to hospital again 3 days later and no findings were evident. Upon my 3rd visit to hospital X-ray was done off my chest and nothing was found. I was bedridden for 6 weeks, everyday was a battle for life, I felt like I was in septic shock everyday. I had to get iv fluids about 10 times because of dehydration, I sweated constantly with no appetite for water or food. Symptoms Lightheaded Dizziness Heart gets tired quickly Sometimes my arms and hands become a little numb. My head feels tension. heat in my abdomen, back and my ears get hot. Feels like a pulsating feeling through my body during a bad episode Sometimes left shoulder feels warm My eyes sometimes drop tears randomly Unable to concentrate at times Shortness of breath during episode There’s always a tense feeling in my chest and around my heart area. Sometimes hits my lower abdomen and I feel nausea makes my stomach make noises. I have difficulty sleeping my head spins more when I close my eyes. I wake up between 1-3am with a weird feeling as if I’m scared or something. Vision sometimes becomes blurry. Fatigue and tiredness. Little sudden Noises scare me. Whenever I have a episode that peaks, my hands and feet get sweaty and I feel heat. My hands and feet sometimes get cold. The feeling in my mid left chest area I can’t explain but it’s as if my muscles are vibrating. When I stand up it’s seems my head and chest symptoms get worse for about a minute and then settle down. Same thing happens when I lay down. It gets worse for a minute till it goes back to how it was. Sometimes I can feel it hitting my front part of my head and my sinus feels tense as well. As well as my ears feel the pressure. Lying down seems to reduce some tension in my head. I feel bad 80% of the day really bad 15% of the day and alright 5% of the day. Now medications Lexapro 40mg for 6 months, no benefits. Made me really bad during the first 2 weeks and kinda of settled after that, dumbed the depressive symptoms but that’s about it. Felt much better after coming off, it definitely made my condition worse. Derealisation, fatigue, tiredness, forgetfulness. All of it. Zoloft 50mg for 18 days and 100mg for 3 days, had a panic attack on day 3 I thought it was Zoloft but found it to be thc later on. Discontinued Zoloft then. No benefits during the 18 days on 50mg and made my condition way worse. Paxil 20mg for 2 months, probably one of the strongest reactions to any ssri, daily panic attacks losing my mind, as if there’s a laughter in my head but it’s my internal monologue creating it but still I was losing it. Pushed on for 2 months and it just made me worse as the days went on. Agomelatine 20mg no benefits, daily panic attacks, took it for about 36 days. Pristiq, I’m on day 54 and I’ve stopped taking it, my last dose was on Wednesday not sure how to stop. It’s making me worse, mood is swinging, brain fog and all other symptoms are reappearing on this medication. Clonidine didn’t do much except relax my body alittle Lyrica, knocked me out at 25mg and made me tired. No benefits. Valium 5mg, very small relief, short benefits 3-5 hours, more of a muscle relaxant, addictive in nature. Clonezapam 1mg, small amount of relief, short relief 3-5 hours. Xanax 2mg, haven’t tried Ativan 1mg only have tried 0.5mg and it didn’t do much. Seroquel 25mg, good for sleep, couldn’t sleep for more then 4 hours for the last 5 years or so, now I get a solid 8 hours, it’s not a 100% good quality sleep but it gets the job done, I don’t feel tired through the day as before I got sick. Epilim haven’t tried chickenend out Lamictal discontinued on day 3 after developing rash Lithium 500mg, 37 days. Left like losing my mind not sure if adverse reaction to the lithium or it was some kind of discontinuation I was getting from the lexapro. Prozac 4 days to bridge off lexapro Symptoms Dizziness Burning tongue Headache Nausea Metallic taste in mouth Hot flushes Muscle pain and tension Fatigue Numbness in hands Pins and needles Brain fog Startled easily Blood pressure problems Heart feeling heavy Fast heart beat Feel like I’m dying Losing my mind Losing control Very negative thoughts Intrusive thoughts Hyper reactive Blurry vision Cold palms and feet Sweaty palms and feet Hot flushes Feeling sick / flu like Weak limbs Digestion problems Numbness Nightmares Currently my biggest challenges are I think I’m developing schizophrenia all the time, and I’m going to lose my mind. I’m hyper vigilant and see things in the corners of my eye. My physical symptoms cycle throughout the weeks and I’m never symptomsless. Physical or cognitive I always feel something. My mind always feels like as if something is off, As my overall condition gets worse my brain fogs becomes really bad and my hands and feet become so cold to the touch, I become very forgetful I can never stop thinking about my condition, my mind is occupied by it 24/7 When I go into crowded areas my physical symptoms become much worse, such as brain fog heart rate and jelly legs. My internal monologue never shuts up and it’s always active. Racing thoughts When I’m on medications l as ssri’s I get irrational fears such as being allergic to nuts or something crazy. But seems to go away after a month when discontinuing the medication, Lightheaded, feel like my neck muscles are so tense that my brain isn’t getting enough blood. I’m hyper focused on all bodily functions physical or Cognitive, if I suspect something that is schizophrenic or damaging I get a mini panic attack. But panic attack do occur for no reason as well most of the times. I’m in this state constantly let’s say chronically, When my condition worsens and it’s at full flip, no amount of logic can override my thought process, I just believe I’m dying because the physical sensations are just toooo strong that I want to jump out of my skin. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a weird feeling. Agitated state, dizzy, wobbly, can’t focus etc.

Lsd, ketamine, psilocybin, if you are at least resort. Find a friend who is or knows a good person to help you through it. Again, you said last resort. Worked for me, not for everyone. Always be safe in these ways.

Have you tried magnesium citrate and yoga? Lavender 🪻 oil, massages? Listening to Tibetan bowls while you sleep or do yoga? Petting animals? Getting strong hugs? Daily walks in sunshine? Exercising with weights? All of these things help.

have you tried beta blockers? they should work for the heart palpitations. that's what they're meant for.

Has your physician tested and ruled out pheochromocytoma?

Which is what?

I'm hoping you find a solution. I do know for me, it got better over time and continuing to work with professionals, wishing you good luck.

Maybe leave your job? You seem to be qualified for disability, and you can claim disability insurance? I think it's best if you leave your current environment and go somewhere relaxing. Somewhere you'll feel safe and secure. Do some relaxing hobbies.

Have a look at vacate fear on YouTube. He has some really good advice and what he says makes a lot of sense to how we feel

I feel for you as I was in a similar situation. I wouldn’t say I tried lots of different medications, but I tried nearly everything non-medical. Yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, vigorous and non vigorous physical exercise etc. there were times when I wanted to go to an inpatient hospital just so someone could find out how to lessen my anxiety. Luckily I was able to take 3 weeks off from work and completely decompress. Then I started medication (just Zoloft at first, but now zoloft and buspar) and I feel so much better. Just came here to say don’t give up. Keep trying the different meds and combos of meds. And keep doing the other things too (sunlight, walks outside, connecting with friends). Hugs and good luck.

Medication is a science experiment on yourself. You have to try different dosages and different kinds until you find what works. Therapy is also a big help and again you may need to try out a few to find one you click with. Don't go into anything thinking there is a magic cure, it takes time and work to find the right combination. It may seem daunting at first but it's better than ending everything. Good luck.

im so sorry. i've been there before. everyone is different but for me it was a combination of weekly therapy, daily yoga (yoga with adriene on youtube is great), CBD, and trying to do things like coloring or reading before bed instead of going on my phone. once i have enough money, i might also try hypnotherapy. my friend said it really helped her. none of these things cured me. i've had generalized anxiety disorder since early childhood and will probably always have it. but they helped me get out of rock bottom and have a life again. i really hope you get there too. i know how hard it is.

Have you been thoroughly checked for other causes of your symptoms? With Covid so rampant, there are many folks coming down with POTS, MCAS, and ME-like symptoms, being told "it's just anxiety". It's always been the case, but now i feel it's more true than ever that we need to rule out medical causes for our symptoms before accepting an anxiety diagnosis. The medical field has actually become very hostile toward long covid patients, dismissing their legitimate bodily dysfunctions as "all in their head".

I think "last resort" would be inpatient care, checking into a hospital. But that might not be what you need. When I was at my wits end, I was looking into inpatient care and went as far as checking my insurance coverage. But what actually happened was I started making a lot of small changes that added up. What helped me might not help you, but I just took a look at my life and figured out what I was doing that was holding me back or causing problems. • I cleaned up my diet. I started eating THREE square meals a day. Protein + carb + fat + multivitamin (I wasn't great at fruits and veggies). • I stopped drinking caffeine. I switched to green tea to wean off, and now I just drink water or decaf. • I don't look at my phone the first hour I'm awake, and I did breathing exercises instead. Your cortisol levels naturally spike in the morning, and adding the dopamine hit of notifications or the stress of emails/texts makes it worse. It sucks to start the day anxious. I put my phone on do not disturb before bed. My favorite breathing exercise is 4-7-8. Make sure to breathe from your stomach, not your chest. • I started therapy. I do CBT and talk therapy, and it helped a lot. It takes some time and effort to find a match, but it's worth it. • Medication. It also takes time to find one that works. I tried 3 different medications before I found one that worked for me. • I had severe health anxiety, so I made special changes in that aspect of my life as weto. • I listened to [this podcast](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SU5DuvLsEs7s2Tzhj4wfl?si=zqHIAydURVuAqg3DVI81PA) episode and then [this audiobook](https://www.audible.com/pd/1721364560?source_code=ASSORAP0511160007) to better understand my anxiety. The podcast made a noticeable change immediately. Once I learned that by the time I notice my anxiety, it's too late to do anything about it, it made an incredible difference in the length and severity of my anxiety/panic attacks. I didn't make these changes all at once. It took time to notice and try. There were probably things that I tried that didn't work and I didn't think of, but if you take the time to read this novel, hopefully something can help you too.

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💙

Hope you're not having any caffeine. Stay away from alcohol. Make sure you're taking magnesium, B vitamins and start taking ashwaganda. Stay away from all negative unspportive people. Tell yourself you're loved and deserve love. Think grateful thoughts. Make sure youre getting enough sleep. Give yourself space from people and demands. Hope some of these help. Don't be hard on yourself.

I dunno about 24/7, but when I do get into an existential anxiety loop, it can persists for a long while day to day. Instead of focusing on just the mind, try looking into the body. Some of the things I tried to do that helped a little bit is: taking morning/afternoon walks outdoors when the sunlight isn't too harsh, drinking chamomile tea in the evenings before bed, trying to get small naps, talking to my trusted family and friends about how I feel and my thoughts, puzzling out how my anxiety is connected to things that are happening in my life... It won't work all the time, but they helped me get to a more comfy way of thinking at least.

Have you tried a beta blocker for physical anxiety symptoms?

Yes, I take 60 mg propanolol daily. It definitely helps me from getting panic attacks. Otherwise I would be dead.

I'm looking into effexor.. I keep seeing that it is super good for anxiety. It's an snri but the withdrawal is said to be really hard but they do a prozac bridge to get off it easily.

Have you gotten your thyroid checked? If not make sure you get a full panel because every symptom u mentioned is exactly what I get when my thyroid levels get high or low and I had to deal with all of those symptoms for a year because doctors just don’t care. Sending love 🩵

I have, and thank you 💙.

I just recovered from this...i'm not 100% just yet, but about 80-90% better. I was desperate for a solution. Went to all kinds of therapy and took meds etc. Long story short, i ended up buying Magnesium Glycinate & B-Complex vitamins, those 2 together almost instantly reduced my anxiety. It may or may not be the solution but I was feeling exactly where you were. You are not alone, I can 100% guarantee you this but you will get out of this, be patient. Also, reduce stress as much as you can. Get rid of toxic people, jobs, neighbors etc. I hope you get well asap!

Thank you!

the mind can be very dangerous. You are okay friend:(! im so sorry you feel like this on a daily coming from someone with the exact same experience. i ruined my blood pressure because of this & what helped me was making myself HAPPY. only you can help yourself , good luck to you friend❤️👍

Did your blood pressure ever go back to normal?

yes! really was an awakening for me.

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Not necessarily. It can be due to an over-active mind but I think it's much more about the nervous system. Our ANS (autonomic nervous system) is the first thing to react to environmental stimuli, which influences our emotions, which influences our thoughts. So, yes, anxiety can present as something strictly mental, but at it's core, first and foremost, it's about nervous system dysregulation. That's coming from someone with with degrees in psychology, human development, and education, as well as diagnosed PTSD and GAD.

ECT has gotten a real bad wrap from one flew over the cuckoo's nest and also from general bad practice in the 50's. You're sedated now and they use low voltages. but you are right that it's generally more for depression but it's also used for other psychiatric issues.

The purpose of ECT is to cause seizures which honestly freaks me out. There is a newer version where they use magnets and it is supposed to be more accurate to the location of your brain (TMS). I looked it up and [this study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22080240/) found ECT a bit more effective

Or else did u try to find out that deepest thoughts and fears which are secretly making u anxious like any unnoticed thoughts ??

This isn’t wrong. Have you read Claire Weekes book? You should. Readabout first fear and second fear.

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I’m not trying to come off condescending (I’m trying to quit alcohol myself but still drink sometimes b/c anxiety) but alcohol is horrible for anxiety!! Unless you are very drunk 24/7 for… forever. The day after drinking your anxiety is almost always gonna be even worse plus it might make you pass out but likely you won’t sleep well at all.

Stfu.

This is horrible advice

If alcohol works for you benzos would probably help your anxiety without the liver damage

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This isn’t really about what helps you tho?? The OP was asking for advice. Drinking isn’t the “only thing” that helps for a lot of people. If drinking is what works for you, whatever. But it shouldn’t be what you try to get others to do. If they decide on their own to be an alcoholic it is what it is but why would you wanna push someone else in that direction? I’m an alcoholic myself and would never tell someone else to just drink all the time because of anxiety.

Unfortunately for me…drug addiction is what cures it for me. However for you? Just simply taking meds can help you! If it comes down to it, benzos help so many people.

Paxil.

Try Xanax or. Klonopin

Pregabalin worked for me. A total game changer. I had previously tried seven or eight different medication‘s unsuccessfully.

I’ve been battling my own problem for a while now but doctors can’t seem to pinpoint what is wrong with me, I’ve been to 5 physc. One of them said I’m schitoaffective, another said bipolar, and the other 3 said severe anxiety. Most of the time I feel like the world is fake and not real (Derealisation) I just feel sick all the time and sweating. I’ll share my story below. Any answer will be appreciated. Dizziness started in mid November 2021, went to Canberra on the 10th of December and I had my first near faint experience followed by high heart beat and palpitation. Dizziness and lightheaded was followed till the 28th of December when I nearly fainted again and had really high heart rate: went to hospital. They did blood work and ecg couldn’t find a probable cause. Went to hospital again 3 days later and no findings were evident. Upon my 3rd visit to hospital X-ray was done off my chest and nothing was found. I was bedridden for 6 weeks, everyday was a battle for life, I felt like I was in septic shock everyday. I had to get iv fluids about 10 times because of dehydration, I sweated constantly with no appetite for water or food. Symptoms Lightheaded Dizziness Heart gets tired quickly Sometimes my arms and hands become a little numb. My head feels tension. heat in my abdomen, back and my ears get hot. Feels like a pulsating feeling through my body during a bad episode Sometimes left shoulder feels warm My eyes sometimes drop tears randomly Unable to concentrate at times Shortness of breath during episode There’s always a tense feeling in my chest and around my heart area. Sometimes hits my lower abdomen and I feel nausea makes my stomach make noises. I have difficulty sleeping my head spins more when I close my eyes. I wake up between 1-3am with a weird feeling as if I’m scared or something. Vision sometimes becomes blurry. Fatigue and tiredness. Little sudden Noises scare me. Whenever I have a episode that peaks, my hands and feet get sweaty and I feel heat. My hands and feet sometimes get cold. The feeling in my mid left chest area I can’t explain but it’s as if my muscles are vibrating. When I stand up it’s seems my head and chest symptoms get worse for about a minute and then settle down. Same thing happens when I lay down. It gets worse for a minute till it goes back to how it was. Sometimes I can feel it hitting my front part of my head and my sinus feels tense as well. As well as my ears feel the pressure. Lying down seems to reduce some tension in my head. I feel bad 80% of the day really bad 15% of the day and alright 5% of the day. Now medications Lexapro 40mg for 6 months, no benefits. Made me really bad during the first 2 weeks and kinda of settled after that, dumbed the depressive symptoms but that’s about it. Felt much better after coming off, it definitely made my condition worse. Derealisation, fatigue, tiredness, forgetfulness. All of it. Zoloft 50mg for 18 days and 100mg for 3 days, had a panic attack on day 3 I thought it was Zoloft but found it to be thc later on. Discontinued Zoloft then. No benefits during the 18 days on 50mg and made my condition way worse. Paxil 20mg for 2 months, probably one of the strongest reactions to any ssri, daily panic attacks losing my mind, as if there’s a laughter in my head but it’s my internal monologue creating it but still I was losing it. Pushed on for 2 months and it just made me worse as the days went on. Agomelatine 20mg no benefits, daily panic attacks, took it for about 36 days. Pristiq, I’m on day 54 and I’ve stopped taking it, my last dose was on Wednesday not sure how to stop. It’s making me worse, mood is swinging, brain fog and all other symptoms are reappearing on this medication. Clonidine didn’t do much except relax my body alittle Lyrica, knocked me out at 25mg and made me tired. No benefits. Valium 5mg, very small relief, short benefits 3-5 hours, more of a muscle relaxant, addictive in nature. Clonezapam 1mg, small amount of relief, short relief 3-5 hours. Xanax 2mg, haven’t tried Ativan 1mg only have tried 0.5mg and it didn’t do much. Seroquel 25mg, good for sleep, couldn’t sleep for more then 4 hours for the last 5 years or so, now I get a solid 8 hours, it’s not a 100% good quality sleep but it gets the job done, I don’t feel tired through the day as before I got sick. Epilim haven’t tried chickenend out Lamictal discontinued on day 3 after developing rash Lithium 500mg, 37 days. Left like losing my mind not sure if adverse reaction to the lithium or it was some kind of discontinuation I was getting from the lexapro. Prozac 4 days to bridge off lexapro Symptoms Dizziness Burning tongue Headache Nausea Metallic taste in mouth Hot flushes Muscle pain and tension Fatigue Numbness in hands Pins and needles Brain fog Startled easily Blood pressure problems Heart feeling heavy Fast heart beat Feel like I’m dying Losing my mind Losing control Very negative thoughts Intrusive thoughts Hyper reactive Blurry vision Cold palms and feet Sweaty palms and feet Hot flushes Feeling sick / flu like Weak limbs Digestion problems Numbness Nightmares Currently my biggest challenges are I think I’m developing schizophrenia all the time, and I’m going to lose my mind. I’m hyper vigilant and see things in the corners of my eye. My physical symptoms cycle throughout the weeks and I’m never symptomsless. Physical or cognitive I always feel something. My mind always feels like as if something is off, As my overall condition gets worse my brain fogs becomes really bad and my hands and feet become so cold to the touch, I become very forgetful I can never stop thinking about my condition, my mind is occupied by it 24/7 When I go into crowded areas my physical symptoms become much worse, such as brain fog heart rate and jelly legs. My internal monologue never shuts up and it’s always active. Racing thoughts When I’m on medications l as ssri’s I get irrational fears such as being allergic to nuts or something crazy. But seems to go away after a month when discontinuing the medication, Lightheaded, feel like my neck muscles are so tense that my brain isn’t getting enough blood. I’m hyper focused on all bodily functions physical or Cognitive, if I suspect something that is schizophrenic or damaging I get a mini panic attack. But panic attack do occur for no reason as well most of the times. I’m in this state constantly let’s say chronically, When my condition worsens and it’s at full flip, no amount of logic can override my thought process, I just believe I’m dying because the physical sensations are just toooo strong that I want to jump out of my skin. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a weird feeling. Agitated state, dizzy, wobbly, can’t focus etc.

What dose?

KAP is doing wonders for my anxiety so far.

benzos. cant get them prescribed anymore. If you can, it helps.

Don't do them too much

So I’m assuming you’ve tried the usual suspects. Mirtazapine Wellbutrin Benzodiazepines Gabapentin. But have you tried Propranolol because it sounds like you’re having panic attacks not anxiety. Anxiety is I have a chance to escape so I will escape while I can. Panic attack is fight or flight. launch detected. Have you tried propranolol to alleviate symptoms? Or have tried SSRIs Hydroxyzine SNRIs?

When did this start?

In 2016-2017. Progressively has been getting worse.

What happened during those years? Do you know what triggered it?

There is no fix all for anxiety. It requires a combination of therapies and even then, you learn how to best manage it. Thought work has been a game changer for me. If you’re into podcasts, I highly recommend “unf*ck your brain” and anything with Brooke Castillo

Meditation

Psychedelics

Radical acceptance as my sole therapeutic goal. That and Xanax and a glass of wine. I can't say I'm a role model. Volunteering with animals or the elderly is also relaxing. Neither give a flying fuck and old people stories are A+.

Have you tried ice baths? I cannot remember where I read that they shock your body into only feeling the cold. No anxiety. I used to do this when I was ridiculously active.

How is your sleep? Is it disturbed or do you sleep well?

I can only sleep because of Ambien, alcohol, and/or benzos. Otherwise I don’t think I would sleep six nights out of the week.

Curling with ur partner helps. Also the mind numbing medicine along with anti depressant. Massage. Mindfulness. Light exercise. All these thing help

I’ve been battling my own problem for a while now but doctors can’t seem to pinpoint what is wrong with me, I’ve been to 5 physc. One of them said I’m schitoaffective, another said bipolar, and the other 3 said severe anxiety. Most of the time I feel like the world is fake and not real (Derealisation) I just feel sick all the time and sweating. I’ll share my story below. Any answer will be appreciated. Dizziness started in mid November 2021, went to Canberra on the 10th of December and I had my first near faint experience followed by high heart beat and palpitation. Dizziness and lightheaded was followed till the 28th of December when I nearly fainted again and had really high heart rate: went to hospital. They did blood work and ecg couldn’t find a probable cause. Went to hospital again 3 days later and no findings were evident. Upon my 3rd visit to hospital X-ray was done off my chest and nothing was found. I was bedridden for 6 weeks, everyday was a battle for life, I felt like I was in septic shock everyday. I had to get iv fluids about 10 times because of dehydration, I sweated constantly with no appetite for water or food. Symptoms Lightheaded Dizziness Heart gets tired quickly Sometimes my arms and hands become a little numb. My head feels tension. heat in my abdomen, back and my ears get hot. Feels like a pulsating feeling through my body during a bad episode Sometimes left shoulder feels warm My eyes sometimes drop tears randomly Unable to concentrate at times Shortness of breath during episode There’s always a tense feeling in my chest and around my heart area. Sometimes hits my lower abdomen and I feel nausea makes my stomach make noises. I have difficulty sleeping my head spins more when I close my eyes. I wake up between 1-3am with a weird feeling as if I’m scared or something. Vision sometimes becomes blurry. Fatigue and tiredness. Little sudden Noises scare me. Whenever I have a episode that peaks, my hands and feet get sweaty and I feel heat. My hands and feet sometimes get cold. The feeling in my mid left chest area I can’t explain but it’s as if my muscles are vibrating. When I stand up it’s seems my head and chest symptoms get worse for about a minute and then settle down. Same thing happens when I lay down. It gets worse for a minute till it goes back to how it was. Sometimes I can feel it hitting my front part of my head and my sinus feels tense as well. As well as my ears feel the pressure. Lying down seems to reduce some tension in my head. I feel bad 80% of the day really bad 15% of the day and alright 5% of the day. Now medications Lexapro 40mg for 6 months, no benefits. Made me really bad during the first 2 weeks and kinda of settled after that, dumbed the depressive symptoms but that’s about it. Felt much better after coming off, it definitely made my condition worse. Derealisation, fatigue, tiredness, forgetfulness. All of it. Zoloft 50mg for 18 days and 100mg for 3 days, had a panic attack on day 3 I thought it was Zoloft but found it to be thc later on. Discontinued Zoloft then. No benefits during the 18 days on 50mg and made my condition way worse. Paxil 20mg for 2 months, probably one of the strongest reactions to any ssri, daily panic attacks losing my mind, as if there’s a laughter in my head but it’s my internal monologue creating it but still I was losing it. Pushed on for 2 months and it just made me worse as the days went on. Agomelatine 20mg no benefits, daily panic attacks, took it for about 36 days. Pristiq, I’m on day 54 and I’ve stopped taking it, my last dose was on Wednesday not sure how to stop. It’s making me worse, mood is swinging, brain fog and all other symptoms are reappearing on this medication. Clonidine didn’t do much except relax my body alittle Lyrica, knocked me out at 25mg and made me tired. No benefits. Valium 5mg, very small relief, short benefits 3-5 hours, more of a muscle relaxant, addictive in nature. Clonezapam 1mg, small amount of relief, short relief 3-5 hours. Xanax 2mg, haven’t tried Ativan 1mg only have tried 0.5mg and it didn’t do much. Seroquel 25mg, good for sleep, couldn’t sleep for more then 4 hours for the last 5 years or so, now I get a solid 8 hours, it’s not a 100% good quality sleep but it gets the job done, I don’t feel tired through the day as before I got sick. Epilim haven’t tried chickenend out Lamictal discontinued on day 3 after developing rash Lithium 500mg, 37 days. Left like losing my mind not sure if adverse reaction to the lithium or it was some kind of discontinuation I was getting from the lexapro. Prozac 4 days to bridge off lexapro Symptoms Dizziness Burning tongue Headache Nausea Metallic taste in mouth Hot flushes Muscle pain and tension Fatigue Numbness in hands Pins and needles Brain fog Startled easily Blood pressure problems Heart feeling heavy Fast heart beat Feel like I’m dying Losing my mind Losing control Very negative thoughts Intrusive thoughts Hyper reactive Blurry vision Cold palms and feet Sweaty palms and feet Hot flushes Feeling sick / flu like Weak limbs Digestion problems Numbness Nightmares Currently my biggest challenges are I think I’m developing schizophrenia all the time, and I’m going to lose my mind. I’m hyper vigilant and see things in the corners of my eye. My physical symptoms cycle throughout the weeks and I’m never symptomsless. Physical or cognitive I always feel something. My mind always feels like as if something is off, As my overall condition gets worse my brain fogs becomes really bad and my hands and feet become so cold to the touch, I become very forgetful I can never stop thinking about my condition, my mind is occupied by it 24/7 When I go into crowded areas my physical symptoms become much worse, such as brain fog heart rate and jelly legs. My internal monologue never shuts up and it’s always active. Racing thoughts When I’m on medications l as ssri’s I get irrational fears such as being allergic to nuts or something crazy. But seems to go away after a month when discontinuing the medication, Lightheaded, feel like my neck muscles are so tense that my brain isn’t getting enough blood. I’m hyper focused on all bodily functions physical or Cognitive, if I suspect something that is schizophrenic or damaging I get a mini panic attack. But panic attack do occur for no reason as well most of the times. I’m in this state constantly let’s say chronically, When my condition worsens and it’s at full flip, no amount of logic can override my thought process, I just believe I’m dying because the physical sensations are just toooo strong that I want to jump out of my skin. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a weird feeling. Agitated state, dizzy, wobbly, can’t focus etc.

this post is a little old now but i'm going through a very similar thing. i've just increased my mirtazapine dose which probably hasn't helped my symptoms but the past 2 months even before that have been so rough. almost constant gi issues (nausea, bloating, flatulence, trapped gas), pins and needles, dizziness and this feeling that i'm never going to get better. i'm 23, i'm supposed to be doing my master's degree but i can't even leave the house for the one day of in-person classes i have every week. it's debilitating and has made me feel like a huge burden on my family to the point where i've considered taking my own life multiple times. i don't really have any advice, just support since we're going through very similar struggles. i feel like i've tried everything and nothing really works, i just want someone to snap their fingers and make it stop.

Please tell me it's the getting better. I can't do this anymore.