Anxiety

[Gst0395]

Does anyone here have those moments where they're extremely anxious of a certain thing, whenever it be anything? Me personally, I'm suffering from it now. I won't go into detail about it now as it's a personal issue, though it has nothing to do with my friends or family but rather the subject of race, crime, violence e.g...whenever it's in the United States or in other parts of the world. I've been told I likely have some form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which may explain these.

However, was there ever a time in your life when you were excessively worrying about things more than you know you should be? That you had so much anxiety that you didn't know what was wrong with you nor did you feel your were in your own world? Did you ever cope with it at all? Discuss, but don't be detailed about it if it's a personal issue.

[Trevor]

I
 was diagnosed with acute anxiety disorder in 2009 and was immediately
put on pills which were meant to stabilize me but almost led me to
suicide. I have since not had a pill and get plenty of exercise as well
as rest when I feel bad. I do get anxiety attacks now and then but I
deal with it or try my best to do so.

[claws]

I've had a history of anxiety attacks which I now know was mostly caused by my back then untreated, inherited high blood pressure (high blood pressure can cause anxiety attacks. I didn't know that either). My old job (stress) also contributed to the anxieties.
When I started taking meds for my blood pressure I've had a bad anxiety attack, because my body/circulation was in the progress of adjusting to the meds and reacting to the lower BP. I've been doing fine ever since.

[Jack]

I've got general anxiety disorder.  Funny because my symptoms weren't so much anxiety, but when I'd go into a large building with lots of people in it, I'd get this feeling that I was going to faint.  I was also lifting weights and started taking this stuff called creatine which is supposed to help you get better results from your workouts - turns out it's a strong stimulant and strong stimulant + anxiety disorder = panic attack.  I thought I was having a heart attack and my family rushed me to the hospital.  I guess I was talking a mile a minute and the doctor diagnosed me with anxiety disorder (it had gone undiagnosed for about 9 years prior to that).  Anyhow I got on Lexapro and that fixed me right up.  I feel exactly as I did before, just without the fainting feeling when I'm in large buildings and no more panic attacks.  They quit making Lexapro so now I take the generic equivalent, which is like $10 for a three month supply.  Used to be $175 for Lexapro.

If you've got feelings of anxiety I'd HIGHLY recommend you go to your doctor and talk about it.  Getting on medication has made a gigantic difference in my quality of life.  Also realize that there are several different medications available to treat it, and one may work great for you while another might not.  With the Lexapro costing so much I once thought I'd try some cheaper stuff, and that gave me symptoms very much like Gst0395 is describing, with my thoughts fixated on certain bad things, and I was generally depressed and felt like there was no way out.  I went back to the Lexapro and that fixed me right up again.  Now I'm on escitalopram which as I said is the generic equivalent of that.

[zelmo73]

(high blood pressure can cause anxiety attacks. I didn't know that either).

When I was a heavy drinker, my blood pressure was through the roof. With that came heavy bouts of anxiety, which wasn't always just panic attacks either. Anxiety can result in sleepless nights, fitful dreams when you do manage some sleep, restless leg syndrome, taking long walks to relax instead of for exercise, etc. After I quit, my blood pressure went way down to what is considered normal, and with that came sound sleep, fascinating and sometimes very entertaining dreams, no more kicking the covers off the bed, taking long walks for leisure instead of necessity, etc.

So yes, high blood pressure can often have adverse effects on the human body and our psyche and behavior. Well, alcohol definitely doesn't help a blood pressure condition, but even without the booze in your life, it helps to maintain a low stress lifestyle in order to keep your blood pressure in check. I do love the taste of beer though. 

[Gst0395]

I just wanted to say, I'm really glad that I'm not the only one who has suffered greatly from anxiety. Regarding medication like Jack suggested, I am on some fluxotine at the moment. It's not been my first time, they did work during the first stage I started taking them. Right now I'm not noticing much of a difference, but they'll probably start kicking in within a week.

It's not been an easy experience for me. I've had sleepless nights in the past where I'd usually have the urge to turn on a device and look up something related to my anxiety on the internet. Then I wake up in the morning feeling like total garbage, not wanting to get up at all. While many have suffered worse than I have, this whole thing has not been good for me. I just want to have a peaceful Christmas without this BS about racism, violence and crime in my head all the time. I had to suffer just as bad (if not worse) during last Christmas as well.

[ChaosTheory]

Oh I've been having anxiety for the last several months, but it's not over nothing.  My financial situation is a trainwreck and I'm probably about to get kicked out of my apartment.

To those with anxiety disorders, I feel for you, and hope you can get the therapy/medication that helps.

[Javakoala]

I have ADD, OCD and, because of them, anxiety disorders. Effexor sucks. For me. It might be great for others. I'm on Zoloft now and it has done wonders for the OCD, which the original poster mentioned. My OCD manifested by churning the same line of thoughts over and over until I snapped, either anger or crying.

I agree with going to your doctor and discussing this with him/her. It can make your world better in some cases. Worth a try. You can never have too much happiness.

[retrorussell]

I am anxiously awaiting the departure of 2 worthless employees across from the ward I work in.  Seeing them screw off, not finish their job everyday and me doing more work than the 2 of them together really, really eats at me.  It's made me snap at my assistant foreman for him not doing a damn thing about it.  As soon as one retires, the powers that be will move the other out of there and start fresh.  I can hardly wait; this is causing me undue stress.  I normally am not stressed by anything really (other than being around a lot of people) but this is really eating at me.  I keep preaching patience to myself..

[HappyGilmore]

Anxiety, pretty horribly too.

So much so I get some chest pains and all.  Was so worked up I was sure I was having a heart attack, but that only made it worse as I couldn't afford a hospital trip so I ignored it and figured if I was awake in the morning to just forget it.