Anxiety?
 

Not sure if this is the most appropriate place for this post...but wasn't sure where else to put it.

Does anyone here suffer from general anxiety disorder? I go weeks without any anxious feelings, and then as soon as my period ends, I am left with a week or so of constantly feeling like i'm on the verge of an anxiety attack. Then it all goes away until the end of my next period. Things hve gotten a lot better since I started taking a sublingual b complex, multivitamin, and vitamin D. Today i started taking fish oils, but it makes my stomach a bit upset and I end up burping up fishy taste (blah) even when I take it with food. I also have a bottle of l-theanine, but I am scared to take it because I'm always afraid of a reaction from a new supplement/medication.

How do you handle your anxious days?

I'm not at all opposed to MJ use, in fact, I wish the government would just legalize it already, but from what I've read, MJ is known to CAUSE anxiety. Or is that just what the anti-legalization organizations want us to think?

When I have horrible anxious days, I go back to the skills from The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety (on amazon). I've worked through the book in the past, and now I can return to it and the CD for a tune up. Even though I think "this will not help" it does. Every single time. It saved my life.

If you suffer from depression too, there is a similar Workbook for Depression.

I cannot recommend them highly enough.

I didn't start having anxiety until after my second child and it came out of no where and hit me like a ton of bricks. It has got worse after the third. But the more I dig around in my family history, the more I realize that it is partially genetic, as there is a lot of anxiety and depression in my family that is never talked about.

For me, I typically feel overall better on days that I exercise (though I did not do much of that last year) and if I feel a panic attack coming on, I like to go outside and get some fresh air and perspective. When all else fails, I rely on medication (ativan) to reset and try again the next day.

The thought of restarting my diet and exercise regimen has been increasing my anxiety extraordinarily this past week though I really don't know why. And I worry about sharing too much of my crazy anxiety with my husband for fear that he will tire of it.
Coming here for support was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time!

I will order it on amazon. Thank you!

Thanks! Won't say much because it's a public forum...but thank you ;)

I've started back on my exercise routine today, so I'm hoping it will help! I also didn't have any anxiety until after I had my 2nd son. He also has health problems, so that increases the anxiety. I'm debating going to the doc and asking for a perscription for ativan just so I have something just so I have something "just in case". It might help ease some anxiety of having an anxiety attack, if that makes sense.

Hey. I have MDD and PTSD, with some issues with anxiety. While I've never had an anxiety attack, I don't go a minute of my life without worrying. A lot. It's painful, scary, and hard. A lot of the time, I find myself turning to food, seeing it as a comfort for some reason.

I guess that's just my way of saying you're not alone. I'm trying to learn how to refocus my anxious emotions out of food and into other, healthier ways to handle those feelings. It's scary some days to feel like I have no control over my life.

I have 'Just Dance 2' for my Wii and I play it all the time! Just listening to the music and jamming out makes me feel so much better, plus it's really great exercise, whether i realize it or not. getting up and moving gives me a feeling of success, and often gets some of that anxious, nervous energy out of my system.

Dunno if that helps at all, but it's what I do.

I joke with my husband that just holding the bottle of ativan in my hand helps me, without even taking one. Just knowing that I have it as a back up eases some of my anxiety. In 2010, I had a prescription for 20 pills with 1 refill (of 20 more) and did not use all of them. I really try to manage the anxiety as best I can without the meds.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I had to have 3 surgeries and multiple xrays of my abdomen. I had to sign a zillion forms saying that I understood all of the risks I was putting my baby in by exposing her to radiation (but seriously could have died otherwise). And was on a morphine pump for 3 days. Every odd sickness or symptom that she gets to this day (she is 4 1/2) sets me off on a frenzied internet search on what it could be. So, I understand how the health of your child can set off the anxiety trigger.
In fact, the last really major attack I had (the last time I thought that I might seriously pass out) was just 2 days after my 3rd child broke off his front tooth and I had to leave him with a sitter. I definitely believe that the blessing and responsibility of my children's lives is my biggest trigger for anxiety. (My marriage is the next largest trigger.)

I can't imagine that your dr would deny you a small and regulated dose of ativan for your attacks. Mine has been very understanding and supportive.

I've got some kind of anxiety disorder--either social anxiety, or general anxiety, haven't been officially diagnosed to be honest. I'm taking BuSpar and an SSRI to help with that and depression. To be honest, BuSpar is extremely mild and I haven't noticed its effects since the first month I was on it. I only had one panic attack since starting it, though, so that must mean something.

Honestly, I've found I use food as a way to avoid the near-constant worrying I have when at school, or whatever. It feels like my one reprieve sometimes. Recently, CBT has been helping in some more mild situations. Meditation has helped a lot in the past--the trick is to convince myself to stop aimlessly worrying and sit down and not think for a length of time. It's like I think that my anxiety is somehow helping the situation and I'm worried about letting it go. :dizzy:

Im still trying to rid myself of the anxiety..but things that have been helpful are bvitamins/magnesium ..effexor i think, occasional zanax when needed and for me i have a problem going into malls and places like walmart, so basically facing and sitting with my anxiety and telling myself i have prob felt the worst of the symptoms and the symptoms are usually the same.slow breAthing..also a book called 'hope and help for your nerves- dr claire weekes was comforting to me...when i was going through a very intense week of non-stop panic i took out all caffeine,pop,smokes and most sugars...also if you can get to a sauna/steam room,hot tub, ive read it promotes the calming alpha waves in your brain :)

I don't have any helpful coping tricks to share, but I wanted to ask if you've tried fish oil with enteric coating? There are a few brands around. I take Fisol. They're smaller than the store brand I tried and they have the coating. I've heard fish oil with lemon flavor also helps.

I actually take the peach flavoured nordic naturals (liquid). Still have fishy burps. ICK!

I also did not start suffering at all from anxiety until my late 30's. I had some physical problems that manifested as chest pain, so when I would get a flare I would immediately think it was my heart and freak out. Even going through a million medical tests did not alleviate it.

What has helped me:

1) a prescription for clonazepam. I get one bottle refilled each year. I end up taking maybe 10-12 pills over the course of the year, but just knowing it's there in my purse and I can take it if needed has helped tremendously.

2) cutting way back on caffeine. I don't drink it at all on days I go to the office, as I always felt more anxiety at work. A few days I've had half a cup of coffee or regular tea on a workday and felt a difference

3) self-talk. just telling myself I'll be ok, that this has happened before.

4) calling/texting my dh for reassurance

I hope things improve for you soon.

I get more of the physical symptoms of panic than the worrying associated with anxiety. I tend to do way too much and while my mind is functioning fine, I start to get chest pains, tingling fingers, closing up feeling in my throat and sometimes depersonalization.

I hate it. It started in my 20's when I started my first management job. I thought it was asthma and just went on with this chest/throat numbness for weeks. I finally went in to my Dr who sent me for a ton of tests and was diagnosed with panic disorder.

I've tried a lot of things over the last 10 years to alleviate my symptoms. I cut out caffiene, I do yoga, I run, I swim, I get massages, pedicures, nights out with friends, warm baths, etc. The things for me that help the most are these:

1) Clonazapam - I took it for years on a daily basis, but now take maybe 2 or 3 a month. Like others, I carry it with me everywhere, just knowing i have it makes me feel better

2) Having confidence in myself and my abilites. I lot of my symptoms are from going through life constantly cringing about what I've just done.

3) Getting enough sleep and taking breaks. It's not always possible for me to get away from my stressful job, but when I can, it helps. I am a high strung person. I am always running from one thing to another and sometimes I just need to slow down and go on here or go get a mocha from starbucks to unwind for a moment. Sometimes I need to let go of perfection and just lay on my couch for the night even if it really does mean that something important isn't getting done, like grad school homework.

I have found little help from exercise, including running and yoga. I've decided pedicures are really just torture - lol! I love the way my toes look but I don't find them that relaxing. I do love massages, but they aren't a total cure all. I can be relaxed for the moment and have a panic attack later that day depending on what happened later that day. Sometimes I like to go out a friend and talk and eat and drink wine, but sometimes I really just need to be alone to unwind. I used to feel pressured to always go out in order to be healthy and be social. I am starting to realize I need more downtime and it's ok to just be with my fiancee or by myself reading a book.

Oh, and I tried therapy for years...I went twice a week for 2 years. It was nice to have someone to talk to, but really it was no more beneficial than talking to a friend. I thought my money would be better spent on weekly massages than on therapy. This is different for everyone of course, and I know there are good therapists who really help people. It just wasn't helping me and I wanted to give it a fair shot...in that 2 years I moved so and changed up doctors so that was with 4 different therapists. Some where better than others, but it is so very expensive, I just couldn't justify it anymore.

I was diagnosed with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) with a side of depression about 4 years ago. I believe the depression was brought on by GAD and it seems to have receeded for now. As long as I take my medication I seem to be alright.

I try to pamper myself on anxious days. Try to be a little nicer to myself, maybe a lil treat I save for certain times like these. I will also crawl into bed, read a book or even sleep if needed. Unfortunately since I am also going back to college, this isn't always feasible, but I still try to do something for JUST me... makes me feel a little less worried, stressed, and anxious.

I have been hearing about an Indian herb called Ashwaghanda that's supposed to work really well for anxiety and insomnia. I just ordered it from Amazon. It was only about $4 (around $9 with shipping charges) for 100 pills. I just read about it in Womans World this week, but I had read about it before. Anyway, it's worth a shot. I'll let you know if it helps.

That sounds great.....except for I have a 5 year old and 7 year old. There is NO way i'm going to be able to crawl back into bed, lol.

Hey guys, man oh man am I glad I came across this thread. I've been suffering from GAD for a number of years and have had occasional panic attacks. I've started going to a therapist recently, and luckily I have Medicaid so it's free. It does help to have someone guide me, but I still suffer. Seems to me that the worst of the anxiety comes after my period, which happens to be these last few days. I starting taking a B vitamin complex this morning and am hoping that it starts to work. My therapist also believes I suffer from low grade depression, which I wouldn't even hesitate to deny. Insomnia has also been a problem, I take Melatonin for it, but some nights it just doesn't work at shutting off my thoughts. I've been working at meditation to calm my racing thoughts and it does seem to help a little, though I've only been doing it a couple days now so it may help more in the future. I sure hope so, I'd love some relief. I go to a psychiatrict nurse practitioner next Monday, and am anxious to hear what she has to tell me. Back before I started having babies, my doctor prescribed me Xanax and just having the bottle around seemed to ease the anxiety, just like the rest of you said.

Sorry, I'm sure that much of what I said was no help at all, but it sure did feel good to vent about it.

This is SO me. I'm almost 40, and I've had anxiety off and on for years. I had some success back in the 90s with Paxil, then I'd go into "remission" for awhile, I guess you'd call it. When I started this lifestyle change back in May, gradually I was right back to my MOST anxious frame of mind within a couple months. I really have come to understand that I have used food as a coping mechanism for it, probably forever. A few weeks ago I had a major, expensive plumbing emergency, but I had to wait till after the holiday weekend (3 days) to find out from the city if it was going to cost me $1,500 or $6,000 and all the while water was coming out of the ground between my house and my neighbor's. I was literally a wreck. I was actually able to imagine the numb/calm that would have come over me if I ate 2 Big Macs. I didn't do it, but it left me so aware of the fact that food, my MAIN coping mechanism, has been taken away and now I'm pretty much flapping in the breeze.

When the anxiety first started creeping back in, I talked to my doctor about possibly starting back up on some Paxil or something else. She said she prescribes it every day and has nothing against it, but since I was doing so well losing weight and Paxil can cause gains, she suggested I tried this 6 week cognitive behavioral therapy boot camp thing. I have learned about conscious relaxation and some techniques like masking, etc, and I think if I continue with it it will be of some help. But I haven't taken meds off the table, I'll know when and if it's time.

Best wishes to everyone who goes through this, it really pretty much just sucks. But I haven't given up on searching out different coping skills (I'm really ramping up the exercise routine and it seems to be helping) and am hopeful that I will be able to keep it under control for now.

Edited to add: :hug::hug::hug: