how long does your symptoms last, and what oness to you get

[james1321]

hi, just wondering how long your symptoms of anxiety last is it all day or do they come and go? my chest tightness and light headed seem to be all day everyday. drives me nuts and sometimes it still comes back to what if. and i also struggle to accept anxiety can make me have these sensations all day. also what are your main symptoms you feel?
cheers guys

[alankay]

It comes in waves as the body can only make some much andenaline. It can seem to be a very long time when you feel high anxiety/panic though, that's for sure. Alankay.

[dazza]

I feel frightened but not at the same time (strange, huh). Fight or flight is running, yet I'm failrly calm & just getting on with it.

I understand anxiety and the transient symptoms thereof, yet they still scare the shit out of me.

Main physical symptoms are:

1/ General feeling of unease... like I'm desperate to finish something and get on with the next thing... jumpy / irritable / out of sorts

2/ Chest pressure... like there's something in it

3/ Heart palps - f*cking hate these. Often send me into a deep, dark place of fear

4/ Left arm buzzing, like an electric current flowing through it. Random, like growing pains in various positions around the arms (mostly left)... short lasting, weird.

5/ Shoulders hurt / back of neck hurts - also a bit "buzzy"


'part from that I'm great, lol

[SunnieDebris]

Mine comes and goes, but I have spent days where my throat is tight and I feel anxious most of the day. Your symptoms sound like anxiety to me, but I'm not a doctor. Are you being treated for anxiety? Are you taking any meds to help?

[freakingoutnow]

Most of the day! UGH with some breaks throughout the day. Nighttime is always the best time.

[mw0929]

Mine happen throughout the day but are the worst in the morning and at night.

[jfletch]

I get all the above symptoms too. Mine are worse at night and when I am home alone. The more I fear having another anxiety/panic attack the more I get them and the longer they last. I have been trying to keep busy and try to accept the attacks when they come. Just tell myself I have been through this before and will be fine in the end. Not easy but have been trying. Mine last anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour. And I get multiple attacks on my bad days and just a bit of anxiety here and there on my good days.

[jbanks]

thats crazy dazza i have exactly the same symptoms as you, never found anyone who does everybody i ask looks at like im crazy lol, srry figured i shared that i was just surprised

[acetone]

Always feeling as if the ground is shaking up and down, left and right (this is the only symptom I find unbearable, must take a benzo to counteract it)
Heart racing (sometimes)
Chest tightening (often)
Pain in left side of brain which radiates to my left eye (always)
Shortness of breath (often)
Balance is bad generally
Pain in neck and shoulders

[randomanxiety]

Hey acetone, have you ever been checked for vertigo? I am not a doctor but if your balance is generally bad I know that is one of the symptoms along with feeling like the ground is moving.
James, I am with Sunnie are you on any meds? having non stop panic attacks that last that long must be unbareable! Mine only last 10-min to half hour sometimes the feeling of uneasyness can last a little longer or I can have a day where I just feel uneasy all day. Your symptoms should not be lasting that long.
Also you are not crazy, people that do not suffer from anxiety do not understand what we go through. It is a serious medical condition that affects people all over the world. You are not alone :)

[Em_xo]

It normally comes and goes but can stay all day. I get Aching legs, I feel sick, hot flashes, anger, and a weird tightening anxious rush through my whole body

[laurandisorder]

My symptoms are on and off. Certain symptoms arise at certain times of day/night and if I keep busy, most of them can be avoided.

I think my problem is my acute disconnect between my mind and my body. If I keep busy and work, or do something productive to stave off the symptoms I literally forget to pay attention to my body and don't acknowledge that I get hungry or thirsty and then suddenly after 3+ hours of being totally absorbed in a task/s, I'll get overwhelmed by nausea which sets the symptoms off into a spiral.

Just being thirsty and not staying hydrated can give me a headache and send my heart rate up.

Other symptoms arise in certain circumstances like driving (I'm getting much better at this) and also climbing stairs (instant breathlessness and dizziness), public speaking - the worst at the moment - and tragically something I used to love and excel at. I also get very anxious going to the beautician (!) and sweat like a pig!!

I have also experienced long lasting pins and needles in my hand and arm - usually the right - that last hours without any other symptoms or even any anxiety really.

[acetone]

Randomanxiety, while I have not been checked for vertigo my dizziness is such that it lessens somewhat when I'm moving BUT strikes when I'm still (standing or sitting). While I do feel off balance, I never fall down. Can it still be vertigo?

[temperancebrennan]

My symptoms can last for hours. It's been around 11 hours today (with medication). & it's pretty much every day of the week. Nothing triggers it.

I get very aware of my limbs. My hands & feet are constantly moving & I twitch my face because I'm worried about then being numb. My arms & legs feel heavy & I feel unbalanced.

I feel outside of my own body & like things aren't completely real.

I get a fast beating heart & clench my teeth. Also, my pupils get really large.

Absolutely horrible. I try breathing exercises & other methods of taking my mind off it, but theres always something in the back of my mind saying "you don't feel right still, this isn't working". I wish there was something I could do to rid myself of the symptoms.

[danreid82]

That sounds awful, but very descriptive. I recognized the name Temperance Brennan, I've read quite a few of Kathy Reichs' books and watch bones as well. Sorry, just felt like sharing that with you. ( I have no impulse control so I apologize a lot)

[danreid82]

James, I think there's aa multitude of symptoms. Some lasting days , some instants. Try writing them into a daily journal. And bring your journal to you doctor. I have severe short term memory loss from ativan( paradoxical I'd forget and take more and more). I've been told of " active coping skills" and hear they work wonders.

[atethesun.]

Mine just comes in high times of an anxious situation, but that seems to consume most of my day.

First my stomach just feels completely empty, and then it feels like its in my throat and I can't breath. Then my chest grows heavier and heavier, as my head feels completely light but heavy at the same time. And sometimes my legs and arms go numb.

I feel like I'm outside of my body looking down on myself, like I can't control anything. Sometimes I can't even speak.

And once I calm down, it results in me just feeling nauseas and disgusted.

[james1321]

hi, yes i am on mirtazapine 45mg and i have benzos for when i need them but my therapist doesnt really like me using them. i think half the problem is i always think theres something wrong with me and its making things worse. the doc did want to change my meds i think i am going back this week and come of the mirtazapine and try escitalapram which is what he suggested.
cheers

[Getting Well]

Worst time for me is night. Any symptoms I might have on and off during the day seem to find their way into existence. Insomnia is the worst. Sometimes wonder how I'm going to survive till morning. Any tricks of the trade anyone can share. Of course, it only makes it worse that I start gettting anxious about getting thru the night when it starts getting dark. Happy Trails!

[aims86]

I know exactly how you feel getting well!!