Hey! .. I'm new on here ..

[LadyJ10]

I've been suffering with anxiety & depression for about 3 years now .. I didn't know what a panic attack was back in high school when I first started getting sick from them .. I've always thought that something serious is wrong with me because I feel this way everyday .. They got worse after I had my child .. I've been to the dr. & had several trips to the ER & all my tests always come back normal .. & I'm like .......... this cant be right because I don't feel ok .. The palpitations, tremors , & pain all over isn't fun .. I never feel like doing much .. I'm always over thinking & thinking negative ..& I hate that I can't live a normal life like I used to because of crazy fears such as leaving the house or driving .. & many more .. It gets so bad to the point where I lose my appetite & don't feel like eating .. I've lost a lot weight & it's hard to gain & keep any .. I was prescribed citalopram (celexa) but I really don't want to take it because of the side effects & I don't want to become dependent on it .. I'm also on a beta blocker (atenolol) which has been pretty good with keeping my heart rate down .. I believe that I can get through this without it the extra medicine ..

[alankay]

Have you met with a counselor at all? Alankay

[jessed03]

Hey LadyJ! Welcome :)

Anxiety can make you feel so bad. Not even in the obvious ways like making your heart pound, or your head hurt from the stress.

Long after my 'episodes', I was still regularly going to the doctors for issues with fatigue, and aches and pains, and frequent colds, migraines, eye problems. I thought I was low on vitamins, low on minerals, had allergies etc... It always came back to anxiety, and every time I lowered my anxiety a little, another of the symptoms disappeared. It was only then that I actually realized, and believed in all of the ways anxiety was throwing my body severely out of balance.

Hopefully, if you can take some steps and manage to lower your base level of anxiety, a couple of your symptoms will disappear, and your brain, like mine, will sort of click, and begin to believe that this is all anxiety. Seeing is believing as they say!

For the record, if you do ever decide to go down that drug route; Celexa is a really well tolerated drug, and side effects are usually pretty minimal after a couple of months. It's addictive/dependency profile is also really low if you take other steps to compliment it, and give yourself some support systems in life.

That being said, I do think the minimal drugs you take is the best way, as long as you feel you are capable of managing through things.

See you around here :)

[LadyJ10]

Have you met with a counselor at all? Alankay

Yea .. I meet with one twice each month & it kind of gives me some comfort & relief to talk to someone that actually understands my situation because she's been it ..

[LadyJ10]

Hey LadyJ! Welcome :)

Anxiety can make you feel so bad. Not even in the obvious ways like making your heart pound, or your head hurt from the stress.

Long after my 'episodes', I was still regularly going to the doctors for issues with fatigue, and aches and pains, and frequent colds, migraines, eye problems. I thought I was low on vitamins, low on minerals, had allergies etc... It always came back to anxiety, and every time I lowered my anxiety a little, another of the symptoms disappeared. It was only then that I actually realized, and believed in all of the ways anxiety was throwing my body severely out of balance.

Hopefully, if you can take some steps and manage to lower your base level of anxiety, a couple of your symptoms will disappear, and your brain, like mine, will sort of click, and begin to believe that this is all anxiety. Seeing is believing as they say!

For the record, if you do ever decide to go down that drug route; Celexa is a really well tolerated drug, and side effects are usually pretty minimal after a couple of months. It's addictive/dependency profile is also really low if you take other steps to compliment it, and give yourself some support systems in life.

That being said, I do think the minimal drugs you take is the best way, as long as you feel you are capable of managing through things.

See you around here :)

Thanks for the advice! .. It feels good to know that I'm not in this alone ..