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View Full Version : Hey all - glad to meet you! 31 y.o. male.



trainerash
01-09-2014, 10:50 AM
Hi,
I've always been an anxious person - I remember being like this all my life. I'm currently 31 y.o. But the last 5 years have taken a bit of a toll on me. Between an abusive relationship, mother suicide, coming out of the closet, a fiancee diagnosed with a stage IV colon cancer and a ton of responsibilities and pressure at work, I went a bit downhill. I have anxiety 24/7 (I call it the Air Conditioner effect, it's always making noise in the background) but I have been able to keep it under some control.
The problem is that, in the last couple of months, my head won't stop with terrible depressing feelings - feeling of failure, of going to be fired all the time (vs being evaluated as one of the top performers in my company - it's a clear case of Impostor Syndrome), of being alone (when I actually have a ton of friends and a loving fiancee), that I'm extremely overweight (which technically, I'm not, but the brain ignores that). Lately, it's all turning into physical symptoms - back pains, heartburn, light headed, head aches. And the worst part is that, every time I get a pain, I think I have a cancer, a brain clot, whatever type of terrible illness you can think off - which makes me rush to the doctor every 3 weeks only to hear "You are healthy!". The worst part is that I don't believe him, see other doctors and they tell me the same, which makes me feel really stupid.
Now I went to a psycopharmacologist and he prescribed me with Klonopin for the first couple of weeks while the Lorozepam is kicking in. I also thought it'd be good to find a forum where I can place my questions and start dealing with this better. Bear in mind - only people who know me well know about my anxiety. To the outside world, I believe I appear very composed - which I kind of like.
So, glad to meet you all and happy to have found a place where I can place my doubts and concerns to understanding people!

NeverToo...Fear
01-09-2014, 11:09 AM
Hi Trainerash, nice to meet you. :)

Heck of a story there and I'm glad you shared it. Interesting how you describe your anxiety as the Air Conditioner effect. I'd never thought of it that way, but it's so true!

But anyways, you will find plenty of understanding people here who offer much great advice. You'll fit right in ;)

jessed03
01-11-2014, 02:49 AM
Ah a member of the lifetime anxiety club huh :) - yep, there are a fair few of those here!

I like psychopharmacology! It's like psychiatry a little more relaxed!

Just one thing that's standing out in your post - the thoughts you're having are clearly a type of 'mental rape' - ie something that's happening to you without you really doing too much to cause it. I mean some people hate themselves night and day. I don't really get that impression from you. It seems the thoughts are rather a part of your condition, than your own inner opinions.

That all points to a Serotonin imbalance (quite often).. People believed to have Serotonin imbalances often quote thinking and feeling in a similar way. I could be wrong, I'm sure your PPcologist knows your condition better.

If that is the case, I'm not sure how much the drugs you are on are going to help you. Neither of them are that effective at tackling Serotonin based problems, the SSRI is usually the first step there.

Like I said, your therapist probably knows best, so hopefully your meds will help and it'll all be good. But if a few months down the line, you're still having the same problem - do bring this up to him/her, as I think right now they believe your problem to come down to anxiety, rather than pure imbalance.

I wanted mainly just to say Hi, and welcome :) but that little thing just stood out to me too!

trainerash
01-12-2014, 03:19 PM
Hi Jessed03,

Thanks for the reply! I was very curious about it - to be honest, didn't completely understand it. What do you mean by mental rape? You mean that my anxiety is not organically mine but caused by circumstance? Does that mean that the pills I was prescribed could be wrong? So my anxiety could be a imbalance in Seratonin?
Sorry - a bit new on the topic, so please bear with me. Thanks so much - it was a really insightful answer.

GeneAllen
01-12-2014, 06:39 PM
Welcome Trainerash,

You'll see there's a lot of caring people here. It's a great community, and lots of support. Again welcome! Peace

Dahila
01-12-2014, 08:52 PM
Welcome to the forum trainerash, klonopin or ativan aka Lorazepam does not solve the problems, it helps a bit with anxiety but it is not for a long time term....

When your mind it invaded and then rape by words or images.

jessed03
01-15-2014, 10:38 PM
Here's the post, sorry for the late reply, I couldn't remember the title of this thread!

Yeah, like mental rape as in - you're being bombarded with a lot of stuff you dislike and don't want, yet can't stop it.

Again, I'm sure your PPst knows their stuff, but what did they mean before the lorazepam kicks in? Lorazepam is instant acting :confused: it doesn't need very long to kick in. Only antidepressants take time to work.

Is the hope that giving you a few months of anxiety free living will snap you out of the cycle?

It's an interesting choice, looking to see if it works for you. Do update this thread! :)

trainerash
01-16-2014, 09:17 AM
I realized I wrote the wrong pills - it's actually Lexapro! It's Klonopin and Lexapro. Does that make a difererence?

jessed03
01-16-2014, 08:07 PM
I realized I wrote the wrong pills - it's actually Lexapro! It's Klonopin and Lexapro. Does that make a difererence?

Makes a HUGE difference lol.

Sounds like you're on a good plan, are you feeling anything yet?

trainerash
01-17-2014, 08:02 AM
Not sure - a bit cloudy and forgetful, but overall calmer. I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to feel - I've been anxious for so long that I'm not even sure what not being anxious feels like. It's kind of stupid, no?
So you think the pills I'm taking are ok, right?

jessed03
01-17-2014, 12:27 PM
I would say you're on a good program for your issue.

Fingers crossed it works for you :)

issy
01-17-2014, 04:18 PM
Hi trainerash. Welcome to the forum. I've just signed up today. After reading some of your story some of which I can really understand. I had a very abusive childhood, my dad died of colon cancer when I was 17, i was there till the end. and also stresses of coming out of the closet as well as many other things... Thanks for sharing it's nice to know we are not alone in the way we feel in this life. Sorry to hear your struggles, at least you are talking to people who understand and care :) x