Help! New to Anxiety. Need advice and experience badly.

[supadan323]

I have a long description coming. I have been having issues getting this thread started, but long story short; I just started getting anxiety, worse at night and I need lots of advice and experience.

Thank you for the upcoming help,

[supadan323]

For now, when I post my long description; it keeps getting sent to the moderators for approval, and they have not approved them yet. Maybe I can break it up into smaller sections.

[supadan323]

Hello everyone,

About one month ago my wife had a bad abscess in her jaw that caused her excruciating, screaming pain for about 4-5 days. During this time I was in a state of extreme stress, as I felt unable to help her. I broke down a couple of times when by myself during this time. I was emotionally a wreck. After she started to heal; I started to feel a mild anxiety. It built up to a mild/mild-moderate anxiety that I would get for a small part of the day. About a week ago she stated that she felt pain again in her jaw, and then my heart sank. She ended up being fine and has been to the endodontist since, but since that day my anxiety ratcheted up to feeling moderate most of the day. Then around 6pm to about 9:30pm I have very bad anxiety. I have cried 10 times harder than I have ever cried before and four half hour spurts. I have never been so scared for my own mental health as I am right now. Oddly at around 10pm-10:30pm the anxiety fades rapidly and I feel almost normal again.

[supadan323]

I have been having very negative thoughts when I am having these strong anxiety episodes. First, I was having fear of my own dental issues, as I started to feel tooth pain myself. I ended up being OK, my dentist stated I had a high bite and I was grinding my teeth, most likely from my stress. But even worse and I am still having it, is that I am having thoughts of my own mortality. Dying alone without any loved ones around me. Online posts of people talking about their children or people getting old have now been triggering strong anxiety within me.

[supadan323]

I have been taking tryptophan, vitamin D, magnesium, hops and lemon balm as an herbal remedy, I do not know if it is helping or not. I have been taking it around 6-7pm when I get home from work. I have tried talking to some people; including a Pharmacist. She believes that I am suffering from PTSD from my wife's event. I am planning on seeing a psychiatrist as soon as possible, but I am afraid to starting taking meds, as I am afraid of becoming dependent for the rest of my life, or the effect wearing off over time. I am 36.

[supadan323]

I am really in desperate need for advice and shared experience from this community. Does what I am suffering from sound temporary to any of you. Is it likely that this episode triggered a anxiety disorder that I will suffer through for the rest of my life? Does anyone else share this type of history, and how is it turning out? Does anyone have experience with the herbal remedy I am trying? How long does it take to kick in? I want everyone to know that I am extremely grateful for any help or advice or experience you can share with me. If any of this is confusing please let me know; this is my second attempt at typing this and it is 7:35pm right now, so I am feeling pretty bad right now and don't have a fully clear head.

[martin05]

Unfortunately the human brain never evolved to be totally logical -- only to help your body survive. That means when anxiety kicks in, it can take some time for it to settle down. Probably useful when we were running from predators. Less useful now.

When your mind and body become calmer, your anxiety will begin to fade away. Hopefully your psychiatrist will help you accept and challenge different thoughts and beliefs so that you become calmer mentally. If you want to become calmer physically, half an hour of relaxation is great. Something like progressive muscle relaxation or meditation.

[supadan323]

Thank you for replying. I try a lot of ways to relax, but I am new to this. Is there a medication that helps you? I have been suggested by a nurse an pharmacist the Prozac is the way to go, but my father told me that buspirone helped him. Then the pharmacist told me that buspirone is not a good idea due to its side effects and it being a compound drug.

[martin05]

Any time.

I still remember how I felt when my anxiety first came on. It was in similar circumstances to yours, actually. Only difference was I didn't know about this forum, or anxiety. So I started telling myself I was broken, would never get better, etc, which just made things worse. I want you to be more hopeful and realise people with this condition make incredible comebacks. It just takes a little work is all.

Over the years I've tried quite a few meds: prozac, celexa, remeron, valium, ativan. When the meds work, they take the edge off and stop the anxiety from paralysing you. Then you're more able to get to work on the issues that caused your anxiety, like problematic thinking.

I wish I could recommend a med that would help, so you know what to take if you do go down that route, but sadly it's mostly trial and error. For me, Remeron and Celexa worked pretty well, for others they made them feel worse. Genetic testing seems to be getting some attention, but I'm not sure how reliable it is at the moment.

If you trust your pharmacist, I guess you have to go with their advice and re-evaluate after a few months. Prozac wasn't the drug for me, but other people seem to benefit from it.

[martin05]

P.s. Make sure to do the relaxation daily. It's effects are cumulative, so you won't see benefits straight away, but should start to see some positive changes after several weeks!

[supadan323]

I have been trying to do some sort of meditation or just trying to calm my mind for as long a period of time a can as many times as I can. Still working at it; right now when a wave hits it pretty much overwhelms me. Exercise seems to give some temporary relief. I try to do it around 9pm so I can hopefully get to the 10 o'clock hour; which is when it subsides down about 80%.

[gypsylee]

Hi supadan and welcome. To the forum and anxiety *evil laugh* (Ignore that I’m in a weird mood) :)

Um, Martin the know-it-all is pretty much right — our brains haven’t quite got the memo yet that no sabre-tooth tigers are lurking around the corner. In a way I’d prefer the tiger because the anxiety we get is so random (those of us prone to it). At least you can put your finger on the damn tiger. I often feel like I’m losing the plot after DECADES of this but I am getting better at not adding what Claire Weekes called the “second (and third etc) fear”, which is the fear of fear. Trust me — if anxiety drove you crazy I’d be in a permanent straight-jacket by now. Anxiety is really uncomfortable; no doubt about it. But it’s the biggest trickster ever and you won’t lose your mind or have a heart attack or whatever. Take a look at my webpage just for the pic of the little Anxiety Monster (some of the other stuff might be useful and you’ve reminded me of a book to list on there - The DARE Response by Barry McDonagh).

Take it easy,
Gypsy x

[Fashoom]

you’ve reminded me of a book to list on there - The DARE Response by Barry McDonagh.


Thanks for the recommendation. I was very impressed by the massive number of 5 star reviews on amazon and the audio sample, so just bought the audio book.

[gypsylee]

P.s. Make sure to do the relaxation daily. It's effects are cumulative, so you won't see benefits straight away, but should start to see some positive changes after several weeks!

Oh Martin, you’re so clever! :P

[supadan323]

I will definitely take a look at your website. Thanks

[martin05]

Gypsy, what's the premise of the Dare method? Is it something to do with challenging your anxiety to come on strong, and realizing you can handle whatever it throws at you? Just an educated guess from the title lol.

[gypsylee]

Thanks for the recommendation. I was very impressed by the massive number of 5 star reviews on amazon and the audio sample, so just bought the audio book.

Great! You should get a lot out of it and as I say, the audiobook gives you the full Irish accent experience :D

[gypsylee]

I will definitely take a look at your website. Thanks

Yeah have a read. I don’t have any professional qualifications but I’ve been battling severe anxiety (and addictive personality) my whole life, so I dare say I know more than some so-called professionals. Hell, I’ve been seeing a psychiatrist for around 20 years because my anxiety is so full-on and so persistent.

[gypsylee]

Gypsy, what's the premise of the Dare method? Is it something to do with challenging your anxiety to come on strong, and realizing you can handle whatever it throws at you? Just an educated guess from the title lol.

Pretty much yeah, hence why I say it’s not “new” — Claire Weekes was onto that decades ago, the cunning old crone.

[supadan323]

I saw my doctor today and she prescribed Buspirone 15mg, twice daily. I took a pill at 6pm and I got to say it helped a lot. It brought me from an 8 to a 2. I was loopy for about 15 minutes then lethargic for about two hours, so I don't know if I will be able to take this in the mornings before work. I heard you can have trouble sleeping with this pill, and this is already an issue for me, so we'll see on that end. How long I have to be on it; she does not know. I will have follow ups every two weeks. It feels so good to be happy at night again. I can tolerate being lethargic for 2 hours if I can be happy the rest of the time. Just hope I can sleep.

I will keep updating for anyone who is thinking about this med.

[gypsylee]

We don’t seem to have Buspirone in Australia :(

[supadan323]

That's weird. It's also called Buspar.

[supadan323]

The end of day two was pretty good. I only took half a pill this morning as I was afraid to feel any side effects while at work. The half pill worked about half as good, but still helped. With a full dose for tonight It really helped a lot. Not completely gone, but very mild. I am so far very happy with this medication if anyone is looking at new medication. I am also taking time to relax my mind; then exercise around 8:30 to hit myself with some endorphins before my anxiety seemingly fades around 10pm. I am really enjoying this forum and I am so glad I found this place. You have all been very helpful and I am thankful for getting the opportunity to keep interacting with all of you.

[gypsylee]

I googled it and apparently it is available here but neither my GP nor psych have mentioned it. I’ll ask the GP tomorrow.

Glad you like the forum! :cool:

[supadan323]

Were you able to get any info on the Buspirone?

Day 4 was good; day 3 took a small step back, but I had a lot of outside stresses that day. I learned that even on medication outside stresses are still amplified. I just need to push past my triggers and I think I can really make some good progress. Even though I feel that every step forward I take with one causes two new issues I need to solve.

[gypsylee]

He was in a hurry, so I forgot to ask!

[MEmily1105]

I have been taking tryptophan, vitamin D, magnesium, hops and lemon balm as an herbal remedy, I do not know if it is helping or not. I have been taking it around 6-7pm when I get home from work. I have tried talking to some people; including a Pharmacist. She believes that I am suffering from PTSD from my wife's event. I am planning on seeing a psychiatrist as soon as possible, but I am afraid to starting taking meds, as I am afraid of becoming dependent for the rest of my life, or the effect wearing off over time. I am 36.

I was diagnosed with PTSD myself. Dont be scared about the meds because your psychiatrist can put you on temp meds until you feel good enough to come off of them. I also have trouble sleeping at night, before I saw my psychiatrist I drank a hot cup of green tea before going to sleep It can help you relax. Hope it helps! Wish you the best!!

[supadan323]

I had a great day yesterday, but then I could not fall asleep until 4am (I attempted to go to bed at 12:30). Every stray sound I heard would pop me back awake with an adrenaline surge. Melatonin and Nyquil did not help, I finally had to give in and one of the Lorazepams my doctor gave me for "late night anxiety emergencies" I really hoped to avoid taking the pill for bed, because I am afraid I will become dependent on it for sleep. Do any of you occasionally get anxiety about not being able to fall asleep. Not sleeping tonight has been in my head all day.

[Anne1221]

Gypsy, a lot of doctors don't prescribe Buspar because it doesn't work for a lot of people. It has a short half-life so it wears off quickly and you have to take it twice or three times a day. I have taken it and it is a mild help, but doesn't help anything like the benzos unfortunately. I did find it helpful.

[gypsylee]

Oh ok, thanks Anne. Now I’m just getting more and more curious haha.

Supadan - if you take a look at my anxiety story, insomnia is like the story of my life!

[MEmily1105]

I had a great day yesterday, but then I could not fall asleep until 4am (I attempted to go to bed at 12:30). Every stray sound I heard would pop me back awake with an adrenaline surge. Melatonin and Nyquil did not help, I finally had to give in and one of the Lorazepams my doctor gave me for "late night anxiety emergencies" I really hoped to avoid taking the pill for bed, because I am afraid I will become dependent on it for sleep. Do any of you occasionally get anxiety about not being able to fall asleep. Not sleeping tonight has been in my head all day.

Yes I have had major sleeping issues for years now and no nyquil or tylenol PMs helped at all!! No matter how tired I was I could never sleep...Often its because you go to bed stressed and your mind is racing even though its not about anything specific. Unfortunately I have to take a Xanax now before bed to relax me enough to fall asleep..its sucks but it helps a TON!!!

[supadan323]

Been a few days; it's weird sometimes posting on this forum helps my anxiety and sometimes it makes it a little worse. The buspirone has been keeping me stable, and I had a visit with an endodontist where I finally got an answer for my tooth discomfort; it was good news, noting is damaged, fractured or in need of an expensive treatment, so that makes me feel a little better. Still cant shake the fear of dying that has been hounding me, but it is not overwhelming anymore. I realize now that this is not going to go away as quickly as I had wished, but like I said its good that this medication is really helping.

[supadan323]

Just checking back in. With my meds; daytime have been very good. I am still about 80 percent improved at night, but I still feel it between 6-10pm. My highest sources of anxiety now comes when I think about going to bed. I am spending more time sleeping on an air mattress in another room from my wife. For some reason it feels comforting to be in a tighter room on floor. I do worry about keeping my wife awake, so I'm sure knowing that wont happen relaxes me. I have hit a set back today as a new stressor (which should not be that big a deal) really is hitting me hard.

Its amazing that even when you feel like you are doing better; you don't realize how vulnerable you really still are. Just wanted to keep the conversation going.

Have a great night.

[sm3392]

I hate being awake all night with anxiety/stress...heartbeat going etc

[supadan323]

It sucks. It's such a snowball effect. The longer I am awake the more the anxiety builds; which makes me stay up longer; which gets me worked up even more, etc...

[debbie23]

I was on medication but it made me feel weird so now I use Mantra Magnets. They're earrings you clip on that vibrate as a neuro-therapy tool and reset your amygdala. I love them! They really help.

[supadan323]

I had another anxiety attack around 2 in the morning last night. I needed to take a Valium to get me to sleep. Triggered by tooth pain; which I 'm pretty sure is from me mashing my teeth from stress. The pain is gone now, but the anxiety remains. Today has been a tougher day. The Buspirone has been helping, but once I start freaking out; it cant stop it. I just feel better venting sometimes and giving updates on my life. Thanks for listening.