argh!

[holly1986]

After three years of anxiety and panic attacks, ive decided enough is enough. Initially when i had anxiety, i was constantly worrying about my health - i was constantly dizzy/lightheaded, i felt tired, i had horrible tension in my jaw from gritting my teeth all the time, i had palpitations and a feeling of not being able to breathe, i ended up searching the internet to diagnose myself, i ended up putting 2 & 2 together and coming up with 5!

I lean on my family a lot, or rather, i used to, to help me, but nothing could calm me down, so eventually, once the doctor ran several blood tests and checks i was eventually diagnosed with GAD and given fluoxetine to take, 15 months later and im miles better, but i am a fraction of the girl i used to be, the slightest thing knocks me for 6. Once i stopped panicking or worrying about myself, i went from one thing to the next to worry about.

Now, all i fear and worry about is anxiety - having an attack, if theres something wrong with me, why its happening to me, why no-one else i talk to seems to have this problem, i sometimes worry that im simply not right in the head.

What i dont understand, is where these panic attacks and anxiety came from in the first place, and why they were and still can be so severe? also, can anyone else tell me of their experiences with fluoxetine? i am still on fluoxetine and have never been told when i should stop taking them.

Im 23 years old, im single, have a good job, great family and friends - i have nothing to worry about. So why all the anxiety?

thanks,
holly

[Mike in KS]

Hey Holly. As like you and millions of others, I experience a lot of anxiety and it sucks. Mine gets so bad that sometimes I wonder if life is really worth living. My first attack came about 4 years ago and I've struggled with it ever since. I was put on anti-depressants but I went off them a year ago because I felt as though they were having a reverse effect on me. I do have Xanex for those days that get real bad. I feel for you. There are times I lay in bed at night so scared that I feel I'm going crazy. I worry that I'm gonna die a lot and that is a scary feeling. I'm a single parent to 2 teenage boys and I worry about them finding me dead one day. I experience headaches and dizziness sometimes and I have these senses that reality isn't what it seems. It is very hard to explain to people what these feelings are like. My family has been great with me because there have been times that I have called them in the middle of the night scared out of my mind. They usually calm me down pretty easily, get me to take a xanex and after I do that, I fall asleep very easily. Sometimes life is full of stress and many people handle it in a way that doesn't effect them emotionally. I just wish I had those skills. It just makes me feel better to know I'm not alone. Millions of people go through the same thing, but it's still scary to constantly think you've got something wrong with you physically or you're not gonna live much longer. It's no way to live.