Severe Anxiety with unknown cause

[Lydia74]

I've suffered from extreme anxiety now for 6 years. Tried both Effexor & Lexapro at high doses with no improvement over 3 years (actually had an improvement with morning anxiety when I went OFF them) and I'm now on Beta Blockers which have done nothing. I've been diagnosed with Tachycardia (racing heart) years ago, so a racing heart is nothing scary to me, I'm immune to it.

I've done CBT and intensive therapy with a psychologist who couldn't find anything to work on (leading psychologist at the anxiety/depression hospital so a good psychologist!), psychoevaluation profiles which highlight any underlying fears and phobias were done and showed only normal levels of fears. Nothing came up which is true as I have no real fears or extensive worry at all. In fact, when I told my family I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder they laughed as they thought I was joking. I've often been told I'm 'too relaxed' about things.

I don't have attacks, the anxiety just lasts all day and sometimes is so bad I can't function. I'm just coming out of an episode now & I ate little more than 1 piece of toast per day for 3 weeks as I was so sick and even a piece of toast left me running to the loo. I'm not sure how much longer I can go on living like this. I've lived in hope for 6 years which has got me through but this last attack has left me feeling hopeless and suicidal. I'm beginning to think nobody will ever be able to help me and feel totally alone.

Does anyone suffer from Anxiety without excessive worry? I've also had a great life and nothing traumatic has happend to cause this. Anyone out there like me?

[Robbed]

How about dietary issues? Are you possibly deficient in something, allergic to something, or sensitive to something? Also, anxiety disorder can sometimes start over some stressor which pushed you over the edge years ago, but which no longer exists. In this situation, it is simply stress and worry about the anxiety itself that keeps it going. If everything else in your life is in order, it could be as simple as trying to react less with fear to anxiety symptoms while they gradually abate.

[Lydia74]

Thanks so much for your reply Robbed. I've been tested for Coeliac disease (negative) but I do have a few gastointestinal problems like unable to digest meat at night - I wake up with a massive hangover (vomiting, shaking, lethargy,foggy) and cannot tolerate any alcohol at all - 1/2 glass gives me a hangover for 3 days. I've mentioned these problems to several doctors but they say it's from my reflux (gastroenterologist diagnosed me with reflux). I beg to differ. I think a food allergy test might be the next way to go. I just had a Complete blood count done and liver enzymes all came back normal so liver functioning ok. Funny thing is though, when i 'crash' or my anxiety is hideous my eyes look jaundice (yellow) and I get a chronic burning and stabbing pain just below the centre of my ribs. Again, mentioned this to Doctors who say this was caused from the anxiety. It's very painful and lasts for over a week! Thanks again for your reply.

[PlayinHarder]

I am sorry for the way you are feeling. I sometimes have the same feeling but not to such an extreme state. It happens from time to time but again not so extreme. In my case I am guessing that it is due to having a new job and being out of the job market for so long. Strange because I really like the new environment and am doing really well in my new position.

Sorry I wish I had words of wisdom for you and I hope you get better.

-Ray

[jon mike]

Hey, hope your feeling better, yes I can relate to this in many ways, I obviously don't no you but at a guess I'd say its the fear of the anxiety or the worry that the anxiety is there or it coming back that is keeping this going, I also appeared care free and people would never have guessed what was going on up there, I read a book called something like how to get out of your mind and into you life or something along those lines and it helped me endlessly, I really think it's the fear of the anxiety that's keeping a grip of you, what I did to overcome it was to do the things I wouldn't normally do that I knew would bring on an attack, then I'd sit and wait in the moment, the moment being where you are now, no future and no past, just now, taking it in as only now exists, is it really that bad if you only think if what is happening now in the present? Can you cope with it? Haven't you been coping with it for years? This simple way of thought dragged me out of a world of s&@t!! It takes a bit of getting used, accepting it I mean, accepting is really the wrong word but it's difficult to describe, also in my opinion I'd bin all medication, anxiety is a natural part of human behaviour and dosent need drugs to sort it, you can do it yourself much more effectively, a hope this makes sense? If not message me and I'll try and help as much as I can, anxiety dosent have to be end of everything although it seems like it and I know from 15 years of crap that I had that it isn't easy but once you see the light there is no turning back and you can live your life like you once did, you"ll look back and laugh I guarantee it!! Jon

[hypnotherapylondonclinic]

How do you know when you are anxious, what are the symptoms?

[peropero]

I get a chronic burning and stabbing pain just below the centre of my ribs

The pain of Angina Pectoris is a little higher I think. Is it on one side stronger than on the other? Because beneath your ribs on top of your kidneys are your adrenal glands - check for pheochromocytoma if you haven´t already. Just a shot into the blue because its very rare but who knows. Let me know if I could help :)

[dazza]

>Nothing came up which is true as I have no real fears or extensive worry at all

That's what I thought coz it wasn't so obvious... and I used to be so laid back I was practically asleep standing up.

This all changed in the space of a few months (Dec 2011/Jan2012)... my world and the perceptions thereof all 'effing well changed... TOTALLY.

I, however, have a classical, text-book reason. A shooting, electric-shock type pain through my left upper-arm one night last December had me fearing for my life (of a heart attack).
It was probably just a nerve going bonkers, but it was enough to kick-start a very nasty journey ahead...

My fear grew / consumed me and before I knew it I'd developed anxiety disorder. Lucky meeeeeee huh!?

To this day, I don't know whether anxiety had already crept up on me (and caused the pain) or whether the pain was the catalyst. A chicken and smelly-egg situation... but my money is on existing anxiety for reasons I won't bore the crap out of you with right now (but they are absolutely relevant)

Now then... mmm, where to start...

We must note that the fear trigger is not always obvious to us. It is not always a tangible, "in your face" object or thingymajig... but rather it's more of a an advocate or spin-off of something far more sinister which you will not actually know exists until it is pointed out to you.
Freaky, huh?

Finding it is tricky, since the cause may be from the past which at the time wasn't that a big deal, but now has relevance to your current life style and mind-set in a way you'd never thought possible.
Freaky again, huh?

A phsychologis might tell you it's this and that, but on the face of it, you might dismiss this finding because you haven't thought it through enough.
It takes some work on your behalf to understand it.

Let me give you an example:

I have A/D for the reason above (perceived heart attack --> living in fear every day since --> now somewhat brainwashed with this thought --> my problem)

Continuous, extreme thoughts like this have consequences. They hard-code your spongey, absorbant brain into thinking this way ALWAYS.

The result?
I'm now overly anxious, GENERALLY. Especially (but not solely) when it comes to health.
This is what anxiety does... it makes us a million times worse when it comes to worrying & perceived threats and puts us in a near constant, hyper state of "fuck me I'm gonna die of summink 'orrible any minute"
In other words, our panic (fight or flight) mode is brought right to the surface and this is all-too-easily reached now.

So... profound fact number 1:
A/D puts us in an near constant, anxious state because panic mode has been unearthed and placed at the front of the que. This is (obviously) a problem in itself and is related to the following:

What were once normal events / fears etc. are now capable of triggering panic coz panic mode is right at the forefront.

Get this:

A small, passive argument with the missus recently had my heart bobbing about all over the place.
First impressions were, "ahhhh fuck... heart attack is imminent"

Second, more analytical look at it revealed this profound fact:

A previous relationship (with someone completely unsuited to me) had me feeling like shit on a number of occasions. I felt trapped and that life was gonna be torture forever.
(I dealt with it ok at the time and just put it down to "a mistake" that I will fix at some point soon)

Anyhoo... what happened with this little argument recently was that those same feelings (from the past) of trapped, feeling like shit, doomed relationship hit the panic button (coz panic mode is easy now)

So, it takes pretty much bugger all to trigger something completely wild now.
This is how it all works in a nutshell.

What you've gotta do is look deeper & father for a similar scenario.
Something that has once bugged you but perhaps wasn't so bad at the time, but is now relative to your current or future life?

Just a thought, lol