gabrielsays
10-24-2011, 01:15 PM
My names Adam,
Im 24 and have suffered from anxiety now for about 7 years, had a few periods of aleviation, although unfortunately ive never felt completely cured. I thought id tell you a little bit about myself and share some experiences incase it was of any of interest to you all, Im sure alot of it sounds familiar to you and you have found ways of coping with the different aspects that come with it.
Well a couple of things about me first, i have type 1 diabetes which obviously doesnt help the situation, i have also suffered from chronic insomnia for most of my life which once again, even when i am not having accute phases of anxiety, really can throw a wrench in the works with day to day life.
My anxiety began when i was around 17, i had undergone a really stressful episode in my life, during which time i lost my older brother who also had type one diabetes. Not too long after this my friend offered for me to come to a little greek island where he had a house to get some space, i accepted and all was going quite well until i had a motorbike accident in which i smacked my head off the road pretty hard. I was checked by doctors although the language barrier wasnt too helpful, and they basically said that physically i was ok apart from a few cuts and scrape. i was fine for about 24 hours or so and even managed to go and grab a few beers that evening but in the middle of the night i woke up with the worst feeling of dread, i thought it was a hypo and checked my blood sugars but they were fine which only made me worry more, i really started to freak out and was convinced the doctors had missed something and i was going to die. From that point on life has never really been the same to me.
I managed to get an emergency flight home, although i was having continous panic attack and couldnt not shake the idea/images in my head that i was going to die. When i was back in England, my doctors pretty much disregarded the accident and insisted i be treated at the local mental health support facility. It was here that i had my first diagnosis of anxiety, post traumatic stress etc (since then one of my doctors has explained that post concussion syndrome could have been giving me symptoms, which unexplained, can feel very jarring and shocking, but since this was never explained to me, i probably automatically conceived these symptoms as dangerous). The first thing that happened was i perscribed 30mg of paroxetine...yep 30mg starting dose. Well as you can probably tell, i was rushed to hospital that evening with high blood pressure, palputations etc, this of course didnt do my anxiety any good, but then also for awhile after i also had just a sense of feeling washed out, numb and emotionless.
I was given a few different SSRI's to try and then it was decided as i was still under the age of 18 i probably shouldnt be given them at all (same Center!). At this point i went private and was introduced to Mirtazapine which really worked wonders for me, I could sleep again, eat properly again and in time gained confidence to return to the outside world and continue being a 'functioning part of society', at least i think thats what you would consider it...
Since then i have had a few periods of serious generalised anxiety. The most recent of which has been triggered by taking 10mg of citalopram which was recommended by my gp, once again i am back to the full blown anxiety, obsessive thoughts and behaviour. Not so much panic attacks, but a complete change in my perception, the derealisation and worry that this will last forever is probably the hardest things to cope with especially after having so many years of being independent, i am taking a low dose of mirtazapine again but this time round it is making me feel pretty hung over and slow in the day which doesnt seem to help the situation, My doctor has mentioned effexor and pregabalin as an alternative but i wonder if i should be on any type of meds at all! Doctors have decided to test me for a pheochromocytoma again as it can be common in diabetics but i dont really want to sell myself to any physical diagnosis yet until i have solid proof, although my resting heart rate is between 100-120 and has been for years. Its hard knowing that this may always just pop in the future randomly, and maybe at a time when i have alot more serious obligations in my life, but right now i guess i just need to feel like i am alive again and talking to other people who have had the same experiences is probably one of the best ways for me to hang on in there. Anyways sorry for rambling on, and i appreciate who ever has taken the time to read this through! All the best, Ad
Im 24 and have suffered from anxiety now for about 7 years, had a few periods of aleviation, although unfortunately ive never felt completely cured. I thought id tell you a little bit about myself and share some experiences incase it was of any of interest to you all, Im sure alot of it sounds familiar to you and you have found ways of coping with the different aspects that come with it.
Well a couple of things about me first, i have type 1 diabetes which obviously doesnt help the situation, i have also suffered from chronic insomnia for most of my life which once again, even when i am not having accute phases of anxiety, really can throw a wrench in the works with day to day life.
My anxiety began when i was around 17, i had undergone a really stressful episode in my life, during which time i lost my older brother who also had type one diabetes. Not too long after this my friend offered for me to come to a little greek island where he had a house to get some space, i accepted and all was going quite well until i had a motorbike accident in which i smacked my head off the road pretty hard. I was checked by doctors although the language barrier wasnt too helpful, and they basically said that physically i was ok apart from a few cuts and scrape. i was fine for about 24 hours or so and even managed to go and grab a few beers that evening but in the middle of the night i woke up with the worst feeling of dread, i thought it was a hypo and checked my blood sugars but they were fine which only made me worry more, i really started to freak out and was convinced the doctors had missed something and i was going to die. From that point on life has never really been the same to me.
I managed to get an emergency flight home, although i was having continous panic attack and couldnt not shake the idea/images in my head that i was going to die. When i was back in England, my doctors pretty much disregarded the accident and insisted i be treated at the local mental health support facility. It was here that i had my first diagnosis of anxiety, post traumatic stress etc (since then one of my doctors has explained that post concussion syndrome could have been giving me symptoms, which unexplained, can feel very jarring and shocking, but since this was never explained to me, i probably automatically conceived these symptoms as dangerous). The first thing that happened was i perscribed 30mg of paroxetine...yep 30mg starting dose. Well as you can probably tell, i was rushed to hospital that evening with high blood pressure, palputations etc, this of course didnt do my anxiety any good, but then also for awhile after i also had just a sense of feeling washed out, numb and emotionless.
I was given a few different SSRI's to try and then it was decided as i was still under the age of 18 i probably shouldnt be given them at all (same Center!). At this point i went private and was introduced to Mirtazapine which really worked wonders for me, I could sleep again, eat properly again and in time gained confidence to return to the outside world and continue being a 'functioning part of society', at least i think thats what you would consider it...
Since then i have had a few periods of serious generalised anxiety. The most recent of which has been triggered by taking 10mg of citalopram which was recommended by my gp, once again i am back to the full blown anxiety, obsessive thoughts and behaviour. Not so much panic attacks, but a complete change in my perception, the derealisation and worry that this will last forever is probably the hardest things to cope with especially after having so many years of being independent, i am taking a low dose of mirtazapine again but this time round it is making me feel pretty hung over and slow in the day which doesnt seem to help the situation, My doctor has mentioned effexor and pregabalin as an alternative but i wonder if i should be on any type of meds at all! Doctors have decided to test me for a pheochromocytoma again as it can be common in diabetics but i dont really want to sell myself to any physical diagnosis yet until i have solid proof, although my resting heart rate is between 100-120 and has been for years. Its hard knowing that this may always just pop in the future randomly, and maybe at a time when i have alot more serious obligations in my life, but right now i guess i just need to feel like i am alive again and talking to other people who have had the same experiences is probably one of the best ways for me to hang on in there. Anyways sorry for rambling on, and i appreciate who ever has taken the time to read this through! All the best, Ad