Hello here's a bit about me

[Lols1]

Hello everyone. I would like to introduce myself and share my experience with Generalised Anxiety Disorder so far.
I'm 23, female and work as a nursing care assistant. I've been trying to find out what's wrong with me for years but only realised I was suffering from an anxiety disorder a few weeks ago.
I'll keep it short
I have panic attacks, shaky hands, palpitations, lack of concentration, aches and pains, episodes of depersonalisation/derealisation, chest pains, fatigue, night sweats, dermalophagia/dermatillomania and other things. This past year I had shingles, acute bronchitis, bells palsy, and a kidney infection. I'd had enough. I'm now on my 2nd day of Venlafaxine a fairly low dose. I wondered if anxiety could cause these illnesses. Mostly I just want to feel healthy and not sore all over. I'm not sure about therapy.
Nice to meet u all, at least I will be able to talk to someone when and if these tablets kick in.

Xxx

[Lols1]

I do worry. I worry that family will die, I think about that everyday. I worry that I'll lose my job, that i might do something wrong or not work hard enough. That people don't want me around, that I haven't got what I want from life yet and it's going to get too late, the list goes on...
In the past I was on Citalopram for depression but I stopped taking them after 6 weeks as I didn't feel they would do any more to help. Those meds just gave me chance to step back and sort my life out a bit so that I could actually function.

I have awful dreams too about horrible things happening and wake up barely able to breathe in a panic. The doctor wants to rid me of the physical symptoms of anxiety first I think. I do over worry about my health, like a hypochondriac or something. I was convinced I had fibromyalgia but no ones ever mentioned that.

[Lols1]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks. I keep being offered counselling, but I tried it once and I'm not sure if I would do it again. I know what's caused it, my parents went through a violent divorce.. need I say more. That was when I started having the depersonalisation episodes but I kept quiet as it's an extremely hard feeling to describe. Anyway glad I found this forum lots of useful info

[alankay]

I think you're on the right track with effexor. Just give it a fair trial and you may need to raise the dose to get full benefit but I would stay on it for bare minimum of 3 months. Effexor acts as an SSRI at low and medium doses and think anxiety is what your dealing with. I actually think starting at a low dose and titrating up is best as some folks get side effects that will be minimized by starting low and raising the dose slowly to 75 mg total for the day or whatever the doc recommends. Alankay

[rapidcycler]

I worry about being seen as a hypochondriac and pillhead as well. It's hard going through all these tests, being sick, having your body react by presenting hives, palpitations they can't see on a monitor but can feel with their own hands, etc (my experience), now they want to put me blood pressure meds because that has spiked... the anxiety is causing all of this, I'm sure. Xanax seems to be the only thing that reduces my symptoms enough to function, but in turn makes me listless and lethargic, even with lowered and raised dosages. I'm no expert, just someone going through what is seems are very similar episodes. so, even though I have no expertise to offer, I hope you take comfort that others empathize and feel your pain. I know it helps me just reading these. *hugs* rapidcycler