Introduction

[introvertdivi5i0n]

Hello, my name is Steven. I am 18 and have had at least some anxiety all my life. Recently, I had my first panic attack a month ago due to to much caffeine (I will never drink Redbull again... :P ). Since then my anxiety has gotten unbearably worse. A week or so after that I also began to suffer from what I assume to be Derealization (I feel as if reality is a dream, less vivid, though I know its not). It has been constant, though the intensity does vary through out the day. This has attributed greatly to the worsening of my anxiety. However, finally figuring out what that feeling was and understanding it has made it easier to cope with reducing alot of anxiety. I have been taking Lexapro for approx. 4 - 5 months for Social Anxiety Disorder. It has helped my social-specific anxiety, however my general anxiety has only gotten worse. I have an appointment soon with my Psychiatrist whom does not know about the Derealization yet. I still need to check with my Doctor to make sure its not something physical. If it is something physical I would suspect it to be sinus/inner ear related. Anyways, thats why I'm here ^_^.

[costaboy]

hi there pal, i sometimes feel the same way although my anxiety is more related with my stomach. the sometimes finding it hard to tell the different between a dream and reality might be a certain less state of hallucinating not sure if youve concidered this x i would deffo advise you go to see the gp x
im 23 and if you ever wanna chat just message me

[Spud1980]

Hi, Steven,

My name is David from Minnesota. Sorry about having to deal with a panic attack. Though they are no fun, they are never fatal. Take it from someone who had his first attack over 20 years ago. It is a good idea that you are going to the psychiatrist. It's important to find out if something physical might be causing your problems. That is what I did. It eases the mind knowing you're okay physically. De-realization is one of the symptoms of anxiety and panic. Though it is an unpleasant sensation, it is not harmful and doesn't mean you are going to go crazy. 15,000,000 people in the U.S. alone have panic and anxiety issues, so you are not alone. Also, panic and anxiety are the most treatable psychological problems. As for meds, my psychiatrist told me that pills do half the work and then we do the other half, such as diet, exercise, going to counseling and finding a good program that will help get your anxiety under control. If you ever need to drop me a note, please do so anytime. David