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  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    2

    Could it be anxiety? Help!

    Hi guys,

    Brand new here, so first of all, hellooooo...

    I'm looking for some help, advice, something really and would very much appreciate your advice.

    Let me tell you a little about my history.

    Aged 0-20, didn't know what stress nor anxiety was, then final year of university, I started to suffer from something, to which I didn't know what it was. Anyway, put it to one side for a while and finished university and whatnot while trying to ignore it. finished university and the problem persisted and got worse, I can only describe it as brain fog and sort of like you feel when you've had a few drinks, but it was consistent, never ending just always feeling like that.
    Eventually went to my doctor in december 2011 and was told I was suffering from stress, anxiety. I left completely unconvinced as I have never had either of those conditions and ultimately didn't feel stressed as I had finished uni and was happy, excluding this 'condition'.
    Anyway, I went on Zoloft (sertraline), which did very little, but numb me. Came off that after 7 months as I did't feel it was really doing too much.

    Now it's 2015 and I'm still suffering from this affliction.
    I have done so much to alleviate what I was told was stress and nothing as helped. I don't smoke, don't drink, run every day almost as well as hit the gym, sleep for good periods without waking, I've taken all vitamins and mineral supplements out there, bought myself a mood light, I even took a year sabbatical to from work to help myself and nothing helped, you name it, I've done it.

    Up to today, I've just returned from the doctor after receiving completely normal blood test results and he's all up for prescribing me Prozac, even though I've said I can't believe it could be stress, I mean, I'm positive about my life, just this bizarre feeling takes the shine off things in my life, yet I know tomorrow I make wake and feel completely different and I can get back on my horse.

    Right, just to give a few symptoms, in no particular order:-

    Brain fog/malaise
    Constipation (this continued even on tablets)
    Dull headache, sort of feels like I'm wearing a swimming cap
    Neck crunches, feels like it's inside my head
    Frequent heartburn
    Loss of libido, also body doesn't feel like allowing erections, just don't feel like getting it on rarely, if I do, ejaculation is rubbish, this is a killer!
    Loss of appetite, get hungry, but don't mind much if I don't eat
    Muscle wasting and weakness, I hit the gym regularly and have lost so much strength and size and tone since this started.
    Blocked nose
    Visual disturbance in low light, as in dusk and at night, it's like I can see, but I can't process it.
    Constant fatigue, can't get enough sleep, no trouble getting to and staying asleep, but getting up is a killer, sometimes feel like a zombie. Could do with a nap most days.

    The weird thing I find, is that now and again, I'll have, usually, 3 days in a row where I feel so much better, music playing all the time in my head, food is really appealing, sex becomes attractive, and I feel like getting my dancing shoe on and I literally can't stop talking, like someone on cocaine.

    I'm convinced this is something organically wrong with me, but I can't prove it, the theory that stress is still causing all this after so long doesn't sit right with me, but I don't know what else to do.

    Can anyone please pass their opinion on this, is this stress or what?!

    Thanks in advance for the replies guys!

    Jake

  2. #2
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    14
    Quote Originally Posted by 09greenj View Post
    Hi guys, Brand new here, so first of all, hellooooo... I'm looking for some help, advice, something really and would very much appreciate your advice. Let me tell you a little about my history. Aged 0-20, didn't know what stress nor anxiety was, then final year of university, I started to suffer from something, to which I didn't know what it was. Anyway, put it to one side for a while and finished university and whatnot while trying to ignore it. finished university and the problem persisted and got worse, I can only describe it as brain fog and sort of like you feel when you've had a few drinks, but it was consistent, never ending just always feeling like that. Eventually went to my doctor in december 2011 and was told I was suffering from stress, anxiety. I left completely unconvinced as I have never had either of those conditions and ultimately didn't feel stressed as I had finished uni and was happy, excluding this 'condition'. Anyway, I went on Zoloft (sertraline), which did very little, but numb me. Came off that after 7 months as I did't feel it was really doing too much. Now it's 2015 and I'm still suffering from this affliction. I have done so much to alleviate what I was told was stress and nothing as helped. I don't smoke, don't drink, run every day almost as well as hit the gym, sleep for good periods without waking, I've taken all vitamins and mineral supplements out there, bought myself a mood light, I even took a year sabbatical to from work to help myself and nothing helped, you name it, I've done it. Up to today, I've just returned from the doctor after receiving completely normal blood test results and he's all up for prescribing me Prozac, even though I've said I can't believe it could be stress, I mean, I'm positive about my life, just this bizarre feeling takes the shine off things in my life, yet I know tomorrow I make wake and feel completely different and I can get back on my horse. Right, just to give a few symptoms, in no particular order:- Brain fog/malaise Constipation (this continued even on tablets) Dull headache, sort of feels like I'm wearing a swimming cap Neck crunches, feels like it's inside my head Frequent heartburn Loss of libido, also body doesn't feel like allowing erections, just don't feel like getting it on rarely, if I do, ejaculation is rubbish, this is a killer! Loss of appetite, get hungry, but don't mind much if I don't eat Muscle wasting and weakness, I hit the gym regularly and have lost so much strength and size and tone since this started. Blocked nose Visual disturbance in low light, as in dusk and at night, it's like I can see, but I can't process it. Constant fatigue, can't get enough sleep, no trouble getting to and staying asleep, but getting up is a killer, sometimes feel like a zombie. Could do with a nap most days. The weird thing I find, is that now and again, I'll have, usually, 3 days in a row where I feel so much better, music playing all the time in my head, food is really appealing, sex becomes attractive, and I feel like getting my dancing shoe on and I literally can't stop talking, like someone on cocaine. I'm convinced this is something organically wrong with me, but I can't prove it, the theory that stress is still causing all this after so long doesn't sit right with me, but I don't know what else to do. Can anyone please pass their opinion on this, is this stress or what?! Thanks in advance for the replies guys! Jake

    Hi Jake,
    I'm sorry to hear about what you are going through but you are not alone. I have had severe anxiety attacks since my last year in college / actually my internships. I am going to be 45 and continue to have the "brain fog" feeling as well as fatigue and general sleepiness. I also work out every morning for about 1-1/2 hours and trust me you don't want to stop. When I hit my mid 30's I let myself gain weight and that added to the stress. I was on meds when I had my original "major" attack that kept me pretty much home bound with the exception of forcing myself to work and my internships for a good 2 months. I also attended groups at that time that helped. I still struggle with my anxiety on a day to day basis but like yourself I have "good runs" that last from days to weeks at a time. It's frustrating as hell but force yourself to continue normal activity and if you have people that your close to in life don't be afraid to talk to them and explain what's going on with you. Support systems are important! As far as what I do for brain fogs issues is write everything down that I need to do on my iPhone lists. It may sound stupid but I also take allot of pictures whenever I go on vacations etc with the fam because my memory continues to suck! I also listen to allot of music and relaxation tapes / iTunes is excellent in order to stop the running thoughts and worried chatter going on in my head. You are lucky that you are able to sleep. I have a hard time getting and staying asleep. I hope this helps a little and fel free to reach out any time you need to talk.

  3. #3
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    2
    That's what I can't understand from people I've directly spoken to about anxiety is they mostly have difficulty sleeping and I really don't one bit, never wake up in the night.

    I also don't have those running thought nor worried chattering. I remember having a panic attack once way before this started when I was in a very sticky situation that I thought was irreversible and I've never had one since.

 

 

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