Deist
02-13-2015, 11:32 PM
I was diagnosed with GAD and OCD about a year ago, but I know I have had those issues brewing for many years prior. I am 40 years old and just now starting to move beyond anxiety. I imagine my anxiety is mild compared to many people as I was able to function in society without any problems.
My doctor initially put me on Lexapro 10mg. It worked as far as curbing that edgy feeling that anxiety causes, but the sexual side effects were unbearable. As many of you know, SSRIs can cause ED in men with the two most common issues being impotence and anorgasmia. Whenever my wife and I would have "quality time," I was unable to finish. My ED was anorgasmia and I will admit that at first I loved it! Lexapro turned me into the freaking Energizer Bunny! However, after a few weeks of not being able to finish, my feelings turned to frustration. My doctor said that the side effects can diminish over time, so give it a try for a while longer. Sigh.
A couple of months later, it was a no go. She prescribed me Wellbutrin XL 150mg to supplement the Lexapro, because it can help reverse the effects of ED. Ok, cool! Three months later...no go. Sigh.
During the course of my drug treatment, I convinced myself that something was wrong inside my body. I just knew that I had an illness, disease or something. It started with my heart and the fear that if I exercised, I would drop dead. So my doctor sent me to a cardiologist, and he did a nuclear stress test. Guess what? My heart and circulation were fine. So my mind wandered in another direction...it must be my liver because I take meds! Well my bloodwork tests that come with taking SSRIs showed no elevation in my liver enzymes, white blood count, or bilirubin. Well crap...I know I am sick!
Guess what? I was stressing myself out over nothing because I did not want to believe that nothing was wrong inside of me. My fears were feeding my anxiety, and my anxiety was causing my fears. It is a vicious cycle that feeds on itself. Enough is enough!
I decided that it was time to listen to my body, not my mind. The body craves nourishment. It needs healthy levels of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbs, etc. I cut out coffee, soft drinks, tea and anything else that was acidic or contained caffeine. Garbage in = garbage out. I started eating better and then it hit me...I'm starting to feel better!
I told my doctor that I wanted to come off of Lexapro and try to tackle my anxiety with a healthier lifestyle, to include exercise. Accepting my fate, I forced myself to go jogging, fully prepared to drop dead from my mystery disease that I just knew was inside me, despite the medical tests. Live or die, I was going to do something about it. We will all die one day; it is just a matter of how and when, not if. That is not something you should worry about (easier said than done). As it turns out, I did not drop dead. After a one mile jog, I felt better! Yes my heart was pounding, but that is because of jogging, not the Grim Reaper. Fast forward a few weeks of exercise and my anxiety is pretty much gone. I can actually sleep now!
Your body is a machine. The machine needs to be properly fed (healthy foods/drinks), and used for its design (exercise/movement). Anxiety is a build up of nervous energy. Your brain signals your adrenal gland to dump adrenaline into your system. Yourt heart rate increases, you may feel light headed, and you may start sweating. Adrenaline prepares your body for fight or flight. If you just sit without burning that nervous energy off, you are doing more harm to yourself than good, as that adrenaline just sits with no where to go. Get up off the couch or out of bed, force yourself outside and go for a walk, jog, bike ride, swim or whatever. No matter what physical activity you choose to do, get that nervous energy out of your system!
If you feel anxiety coming on, drink some water and get moving. I know it is scary. I know it is a big step to take. But think about this...do you want to spend your life constantly worrying and feeling on edge, only to die at an old age having wasted your life doing nothing? If I am going to go down, I am going down trying without any regrets.
Edit: tip- to help yourself get started, invest in some headphones/earbuds and listen to music while you are moving. Five Finger Death Punch rocked my world while I was jogging! The music takes your mind off the anxiety.
Stop making excuses and start getting results. Hopefully you can kiss the doctors and meds goodbye, because they don't cure the cause, they only alleviate the symptoms.
My doctor initially put me on Lexapro 10mg. It worked as far as curbing that edgy feeling that anxiety causes, but the sexual side effects were unbearable. As many of you know, SSRIs can cause ED in men with the two most common issues being impotence and anorgasmia. Whenever my wife and I would have "quality time," I was unable to finish. My ED was anorgasmia and I will admit that at first I loved it! Lexapro turned me into the freaking Energizer Bunny! However, after a few weeks of not being able to finish, my feelings turned to frustration. My doctor said that the side effects can diminish over time, so give it a try for a while longer. Sigh.
A couple of months later, it was a no go. She prescribed me Wellbutrin XL 150mg to supplement the Lexapro, because it can help reverse the effects of ED. Ok, cool! Three months later...no go. Sigh.
During the course of my drug treatment, I convinced myself that something was wrong inside my body. I just knew that I had an illness, disease or something. It started with my heart and the fear that if I exercised, I would drop dead. So my doctor sent me to a cardiologist, and he did a nuclear stress test. Guess what? My heart and circulation were fine. So my mind wandered in another direction...it must be my liver because I take meds! Well my bloodwork tests that come with taking SSRIs showed no elevation in my liver enzymes, white blood count, or bilirubin. Well crap...I know I am sick!
Guess what? I was stressing myself out over nothing because I did not want to believe that nothing was wrong inside of me. My fears were feeding my anxiety, and my anxiety was causing my fears. It is a vicious cycle that feeds on itself. Enough is enough!
I decided that it was time to listen to my body, not my mind. The body craves nourishment. It needs healthy levels of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbs, etc. I cut out coffee, soft drinks, tea and anything else that was acidic or contained caffeine. Garbage in = garbage out. I started eating better and then it hit me...I'm starting to feel better!
I told my doctor that I wanted to come off of Lexapro and try to tackle my anxiety with a healthier lifestyle, to include exercise. Accepting my fate, I forced myself to go jogging, fully prepared to drop dead from my mystery disease that I just knew was inside me, despite the medical tests. Live or die, I was going to do something about it. We will all die one day; it is just a matter of how and when, not if. That is not something you should worry about (easier said than done). As it turns out, I did not drop dead. After a one mile jog, I felt better! Yes my heart was pounding, but that is because of jogging, not the Grim Reaper. Fast forward a few weeks of exercise and my anxiety is pretty much gone. I can actually sleep now!
Your body is a machine. The machine needs to be properly fed (healthy foods/drinks), and used for its design (exercise/movement). Anxiety is a build up of nervous energy. Your brain signals your adrenal gland to dump adrenaline into your system. Yourt heart rate increases, you may feel light headed, and you may start sweating. Adrenaline prepares your body for fight or flight. If you just sit without burning that nervous energy off, you are doing more harm to yourself than good, as that adrenaline just sits with no where to go. Get up off the couch or out of bed, force yourself outside and go for a walk, jog, bike ride, swim or whatever. No matter what physical activity you choose to do, get that nervous energy out of your system!
If you feel anxiety coming on, drink some water and get moving. I know it is scary. I know it is a big step to take. But think about this...do you want to spend your life constantly worrying and feeling on edge, only to die at an old age having wasted your life doing nothing? If I am going to go down, I am going down trying without any regrets.
Edit: tip- to help yourself get started, invest in some headphones/earbuds and listen to music while you are moving. Five Finger Death Punch rocked my world while I was jogging! The music takes your mind off the anxiety.
Stop making excuses and start getting results. Hopefully you can kiss the doctors and meds goodbye, because they don't cure the cause, they only alleviate the symptoms.