anxiety due to overdose

[wintensity]

hi everyone, and thank you in advance to anyone who can be of any help.

about one month ago i overdosed on cocaine (i know, real stupid).. and worse than that.. ever since then i've had terrible anxiety. i went to the hospital after the od.. they kept me overnight and released me the next day. I still had some symptoms (trouble breathing.. general anxiety) and said hey.. it will probably go away in a few days. well.. it didn't. after about a week i went to my doc and was put on lexapro for the anxiety (been on it maybe 4 1/2 weeks).. it has helped a bit but i'm still very scared for my life im worried i did permanent damage. has anyone ever heard of anything like this? did the overdose make something in my brain click for this constant anxiety?

[northstar]

hi there, sorry to see you in such distress :(

to be honest i don't know anything about cocaine use and it's effects on the brain so i can't tell you anything about the possibility of permanent damage. i do know anxiety is a common withdrawal symptom for users of this particular drug, but you don't mention if this overdose was a one time thing or if you were a frequent user. if you're worried about damage then the best person to ask about it is your doctor, it can be totally worth it to put your mind at rest.

the only other thing i can think of is that after such an event i can imagine your body must be feeling pretty stressed out. this in itself can continue the cycles of anxiety. you don't mention how you've been coping with the aftermath but i would suggest that you really start being good to your body right now. make sure you're getting plenty of rest and relaxation, eating the right foods and getting in some exercise to bring up the levels of good hormones in your body. if you start doing these things it can help to soothe your burned out nervous system and you'll start to feel better. if i were you i would follow the usual advice for recovery from anxiety along with the medication. you can read all about methods to help yourself with on this thread, if you haven't read it already: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

also remember that recovery from anxiety usually never happens straight away, it takes some work, but it is very possible to get better. you might like to speak to a counsellor about your experience and the fears that you still have regarding it. i really hope you start feeling better soon :)

[mykull]

hey.

Sorry to hear of your OD. My anxiety was triggered by the same thing. It went away for about 2 weeks, then i had a panic attack because i drank too much caffeine. it's been 9 months, and it's been a struggle. Just clean up, and have confidence that you're fine. because you are. The only reason why it's taking me so long to recover is that I was unaware of how much this can destroy your confidence, and building it back up is extremely difficult. YOU'RE OK! trust me, i did the same thing.

[hypnogood]

Hi, wintensity, I checked some info about cocaine overdose below.

Small amounts of cocaine make a person feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert. It also decreases appetite and the need for sleep. When large amounts of cocaine are taken, the high is more intense. However, large doses can cause strange or violent behavior in which the person may have tremors or muscle twitches or become paranoid.

After using cocaine, the person feels irritable, tired, and depressed. This is called a coke crash. When a person takes the drug at higher and higher doses (a binge), it can cause increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia that can result in a serious loss of touch with reality (paranoid psychosis).

So I think your anxiety caused by overdosing cocaine is a normal reaction. Just don't worry, you know everything happened will make a click in your brain, but you can choose which thing should be clicked more and which kinda things not! So don't worry and do the thing just as you should do or live your life as usual. Your brain is smart enough to help you.