Is this really anxiety!?!

[kaylag2795]

There are some days I feel great...There are some days i get so scared! I have symptoms of dizziness, nausea, and confusion. I am taking Sertraline ..only 25mg for about 8 months now..which i get scared of taking medicine anyways...i want to stop. Everytime i visit the doctor they say that I am fine and everything always shows up normal..but i never hardly feel normal...I dont know what i could be stressed about other than feeling like this..i dont know how to stop. I am laying here as we speak trying to calm down just to go to sleep. I just feel wierd and it is hard to explain! Does anyone else feel this way? Also, my 21st b-day was this past week. I wanted to go out and buy a drink at least...and I did. Felt great, but I only had a few sips of a margarita. Should i not drink at all? I am so scared of living sometimes...uggh! Im trying my hardest to trust God in all that is going on...I just need to get my mind fixed! Any ideas????

[northstar]

dear kayla, i'm so sorry you're having a rough time right now, anxiety can be quite frightening and i understand why you feel so scared.

i'm giving you a link to another post on this forum where i wrote about all the things that helped me through my own anxiety problems, you might find some help in it: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087 it's good that you've been to see your doc and i hope that the sertraline helps you out a bit, but my own belief is that along with meds we need to work on ourselves in order to get better. so doing things like getting exercise, looking at your diet, talking to a counsellor or even just doing the things you love more often are very important and can really help :)

about alcohol, it should tell you on the information that comes with your meds if you should drink while you're on them. or your doctor will be able to tell you. another thing to remember is that alcohol can also create anxiety & panic because it messes around with your body's blood sugar levels and it's not unusual for someone to get anxious after drinking it (especially the morning after). this is easily combatted by not drinking very much, or simply taking care of yourself while you drink by making sure you eat well, drink plenty of water between drinks and the morning after (alcohol dehydrates you) and also taking a vitamin B supplement.

i personally avoid alcohol because it gives me heart palpitations and makes me anxious. once upon a time i used to freak out because of the palpitations, they'd send me into a panic - but once i realised they were coming from the alcohol i just stopped drinking so much and also because i knew why i had them they just weren't scary anymore and so i stopped panicking when i felt them :) these days i just have a drink every now and again, i don't go out and get drunk the way i used to, although that may also be because i just don't hang out with the friends i used to go drinking with anymore!

anyway, i didn't mean to waffle on so much! read the other post and take a look at the things you can do to start supporting and helping yourself and hopefully you will begin to feel better soon :console:

[kaylag2795]

thank you so much!!!

[danstelter]

You always need to be careful when drinking on medication. Usually a drink or two is really not a big deal. If, however, you plan to drink heavily, skip your medication (but be ready to deal with the consequences which could plant you in the ER)!

If you think that it is the medication that is causing the problems, ask your doctor if you can take a break from it and see how things go then. Or, ask if you can reduce your dosage. If you get worse, you know the medication was helping; if you get better, you know it wasn't.

Other than that, anxiety requires a lot of hard work to relieve, but it does relieve if you keep at it. Following the dieting, exercise, counseling (very helpful for me), and other suggestions in that guide posted will be very helpful. Be sure to ask people questions if you get confused as well!

[(HAWK)]

I feel like that all the time and I have (GAD),one day I will feel like i'm on top of the world,the next I feel like someone just kicked me in the balls and left me in a dark room with no doors! :tongue: The number one thing that causes Anxiety the most is thinking too much,I found that telling your self that there just thoughts and they can't hurt you helps alot! ;)

[kaylag2795]

I definitely think wayyyy too much! :? I know that I shouldnt drink..and that is why if I do then it is not even a full drink. I get scared to do anything...but i want to live life to its fullest too. I am just unsure of what to do. I want to keep taking the meds so I dont go crazy, but i dont because i want to be normal again! I take my meds at 9pm at night..which is a little after i drink the half of a drink! lol is this okay? taking my meds at night definitely makes me feel better during the next day. I just feel like it will never get any better. I am trying my hardest at trying to forget all my feelings and thoughts about this. That is why i even mentiioned the drinking thing. Its not like i need it at all..just when i go out somewhere i just want to drink and relax. I havent had any problems yet...but like i said..all i have drank was half a drink..So i'll keep with that. In no way do i want to use drinking as an anxiety reducer...and I dont want to rely on that to make me feel better! I have recently started PE in college...and im hoping that exercising in there is going to help. I am dizzy all the time though, so Im scared to work out too much. Im scared of doing anything! With everyone's help on here though, I feel that i can push myself through this. Seeing everyone with the same situation really makes me feel better. Im going to school for Chemistry. and Later on want to go to optometry school. I am under a lot of stress. Knowing that I am not the only one really reassures me that i can make it through this tough time. It will be well worth it in the end!