New Anxiety Sufferer -- Afraid to Sleep

[CallMeLightning]

Hey all. Just recently been exposed to the wonderful world of anxiety. After confronting my friends and compiling the following list, I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from anxiety:

• lower abdominal pressure/fullness (felt the need to flatuate/defecate)
• racing heartbeat/weird feeling in esophagus/throat/above heart
• stomach problems (felt like digesting itself)
• apple peel stuck in throat (scratched throat, nervous swallowing)
• semisolid stools/diarrhea
• extremities falling asleep/feeling a tad numb

On top of all this, I'm struggling to pay for college and have yet to find a job. My grandparents recently broke an ankle each (my grandma broke one severely and sprained the other) and my grandpa's health has been deteriorating for quite some time now. Even still, I learned that anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia run in my family.

Everything's just piling up and I don't have the motivation to do anything. I feel like I'm in a never-ending positive feedback loop and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel per se. I've begun taking Paroxetine, but now I'm afraid my anxiety is worsening because of it (and it lists numbness/tingling as one of the serious side effects). Last night was absolutely awful: I woke up at 3 am really cold even under my blankets. Then, around 5 am, it felt like my face was numb so I kept pinching my cheeks and chin. Even now, fully awake, I feel a bit light-headed and numb and I can't shake the feeling it's something awful.

I'm absolutely terrified to fall asleep because I think I'm going to die or wake up feeling worse than before (which, so far, the latter has been the case).

I'm also wondering if you guys think it's the medicine that's doing this. All of my symptoms aside for the head feeling numb happened before and after I began taking this medication. I've only taken it three times so far, so I'm not even sure if I've felt any of the effects or if it's even possible this early, seeing as SSRIs are known to take a week or two before they start kicking in. The only things I can think of that could be possible side effects aside from the numbness are yawning and dry mouth, though those could be results of my wanting to catch my breath and my dry house.

Thoughts? I've always had anxiety tendencies my entire life, seeing as I have OCD and am a possible hypochondriac, but now they're manifesting themselves.

[loveandfireworks]

I am also on paxil...which has succeeded in giving me bad dreams....another lovely side effect. I have been on paxil for 2 months n while I thought it was beginning to help it began to make my anxiety worse and then like I said, the bad dreams started. Now like you, I am also afraid to go to sleep because I am afraid of having another bad dream and waking up in a panic attack like I always do after the dreams. I am going to the doctors this week to talk about getting off the paxil. I get some of your other symptom too sometimes during an attack or when an attack is about to come on. I have been to the doctors a lot convinced I am dying or that there is something seriously wrong with me, I also have become a hypocondriac. I also sometimes feel like I am suffocating and can't breathe so that always freaks me out before going to sleep too because I am afraid I will stop breathing in my sleep n not wake up. Hang in there, I know its rough. Just know you are not alone and may want to get off the paxil (paroxtine). Are you seeing any kind of therapist or counselor to help with your anxiety?

[DocSi]

Explain more about your weird feeling you get along with the racing heartbeat. I've been experiencing a strange sensation I can't quite describe but it always sends me into panic when it happens. Does it feel like your sinking into your body almost? Like you're being pushed back into your skin suit?