Anxiety and Stress Forum - Do Anxiety Symptoms Change?

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Learn how doctors clinically diagnose one of twelve kinds of anxiety disorders...and which doctors you should see for an anxiety diagnosis....

Q: Do Anxiety Symptoms Change?

asked by: ellie on June 27th, 2004

New User

Hi everyone

i was wondering if you could help me with my question.

I have had anxiety with panic attacks for the last 3 years. When I first experienced this I had heart palpatations, dizziness, diarrohea, twitching, uncontrollable shaking and a feeling of unreality. These symptoms became "controllable" through counselling and meditation.
Now I have been experiencing a different set of symptoms such as "air hunger", tightness in my throat, tightness in my chest, heaps of phlegm, still get the palpitations and twitching plus ringing in my ears and dizziness. I have been unable to control these through the normal methods.

When I asked my doctor if symptoms change I think he thought I was asking if symptoms are different patient to patient, not different from the one patient...

It's almost like my body has realised I have worked out how to control the initial symptoms so is making up new ones to "attack" me with. Unfortunately I had a horrible reaction to the aropax and inderal they tried with me, so bad that I ended up in hospital and i'm one of those "highly addictive" people that would get hooked on anything addictive in about 5 secs so can't go there...

Does this make sense? Has anyone else experienced this change in symptoms?

Thanks
ellie

Replies(5)

qt3

replied on June 30th, 2004

Experienced User

Not uncommon at all. The most common symptoms are lack of air symptioms like you described and heart symptoms. I really think cbt is what you need as that has eliminated all my panic and in a remarkably short period of time after years of suffering. I replied to your other post on cbt already. Good luck you can and will get better if you apply yourself to the tools in cbt :d

q

ellie

replied on June 30th, 2004

New User

Thanks q, I was giving up hope that anyone would respond to my post Smile

i have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow so hopefully he can rule out any thing else as well.
It is frustrating cos I feel like a hypochondriac going into his office every couple of months with another set of symptoms. I suppose I am just worried that something serious could come up and I keep putting it off thinking it's part of the anxiety Sad

sandyallen

replied on June 30th, 2004

Extremely eHealthy

Talk to him, like you are talking to us, write it down, so you will not leave anything out because you might go into the Dr. And have the same thing happen. Yes, anxiety symptoms do change!

Sincerely,
sandy

qt3

replied on July 2nd, 2004

Experienced User

sandyallen wrote:

talk to him, like you are talking to us, write it down, so you will not leave anything out because you might go into the Dr. And have the same thing happen. Yes, anxiety symptoms do change!

Sincerely,
sandy

this is excellent advice! Please follow it Smile

ellie-
you're welcome for the reply. I hope you are able to find something that works for you whether it ends up being cbt or something else :d I not only felt like a hypochondriac I think I was one for year!

Q

faad

replied on April 1st, 2009

New User

anxiety

i have had the same experience exactly...i used to get tension/pain in my neck and shoulders ONLY and a slightly light headed feeling...NOW I do not have that at all..NOW I get pains in my calves and weird feelings in my arms...with slight twitches...strange and scarey when you don't know what the reason is...I am just amazed at what anxiety can do...the funny thing is though I don't FEEL STRESSED OUT...that is why I had/have such a hard time accepting this.

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