Anxiety and Stress Forum - 26 Y/o Guy. Severe Anxiety??? Desperate...

Please bear with me, this might be a long read, but your advice would be so much appreciated...

I'm a 26 year old male, 5'5, 150 lbs, not physically active, but not in bad shape either. I have had a history of systolic hypertension (ie. 160-180/85-90), ever since I was a little boy (probably due to nervousness).

The last two years have been pretty depressing for me as I have lost a high paying job and have since have had to settle for a job that pays 1/3 as much, had my car reposessed, and so on... There are other issues, such as love, etc, which I will not be getting into, but have been causing me some worries as well.

Now, recently, things had been going really well. I had been working on a new business venture, started exercising, eating better. Basically, I was feeling great.

I had been working very hard on my business venture, staying up very late, dreaming of it, etc... Then one night, I decided to do a little cardio-exercise. It was hot & humid and had not been able to do more than 15 minutes of it. When I stopped, I noticed I was a little lightheaded, but I had attributed it to exercise.

The next morning (friday), hypochondriac as I am, I decided to do a little research on what had caused the lightheadedness. When I started reading about heart-related stuff, I suddenly became very faint. Nothing was turning, but it felt like I was going to pass out. I decided to go home. My girlfriend, who has a panic disorder with agoraphobia suggested to me that I had experienced a panic attack.

That weekend, I had experienced everything from tight throat, muscle tension, chest pains, cold-clammy hands & feet, fast-irregular heartbeats. The dizziness never went away.

The next work week, I was so convinced that my dizziness was caused by something physical, that I decided to do some further reading. I actually though I had congestive heart failure. I suddenly began developping symptoms of the disease, such as shortness of breath, cough, etc... That night, I decided to drive myself to the emergency room, where I would see the first doctor in my lifetime. You see, apart from being a total hypochondriac, my overwhelming fear of death has made me avoid doctors. This is due to my "no news is good news" mentality.

Anyway, that night, they ran a quick ecg of my heart. I normally have an irregular heartbeat at rest, but my heart was beating so fast, that the ecg was normal. My bp was at 198/120 however!!! Anyway, my heart was not enlarged, which was my biggest worry. I was reassured, about my heart anyway...

That friday, I decided to go to the clinic to get my bp checked and followed. It was 160/90. Not bad, for me anyway. The doctor gave me some klonopin and told me to come back a week later for a followup. I took the klonopin for 3 nights, but I was completely zombied-out the entire next 3 days, so I stopped taking them. I went back to my follow-up exam. My blood pressure was 155/85. I'll take that. I assume that my nervousness brought it up a bit. What ticks me off is that I had brought a list of my symptoms to the doctor to ask him which could be attributed to anxiety and stress. He didn't want to listen to my symptoms and told me I needed some psychological help.

So anyway, since he didn't want to listen to my symptoms, I hope you guys will. The first weekend, I had the classic symptoms... Lightheaded, tightness in the neck, chest pains, diarrhea, jolts which would keep me awake every time I would dose off, etc...

Fine. But for the past 3 weeks, I have been having the following symptoms, non stop...

- constantly lightheaded 24/7 especially after eating
- can't concentrate on anything buy my health
- extremely tired during the day even though I sleep very well now.
- increasing weakness
- shaky trembling feeling
- stools that go from light to dark, soft to hard, & vice-versa
- food in stools
- aching all over bones & joints
- clencing teeth
- stiff neck
- sweating at night
- arms fall asleep at night, even when placed at my sides.
- left arm getting more and more numb.

Today, I was feeling a little better so I decided to try a quick 4 minute cardiovascular workout. When I stopped, I was extremely lightheaded and have been that way all afternoon. I feel like passing out even as i'm writing this message.

What is going on with me? I know that all my other symptoms are probably due to stress & anxiety, but what about the lightheadedness? It was the symptom that started all this, it's the one that causing all my other symptoms, and it's the only one that never goes away! It's getting worse even! If I weren't lightheaded like this, I would be fine, I know it! When I talked to my doctor about it, it's always "pff, that's anxiety". If it is, why did it start out of nowhere, and why does it get worse with exercise?

Anyway, I went for blood tests yesterday to rule out anemia, diabetes, etc, and to finally start a record of my health. I should get the results back in a week or two. This too is causing me a little bit of anxiety.

Has anybody ever been constantly dizzy like this? I hate it and I don't know how much more of this I can take. It's like I had 6 glasses of wine and the buzz never left. When I close my eyes, i'm okay. But when I open them, it's like as if nothing's real. And it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

I would love to hear from you guys and some of your experiences. Has anybody ever had anything chronic like this?

Thank you so much! I hope i'll get though this one way or another.

Replies(17)

lyricbaritone

replied on July 21st, 2004

New User

Dizziness

Hey, there. I'm sorry to hear that things are so rough right now. Know that you're among friends Smile

though i'm new to this forum, i've had my share of anxiety, and have been experiencing it again recently after about five anxiety-free years. The first time around, I had what I thought were heart-related symptoms that went away with medication and therapy. So if your symptoms truly are anxiety, take heart -- there is hope!

As far as the dizziness intensifying after you work out -- it sounds like you are doing everything you need to be doing to check that out. Bp sounds a bit high to me, but the docs can treat that easily if needed. I totally understand the stress you are going through right now, because the first time around, it took 3 ekg's, a 24 hour heart monitor, and an echocardiogram to convince me I was actually ok. That's extreme. If your tests are coming back negative, then trust that. Take consolation in that. Get a second opinion if you need to, but after that, try treating the anxiety. Sometimes it helps to have a name to pin things on!

In general, anxiety breeds anxiety. A symptom breeds a symptom. We all experience anxiety differently, and, if your symptoms are truly anxiety, then you experience it as lightheadedness and tingling in your limbs. These are not uncommon symptoms. And, since you first experienced these symptoms while working out, your brain may now link working out with a "scary" situation. This is simply your body's response to try to protect you from harm. So, it alerts you, "hey, this was bad before. Stop!" so you get dizzy, and once you get dizzy, you get worried, and you get more dizzy, and more worried -- the vicious feedback loop of anxiety.

There are lots of things you can do to break that loop. I won't go into them here because they're mentioned all over this forum.

You didn't mention any meds -- did your doctor(s) start you on anything? When I first started having anxiety symptoms, I started taking ativan/diazepam as needed for the panic attacks (a benzodiazepine; similar meds are valium and xanax) . These would make me lightheaded for several hours at a time, and have the "hangover" feeling you described. I can't imagine what it would have felt like to try to do anything active in that state! I was also put on zoloft (an ssri -- there are many out there these days including prozac, paxil, luvoz, lexapro, and celexa). When I started it, I had the stomach problems as well as almost constant lightheadedness, dizziness, and tingling sensations in my face and arms. These symptoms would come back every time I ramped up to a higher dose, but would go away as soon as my body got used to the dose. Again, physical activity was out of the question.

So that's my experience. I hope it is in some way helpful to you. Let us know how things are going. You're in my thoughts and prayers!!!

Paul

junior

replied on July 22nd, 2004

New User

Thanks paul! Your reply was more than I would ever have expected! It means a great deal to find people who can understand. My girlfriend has a history of panic attacks, but they are under control with paxil. She can understand me a little bit, but my problem isn't really panic attacks. At least not at the moment. It's more of a chronic thing.

I'm sitting here at work, and I seem to be just as spaced-out as yesterday, even after a good night's sleep. It's like whenever I do something to worsen the dizziness, it never goes back to it's previous state. It just seems to get worse. Or maybe it's just my perception. But I must say that I feel "extra" spacey today, even more than when this whole ordeal started 3 weeks ago. Even though I had my heart checked out briefly and was told that it was fine, there is still this little part of my mind that thinks there might be a blockage in a main artery or something. But then again, my high blood pressure readings prove that there is plenty of blood going through my body.

I was put on klonopin (clonazepam) for a week to make me calm down, but it made me extra tired, extra dizzy, and it made my muscles feel like jell-o. I went to play a 9 hole of golf while I was on the medicine and my muscles were stiff for a week! That freaked me out even more, thinking I had ms and all that stuff. So I stopped taking them.

When I went to the er the first time thinking I was having some type of heart failure, they laughed and looked at me like I was a freak, and they told me to treat my anxiety. When I went to get my blood pressure checked at the clinic and told the doctor my other symptoms, he laughed and told me it was anxiety. When I followed up with him a week later and tried to explain my dizziness, he just got ticked off and told me I needed serious mental help. No neurologist appointment or anything. He doesn't seem to understand that I want to rule out any physical problems before I get started on mind altering medications and take up a psychologist's time, and my time for that matter. At least, he sent me to get some blood tests done. That's a start, but it's only to start a record of my health. I still have to find myself a family doctor, and they are extremely hard to find. But I still would really would like to get my head checked out. I know I probably don't have a brain tumor or anything like that because i'm not really having any major headaches, but I would still like to be reassured that there is nothing wrong inside my head. It would probably the key to make me stop worrying, and thus stop feeling lightheaded. Instead, the doctor told me to see a psychologist before my next visit.

What frustrates me is that I really don't feel nervous or anxious at all. I'm sitting here all calm and relaxed, my heart is beating at 60 beats per minute. The same is true when I relax in front of the tv during the evening. No symptoms of anxiety whatsoever. My bowels are okay now, I have a really good appetite, I go outside for walks, go to the mall, etc... Yes, I still tremble during the night and my arms are still always falling asleep, but I feel fine otherwise. But the lightheadedness is always there. Which is the reason i'm always double-guessing the cause of the lightheadedness. Yes, I still worry constantly about this whole thing, but it doesn't seem to be causing any other symptoms of anxiety. So i'm stumped.

The mayo clinic web site says that lightheadedness is usually caused by one of three things:

- vestibular disorders : doctor ruled it out
- hyperventilation : I breath very calmly and slowly.
- anxiety disorders : they mostly mention panic attacks, so ???

Are there any medications that are especially good for lightheadedness? A pharmacist had given me some gravol, but it just made me fall asleep before I could tell if it worked or not. Hee hee. And it lowered my heart rate to something like 45 beats per minute. Which I didn't like at all.

I would really like to find a definitive answer to all this. I wake up every morning hoping that i'm okay, but no hope yet. Maybe if I get blood tests which reveal nothing, I will be able to stop worrying. But for now, I guess i'll just have to live with it.

Are there any good books that I can read? I heard that the anxiety & phobia workbook is very good.

Thanks again.

Wayne

PattyV

replied on July 24th, 2004

Extremely eHealthy

I really feel for you.It's a shame your doc was so short with you.Telling someone who is anxious to wait 2 weeks for test results is a horrible thing to do.I know bloodwork can take some time,depending on what they are looking for,but 2 weeks is crazy!I was engaged to a man with all the classic panic disorder symptoms,waking in a cold sweat,chest pain,shortness of breath.I called 911 the first few times and spent many hours in the e.R. With him.It was not his heart as he always said,but anxiety.His mom and sis both had panic disorder,but he could not accept this diagnosis.After all he was a 6foot biker,it was his heart and that's all there was to it.He went to many docs and spent many more nights in the e.R.Only to be told it was not a heart attack.This put a huge strain on our relationship as you might imagine.Every time I would try to discuss wedding plans, a trip to the e.R. Would soon followif I tried to talk about what was stressing him out,another trip to e.R.I could not help him,he would not help himself,i left.!@ years later,he is still making regular trips to e.R.,only now,he drives himself and alternates hospitals to see if anyone will tell him different.Stop reading about what it could be,you will only make yourself worse.If all your results come back negative(okay),maybe some therapy would not be a bad idea along with some medsstress and anxiety can make you sick,but there is hope if you find the right doctor.I would see another doc if I were you,someone who will listen to you and try to help you.They're out there,you just have to find them.Maybe ask your girlfriend for the name of her doc.Best of luck to you!Patty

lyricbaritone

replied on July 27th, 2004

New User

Inner Ear Disturbance?

I was reading edmund bourne's the anxiety and phobia workbook, and came across this quote under "medical conditions that can cause panic attacks or anxiety":

"for a small proportion of the population, panic attacks seem to be associated with a disturbance in balance caused by swelling of the inner ear.... If dizziness, light-headedness, and/or unsteadiness are a prominent part of your problem with anxiety or panic, you may want to consult an otolaryngologist [ent] to check the labyrinth system of your inner ear." (bourne, 41).

I know you said your doctor ruled out vestibular disorder; then again, if he was a gp, he may not have the tools to make that call. Not to call his diagnosis into question, but it does seem that a second opinion from the ent may be merited. However, trust the results if they come back negative this time.

Even if you have started counseling or have seen a psychiatrist already, I would highly recommend this book. It will help answer a lot of questions. I found it at my local barnes & noble, but i'm sure you can find it at your favorite bookstore or online.

Still sending prayers, love, and positive energy your way!

Paul

purple333

replied on July 28th, 2004

Extremely eHealthy

Some Alternatives

Go back to paul's first post where he talked about how you get
"dizzy, and once you get dizzy, you get worried, and you get more dizzy, and more worried" this cylce will continue & even get worse until you put something in place to halt the cycle!!

So to some alternative ideas for a solution(some of which might also help your girlfriend):

1) yoga, meditation, relaxation.
2) sound/light &/or ces machines (cost about $200 - dynamind.Com)you can do some reading to see all the things they can help & how but in brief, sleep, anxiety, depression, headaches etc.
3) natural meds like sam-e, 5htp, dhea, valerian, vitamin b etc.
4) counselling - but find one that you are comfortable with - see them a few times & if you are not comfortable try someone else.
5) cbt - cognitive behaviour therapy - often courses are free or cheap at universities or hospitals etc & run over 6-12 weeks (your girl friends agoraphobia might be helped by this) - see if you can get a hold of a book by sam obitz "been there, done that, try this".

panicbeast

replied on August 3rd, 2004

New User

Hey look up you just havent found your escape I have the same thing but now I can control it. First step back and see what might be causing you to feel like this constantly and also find a med your comfortable with try to take something that doesnt require a head change just use something like xanax to keep from the er. All of us that have this are going to tell you something different because its effects are different for all of us but not to say someones advice will work but its in you to do it and you can.I'm on imipramine with paroxetine and they really work for me but you have to find what works for you. Find a place your comfortable and clear your mind this is hard to but first you have to find a place that does'nt have sudden noises and people comming in and out. This is your time and you need it try 30 min to a hour put soft music or a fan something that doesnt allow noises from in the house or outside (phone,cars,etc.). I enjoy a fan blowing with x-mas lights. Have them blink it works for me. But find a peace of mind relax your fine. Just be creative, it will take your mind off it to.Try a coloring book while watching the weather channel it sounds stupid but these things work for me you just have to find your way. And have someone stern but understanding to talk to you to tell you your fine.Look you will be ok just try these things.

Haley

replied on August 10th, 2004

Experienced User

My cbt group lasted 12-weeks and was great! We also had a party a week after it ended Smile

it was focussed on anxiety and panic disorder and lots of the people in my group suffered agoraphobia too. We used the obitz book and another really good book called mastery of your anxiety and panic-third edition by michelle craske and david barlow in my group and I recommend both of those books all the time. Good luck to you and your girlfriend.

jurplesman

replied on August 12th, 2004

Experienced User

Anxiety Attacks

Reading these posts it is clear that here are a lot of angles to consider, thus I want to add another one.

Please check yourself with the nbi at our web site. This is a paper-and-pencil test for hypoglycemia. If you score high you could have this checked with a doctor who can test you with a special test for hypoglycemia (described at our web site).

If you are hypoglycemic you would have all the symptoms that you are describing, and the treatment is fairly simple; namely adopting the hypoglycemic diet.

This diet stops the excess secretion of adrenaline in response to insulin resistance, that causes excessive variations of blood sugar levels feeding the brain and the consequent release of excess adrenaline.

Jurriaan plesman

purple333

replied on August 13th, 2004

Extremely eHealthy

Jur??

I went to the hypoglycemia site found the nbi & tried to access it but no luck on three tries!!?? This may be the current computer i'm using as it's old & my new one is yet to arrive & this one is driving me nuts but then i'm sure other people have old computers & it accesses other sites ok, so any suggestions alternative ways to access the nbi????

jurplesman

replied on August 13th, 2004

Experienced User

the Nbi

Hi purple333,

the nutrition behavior inventory is available at our web site. It is a pdf file, so you need an acrobat reader. The latter is available free of charge.

Go to "newsletters" and there is a link to an acrobat reader.

An alternative is to go to a public library and try to download it from the library. Make several copies of it.

The nbi is also available in my book "getting off the hook". This should be available from public libraries in australia.

Otherwise try the book by

schauss, ag(1980), "diet, crime and delinquency", parker house, berkeley, cal.

This is the original nbi by alexander schauss.

Of course testing for hypoglycemia is ,more accurate if done by a doctor. See:

"testing for hypoglycemia and how the doctor can help"

but this is more expensive and not very pleasant for a hypoglycemic person.

The hypoglycemic diet is specifically designed for people with a mental illness, because it stabilizes blood sugar levels, and thereby insulin and stress hormones. The latter two are said to be responsible for the symptoms associated with mental illness. It needs to be adjusted to the individual biochemistry of the person, and needs to be accompanied with vitamins and minerals, known to be deficient among the mentally ill.

It takes about three months to have an effect, for most people, depending on circumstances. When a person has been using drugs (medical and/or illegal) it may take much longer (9-14 months) for the body to rebuild receptors for normal natural neurotransmitters.

It is not advisable to withdraw from drugs except under doctor�s supervision and the hypo diet helps to speed up the withdrawal.

Jurriaan plesman

purple333

replied on August 13th, 2004

Extremely eHealthy

Jur!!

Thanks - i'll try & get to the library or wait till my new computer arrives - I realy am not sure how much this one can take - it keeps crashing & I can only read 1/2 a side of the page at a time which as you can imagine is driving me insane & makes posting or understanding others posts very hard!!

jurplesman

replied on August 14th, 2004

Experienced User

I can just imagine what you are going through. If my computer crashes I am in real trouble.

I hope everything is alright when you get your new computer.

Cheers jur

jurriaan plesman

fgautier

replied on September 29th, 2004

New User

Strange World

Doctors laughing at the patients complaining about bad physical
symptoms? And these doctors don't even have the time to listen to
the patient's list of symptoms and send them straight to a shrink for
a misterious mental health problem?
Can anybody tell us the shape and color of this mental health problem?
It's like they already know something but don't want to tell the patient.

Patients with heart disturbances that are being told that this is not a
heart problem? If you don't believe the patient, how about if you start
believing his heart just by putting your hand over his chest. Is this
too hard to do?

And why are all these postings about psychiatric medications in the
"anxiety" thread? If these medications help a bit, at least for awhile, does
that means that the panick attack patients belong to the psychiatric
patient community?

Steph101

replied on October 5th, 2004

New User

Please understand carefully what I am about to write.

Usually, people displaying anxiety symptoms ( I used to be one), will be in constant fear and worry. Now this causes physical reactions in your body that your brain is commanding. The first thing you need to do is count and observe, only for a minute, how you are breathing. How many breaths are you taking in a minute? Is the breath coming from the gut, or the chest area?

Now, trust me on this please. Even if you think you are going in extreme panic, please slow down your breathing to 4 seconds inhale, 4 seconds exhale and pause for 2 seconds. Do this for a couple of days and you will see, that your symptoms will dissappear.

fgautier

replied on October 7th, 2004

New User

Breathing is visceral and therefore what you recommend doesn't
solve the real physical problem that affects the patient's breathing.
Everybody that sleeps is still breathing and I do not think that they
are aware of this (otherwise they would not sleep, right?) in order to
control it.

Therefore your assertion that you got rid of the physical symptoms
caused by fear (one of the main psychiatric lies) through breathing
exercises (or cognitive behavior therapy, whaterver you want to call it)
is phony.

The real issue with someone's breathing comes from problems with
the lungs and the heart.

dena_k1974

replied on October 23rd, 2004

New User

I just wanted to say that it sounds like you have what I have.... Anxiety all the time and it sounds like the exercise thing brought it on. My advice to you is to get a new doctor cuz they arent all like that and go back on your medicine. I understand you didnt like the side effects but you said you were only taking it for a week. It usually takes 2 weeks for your body to adjust to the medication and the side effects will go away and you will feel so much better. Having a problem like anxiety does not make you a weak person. It happened to me, alot of people I know, and all these wonderful people on here. Please hang in there like im trying to do and please get help!

XcLuSiVeSoUnDz

replied on June 10th, 2009

New User

hey, well i have read ur post, and it soundz like u have all three depression, stress and anxiety. All the symptoms u have i have, and i thought i was the only one, but dont be alarmed we all have been through the ekgs, stress tests, blood work, urine tests, the whole nine. i have noticed tingling in the back and top of my head also, which is one thing u haven't mentioned but its all part of the package, i dont think u should be alarmed. The excercise is great for u, it breaks down depression by half and one of the best defenses to anxiety and stress. so good luck an dont worry things take time.

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