Anxiety -- How do you deal?

Man I've also gained so much weight from stress eating all the things. I'm thinking of trying another therapist, maybe something like mindfulness, because I don't see my anxiety about the future improving significantly over the next few years.

I only half-jokingly wondered to myself how much of my anxiety I could blame on the US election, and figured at least I'll feel a little better after November 8.

Ugh ugh ugh ugh

At least candy cane ice cream is out now.

Our daughter's public school system just sent out a system wide broadcast reminding everyone that the counseling staff is available for any students/teachers who are uneasy about the election results.

Here's another article I liked: http://www.lionsroar.com/buddhist-te...

Some good advice about dealing with unpleasant feelings through meditation:

Please remember, the point of meditation is not to suppress your feelings. It is to make friends with yourself. On days like this, meditation is simply a way to remember a glimmer of your own basic goodness. Please remember it is OK to feel exactly what you feel.

Posting here because mindfulness meditation is an important tool I use to deal with anxiety.

I'm excited to see my psych again. I'm heading home finally today.

I had a really great moment this past weekend where I was starting to talk myself out of a potentially awkward social situation, then realized that I was only doing so out of habit - the physical and emotional cues that normally would trigger anxiety just weren't there. So I went, and it was fine! Yay for a good Rx and a good CBT doc!

Since my first post in October I had a couple phone appointments with a counselor, and another out-of-nowhere flare-up of nausea and ongoing stomach pain/constipation that's now on week six. The counselor was okay, but talking a) to a stranger b) on the phone isn't a productive mix for me, so I got a referral for a psychiatrist in January, but am still waiting to hear from one. The first couple of visits with my GP about anxiety were frustrating for me (I don't want to kill myself and I didn't score high on the questionnaire, so I'm 'fine'—my relationships disagree) and she wanted me to try Ritalin (for reasons unknown to me she hit on adult-onset ADD) but I finally just asked for the psych referral, so let's let the psych figure it out.

This stomach pain has been taking its toll, mentally/emotionally/physically (I've lost 12 lbs, silver linings), and I've been seeing my GP every couple weeks since it returned at the beginning of February. We've ruled some stuff out via blood work (inflammation, H. pylori), and she believes it's probably IBS from anxiety. No argument from me, though I'm also waiting on a referral for a gastroenterologist, just to be thorough.

Last weekend I was feeling miserable/depressed, and the morning of my latest GP appointment (yesterday), I snapped at my kid for no good reason and broke down. My GP suggested trying Cipralex (and trying rabeprazole for the pain, although it's not heartburn), so I took the first half-dose (starting slow) last night. I guess it's going to be 2-3 weeks before I'm used to it, and another few weeks before I start seeing the effect. My wife (an RN) agrees that the Cipralex is a good idea, thought maybe she would have preferred if a psychiatrist prescribed it after a proper diagnosis—after the Ritalin she thinks my GP is a little Rx-happy (I never tried the Ritalin). I'm just happy to be doing something and have a plan, instead of just waiting around in pain to hear from the psychiatrist and GE.

Bubs14 wrote:

So finally, about a month ago, I went and saw my internist. I laid down the line with him: my intestines hate me, I'm having social anxiety so bad it's getting in the way of me doing things I would like to do (as opposed to just naturally not being interested, sometimes it's hard to tell), and I think the two might be related. He ended up prescribing me Lexapro, an SSRI, on a trial basis. The first week or so took some serious getting used to, but after that I can safely say that I feel much better. My intestines are calmer, and I followed up with a GI doctor to make sure there aren't other possible concomitant issues (e.g. - celiac disease). I'm also down to one cup of coffee a day (my afternoon coffee was probably keeping me awake at night) and I'm trying to be better about my diet in case that was contributing to my intestinal problems (too much fat/grease/etc.).

Hey Bubs, you posted this the same day I first posted in this thread. I'm glad to hear it went well for you, and hope for the same for myself. I've also cut out caffeine (pop and black tea) and beer (not that I was a big drinker). I also stopped taking Metamucil since it wasn't helping with the constipation, and I've had less bloating since, and also cut out lactose for a couple weeks (results indeterminate, but I could use more probiotic yoghurt); I might try a couple weeks without wheat too. We eat fairly healthy, but one could always eat healthier still. I don't know if it's a food intolerance/celiac too, but I felt the need to try things rather than just sit around waiting to hear from the specialists.

Also, how delicate are we supposed to be about symptoms? For instance, Bubs, what do you mean by the Lexapro took serious getting used to, and how your intestines are calmer? In a medical thread I personally don't care about TMI, and will level with you all: I am just not pooping the way I used to.

Also also, if you have horror stories about Cipralex, don't worry, some of my family already got that covered yesterday with their "support". It was like telling them we were having a home birth all over again.

concentric wrote:

Posting here because mindfulness meditation is an important tool I use to deal with anxiety.

This is something else I mean to work into my offensive against my stomach pain. I've been looking at the Breathe app, and even GoNoodle has mindfulness exercises (for when you can't take "Awesome Rainbows" anymore), it's just a matter of making time for it. I've also been using breathing/relaxation my wife and I learned back in hypno-birthing!

Yeah, it's a pretty app-reliant offensive I've been waging. I also use My Water, and journal everything else with Cara ("the mood, poop & food tracker").

Gravey, glad to hear you're making some progress in the midst of everything you're still working through. I've been to doctors that were Rx-happy and would get irate if I refused to take the medication they were pushing on me. I had one doctor prescribe after 3 minutes of diagnosis...that purple depression pill of which name I suddenly can't remember...and then that evening I read about all these people getting suicidal after taking it and so decided to do yoga and exercise instead, and it worked for me, at least until the next big "surprise" life threw at me that screwed everything up again for a while. I changed doctors after that and my current doctor doesn't push medications on me, which helps a lot with "doctor anxiety" as I've had bad allergic reactions from medicines in the past and am wary of them for that reason.

I'm currently taking a more spiritual approach to things and also have taken up pregnant giraffe watching over the past few weeks which has had a calming effect too.

Gravey wrote:

Hey Bubs, you posted this the same day I first posted in this thread. I'm glad to hear it went well for you, and hope for the same for myself. I've also cut out caffeine (pop and black tea) and beer (not that I was a big drinker). I also stopped taking Metamucil since it wasn't helping with the constipation, and I've had less bloating since, and also cut out lactose for a couple weeks (results indeterminate, but I could use more probiotic yoghurt); I might try a couple weeks without wheat too. We eat fairly healthy, but one could always eat healthier still. I don't know if it's a food intolerance/celiac too, but I felt the need to try things rather than just sit around waiting to hear from the specialists.

Also, how delicate are we supposed to be about symptoms? For instance, Bubs, what do you mean by the Lexapro took serious getting used to, and how your intestines are calmer? In a medical thread I personally don't care about TMI, and will level with you all: I am just not pooping the way I used to.

Thanks for the kind words! I do feel incredibly more balanced, but I still have moments. Last week, we had a "Pi Day" celebration in the cafeteria, and as I went down there I saw what felt like the entire office packed into the dining area. It was such a mass of humanity that I nearly freaked out. I'm also leaning on caffeine more, especially since I discovered Diet Dr Pepper has caffeine and zero calories, but I still try very hard not to have it after like 1 PM, maybe 2 PM if I'm having a really rough day. But at least I know if I'm feeling extra anxious, that could be part of the reason why.

The "getting used to" wasn't necessarily TMI territory, I had never taken any sort of systemic medication, let alone one that affects your chemistry like an SSRI, so there was a phase when my body felt really weird. The weekend after I started it was the worst. Every time I yawned it felt like I was going to throw up. I almost had this disconnect between my body and my mind, something just felt off inside me. After that weekend, though, I adapted to it and it made things way easier.

Now for the actual TMI stuff, I will spoiler tag:

Spoiler:

I was pooping way too much, plain and simple. I thought it was okay, but comparing now to then, it's no contest. Along with pooping too much, my stools were very loose and I frequently had episodes that left my underside feeling really sore. The GI specialist I saw told me to switch from Metamucil to Citrucel (less gassy) and suggested a particular brand of probiotic (Align). Those changes in conjunction with my Lexapro have me right in his target range of 1-2 decent-size movements a day and no issues leaving me with seemingly random soreness. It's not perfect, but it's much better. My blood work test for celiac disease also came back clean, which was nice to know. I still feel like I need to follow up with the GI doc and see if my remaining occasional discomfort is related or not.

The other TMI thing re: any sort of psychiatric drug is the sexual side effects. When I first started Lexapro, I noticed that masturbating felt like it took a little more effort than usual. After a while, it seemed to return to the usual baseline level of effort. Now that I have a girlfriend and am sexually active, I can say that it really hasn't affected my performance too much. I don't take overly long to finish, and it doesn't require excessive effort. The one problem is in the early morning. Not sure if this is true for all guys, but trying to perform in the morning before fully waking up is hard, solo or with someone else. I could do it before, with some effort and patience, but now it feels practically impossible. My girlfriend doesn't understand, and I can't say I do either, but it's something I felt like bringing up because depending on the meds, some can affect your performance more than others and you may have to be ready for something to happen (or not happen, as the case may be).

bekkilyn wrote:

I... have taken up pregnant giraffe watching over the past few weeks which has had a calming effect too.

bekkilyn may win understatement of the month. Ha! "taken up" ^^^

DSGamer wrote:

I'm excited to see my psych again. I'm heading home finally today.

Just looked at this thread today and realized I posted this in mid December. 2 weeks before my mom passed away. Holy s**t. I had no idea what was coming next.

RedJen wrote:
bekkilyn wrote:

I... have taken up pregnant giraffe watching over the past few weeks which has had a calming effect too.

bekkilyn may win understatement of the month. Ha! "taken up" ^^^

LOL

I'm thinking of ordering the t-shirts.

I have a job interview on Monday and I can't stop being nervous about it and thinking the position will be too hard for me anyway.

Get some good exercise on Sunday so you sleep well Sunday night. Do something you are really good at and enjoy doing as soon before the interview as you can manage to give yourself a little shot of confidence.

Good luck.

I think this is my first ever "quote is not edit"

Perhaps? (a thousand apologies for the criminally awful quality, of that video)

Nicholas Cage, actor.

Well the Cipralex didn't work. After my second half-dose I woke up in the middle of the night with a pounding heartbeat for 1.5 hours, stronger than I'd ever felt it. Had chest pain the next day, so called the nursing hotline and they said go to emerg. So I spent all Thursday at the hospital, where my blood work came back fine but the emerg doctor said there's something abnormal about my ECGs. He set me up with more tests and a referral to a cardiologist, so I can look forward to those soon, plus another appointment with my GP on Monday. And I stopped the Cipralex (and the rabeprazole).

Two points of irony: the specialist I first wanted to see is a psychiatrist, but now I'll be seeing a psychiatrist, gastroenterologist, and cardiologist. And the psych won't be the first. It's like my body is a base, and I ended up with the worst build order. Also, while this heart thing is now going on (still have chest pain), my stomach pain is getting much milder. But I've started a week of gluten-free anyway, to see if that makes any more of a difference.

Yikes Gravey! Hope everything comes out okay with those tests. Maybe it will turn out to be a side effect of that medication that will go away now that you've stopped taking it.

Interview went ok. Could have gone better, could have gone worse. The people doing the interview were great and their office is nice.

The anxiety and sense of foreboding hasn't left my body, though.

Mermaidpirate, as my therapist keeps telling me, your anxiety and foreboding might never leave your body, as good as your circumstances might be. It's frustrating. I always have to remind myself that I've developed strategies and use tools to keep the anxiety from getting its hooks into me, and that I have to rely on those rather than the absence of anxiety arising. So be it. Thinking of you,.

I have a question and was hoping someone with experience with anti-depressants could help me. I've been doing really well for the last few months. We moved into our house and I've made that adjustment fairly well. I've done well at my job and it's set to become permanent soon. I'm expecting an offer on Friday. Our new kitten is settling in pretty well. We're months out from getting my dad settled following losing my mom. Lots of heartache and lots of stuff to deal with this year, but overall I'm doing okay right now.

I don't feel depressed. I'm having trouble with energy, though. I know that sometimes that can be depression and I'm going to talk to my doctor about that. Mostly, though, I want to talk to her about sleep.

I've slept about 5 hours a night for the last 3 years. I've been dealing with a long, difficult withdrawal from anxiety medication. It's been harrowing at times, painful at times, but right now the symptom that gets to me the most is the insomnia. Or the lack of sleep. I'm considering two things.

#1 - An older anti-depressant medication like trazadone

#2 - A modern anti-depressant that happens to be one you take at night because it makes you sleepy

So I wanted to ask if anyone here had any experience with medications like this. Feel free to PM me. I'll take any advice I can get. Basically I don't want to make things worse. But I'd like to start getting more sleep. The thought of getting my career back on track after everything I've been through makes me want to address my sleep.

I can't remember if you've ever posted anything about it before, but have you looked into getting tested for sleep apnea?

I may be wrong about this, but I believe trazodone can be used in conjunction with other antidepressant meds. Might be the case for you, depending on what you're on atm.

As ever, good luck! Keep hanging in there on the absurdly long recovery from anxiety meds.

bekkilyn wrote:

I can't remember if you've ever posted anything about it before, but have you looked into getting tested for sleep apnea?

I've had it since high school and use a CPAP. I've used one since back in the day when they almost covered your whole head.

garion333 wrote:

I may be wrong about this, but I believe trazodone can be used in conjunction with other antidepressant meds. Might be the case for you, depending on what you're on atm.

I think you're right. The reason why I made it either/or is because I don't feel like I need both. My doctor wants me to consider an SSRI for anxiety, but I'm unfamiliar with how well these work for anxiety. I'm more concerned about the sleep right now, either way.

DSGamer wrote:
garion333 wrote:

I may be wrong about this, but I believe trazodone can be used in conjunction with other antidepressant meds. Might be the case for you, depending on what you're on atm.

I think you're right. The reason why I made it either/or is because I don't feel like I need both. My doctor wants me to consider an SSRI for anxiety, but I'm unfamiliar with how well these work for anxiety. I'm more concerned about the sleep right now, either way.

I take Paxil and wouldn't recommend it to anyone else because the side effects getting off it are crap, but it works for me. Keeps my anxiety well in check.

DSGamer wrote:

Mostly, though, I want to talk to her about sleep.

I've slept about 5 hours a night for the last 3 years. I've been dealing with a long, difficult withdrawal from anxiety medication. It's been harrowing at times, painful at times, but right now the symptom that gets to me the most is the insomnia. Or the lack of sleep. I'm considering two things.

#1 - An older anti-depressant medication like trazadone

#2 - A modern anti-depressant that happens to be one you take at night because it makes you sleepy

So I wanted to ask if anyone here had any experience with medications like this. Feel free to PM me. I'll take any advice I can get. Basically I don't want to make things worse. But I'd like to start getting more sleep. The thought of getting my career back on track after everything I've been through makes me want to address my sleep.

I've been using buspirone for the last ~3 months for anxiety, and (I think) as a consequence, I've been having really poor sleep (waking up often/early). I turned down trazadone and mirtazapine since I had a bad experience with another antidepressant, but my pysch and GP did suggest them. Instead I got a prescription for quetiapine (Seroquel), an antipsychotic. It's take-as-needed (the pharmacist suggested 2-3 times a week), so I think I'll take it on the weekends. I've taken one full tablet once, but didn't get the 8 hours of rest you should with it (kid sleeps in all week, chooses that morning to get up early), so I was out-of-it all the next day. I slept though, longest solid sleep I'd had in months.

Zoplicone might also be an option for you (I haven't tried it). If I wake up in the middle of the night and am wide awake for an hour, I'm not above taking a Gravol. I don't know how recommended that is.

I was also using melatonin and timed-release melatonin for a few months, but they didn't help me.

I've taken citalopram at various doses for 11 or so years. The side effects for me have been minimal. I now also take nortryptoline as a migraine preventive, and it helps me sleep better as a beneficial side effect. Good luck, DS.