do i have the symptoms of an anxiety disorder - what medication is out there?
Byhiii
for months now, ive been getting daily symptoms of nervousness and anxiety - weirdly enough, i wouldnt say its stress, im rarely ’stresed out’ - just always worried and panicy
i panic over really silly things - what i said to someone 2 weeks ago, what they think about me, regretting things ive said or done, constantly feeling guilty about ridiculous thing - consciously, its things i know i shouldnt be worried about, but i just cant help it. on a daily basis these are my symptoms:
shaking
tension headaches
fast heart rate
even when i breathe in as much as i can, its as though i need to breathe in more - like i cant get enough air
that ‘heart sinking’ feeling when u get a wave of adrenaline
insomnia
restlessness
feelings of guilt
and a few times a week , i have spells where my legs feel as though they are going to give way, and my eyes go ‘black (if that makes sense - it feels as though im about to faint)
im quite young, so i dont want to reply on medication, but lately im sick and tired of the daily panic and strong feelings of unease - what mild medications are out there for my symptoms ???
thank you!
Hey there!
It does sound like you are suffering from anxiety. I wouldn’t jump to medications just yet though, as there’s really no such thing as "mild" when it comes to this kind of medication.
There are a number of things you can do straight off the bat to help combat your anxiety. Firstly, you mention feeling like you can’t breathe. People with anxiety tend to do more shallow breathing. Place your hand on your stomach, and breathe in slowly. You should feel your hand rise, and if you don’t then keep trying until you do. Now you’re breathing in fully, instead of shallow chest breathing. This helps ensure you have enough oxygen, which could also be the reason you’re feeling tired, and helps calm anxiety.
Warm hot water bottles on your neck and shoulders can help relax those muscles, leading to less tension headaches. Make sure your posture is good too -anxiety can lead to you withdrawing both mentally and physically, so it pays to keep checking your posture.
Feeling guilty is one of the most common reasons for feeling anxious, as it leads to obsession. However, you can stop this! There are many methods, so you need to find one that works for you. Some people find writing these thoughts down helps. A good way is simply to forgive yourself! Tell yourself you’re only human, you didn’t purposely do anything bad, and so you can’t give yourself such a hard time about it! It takes practice, but it’s an important and valuable skill to be able to forgive yourself.
Distractors are also a help. When you feel yourself worrying, tell yourself they’re just thoughts! You could think about an alien coming in to your house and stealing your clothes, and you know that’s silly. You need to do the same with the thoughts of guilt! So try and dismiss them, and move on to a distractor. Things like reading, painting, watching a movie. These all take your mind off it. You don’t need to sit there letting you think those thoughts, because that’s all they are!
These may all sound like simple solutions, but the main thing is you need to ACTIVELY do them. You can’t just be passive, and decide "I’ll stop being anxious now, as soon as I figure out if my friend is mad at me because I feel I wasn’t listening enough to her last week…" you have to right there stop that train of thought! It’s tricky, but you can make it second-nature, and it’s well worth it!
If you start taking these small positive steps, I’m sure your anxiety will start to fade! Feeling in control can itself prevent the anxiety! Medication is a final solution, and I’m pretty confident you can control your anxiety without it 
8 Comments
February 14th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Yes I would say you have general anxiety disorder. The medication thing would depend but i’m on 40mg of citalopram a day and it helps somewhat . Bring it up with your doctor soon and get his oppinion.
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February 14th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Yes I would say you have general anxiety disorder. The medication thing would depend but i’m on 40mg of citalopram a day and it helps somewhat .
References :
February 14th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Yes these do sound like symptoms of anxiety.
If you want something which will help to immediately relieve your symptoms then the best bet is one of the benzodiazepines such as diazepam. (These are addictive however)
Long term, you are better off trying some anti depressant medication.
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February 14th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
Yeah, i have all those same symptoms and i have a general anxiety disorder.. xanax is a medicine that has helped alot of people. However, if you’re anxiety is depression related as mine is, there are other options for medications. Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor- you aren’t crazy. They’ll help diagnose the right medicine for you. If you are a Christian, praying about it helps alot to! You’ll find peace and you’re worries will go away.
XOXO
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February 14th, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Hey there!
It does sound like you are suffering from anxiety. I wouldn’t jump to medications just yet though, as there’s really no such thing as "mild" when it comes to this kind of medication.
There are a number of things you can do straight off the bat to help combat your anxiety. Firstly, you mention feeling like you can’t breathe. People with anxiety tend to do more shallow breathing. Place your hand on your stomach, and breathe in slowly. You should feel your hand rise, and if you don’t then keep trying until you do. Now you’re breathing in fully, instead of shallow chest breathing. This helps ensure you have enough oxygen, which could also be the reason you’re feeling tired, and helps calm anxiety.
Warm hot water bottles on your neck and shoulders can help relax those muscles, leading to less tension headaches. Make sure your posture is good too -anxiety can lead to you withdrawing both mentally and physically, so it pays to keep checking your posture.
Feeling guilty is one of the most common reasons for feeling anxious, as it leads to obsession. However, you can stop this! There are many methods, so you need to find one that works for you. Some people find writing these thoughts down helps. A good way is simply to forgive yourself! Tell yourself you’re only human, you didn’t purposely do anything bad, and so you can’t give yourself such a hard time about it! It takes practice, but it’s an important and valuable skill to be able to forgive yourself.
Distractors are also a help. When you feel yourself worrying, tell yourself they’re just thoughts! You could think about an alien coming in to your house and stealing your clothes, and you know that’s silly. You need to do the same with the thoughts of guilt! So try and dismiss them, and move on to a distractor. Things like reading, painting, watching a movie. These all take your mind off it. You don’t need to sit there letting you think those thoughts, because that’s all they are!
These may all sound like simple solutions, but the main thing is you need to ACTIVELY do them. You can’t just be passive, and decide "I’ll stop being anxious now, as soon as I figure out if my friend is mad at me because I feel I wasn’t listening enough to her last week…" you have to right there stop that train of thought! It’s tricky, but you can make it second-nature, and it’s well worth it!
If you start taking these small positive steps, I’m sure your anxiety will start to fade! Feeling in control can itself prevent the anxiety! Medication is a final solution, and I’m pretty confident you can control your anxiety without it
References :
Psychology graduate
February 14th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
SSRI’s are usually used these days for long term relief of anxiety. They’re a class of anti depressants although there are many other anti depressants like SNRI’s that will work too but not every drug will work for everyone and different anti depressants are used to treat different anxiety disorders.
They will take a few weeks to kick in though although I found Lexapro started working with in the week (for GAD and Social anxiety).
You should realise that the drugs are a band aid and will not cure your anxiety disorder, they also last only a certain amount of time before they poop out on you. Could be 10 or 20 years but some people experience this after a few months.
Getting therapy really helps to rid yourself of anxiety or teaches you to control it which is a life long skill so it’s possible to not have to rely on drugs.
I’m also finding that mindfulness meditation, diet, exercise (30 mins cardio per day), progressive muscle relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing exercises help a lot. It’s time consuming but worth it.
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February 14th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Really, this is something you should talk to your doctor about, as they know your medical history better than strangers on the internet. But yes, those do sound like the symptoms of a general panic/anxiety disorder.
There aren’t really any "mild" anti-anxiety medications. If there were, you’d be able to get them over the counter. SSRIs or benzodiazepines seem to be the medication of choice for the most part. If given the choice, go with an SSRI. Benzodiazepines have addictive qualities (and can also make you feel kind of loopy).
I personally have done very well on 20mg citalopram for the last 4 months, and my doctor plans to have me off the medication in another 3 months. So don’t worry about "relying" on a medication. For most people, it’s a temporary thing, not a lifelong commitment.
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February 14th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
yes,you have it
Go to reliable clininc for its treatment
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