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Anyone else have sever anxiety???

C

chrisalt

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
369
Hey i have had severe anxiety since i was 10. It has no joke pretty much ruined my life and made me at 25 turn out into so much less then i could have been.

Basically im just looking for anyone else where anxiety has been horrifying in their life and any stories they may be willing to share. I guess im just feeling alone in my severe anxiety, major depression and boardline personality disorder.

Thanks
Chris
 
I've been suffering from anxiety/panic disorder since my teen years (I'm ~40 now). I've kept it under control..for the most part..with exercise and therapy (Cognitive and EMDR). However, that hasn't wiped it out and I've had visits to the ER and have been on every anti-anxiety drug under the sun. Benzo's, antidepressants, you name it. I've compounded my problems by being an opiate addict which has only made my depression wayyyy worse. I've had days where I couldn't leave the house, avoided important issues to the point where they became huuuge problems all because I was too anxious to deal with them. It's had an extremely bad impact on my life, and if it wasn't for therapy and the support of friends, I don't know where I'd be today.

You are NOT alone. You're still really young- grab hold of the reigns and get help immediately. Find a therapist that you click with and start finding ways to deal with your anxiety. My advice would be to try and avoid benzo's, or at least keep the dose as low as possible. Also, if you don't have an exercise regime in place now- start exercising. Exercise and therapy are- without question - excellent, clinically proven, long-term solutions to this problem you face. Get on this today, or ASAP before it takes root and destroys the quality of your life.
 
oh yeah definitely. I have insane amounts of anxiety sometimes, i get DP and DR quite often. I think psychedelics really made my anxiety worse i either have hppd or dp/dr from them.

don't feel alone though, there are so many of us out there. Do you see a Dr? Do you know what drives your anxiety? Have you thought about how to overcome your anxiety?

Your anxiety can become manageable if you work at it and have some direction/guidance. IMO if it's ruining your life then use medication of some sort, don't abuse it but it's better to have quality of life than to fight anxiety nonstop, it will not stop until you fix the underlying issues, and if they can't be fixed for a while, then medication is the answer. Just my opinion from dealing with anxiety my whole life and struggling non stop with no help.

either way don't give up, keep fighting, people who struggle with anxiety often have special abilities like acute social awareness, creativity, incredible insight and understanding and other great things. There are ups and downs to everything. Those of us who know real anxiety will also be better able to handle life when shit inevitably hits the fan, when a regular person gets anxious like we do, they will think they are dying, and we can laugh it off and be like yeah i've been doing this for 20 years now, get used to it.
 
I have had anxiety too and I still do but not as much as I used to. Right now I am past that stage and I simply do not care at all anymore. I've always swept all my feelings and my anxiety and whatever's on my mind under the carpet but this carpet is now rolling itself up and I'm going to lose my mind. I have no friends and no social life at all, I lost all the friendships I had during high school and every day I feel physically and mentally weaker and increasingly lethargic.
 
you are definetly not alone brotha. im have the most sever anxiety i've ever had here recently, and its been constant on a daily basis for about 3 months now. i've always had anxiety but after the big lay off with my company i feel stuck in the hell of a life. full of anxiety, depression, substance abuse and bi-polar. I'm 19 years old and have chest pains equevilent to the onset of a heart-attack constantly. I can never catch my breath. my only escape is drugs, which numb me for (x)amount of time, but in turn makles matters worse.

i am doing all i can to fight the anxiety, and aches and pains associated with it. some things that help me might just help you. its worth a try at least. i've found that for me deep breathing exercises are the most beneficial. you just close your eyes and think about every part of you body being relaxed, breathe in from you abdomin(not the chest, this way you get deep, cleansing breathes) and a a few minutes of slow deep breathing in a quiet room with little light i avoid panic attacks. some other good at-home remedies are meditation, exercise, keeping up personal hygiene(a hot bath or shower works wonders if you have tense muscles and possibly boost self esteem) and a healthy diet. proper nutrution can work wonders in all aspects of life, not just digestive health. these are just some things that help (a little) for me, and reduce the number of panic attacks i have.
when i have a panic attack, it feels like im dying to say the least. i've been to numerous doctors and ER's thinking i was dying, having a heart attack, heart disease, lung cancer, you name i've (thought) i had it..spent outrageous money in attempts to find a problem/solution. when it's really all in my head. you dont have to live with anxiety, panic attacks, etc. thers are solutions for this, and you not alone my friend.
PM anytime.

i hope this is helpful.
keep your head up
and dont forget....breeaathe...


-KING %)
 
^I learned this in therapy, it's a visualization exercise that may help with your current shitty state.

First imagine a nice flowing stream or river. Now put all your problems in the river and watch them go down and wash away. This works and worked for me. I like to put my problems in one by one and picture them as dark objects i'm throwing in the water.

Alternatively you can picture a fire and throwing these dark problems into the fire and watching them turn to smoke and ash.
 
RobotRipping said:
^I learned this in therapy, it's a visualization exercise that may help with your current shitty state.

First imagine a nice flowing stream or river. Now put all your problems in the river and watch them go down and wash away. This works and worked for me. I like to put my problems in one by one and picture them as dark objects i'm throwing in the water.

Alternatively you can picture a fire and throwing these dark problems into the fire and watching them turn to smoke and ash.
Click to expand...

hmm, i've never been to counceling/therapy. all the ways i learned to deal with stress/anxiety were from the internet lol
sound advice my friend.
:)

-KING
 
Chris, anxiety is part of the normal human condition. I've suffered from it for years. For a few years I took the US route (no disrespect) and used xanax to overcome it. But here's the thing anxiety is totally normal and part of life. You can't liive life without it. Don't use pills,it ends in a nightmare (worse than smack). What you need to do is talk to someone. I have issues with CBT but if it works go for it. Freeform therapists with no set agenda or school are the best (mine is qualified in CBT,pyschoanaylst and everything else). Imagine living without anxiety (high on xanax) that's not living. Get a therapist (and shop around until you find someone you 'click' with) and you're get to the bottom of it. Anxiety is born out of lots of things but fiddling with your gabba receptors aint the way. Serious mate. Worth exploring and you'll find what you're looking for.
 
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Yep. Severe anxiety issues, for my whole life. Drank ayahuasca to help - best move ever.
 
blah, blah, blah, never take benzos. you people. that might be true of your experience but some people need them.

if you are fucking agoraphobic/miserable 100% of your life, there is nothing wrong with using benzos to get to a stable place in your life. not everyone is going to "be worse" after they use benzos if you are working with doctors who know what they are doing to transition you off of them. or if YOU are just not affected that way.

telling someone they "aren't living" on benzos is fucking incredible. speak for yourself.
 
^Fair point I suppose. But if you are miserable 100% of your life getting on benzos surely can't be a permanent solution. In the UK doctors will only prescribe benzos for a maximum of 3 weeks (in the 1970s they got a generation hooked). I got mine thorugh a combination of private doctors and other sources. If you are using them as directed by a doctor then that's of course fair enough. But why take a substance that is so powerful it can kill you if you suddenly stop?
There's a massive gulf in the health care systems in the US/UK. As you have to pay for you medical care perhaps doctors aren't as reluctant to write scripts for xanax (not available on the NHS perhaps indicating they're not to be toyed with)
And of course I speak for myself but I would wager that a large amount of bluelighters have struggled with benzo addiction and it is not pretty. In the UK they are sometimes prescribed until an anti depressant kicks in. I've tapered off benzos before, starting at 30mg of valium a day and a reduction of 2mg every two weeks. It's a long drawn out process. Here's a thought for you, did you know that the original people who were the guinea pigs in the xanax trials bought shares in Upjohn they were so impressed. They made a lot of money. But when it comes to mental health do you want to be feeding the large pharm companies or find a way to get better. Takes a lot of work compared to swallowing a pilll but again in my experience is worth it in the long run. Medicines have their uses, not sure benzos is the correct cure for misery (by which I think you mean depression. Just my two cents
 
benzos are fine, just don't abuse them. they will have a long lasting efficacy as an anxiolytic so long as you don't abuse it. the withdrawal could be mitigated my alternative meds and lifestyle changes. My advice, just use benzos for now, therapeutically while you get your life in order. when you come off them your life will be better and easier to handle. It's not the most popular opinion around here but i honestly suffered so much my whole life with anxiety that i don't give a shit, i will do whatever it takes to make it now, even if it's 3mg clonazepam that i am taking daily.
 
My therapist is going to try bio-feedback on me at my next session to help manage my anxiety. The more tools I have, the better I will be at dealing with anxiety. Anyone try bio-feedback?
 
I've tried a low dose of an SSRI and meditation, and exercise. All of these worked when cognitive behavioural therapy failed.
 
captaincaveman said:
^Fair point I suppose. But if you are miserable 100% of your life getting on benzos surely can't be a permanent solution. In the UK doctors will only prescribe benzos for a maximum of 3 weeks (in the 1970s they got a generation hooked). I got mine thorugh a combination of private doctors and other sources. If you are using them as directed by a doctor then that's of course fair enough. But why take a substance that is so powerful it can kill you if you suddenly stop?
There's a massive gulf in the health care systems in the US/UK. As you have to pay for you medical care perhaps doctors aren't as reluctant to write scripts for xanax (not available on the NHS perhaps indicating they're not to be toyed with)
And of course I speak for myself but I would wager that a large amount of bluelighters have struggled with benzo addiction and it is not pretty. In the UK they are sometimes prescribed until an anti depressant kicks in. I've tapered off benzos before, starting at 30mg of valium a day and a reduction of 2mg every two weeks. It's a long drawn out process. Here's a thought for you, did you know that the original people who were the guinea pigs in the xanax trials bought shares in Upjohn they were so impressed. They made a lot of money. But when it comes to mental health do you want to be feeding the large pharm companies or find a way to get better. Takes a lot of work compared to swallowing a pilll but again in my experience is worth it in the long run. Medicines have their uses, not sure benzos is the correct cure for misery (by which I think you mean depression. Just my two cents
Click to expand...

severe anxiety can cause depression and the other way around.

i'm just sick and tired of people spouting this anti benzo shit on any person who brings it up. of course it's dangerous, of course it's not ideal.

to force someone living with chronic, severe anxiety into a situation where they cannot improve without benzo use and then to deny it...not the correct thing to do either. harm reduction is useful. generalizations about what works for anxiety or what another person is experiencing in their anxiety...such a vague, sweeping term it seems, are not.
 
i have panic attacks everyday that i don't have xanax and my tolerance is so high that i run out of a months script in like a week or less
 
did you get all these panic attacks before the xanax tolerance? i don't know. you might try a longer acting benzo (xanax xr or klonopin) if you are trying to treat individual panic attacks. something more stabilizing where you don't feel the need to take more. get your tolerance down. try to avoid triggering situations and do talk therapy as well. hopefully you have an adequate support system. multiple attacks a day sounds insane, so hopefully you are not in a situation where that is detrimental to work, etc. my condition is more like a constant low level panic with very rare attacks.
 
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