I have anxiety disorder and I feel like I have a bunch of feelings trapped that needs to be released. Nowadays, it is more stressful in the office and my professional life that there is no time for families and loved ones. Now, with the doctor's prescription, I am using paroxetine for anxiety. Now I am facing some type of burning sensation for the last two weeks with excessive sweating. Everyone says that these are anxiety attacks and I need to take treatment for this. I have taken an appointment for the stress disorder treatment from CBT Associates in Toronto which is nearby. Has anyone faced these types of symptoms? My life is getting affected badly. Please help.
-
The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
Posting Rules Bluelight Rules Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines Bereavement Mindfulness Suicide Support Anger Management -
TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android
Mental Health Anxiety problem
- Thread starter Jamesd45
- Start date
Chatative
Bluelight Crew
I too have an anxiety disorder, last year I was diagnosed with mild-GAD & was similarly put on an SSRI as well as doing some therapy. In my case it wasn't CBT as such, but rather talk therapy which introduced me to some CBT style concepts. The medication might have helped ease my symptoms a bit but without a doubt it was the combination with therapy that has made the lasting difference for me.
As for your sweating/burning sensations... it is very true that anxiety can produce a huge range of physical symptoms. Personally, I never got those but for me it was waking up feeling flushed (with a hot face/neck) as well as being nauseous. What somewhat raises a flag for me is, if I am not mistaken, you say these symptoms have only come on since starting the Paroxetine? Sweating and skin soreness are actually listed as possible side effects of that medication: Paroxetine - Side Effects
Now, I'm no medical professional. If medical professionals have told you these (new?) symptoms are anxiety attacks then I guess that's what they are. I assume the distinction between it being a side effect or anxiety attack would be whether or not you have other features of anxiety attacks alongside those symptoms. If these symptoms have only just come on since you started your medication though & are continuous or particularly troublesome then definitely bring it up to your doctor again. One thing to consider though is it is the case that SSRIs can initially make symptoms worse but as they start to take full effect things will improve.
I'd really recommend you tried some relaxation techniques when you are getting these symptoms to see if that helps to alleviate them. I understand they can be very worrying but if they are indeed just physical manifestations of your anxiety then they are nothing harmful. Try to reassure yourself that these are just a natural response to your anxiety & not indicative of anything bad. With any luck, learning to control your anxiety will at least help to lessen the duration of these symptoms.
To round things off, here's a quote from Montaigne: "My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened". What to take from this? Often anxiety is exacerbated by worrying excessively about things which have not happened, which may particularly be the case with health-related concerns or when catastrophizing. (An example of a cognitive thinking error, something that CBT will introduce you to..)
It seems to me you are taking all the right steps towards getting your anxiety under control, given time & some effort... things will improve. Hang in there.
As for your sweating/burning sensations... it is very true that anxiety can produce a huge range of physical symptoms. Personally, I never got those but for me it was waking up feeling flushed (with a hot face/neck) as well as being nauseous. What somewhat raises a flag for me is, if I am not mistaken, you say these symptoms have only come on since starting the Paroxetine? Sweating and skin soreness are actually listed as possible side effects of that medication: Paroxetine - Side Effects
Now, I'm no medical professional. If medical professionals have told you these (new?) symptoms are anxiety attacks then I guess that's what they are. I assume the distinction between it being a side effect or anxiety attack would be whether or not you have other features of anxiety attacks alongside those symptoms. If these symptoms have only just come on since you started your medication though & are continuous or particularly troublesome then definitely bring it up to your doctor again. One thing to consider though is it is the case that SSRIs can initially make symptoms worse but as they start to take full effect things will improve.
I'd really recommend you tried some relaxation techniques when you are getting these symptoms to see if that helps to alleviate them. I understand they can be very worrying but if they are indeed just physical manifestations of your anxiety then they are nothing harmful. Try to reassure yourself that these are just a natural response to your anxiety & not indicative of anything bad. With any luck, learning to control your anxiety will at least help to lessen the duration of these symptoms.
To round things off, here's a quote from Montaigne: "My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened". What to take from this? Often anxiety is exacerbated by worrying excessively about things which have not happened, which may particularly be the case with health-related concerns or when catastrophizing. (An example of a cognitive thinking error, something that CBT will introduce you to..)
It seems to me you are taking all the right steps towards getting your anxiety under control, given time & some effort... things will improve. Hang in there.