First time user Advice on Anxiety please please

[Hiccup123]

Hi, first time user here and would love any advice. I am 41 years of age and suffering from a range of symptoms that occur every so often that my doctor doesn't know what is the cause. I have been told it could be the medication I am taking for acid reflux (ranitidine) or it could be hormonal or my eyes so get my eyes tested. My episodes start out of the blue with a feeling of muggy headedness or lightheadedness and I can feel cold and need to keep running to the toilet for a pee! I feel extremely tired and could just fall asleep when it happens and I get a tight sensation in my head and on occassion I have a tightness and/or dry throat. In laymans terms I feel terrible and this can last a few hours or all day when it happens. I visited my doctor today who has told me to keep a symptom diary and to see how I go but, I feel its a viscious circle as I worry about it happening again which I feel makes me anxious/worried but when I said this to my doctor and told her when I google my symtoms the main thing it brings up is anxiety she said said she doesn't think its anxiety and but doesnt know what it is as I have such an array of symptoms!! Can anybody help please?

[nomorepanic]

Hi Hiccup123

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[Pipkin]

Hi there and :welcome:

It's impossible for us to give you a definitive answer to your question but I can say that all the symptoms you're describing can be caused by anxiety but, I guess, you already know that.

The only advice I can give is to follow your doctor's instructions and to see what the outcome is. You could also ask yourself the following questions:

Do you feel anxious (aside from the worry about this)?
When you're in the middle of your symptoms, can you try to relax/distract yourself and does that help?
Can you think or a possible trigger or pattern for when these happen (food, time, day, what you're doing at the time etc)?

You don't mention but is your GP running some tests? It would be usual to have some routine blood tests under these circumstances. I think most of us on here have had these at some point.

Take care

Pip (also 41 - great age!)

[Hiccup123]

Hi, thanks for the reply and yes, I have had blood tests and all were OK and and ECG which was OK too. I had, what the doctor characterised as, panic attacks 13 years ago and couldn't attribute to what caused them either! I do tend to worry about things but these episodes seemed to have started since I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux 4months ago!!

[Pipkin]

Hi there,

Acid reflux can be a symptom of an anxiety disorder, I certainly get this and have suffered from it quite badly in the past. Given what you've just said, anxiety certainly seems more likely and it can just come back for no reason.

Carry on following your GP's advice and see what she says when you next see her.

Take care

Pip x