Agitation - stress related or something else?

[Emphyrio]

Hello,

I am a 29 year old guy who is fairly slim. I would say I'm fairly healthy - I try to eat a balanced diet and get some light exercise (brisk walks) most days.

I've been experiencing a number of symptoms for around 18 months though. These may have persisted prior to this but it was around then that I first mentioned them to the GP. These symptoms developed whilst I was taking fluoxetine (this was for anxiety, OCD and depression) - I had been on it previously for 3 years prior to this with minimal side effects and no dose increases so I'm suspecting it may be something else.

Anyway, my main physical symptoms are:

- agitation - namely the need to move around a lot. When working at a computer I have to jiggle my legs up and down or else it feels uncomfortable. I'm generally quite fidgety and have to keep tensing my leg and arm muscles now and again. I often find it hard to concentrate and find it difficult to relax. It seems to correspond to blood sugar and caffeine. Today I felt really agitated at the computer a short time after eating lunch, then extremely weak a couple of hours later.
I don't have an issue with moving my legs or body when I go to bed though, and have no issues with sleeping.

- clenching teeth. I have had bruxism since around 18 and wear a mouth guard to protect my teeth. I have since felt myself clenching during the day.

- IBS. These symptoms aren't as bad as they have been in the past, but I developed IBS around 2 years ago and don't know what caused it.

These symptoms don't seem to be related to feelings of stress or anxiety - and seen to come and go in a cycle. Sometimes I can feel fairly relaxed, and even tolerate a cup of coffee, yet at other times I seem really sensitive to sugary food and caffeine. I had a fasting blood test which was fine - my iron levels are also fine, as is my thyroid.

I don't feel particularly fatigued and get a standard amount of sleep most nights. I do have a fairly irregular eating/sleep pattern, however.

Any idea what could be causing this?

EDIT: I also have an overwhelming urge to bite my nails - I have pretty much no nails left now!

[axxerd]

Stress and anxiety can do crazy things to you! I sometimes don't even realize I'm stressed out but my body acts like it. I grind my teeth, and have other little ticks and what not. I also find that the more I focus on the 'symptom' of my stress, the more it seems to happen. I find the best solution is to do something to get your mind off of it, and after a while it should go away.

[Emphyrio]

Thanks for the reply - I have wondered why when I focus on it it seems to make it worse, though the skeptic in me says that I'm focusing on it because its noticeable to me. I guess if I could pinpoint it down as being stress/anxiety related I'd feel a bit better - I really don't want to have some undiagnosable condition on a daily basis :s

[Mark13]

Anxiety, I believe, can sometimes be subconscious, in that you think you're relaxed and content, but your body is telling you otherwise.

Sometimes I think I'm relaxed but notice I'm tapping my feet, clenching my jaw, fidgeting etc.

On the medication I'm trying at the moment I've had the odd period (a side-effect I believe) of complete relaxation.

I felt physically and mentally lighter. And I mean lighter, almost as if I could float away if I wanted.

This proved to me that anxious people don't necessarily know what relaxed is, because they have forgotten, by being constantly in, or on the edge of, fight-or-flight mode.

I now know my feelings of relaxation in general are just me feeling slightly less agitated, not really fully relaxed, and that why my various symptoms seem to show up at odd times - because my body is still on edge, even if my conscious mind doesn't acknowledge it.

Mark

[NoPoet]

Hi, antidepressants create agitation in some people; I am currently going through what you describe, and yes it does seem to come in cycles. I call these "adrenaline blips" (as they are distinct from "anxious blips" and "depressive blips").

I used to find adrenaline blips came before or during periods of low mood or before an extra-strength anxiety blip, so they were a useful indicator of "good times" ahead. As I've become more aggressive at dealing with anx and dep the adrenaline blips now come on their own and with some self-control, you can prevent them leading to something worse.

Maybe if you're feeling more confident in yourself, the confidence becomes a kind of aggression as you're no longer prepared to tolerate crap from others?

[Emphyrio]

Thanks for the replies.

Hmmm - I see what you mean about adrenaline vs anxiety/depression blips and the difference between them. However, this blip that I'm experiencing is not pleasant in the slightest. I don't feel particularly down nor am I worrying about anything in particular, but I feel really tense, agitated, and feel that I could easily lose control at any point.

I had these feelings both on and off antidepressants so I can't link them to anything in particular. When I was last on 20mg of fluoxetine I felt very restless, but at the same time, felt in control. Now I feel fairly tired/weak but at the same time, horribly tense.