Anxiety and Panic causing cardiac problems later in life.

[Modestaustin811]

So I don't want to jynx anything, but I've been doing okay lately. I still have daily anxiety, and mild panic from time to time, OCD tendencies, but I've been getting out, and i've been eating more. I've finally gained some weight so I'm more confident in my body, as I was approaching underweight before, and now I'm normal. BUT, i've read this before, and have done some research recently into anxiety and cardiac problems later in life.

This is not a good article for people with heart anxiety but here's a study, one of many that talks about how us with anxiety disorders are at greater risks for heart problems, independent of the normal risk factors (high blood pressure, lack of exercise, smoking) - http://www.psychweekly.com/aspx/article/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleid=29

What I worry about is that I've had this anxiety disorder that has waxed and waned since I was 16 years old, I'm now a 24 year old man. I always have some level of anxiety, and there are times daily where my anxiety makes me feel uncomfortable, independent of my own thoughts, it's just an anxious feeling I get in my body. I worry that I won't live to see my older age, and i don't know how my body will deal with it in my forties, fifties, and onwards.

Medication is not an option, I'm sensitive to all SSRI'S as my anxiety started from prolonged MDMA use when I was in my teenage years, and now when I take an antidepressant it's almost like a Post traumatic stress response that I get from anything that increases my Serotonin. It gives me those old familiar feelings and my body and mind FREAK out.

I also don't drink Caffeine, and am 7 months, almost 8 months sober as alcohol while helpful at first, only made my anxiety
worse with the hangovers (some of the worst panic attacks I've ever had).

Despite all this,I'm getting by, even though i'm restricted by the some of things I cannot do, but I'm in school full time, I live on my own, dating has been hard, but I really just see myself as having a disability. My quality of life is reduced but it's not dramatically reduced, I just have to be aware of my boundaries.

I just worry that my life will be made shorter because of this, there's nothing I can really do, and it's just another thing to worry about. Any of you older folks with panic disorder / generalized anxiety care to chime in? Just a little worried about my future.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I can't seem to access that link, it keeps coming up as unavailable, does it work for you?

Without reading it and understanding it, I think we know from the normal impacts of stress that we will be at risk of things like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc and these are all going to move us into the "less likely to live long" camp, but it becomes a question of management of these kinds of conditions to prevent them from becoming serious.

Can't say for that study though without accessing it as I can't read what factors they are basing this on after removing these common factors for life expectancy.

Something else to consider is the non anxiety disorder sufferer lifestyle. If this is made up of smoking, drinking, tons of sugar & caffeine, etc then I think they will be at a higher risk than many of us given we have removed triggers like these so we don't experience all the other damage they cause that many non anxiety disorder sufferers don't really care about.