Perceived slurred speech, started medication last night to try to combat the ALS fear

[Lilly13]

Hi everyone,

I have been trying really hard to gain control over my health anxiety regarding ALS. Unfortunately it hasn't been easy.

Currently, I have a fear that I am slurring my speech.. sometimes I say things wrong or don't pronounce them properly... or it feels like the word isn't coming out right... is this the same as slurring? Could anxiety really be causing this? Could I be convincing myself that I slur to the point that I ACTUALLY slur/ mess up my words!?! I am afraid to talk to my boyfriend or my friends as I am so scared of this becoming real.I am also afraid that I have too much saliva in my mouth, I can feel it when I speak. Sometimes I am scared its going to spray out of my mouth, yet it never does.

should I see my doctor again about it? Or should I wait until someone else notices my slurring as an issue.Since my mind is a fog.

I tried ativan last night, it was very strange. I woke up with a panic attack so I thought I might as well give it a go. It made me so so tired, I slept until 10:00am this morning. I awoke feeling groggy and with a persistent twitch in my arm that seems to have subsided.

I took prozac at 10:00am, no side effects yet. Feelings out of it, but it is better than feeling anxious.

I will keep you posted on how the drugs interact with me, hopefully they can provide some solace.

[Emilym80]

Hi Lilly,

Glad to hear you're giving the medication another go :) can't hurt to keep trying! As for the slurring, if I pay close attention to my tongue when I'm speaking it often feels like it's misbehaving or I'm speaking weirdly, when I'm actually not. There have been quite a few times lately where I've thought I've said something incorrectly and asked whoever I was talking to- they always said it was fine. I think if you were genuinely slurring your speech your boyfriend would pick up on it right away as you'd sound like you were drunk; it's different from stumbling over words. If you misspeaks and then correct yourself you don't have ALS- if you did, you would never be able to properly pronounce whichever the sound was again.

Off-topic here but did you see your doctor about reflux?

All the best :) have a good weekend!

[Sophie1]

I had trouble swallowing liquids and convinced myself I had ALS, which I didn't. But I wasted months worrying about it and my speech, even though I am only seventeen. I 100% think you don't have it and the type of ALS you may think you have is bulbar onset, which is an extremely rare type of an extremely rare illness, so your chances of having it are extremely low and you will most likely never have it.

[Lilly13]

Hi Sophie, thank you for your reply.. did you anxiety ever trick you into thinking that you were speaking weirdly? Slurring/lisping? Mispronouncing, stumbling. Thank you for your support I hope you are right. xx

Hi Emily,

I went to a doctor specifically about medication because he is my school doctor, I can only see him about one issue per time. Also my reflux isn't as bad lately. - my regular doctor is a bit of a meanie and takes nothing I say seriously ever so I am a bit hesitant to see him

[Sophie1]

I was convinced I was slurring words, but was told my speech is exactly the same - my anxiety really plays tricks on me haha. I have found that if you are convinced you have a serious illness, your mind tends to focus on every symptom making them worse, which makes you panic more.

[Andrash]

Can you whistle? If you can, you don't have ALS. Definitely. 100%.

[Lilly13]

Hi Andrash,

I could never- ever whistle - so I can't do this test :(

[Andrash]

Hi Andrash,

I could never- ever whistle - so I can't do this test :(

Doesn't matter. There is another, even more reliable test. Try breathing through pursed lips. If you can do that, you don't have ALS, 100%. :)

[Lilly13]

I can do this! Why does this prove that I don't have bulbar?

Does it require allot of strength?

[Andrash]

It proves it because you need a lot of movement from your lip and throat muscles to do that. If you had ALS you would never have been able to do that.