Why?

[psychadelic-brie]

How am I supposed to continue like this? I can't cope anymore. The almost constant anxiety verging on panic attacks is degrading and exhausting. I can't actually count how much CBT I've had. Why does it not work for me? Why? I am depressed. The meds don't work and again, i've tried too many to count. I am plagued by nausea and hot flushes that merely encourage my nerves. It is hard to distract myself. I feel ill. I feel like I am going to vomit and s**t myself at the same time whilst passing out. This is too often. I have no job and no prospect of moving back out. It's all too much. I don't think i'm supposed to be able to survive this.

[CeeCeeCee]

Hi, I hope you are feeling calmer now. I am not the one to advise you at the moment as I'm kind of in the middle of feeling panicky and anxious too. I feel for you and I know you feel its futile but it's not. Someone who is more equipped to support you will reply soon I'm sure. In the meantime keep your chin up, tomorrow will still come I promise :-)

[psychadelic-brie]

I hope you feel better soon. I am at rock bottom so I appreciate you taking the time to say hello.

[Blinkyrocket]

Have you tried any anti serotonin medication? The nausea makes me think of that, anything that would antagonize 5-HT3 could help with that. The nausea also makes me think that you're constantly enduring low grade sepsis, or severe endotoxin exposure. The reason care for anxiety and depression is not good enough is because we got too focused on the hormone of stress, hibernation, and torpor which is called serotonin. Try cyproheptadine, Cyproheptadine at first lowers dopamine as well as serotonin so some people feel like a zombie for the first week. Tianeptine isn't really an SSRE but it does regulate serotonin in a good way (lowers it). Even the people that benefit from SSRI truly don't need an SSRI for the specific action if serotonin at least. Serotonin lowers ATP in the brain, it basically is a reducing valve for the brain that basically puts a visor around your "peripheral vision" so you can't see the bleachers burning down and can focus on winning the race (it's a horse race analogy). Which is probably why Lysergic Acid trips are so "enlightening" and people have changed their whole philosophies on life after having a good LSD trip. The consequence of LSD's activation of all those serotonin receptors is, I believe, an overall lowering of serotonin in the brain.

Thyroid hormone regulates serotonin in a good way (raises or lowers it or modifies it's function, I have no idea, but I do know that thyroid's actions on cells are generally opposite of serotonin). Also, hyperthyroidism barely exists, I'm pretty sure the only true form of existing hyperthyroidism is the kind caused by overdose of thyroid meds. The hyperthyroidism that is diagnosed my medical professionals is more likely to be some sort Catecholamine storm or something similar. Since pretty much all of the catecholamines cause the blood TSH to lower and the levels of free T3 to be high, never mind the fact that such a thing as "free thyroid hormone" probably doesn't even exist, and whatever they're measuring has less to do with the thyroid than they think. Not to say that it isn't related to the thyroids function in some way, or the connection between supposed "free thyroid hormone" and thyroid function would've never been made, just saying that thyroid tests are practically useless. A better test is body temperature, but even then, being stressed out as you are I wouldn't be surprised if you're constantly running a low grade "fever".

If you haven't tried essential oils though, you could give those a shot, lavender has been studied and been shown to work pretty well. I've gotten orange oil and am going to try it as soon as I get a diffuser.

What you've gotta remember is that if medications have failed, it doesn't mean there's not something wrong with you that can't be cured, it just means that the mechanism of your anxiety is different. It could be endotoxin related, ammonia could be building up in your system and activating glutamate receptors, who knows. In general though, inflammation is an overall good thing to target to help anxiety, so try something anti inflammatory like N-Acetyl-Glucosamine. I saw a forum post awhile ago where a guy said he greatly helped his anxiety with that N-Acetyl-Glucosamine stuff.

[psychadelic-brie]

I don't really understand the majority of what you said i'm afraid. I do know it is anxiety and panic and I don't have any underlying condition. I do use lavender to calm and herbal teas as well to calm down or calm my stomach. I have sort of accepted medication doesn't really do much for me but when all I get offered other than that is CBT, which doesn't appear to work, i'm a bit stuck.

[shiznit76]

I'm like you, tried various AD meds, CBT, betablockers, nothing helps me. I'm trying a meditation course the now. I'm at a loss what to do to live with this. What meds do you take ? Do you exercise? I do this, and helps massively, but only when i do it and its not long to sliding back in to that dark place again

[TalkTonight]

If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, managing it successfully is a full-time job. It takes massive amounts of work and a good deal of courage. It definitely won't subside on its own, nor will it with just medication and a handful of CBT sessions. Emerging out of the other side and thriving is definitely possible. But the places to which you might have to go to get there might be scary. Good luck on your journey.

[wantpeace]

I hope you are feeling better psychadelic-brie. The bad feelings when they happen feel intolerable and impossible to deal with and most of all never ending. I've had them a lot in my life. But the thing to remember is they are temporary. It's not going to be like that for the rest of your life. You will improve.

[CeeCeeCee]

[QUOTE=psychadelic-brie;1527672]I don't really understand the majority of what you said i'm afraid.

Me neither, read it twice but to no avail :-/:shrug:

[Blinkyrocket]

[QUOTE=psychadelic-brie;1527672]I don't really understand the majority of what you said i'm afraid.

Me neither, read it twice but to no avail :-/:shrug:

I've been accused of being all of over the place, and generally in-understandable when I'm trying to fit lots of paragraphs of something into a condensed version.

Main point is, anxiety is always caused by an underlying condition, it's never something in and of itself. It's always unnatural, and being caused by something unnatural, though some of those things are unexpected, like infection from certain bacteria like Streptococcus or Candida. The only reason those things aren't popular causes of anxiety disorders is because it's hard to diagnose something that may not present any real symptoms. But, kids who have had Strep Throat have high chances of developing OCD, so bacterial infection should be studied more. Another reason anxiety isn't really understood is because our body isn't really understood, as evidenced by the idiotic membrane pump theory of the cell.

http://www.physiologicalchemistryandphysics.com/pdf/PCP39-1_ling.pdf
If we're still gonna believe that membrane nonsense, we're gonna get nowhere.

Plus, even the receptor theory is being called into question, and the receptor theory is intimately related to drugs, including antidepressants and anti anxiety's of course.

[MyNameIsTerry]

[QUOTE=CeeCeeCee;1527747]

I've been accused of being all of over the place, and generally in-understandable when I'm trying to fit lots of paragraphs of something into a condensed version.

Main point is, anxiety is always caused by an underlying condition, it's never something in and of itself. It's always unnatural, and being caused by something unnatural, though some of those things are unexpected, like infection from certain bacteria like Streptococcus or Candida. The only reason those things aren't popular causes of anxiety disorders is because it's hard to diagnose something that may not present any real symptoms. But, kids who have had Strep Throat have high chances of developing OCD, so bacterial infection should be studied more. Another reason anxiety isn't really understood is because our body isn't really understood, as evidenced by the idiotic membrane pump theory of the cell.

http://www.physiologicalchemistryandphysics.com/pdf/PCP39-1_ling.pdf
If we're still gonna believe that membrane nonsense, we're gonna get nowhere.

Plus, even the receptor theory is being called into question, and the receptor theory is intimately related to drugs, including antidepressants and anti anxiety's of course.

This is where we get into PANDAS and new emerging science. Whilst children can develop OCD from such a cause of Strep Throat, it is shown to disappear again once the infection has been treated. But then we have these PANDAS cases emerging where OCD continues. There are other immunology issues that do the same and research is ongoing into the even less understood possibility of Adult PANDAS, yet I know I've spoken to the odd OCDer who found their issues worsened from Strep Throat so it does make you wonder.

Basically, we are several decades away in understanding a lot of it.

It is true what you say though - it's never "just in your head". Mental health is also physical health and the many "gurus" out there often will reject actual science and say anxiety is just anxiety. Science disagrees and science has proof to back it up.