Hello, first time here

[Scotzil]

Hey everyone, I'm Leah and I'm 26. I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder in 2014 (first time I got up the courage to visit the doctor about it, suffered my whole life prior) and prescribed an SSRI which I took for around 14 months. I stopped in January of this year as I felt it was no longer helping me and I was loathing the feeling of being addicted to them (horrible brain zaps if I ever missed a a dose).

Recently, my anxiety has zeroed in on health issues and I have found myself becoming utterly obsessed with any small symptom. This includes constant monitoring, poking, prodding and googling which only convinces me I have something horrible. My current terror is a weird fatigue/ache in my left arm that is making me think about DVT, tumours, neuromuscular disorders, heart disease etc. I am exhausted with it.

I feel like I need to do something to save my sanity and so I made my first ever appointment with a counsellor, going on Monday and super nervous. By the same token I made an account here as I have read these boards for a while and it seems very supportive here, so maybe talking to people who understand can help me get back control too.

Well anyway, hello and thanks for reading my ramblings if you're still here!

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Scotzil and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[Lucinda07]

Welcome. Good luck with your counsellor on Monday - they are trained to be non-judgemental and empathic.:)

[Scotzil]

Thank you both for your replies. It's so nice to know there are a whole group of people here who understand exactly how I feel.

Thank you for the luck lucinda07, I'm super nervous as I am utterly terrible at talking out loud about how I feel. I've put this off for years, I think. But it's time, I'm so tired of being this way. Hopefully this is the beginning of regaining control!

[vixdname]

Hi there I'm a member here for quite a while but more a reader then a poster.
You sound very much like myself with the health anxiety, TBH over the years health anxiety has taken over my life for months on end.
I went onto Lexapro and have been on them almost a year and a half now and they have worked wonders for me.
I dont jump to dreadful conclusions at the slightest symptom of anything an havent been to the Dr in that time only to renew my prescription, which is amazing compared to going to him every few weeks with issues.
Youve made the decision to talk to a counsellor, good for you, i too would have done the same if the meds hadnt worked as well as they had.
I hope it helps you big time.
If you ever want to PM me for a chat if youre feeling overwhelmed by it all, please fell free, I'd love to help out.
take care !!!