View Full Version : Can GAD really cause these symptoms?
I've been told i have GAD but i am in a constant state of panic and fear with symptoms that are very worrying to me.
I keep going to do my simple every day tasks and don't know how, i also keep saying the wrong words for things.
This morning i was woken by panic, i'd been half awake for hours but unable to get up, i could feel the panic but was not fully awake.
When i did wake i made a cup of tea, composed myself and got dressed, i went to make breakfast.
I stood there feeling like i didn't know how to do it, i told myself it was just my fried brain and carried on but i kept making mistakes, doing things in the wrong order, acually forgot to add milk to cereal!
Then i keep saying the wrong words for things, i will forget what i planned to buy at the supermarket even though i made a list 5 minutes before that, i ordered 2 drinks at a coffee shop today and knew exactly what to order in my mind but the words got stuck, they wouldn't come out, i had to make an excuse and let someone go ahead of me, i tried again, tried to say 'mint choc chip cooler please' and bumbled something like 'choc mint cold', the server guessed what i was asking for but the whole experience terrified me.
I am struggling with agoraphobia, i can just about push through the fear to get out most days but things like saying the wrong words, mind blanks, doing things wrong that are very familiar tasks are impossible not to fear.
Am i alone with this? Someone please help me to understand, i feel i've gone crazy.
Your are not alone at all. I have the same exact issues. Then i think I'm going crazy or something is medically wrong. You are fine. Its totally all anxiety.
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Thank you, i'm sorry you suffer this too, it is incredibly scary and taking over my thoughts which of course makes my anxiety much worse.
I have tried to explain it to drs, pyschiatrists, family etc but no one seems to understand, they say 'oh we all forget things' well yes that is true but not to that extent and not forgetting how to do every day tasks like making a bowl of cereal, so frightening :(
Ya people that don't have it dont understand. I developed anxiety when my mother passed two yrs ago. I also lost my dad and 5 other family members in the last 3 years. I was doing really well until my nephew passed at the end of April. The doc put me on celexa which i had taken before but this time i had a severe reaction to it. I was out of work for two months, it made me depressed and felt suicidal which ive never ever experienced in my life. I tk a low dose of xanax to keep the anxiety at bay. Are you taking anything for it and did something trigger your anxiety disorder?
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I've had agoraphobia last 4 years. This year alone I've only stepped out 4 times of the house. I feel you.
Just an idea:
The symptoms you describe remind me of those you might get with extreme sleep deprivation.
Perhaps you have a sleep disorder and you're not achieving deep sleep?
Worth googling it maybe?
Thank you everyone, it's comforting to know i'm not alone.
It happened again today as per usual, went to the supermarket, had about 10 items to buy and kept feeling like i didn't know what they were, got item number 1 then brain just froze over and over again like i couldn't remember the rest.
I make lists, i mentally go over it before i go in but once i'm in there it's as if the information just wont 'feed back' to my brain, i could sit here now and recite what i needed to buy but once i'm there it's a total fog.
I am very, very sleep deprived but anxiety wakes me up frequently from my sleep so decent rest is impossible, it's bad enough feeling constantly anxious and struggling to get out of the door,walk around the supermarket etc without this fried brain scaring me even more.
I am on diazepam, been on it years but get zero support when it comes to reducing it and i am just too scared to taper it if i'm being honest, i know it doesn't work anymore and it has crossed my mind that it might actually be causing my anxiety now but i do have good spells that can last for months.
I've tried countless antidepressants and can't tolerate them, just tried sertraline again but it was making me so unwell they stopped it, i have a prescription for venlafaxine but no courage to start it at the moment after the rough ride with sertraline.
I have a second appointment with a cbt therapist today, not sure how i'll even get there and i have no idea how to explain everything, my anxiety is non stop so it's hard to know where to start.
You are definitely definitely not alone!!! I also say the wrong things time and time again!
I do silly things, when my GAD is bad it gets worse. If that isn't bad enough my brain also likes to make my OCD worse at the same time!! It's like it wants to control me to the point I'm unable to do the simplest of tasks!
I have good days and bad days but at the moment the bad days are BAD! I can be very organised to the point I do wash load after wash load and then boom the next day I can't do what I did the day before.
I was diagnosed with GAD in 2009 but it's only the last 6 months that it's really hit me hard. My psychiatrist has said it's now on the severe side of GAD!
I feel for you! It's horrible and as another poster has said. It's awful because when your with someone who hasn't got it they have no idea what we go though on a daily basis! x
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---------- Post added at 12:05 ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 ----------
Thank you everyone, it's comforting to know i'm not alone.
It happened again today as per usual, went to the supermarket, had about 10 items to buy and kept feeling like i didn't know what they were, got item number 1 then brain just froze over and over again like i couldn't remember the rest.
I make lists, i mentally go over it before i go in but once i'm in there it's as if the information just wont 'feed back' to my brain, i could sit here now and recite what i needed to buy but once i'm there it's a total fog.
I am very, very sleep deprived but anxiety wakes me up frequently from my sleep so decent rest is impossible, it's bad enough feeling constantly anxious and struggling to get out of the door,walk around the supermarket etc without this fried brain scaring me even more.
I am on diazepam, been on it years but get zero support when it comes to reducing it and i am just too scared to taper it if i'm being honest, i know it doesn't work anymore and it has crossed my mind that it might actually be causing my anxiety now but i do have good spells that can last for months.
I've tried countless antidepressants and can't tolerate them, just tried sertraline again but it was making me so unwell they stopped it, i have a prescription for venlafaxine but no courage to start it at the moment after the rough ride with sertraline.
I have a second appointment with a cbt therapist today, not sure how i'll even get there and i have no idea how to explain everything, my anxiety is non stop so it's hard to know where to start.
Just an idea, I cannot cope lately with going in the supermarket. So I do online shopping it makes things just that little bit easier.
I've been on Pregabolin (Lyrica) it's not licensed in the USA for GAD but it is in the UK. It definitely helps me.
I have been having insomnia for about 6 months and the dr's have tried me on 6 different sleeping tablets (4 of them benzodiazepines)! I was waking every 1.5-2 hours every night, I could get to sleep but couldn't stay asleep.
On Tuesday night I made a massive decision to try not taking the sleeping tablet and guess what!? I slept!! It worked last night too! Although I did get up at around 4am but managed to go back to bed!
I would definitely speak to your GP or psychiatrist about Pregabolin it is quite good. Although another GP at our surgery told me some surgeries aren't giving it out anymore due to it having a high black market value!!
Good luck xxx
Edited....I'm on Venlafaxine 225mg daily. Please don't be put off. I know everyone is different but I haven't had any problems with it x
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It's a chicken and egg situation. Anxiety causes insomnia and insomnia feeds anxiety.
I felt my anxiety building throughout the day yesterday. My arms and legs ached more and more. By 11pm I was exhausted and fell asleep. I woke up at 2ish with severe aches and was forced out of bed. I watched TV for two hours before falling asleep again. I then woke up maybe every half hour with sudden sharp muscle pains.
i got up at 8 feeling sleep deprived, my legs weak, shaky and aching. Managed to borrow some Diazepam (can't get hold of my prescription for it until later today). I now have 150mg pregabalin, 8mg Diazepam and a co-codamol (for my tension headache) in my system and I finally feel like I'm on the mend. I am firmly attached to the sofa.
Diazepam is a godsend for me. I pray it continues to work at relatively low doses but I know my tolerance is gradually increasing so I resist taking it as much as possible.
Back to sleeping. I wonder if we need a reminder of all the things we should be doing (and shouldn't be doing:
From the internet re. Sleep disorders:
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Make getting a good night’s sleep a priority. Block out seven to nine hours for a full night of uninterrupted sleep, and try to wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine. Avoid stimulants like coffee, chocolate, and nicotine before going to sleep, and never watch TV, use the computer, or pay bills before going to bed. Read a book, listen to soft music, or meditate instead.
Make sure your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet. Consider using a fan to drown out excess noise, and make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable.
Use your bedroom as a bedroom — not for watching TV or doing work — and get into bed only when you are tired. If you don’t fall asleep within 15 minutes, go to another room and do something relaxing.
Regular exercise will help you sleep better, but limit your workouts to mornings and afternoons.
Avoid looking at the clock. This can make you anxious in the middle of the night. Turn the clock away from you.
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I can definitely recommend the fan idea. Some people use white noise makers which have the same effect.
Anyway I'm rambling on now so I'll shut up and ask what you think of all this? :)
Thank you again, pregabolin was offered to me during my bad spell last year, at that point i didn't want it but i asked again at a recent appointment and was told they don't prescribe it anymore.
I will definitely try the other suggestions though, i must be more exhausted than i thought, i was sat here earlier falling asleep even though i really didn't want to and next thing i am having bad dreams, trying to wake up but unable to.
The memory thing is bothering me a lot, i went to get my strawberry yoghurt from the fridge, completely convinced i had bought one this morning only to suddenly realise i'd chosen a chocolate mousse instead!
I just don't get it at all, i thought making lists would help, i thought having a spoken conversation with my husband about what i needed to buy would help but i do that and seconds later i am lost and not knowing again.
I walked in there, remembered we needed apples and just thought 'okay what next?!' but i didn't know, i froze, i had gone over it but my brain wont hold onto it when it comes to actually doing it, my husband said 'well you managed in the end'. yes i did but only because he and the children were reminding me, my own mind couldn't do it, so scary :(
I am also sleep deprived because of my anxiety and have these symptoms. As mentioned above. Montyzoos comment about sleep deprivation makes total sense. I notice the less i sleep the more it happens
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It certainly makes things worse, so hard to get restful sleep with the anxiety being there constantly though, it never switches off.
I have just made a to do list for tomorrow, i titled it 'Friday list', tomorrow is Saturday!
I know i should try not to worry about it because it adds more fear but it's so frightening, it's like i am panicking too much for my brain to fous or think about anything else but in turn that makes me panic even more, it's a nightmare.
I understand how scary it must feel when it's happening to you. This is where CBT training can help. You're first reaction is to be afraid. Your next reaction can be of your choosing. Try literally laughing it off and immediately say out loud, it's JUST anxiety and sleep deprivation. Nothing bad is going to happen to me!! As soon as you are able to break the cycle of anxiety, you'll sleep better and the symptoms will begin to lessen and eventually go away altogether.
Thank you, i saw my therapist who said the same thing, she said we can break through it in time and that when the anxiety and panic reduces my thoughts will flow more freely again.
She spent a lot of time going over the fear cycle and explaining it, i know that from previous CBT but i don't know how to start breaking the cycle.
I was hoping she could give me some tips on how to cope but she just said that will come in further sessions so until then i just have to try to cope the best i can.
It's just self managing at the moment until i have worked through enough sessions to truly be able to get the panic state to reduce, she thinks my GAD is becoming more a panic disorder now, i agree with that and know it takes time but it's like living a nightmare as so many here will understand.
chrismex89
29-07-17, 01:59
The most likely is that your symptoms are for anxiety, i experiencing myself that kind of symptoms. I think you are in the correct way with CBT and medication, you can control your anxiety, its matter of time, regards.
Breaking the cycle of fear is a good way of describing the challenge. For me, the key is to catch myself in the act of having a negative or fearful thought, then immediately over-writing it with my own purpose-designed positive thought. So rather than reinforcing a negative thought, I'm creating a new and positive pathway in my brain.
Another more general method I employ is acceptance. However you feel, just let it be. To employ a metaphor, you can't stop the waves breaking on the rocks. Instead, ride the waves! This works particularly well for me when I'm experiencing strong physical symptoms such as constant muscle aches, feeling my heart beating out of my chest, tingling fingers (all typical stress symptoms for me!). My natural reaction is to tense myself - like I can somehow squeeze the stress out of me! This clearly won't work and just adds to the tension. When I catch myself tensing, I play the tape in my head that essentially says roll with it! Let go of the tension, allow your body to feel "heavy" (hope that makes sense!). Let any symptoms you are feeling just wash over you. They can't hurt you.
That is excellent advice MontyZoo, I really do need to try harder to do that, to accept those feelings and go with it and to rewrite the negative thoughts too, in fact that is the one thing I must learn to do the most.
The whole jumbled brain thing is keeping me in a state of fear, I need to change my thinking over that, I am worrying constantly about not knowing what to buy at my next trip to the supermarket despite managing it today.
I try making lists but my head is blank before I get that far now, it's scaring me and yet I know my fear of it is making it worse and my thoughts wont flow freely in this anxious state either.
I need to break the cycle, not sure how yet though, I keep telling myself I will know when I get there but it doesn't always work that way and it's becoming an obsession now, I dwell on it all day, it's almost driving me crazy on top of all my other panic feelings and symptoms.
I think the most important thing is to actually believe you have an anxiety disorder and nothing worse. Until you can you won't be able to disrupt that cycle of fear that it isn't anxiety but something worse.
Thank you pulisa, my therapist said that yesterday and although i don't think i am going to die or that i have any kind of specific illness i do keep saying 'this cannot just be anxiety, i am going crazy' etc so i do need to learn to say 'no i am ot crazy, i am extremely anxious but that does not equal crazy or out of control'.
I find making simple decisions very difficult and can tie myself in knots doing the most routine things. It IS just anxiety though. Anxiety thrives on fear-I get bored with my stupid thoughts. They are the product of a tired brain, nothing more sinister..really! xx
Pulisa, absolutely right in saying you have to really believe it's just anxiety.
Emotions associated with fight or flight response, for instance, anger or fear are activated in the primitive part of our brain. Whereas decision making, such as choosing to attribute a physical symptom to anxiety or sleep deprivation, happens in the evolved part of our brain. (This isn't just a metaphor. The primitive part is at the centre of our brain, called the limbic system if I remember correctly. The evolved part is the outer layer - the cerebrum.) Close your eyes and - sounds strange I know - try to sense these two distinct parts of your mind. With me, I can "hear" the primitive part. It's like a noisy animal radiating negative feelings. Now here's the trick; imagine you are looking at your primitive core from a distance. Disassociate yourself from it. Listen to it. Sense its fear! And REALISE that although it is a part of you, it is not YOU. You get to make the decisions. Sense the anxiety that radiates from your inner animal. And instead of legitimising the feeling, choose to let it wash over you. Don't fight it. It can't hurt you.
This kind of awareness is a powerful tool for people like us. Have a go and tell me what you think :)
crijbragg, how much xanax do you take? Does it help?
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