Anxiety taking over my life

[anxietycontrol]

hi, im new to the site, i stumbled over it searching for anxiety on google suprise suprise lol.

im not sure were to start.

im 25 now, for the past 5 years i have been a big worryier, im guaranteed to have panic attack at least once a week. i beleive it all started during my teens when i use to be a heavy cocaine, mdma and speed user, i had my first panic attack when i was on speed and thought it was a heart attack, i have never been the same mentaly since.

up till 1yr ago i no longer use drugs, i worry so much about my health, my symptoms vary so much, at the moment i feel light headed, my vision seems blured and i feel dizzy, i get twinges and muscel pain in my arms, fingers, and discomfort in my chest, to the left and right. i have been to the doctor and he says my pains are nothing to worry about but i belive they are so i worry so much about all these problems and they appear to get worse the more i think about it. all these symptoms are with me day in day out and getting me down.

the only time i like my life at the moment is when im asleep because i dont have to put up with all these problems but i know when i wake up it all starts again. the only time my anxiety goes is if im drunk or taken mdma.

my doctor prescribed me MIRTAZAPINE wich is a great help but not a prescibed drug to be used long time and tbh i dont want drugs to help me, i want to just be normal and sort all these problems out in my head.

just wondering if anyone has similar troubles, symptoms, or advice,

regards, tom.

[Andromeda]

Hi tom , welcome to the forum !
you'll love it here , everyone is so friendly and supportive and it's a great place to turn to when your feeling rock bottom !
i can't offer much in terms of advice as i too am feeling all the exact same things you are at the moment !
the symptoms you get are symptoms i get too , every minute of everyday and like you said sleep is the only time i get relief from it !

you did say;

'i worry so much about all these problems and they appear to get worse the more i think about it. all these symptoms are with me day in day out and getting me down.'

this in itself should show you your symptoms are anxiety as if something was really wrong and you were seriously ill , your symptoms would not come and go when you are nervous , they would be constantly there and would get worse and worse over time !

just try to relax and take your mind off the panic as best you can :hugs:

[anxietycontrol]

hey what a warm welcome, thanks.

My anxiety does, at times go for a brief period, usually when im concentrating hard on something else like work. i then relise that all my anxiety has gone but because i thought that it all starts to come back lol.

my main concern is pains around my chest, my main worry is a heart attack and thats what my whole worrying is based around, the slightest pain will set me off. in a way its not really like pain more like a disconfort down my left side or right, some days i dont get it at all but its been feeling like this for years. two different dotors said its nothing to worry about but like i said i still worry and convinced my self they are wrong. im always searching on google wich is a big NO NO for people like myself and see that chest pains is a symptom of anxiety but again im convinced its not anxiety lol, i sound loopy.



but i will visit the doctor again soon, maybe i should ask for a medical of somesort,?? knowing that my heart is in a healthy condition would put my mind at rest.

tom

[Andromeda]

everyone has their own trigger , yours is obviously the heart , mine is to do with my brain !
the thing you have to remember when being scared of a heart attack is like my doctor said to me , if you were actually having a heart attack , you wouldn't have time to stop and panic about having a heart attack !
it's so true , if you have to ask yourself 'i have chest pain , am i having a heart attack?' then you are clearly not having a heart attack ! ALSO , i read that people who have heart attacks don't actually have pain in their heart the way that anxiety sufferers do - that heart attack pain is distinctly different - i won't describe what i read heart attack pain is like because i don't want you to start to convince yourself your feeling it (i know how lethal this can be haha!)

HA is a horrible thing because to beat anxiety , you have to accept that what you're feeling is just anxiety , but the whole point of suffering from HA is that you can't accept it's not something more sinister - so basically it's a vicious circle .
I can't give you any comforting cure i'm afraid as like i said previously i'm caught in little horrible little loop too ! but at least you aren't alone :hugs:

you just have to think about it next time you get nervous or chest pains - how many times have you been convinced it was a heart attack happening ? then compare it to the number of times you've actually had a heart attack (which is 0 i'm hoping !)

XX

[anxietycontrol]

well it is good to know im not alone, i didnt realise there was a dedicated forum to this sort of thing so im in safe hands lol. i do feel more relaxed now, all i need to try to remember is that its all in my head, im perfectly normal:blush:

tom.

[Andromeda]

Stay strong !!! XX:flowers:

[DannyDigital]

Hi guys,

Just joined the site today, I've been reading the forums for a week or two now and it wasn't until I seen yours that I actually signed up.

First of all, my symptoms seem almost identical to yours, I've been suffering from anxiety since July now and I must say it has been the most unhappy period of my life, all I do is worry all the time.

My symptoms are just as you say, pains or twinges in my arms or chest, even sometimes in my back. The first time I had a panic was the worst and even took a trip to the hospital because I thought it was a heart attack. I think thats happened to lots of people! haha

I think my anxiety was triggered in a different way to yours, I lost my Dad in June last year, he had a heart attack in his bedroom and died on the floor in front of me, then about a month later my anxiety started, you can imagine my worry about heart attacks after experiencing it happen first hand to someone I loved so much. My anxiety seems to change symptoms now and again though too, Its a lot different now to what it was when it first started. I dont get a rapid heart or anything as much just pains etc like you described...

Anyway, sorry to be camptain bringdown but just wanted to say Hi and let you that there is at least one other person going through the same thing as you.

Danny

[anxietycontrol]

hello danny welcome, i appreciate your post, it is good to know that some one is going through the same day to day issues.

i really sorry to hear of your dad, it would be enought to start anyones emotions and anxiety off.

my chest discomfort is never followed by a rapid heart beat either, but im always doing silly things like constantly checking my pulse :wacko:, its basically a dull, discomfort that stays with me all day, every day + muscle twinges.

[DannyDigital]

Hey there,

Yeah my anxiety tends to come and go all day, sometimes i get intense bursts of it but sometimes I'm not too bad.

Mine is usually dull aches or discomfort all over my chest and it's always in different parts. Deep down I know its anxiety but it never stops me worrying that it could be something else. I forgot what a normal day without pain or worry feels like....sadly :weep:

Thanks for the welcome mate!

Danny

[anxietycontrol]

I forgot what a normal day without pain or worry feels like....sadly :weep:



yeah tell me about it mate, its been like it for 5 years for me. its helps talking to people who have the same problems, people who dont have to put up with this dont understand what its like. its strange because deep down i know its more tahn likley my anxiety but its difficult to belive that because im still trying to come to terms with the fact that emotional thoughts and stress can manipulate into physical pain, its difficult to understand.