I think i may have social anxiety..

[stubee]

Hello everyone,great forum.I will try and keep this as brief as possible i have been known to waffle!

About 4 years ago i went from being a stay at home dad who did not work at all,to working part time at weekends and still being a stay at home dad in the week.Not long after starting work i developed some symptoms,i had a non itchy rash on my face,increased heart rate when doing menial tasks,blood "pooling" into my face if a bent over or was parallel to the floor.I went to a doctor and had all sorts of tests,creams,seen a dermatologist who prescribed me propranalol as i described red facial flushing.The pro p. worked in reducing the flushing of the face but gave me side effects so i stopped taking them..

anyway,basically this ongoing problem has made me very self conscious when i am around people as i am always thinking about it happening in the back of my mind,if i am at work in the canteen and a few people look at me when i am talking i can feel my face start to burn up and go red,my entire face goes red apart from the are under my eyes and it gives me a panda effect,like i have been sunbathing with sunglasses on!

I think maybe i am suffering from a form of anxiety as a result of whatever was wrong with me initially.I moved from my hometown to be with my now-wife and a s such left all my friends and family behind so i find it difficult to communicate about this.I have lived were i am now for over 10 years and in the last few years i have gradually started to lose confidence and lately had feelings of worthlessness and mood swings.As my wife is the main breadwinner
this is less than ideal for someone who feels this way,we are trying to change our situation but have a 4 year old son and a 2 year old daughter so to find a suitable job is hard.

I have never even considered anxiety,i have considered many things thanks to googling away like an obsessed person,these include:

candida/yeast infection
amalgam fillings in my mouth causing metal toxicity
food allergies/intolerances

The food one was a major issue for me and i convinced myself i couldnt eat most foods and lost alot of weight,i started to fear eating anything.I am just trying to decide if i have social anxiety,health anxiety or maybe just a general anxiety ... or maybe no anxiety argghhh!

i was in a que of people in a mcdonalds the other day and i started to have tight feelings in my chest area and had to really focus on my breathing because i felt there was not enough air in the building for all of us,this was really scary but i managed to get a grip by sheer will power and telling myself to stop being silly.

Sorry for the long post!

[theharvestmouse]

Sounds like some anxiety symptoms, especially in the queue at Mcdonalds.

[nok_tok]

i think my partner has this flushing of the face condition,

he gets it into 'situations' sometimes, being at tills etc is a big one, he hates being put on the spot at checkouts etc and gets out asap, i think the red flushing of the cheeks has a name for the condition.

can i ask what effects you got from propanalol as my partner takes these too ( for high blood pressure mainly)

[stubee]

The last time i tried propranalol i was on a fairly high dose and experienced a complete numbing of my personality,i felt no excitement (in any form ) and felt generally drained all the time.But i have tried them again on a lower dose,starting at just 10mg 3x a day but now i am on 20mg 3 x a day and it seems to help alot with the physical symptoms.I still get the symptoms but no were near as bad.

[EliStarr*]

Maybe something happened which subconsiously is still ticking over, hence forth causing you to have panic attacks or something?

I think you probably have some sort of Anxiety disorder or prehaps a panic disorder...

The symptoms of a panic attack can be very frightening and distressing. Symptoms tend to occur very suddenly, without warning and often for no apparent reason.
As well as overwhelming feelings of anxiety, a panic attack can also cause the following symptoms:

• a sensation that your heart is beating irregularly (palpitations)
• sweating
• trembling
• hot flushes
• chills
• shortness of breath
• a choking sensation
• chest pain
• nausea
• dizziness
• feeling faint
• numbness, or pins and needles
• dry mouth
• a need to go to the toilet
• ringing in your ears
• a feeling of dread, or a fear of dying
• a churning stomach
• a tingling sensation in fingers
• shivering
• shaking

I have severe social phobia and depression myself, I diagnosed myself got it confirmed by my GP who then referred me to a CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse). My symptoms include alot to be honest! I pretty much tick every symptom:

• Meeting new people
• Being the center of attention
• Being watched while doing something
• Making small talk
• Public speaking
• Performing on stage
• Being teased or criticized
• Talking with “important” people or authority figures

Hope you find what it troubling you

• Being called on in class
• Going on a date
• Making phone calls
• Using public bathrooms
• Taking exams
• Eating or drinking in public
• Speaking up in a meeting
• Attending parties or other social gatherings