Anxiety and Lyrica doses

[eldimoni]

Thanks for your reply SarahH....

I think that is a possibility... that I overdid it.A bit off topic, but I find if i sit for too long, my back starts to hurt. Its been hurting more since Saturday and today was a bit better, although i had a strange "electric" pain down my arms into my fingers after sitting at the computer for a couple of hours... Certainly nerve pain, although it only lasted about 10 mins. Strange as I haven't felt that kind of electric pain for quite some time and I started worrying again, although not massively.

This morning I woke up to my old telephones alarm going off at 7am, I then decided to stay in bed until 8am but not sleep, just relax. I find if i am awake i dont get those nasty jerks and thats how it panned out... no jerks. Nice!

I also downloaded some software for my phone which analyses your sleep by movements and noise. Interesting to see how much deep sleep you get. Thought it might be useful to see if theres anything out of the ordinary with my sleep patterns, but so far nothing major.

[hanshan]

Hi Eldimoni,

Another thought is to have some relaxing music to listen to handy when you wake up.

When I was looking at some information on the TENS electronic devices, I came across transcranial direct current brain stimulation used for anxiety and depression. Hmmm... probably a step too far even for me.

[SarahH]

Lower back pain??? Yes that is a VERY common symptom of anxiety. I get it when my anxiety in high and then it can dissapear instantly when the anxiety goes!!!
Just a strange question...why dont you get up in the morning when you wake? Or do you wake in the early hours of the morning?

Sarah

[eldimoni]

Hi Hanshan and SarahH,

I do try to relax as much as possible when i get up and maybe the music idea is a good one. I may try that.....
This episode of anxiety has lasted about 10 months now. It all started because of my back pain. Its not lower back pain, its around my neck and around my shoulder blade and shoulder, especially along the top and also sometimes down my arm, all on the left side.
I initially started freaking out because i didn't know what it was and thought it might be serious (related to a c6 herniation in my neck as my GP said it was likely). I still haven't had a proper diagnosis (no scans/tests) and Im not so sure its entirely related to my neck issue as the pain isn't always there. Most of the pain doesn't feel like I imagine nerve pain to be (although there is definitely some of that occasionally as it is a sharp electric pain, very distinct).
It seems to be worse if im anxious for a period, or if i walk or sit too long. Its strange as when it gets worse, the areas feel inflamed and it sounds like something inside is "cracking" or catching on something. I think its called crepitus.

There are a few things it could possibly be and Im definitely getting it looked at with more resolve when Im in Thailand a few weeks from now. Its relatively cheap and they will do all the diagnostics and hopefully give me an answer as to what exactly the problem is. There may or may not be a more efficient treatment for it. Fingers crossed!

For me, the pain is the thing that keeps pulling me back into the anxious state. Sometimes the flare ups aren't so bad and i can manage, but when it gets bad I start to freak out a bit. Its just my automatic response and Im aware of it. Im fairly sure if i could resolve the issue, the anxiety would be far more manageable.

With regards to getting up in the morning... its a hard one to answer. Theres no real reason why i cant just get up, only that sometimes it feels like its a bit too early (not like 4am early). That being said, the last few days i have stayed awake, but relaxing if i wake up early. The jerks only really happen if im falling asleep again after i wake up.

Thanks for reading guys!

[hanshan]

Hi Eldimoni,

No worries. We're all here to help each other (although I've occasionally met some people who don't seem to share that opinion).

Actually, I should take my own advice about the music. In the past, I had a clock radio that I could set to a radio station so it would wake me to music each morning. At the moment, I've just got a clock that emits a series of beeps that get increasingly faster. When that first beep comes in the morning, the effect can be almost like an electric shock all by itself. So I'm definitely thinking of looking for something that can wake me to music.

Hope all goes well in Thailand. They may also be able to suggest or refer you to some treatments still not part of western medicine.

[SarahH]

The pain/anxiety cycle is difficult to break. I hope Thailand is successful for you

Good luck
Sarah