Anxiety!! Just don't feel right I'm so worried. Please help

Mental health
1

Hi

Iv posted on here a few times. Really need some reassurance or advice.

About 6 weeks ago my anxiety came back full force! Anyway, after 4 weeks my gp changed my meds from citalopram to sertraline, 1st week was ok but this second week has been horrendous!!! Had some blood tests and my iron is low so been put on ferrous fumerate 210mg 2x a day, been taking them for 4 days now. For the past 2 weeks iv had 1 good day, I seem to be getting worse! Iv been on Diaz 2mg but iv only had 32 tablets over the space of 6 weeks, at one point I didn't have any for about 5 days.

At the moment I'm having the following symptoms

Headaches

Loss of appetite (severely)

Back pain (muscles feel tense) all the way up left side

Nervousness

Irritability

Crying (a lot)

Fatigue

Very low mood

Feeling generally unwell (poorly)

Anxiety

Full body is tense

Tiredness

No motivation

Racing thoughts

Nausea

Vomiting

Snapping at people easily

Frustrated

Insomnia (on a night)

Feeling weak

Feeling scared

Shaking

Cold feet

I'm really struggling to function at the moment, I'm staying with my parents as I'm too scared to be alone, I'm not going to work or uni as I just can't. All I want to do is lie down or sleep! I just don't want to feel like this anymore. I want my life back I feel like theirs no hope 😭😭 I used to get some relief on a night time but since changing to sertraline I'm anxious all day and all night. I feel like I'm just existing and have no purpose. If I go back to my gp they might put me on a different med and I'm going to go through the same thing again. I just don't think I could handle it.

Could it be that I'm having withdrawal from Diaz with me only taking when I need it? (Don't want to become addicted) could it be the sertraline? Could it be the iron tablets? Or could I be poorly on top of my anxiety? I just want to feel like me again or at least 80% back to me so I can at least function.

So sorry for the long post I just really needed to post and hope someone out there could help

Claire x

2

Hello Claire

I think that you may have a point there in thinking the diazepam may be responsible. Even small doses can be detrimental to some people so my neurologist told me. Withdrawal is very hard but acheivable - within several days for some people anyway. Are you taking any painkillers at all?

There is help available and light at the end of the tunnel.

 

3

Hi

Iv been taking normal paracetamol that's all, I will speak to my gp tomorrow about slowly coming off the Diazepam. Thank you so much for your reply, I just feel so lost right now and scared. I have noticed recently that the diazepam don't work as well as they did at the beginning.

Claire x

4

hello claire...i've suffered from generalized anxiety disorder for years which is the form of anxiety you never want to get to.  so naturally, like most, i googled symptoms and thought it was one thing to the next.  yes i had and do still have health anxiety and i'm certainly guilty of being a hypochrondriac.  being in such a condition you naturally find yourself in introspection quite a bit; going over thoughts constantly and looking back on your lifestyle looking for clues as to how you go to this point.  constant worry is really at the root of it all.  again like many people i rushed in to my doctor thinking i had parkinson's or ALS or some neurodisorder or lyme disease etc..  the reality is even if i did have something like parkinson's i wouldn't meet the criteria for diagnosis at this point in time.  point is i'm creating all this worry for nothing.  with this said i'll list my symptoms below.

tremors

wobbly off balance feeling - not vertigo but more of a heavy head feeling

shaking

hot and cold flashes

feels like a fever but temperature if fine

tingling in hands and feet

muscle spasm all over

weakness in arms and legs

numb arms

muscle aches all over or random

blurred vision

white spots or flashes in vision

sudden sweating

inner body vibrating sensation

shortness of breath

nausea

feeling really weak

fatigue...

i could go on.  i've been to the doctor over and over, bloodwork over and over, MRIs, ultrasounds, etc...  always good except for this last time where my vitamin D was a little low which is no surprise.  i've worked indoors and long hours for the past 15 yrs getting very little sunlight but again test was a little low not to mention stopped drinking milk the past year.  in reality i realize that my lifestyle and work ethic along with having two jobs took it's toll this time around.  i constantly was getting little sleep.  i certainly over caffeinated.  i managed a small group of people so i was constantly frustrated on edge daily...at least for the past 5 yrs.  i really didn't pay attention to the signs either.  falling asleep immediately when i got home.  the segmented sleep waking up at 1am then not going back to sleep over and over.  taking in a lot of sugar as well.  i suddenly hit a wall and one saturday felt like i just didn't have the mental energy to continue this way anymore.  i began losing interests in the things i enjoyed.  i always felt like i couldn't relax or take a deep breath.  even if i did have a weekend off i didn't know how to relax and would act as if something needed to be done...i couldn't sit still.  then the physical symptoms slowly started to come on...fatigue...nausea.  started to feel off balance as if you're super tired or just waking up.  started to notice shaking and feeling like i was sweaty.  noticed i couldn't work out like i could.  couldn't sleep at all due to body tremors.  again, doctor cleared me and told me to cut out caffeine and try to relax and rest and take a few weeks off of work if i could.  symptoms were really bad at this point to where it freaked me out daily.  but, despite my fear i forced myself to do stuff.  i started walking 3 days a week which turned into runs which may of provided the most help.  i started to force myself to relax and try and sleep although the insomnia lingered.  insomnia is common with GAD and depression.  but i've persisted.  i started doing pushups daily and slowly started to realize.  if i had some serious condition like most of us think...i wouldn't be making improvements.  tremors disappeared.  twitchy fingers disappeared.  wobbly feeling started to subside and be gone completely on many days.  started to notice i could take deep breaths now.  started feeling more calm and relaxed.  i did reduce and nearly cut out caffeine.  i only do a small cup of green tea in the morning and that's it.  slowly...very slowly i've made improvements.  i'm actually stronger in the upper body now even though the anxiety makes you feel weak at time as i track my progress and strength.  because i've become more active i'm stronger now physically.  it's very confusing due to the anxiety which can make you feel weak but then i sit down and max out on a bench press and i'm doing more now than before i was active.  either way...becoming active and eating right and living better should be done whether you do have an illness or not because either way it'll benefit you in the long run.  have the past 8mos of the depression and GAD for me been frustrating?  yes.  am i giving up...no!  good luck claire.  i didn't medicate in this entire process because i didn't want to mask the real problem.   

5

Hiya I have been on sertraline for 3 weeks and this is exactly how I feel just ride it out and see how you feel honestly I feel sick and ill everyday like there is something wrong with me all my bloods and urine clear try not to panic I know easier said than done. Please keep your head up x

6

I was put on sirtraline and after 5 days couldn't take no more had all your symtoms and more the side effects were horrendous and everyone said you need to settle in to the medication. I just couldn't. Even my top kawasaki came out of its socket grinding teeth no sleep thinking thinking and thinking some more.the following day after coming off it I felt much better and had a great nights sleep I realised I my body was becoming anxious about taking that tiny pill knowing it would cause terrible side effects. Two weeks after stopping them I don't feel anxious anymore but I most likely am anxious and just don't know it as I still have physical symtoms like pains and ibs fatigue and weakness but on those sirtraline it's almost like you are being tortured come off them and get something different although I am told anything ending with " line" is just as bad. If you have been on them more than a few weeks you must ask your doctor about coming off them and the withdrawal symtoms can be worse am afraid

7

Hi

Thank you so much for your reply. I was diagnosed with GAD around 8 years ago. After therapy and meds I got better. I had a relapse around 4&1/2 years ago as I took extra strong painkillers containing caffeine and my anxiety came back! Was put back on citalopram and had cbt (again) and took me a good 2-3 months to feel better. For the past 4 years I have been great, iv done 2 years of college, 2 years of university and just enjoyed life so much. I think maybe I was just doing way too much and not looking after myself properly. Eating the wrong foods, no excercise, stressing about work/uni etc. It came back again this time during a bad diahroea and sickness bug. Then came on my monthly cycle which I don't think helps. My gp thought my citalopram had stopped working so put me on sertraline. But I have also been taking the 2mg diazepam as some days were unbearable!!!! I feel like iv lost all motivation and when I'm having all these symptoms it's so difficult to bypass them and try to do things as I am so scared!

Claire x

8

Hi

What mg sertraline are you taking? I started on 25mg (been taking 2 weeks) I'm supposed to go up to 50mg but so scared the side effects will increase.

Also I take mine on a morning (around 10:30am) but I feel so bad during the day but by around 10-11pm I feel more relaxed and less tense. I sometimes think would I be better taking it on a night so I'd feel better during the day? But not sure if it works like that I don't know

Claire x

9

I am taking 50mg daily I take mine in the morning I feel crap all day sometimes a bit calmer at night but mine is health anxiety all related to my stomach so I obsess about that all the time the Drs aren't concerned today was a better day though x

10

Hi

I think a lot of mine is health anxiety. Every symptom I have I look up on the internet! Every sensation and pain I feel I focus on it and worry myself senseless!! I'm so scared of dying. When I take mine I get really sleepy and anxious, I might try taking it at night and see if it I can function any better during the day. At this point I'll try anything to see if it works.

Are you able to function during the day? I can barely take care of myself! I'm staying with my parents as I can't take care of the children so my partner is doing everything. I struggle to eat, I'm scared to go out or even do any housework! All I want to do is sleep or lie down x

11

The doctors say best to take this in the morning the pharmacist says that too. Honestly if you are getting so many side effects like I was I would be stopping this. If you have only been taking it a couple of weeks you would be fine stopping it but please do tell your doctor and check first. Usually 50mg is a starting dose and it's increased by 50mg each increase upto a max of 200mg. If you look at the notes with this medication and your seeing many side effects perhaps more than 2 dozen then this medication is not for you. Please look at what section your side effects are under I had side effects from all sections like 1-10 in 100 (common) and several in each section including 1-10 in 100,000 which is rare. Why would anyone think these meds are suitable to take if your having many side effects even ones in the rare section that maybe one patient in 100000 get and yet you have two symtoms in that category. In fact one of the side effects in this category is CANCER!!!! Honestly if your suffering on this medication which is supposed to help you then obviously your sensitive to it and should not be taking it

12

Hi Claire,

Anxiety is a nasty stuff. Anyway, let’s look at your questions:

Could it be that I'm having withdrawal from Diaz with me only taking when I need it? 

While it is possible to become addicted to diazepam, this scenario sounds rather unlikely in your case. This benzodiazepine has a particularly long half-life, which means that (a) it is hard to observe a sudden increase or decrease in the drug level within a human body and (b) even days after taking the last pill, diazepam is still present in your system, so the withdrawal symptoms are not as pronounced as in the case of more potent, short acting benzos. Obviously you need to be careful and make sure that you don’t stay on it for months, but six weeks at 2 mg shouldn’t cause that much trouble (in a regular patient, it is possible that your body is different and overreacts – but the chances for that are slim).

could it be the sertraline?

Yes… and no. Among SSRIs, sertraline is the second most potent anti-anxiety drug (with paroxetine taking the lead – but the side effects are probably not worth it). In addition to increasing serotonin levels, sertraline also (weakly) inhibits the dopamine transporter, effectively lowering the levels of serotonin and dopamine with respect to noradrenaline, whose transporter remains unaffected. This unique mechanism of action explains the anti-anxiety profile of sertraline – it not only treats depression (by inhibiting serotonin transporter) but also has an effect on the pathological thinking patterns through dopamine reuptake inhibition. However, brain biochemistry is not that simple… As the level of noradrenaline is now unusually high, the body responds by triggering the typical ‘fight or flight’ reaction, which – paradoxically – results in increased anxiety. How long will it last? Well… the exact time differs from one patient to another, but if you still feel this side effect after six weeks of treatment, it is possible that sertraline is not the best drug for you.

Could it be the iron tablets?

Simply… No.

If I go back to my gp they might put me on a different med and I'm going to go through the same thing again. I just don't think I could handle it.

Well then, don’t ask for any new medication but for a referral to a specialist. There are other anti-anxiety drugs out there that could also help with the depression and lack of motivation. However, they do not belong to the SSRI/SNRI groups and a GP is unlikely to prescribe them. If the first line of treatment does not work, you could try either tricyclic antidepressants (e.g. amitriptyline), which are at least as effective as SSRIs but act on all three neurotransmitters keeping them in balance, or even MAO inhibitors, whose efficiency blows SSRIs out of the water. Does it sound too good to be true? Well, the catch is that these drugs have severe interactions with other medicines or even certain foods (MAOi + mature cheese = certain death, seriously). So… they are not as safe as the meds you’ve been taking. But still, they were designed to treat people and if you’re responsible enough to convince a psychiatrist that you would follow the diet, would not take any other OTC drugs (even nose drops or flu meds!), carry information about your meds with you (in case you had an accident and had to be treated by paramedics) – I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t try.

Anyway, talk to your doctor, be honest about how you feel. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

13

Sertraline will make you lose your motivation and zest for life especially when occasionally taking diazepan. If your doctor knows you well they may of thought it's OK to try sertraline but if not they will of or should of asked you have you ever considered ending your life or suicidal thoughts. This is because sertraline can make you feel this way really quite quickly and if your already feeling bad this drug will tip you over the edge. Honestly stopping sertraline will make you feel much better almost immediately as the horrendous side effects disappear and even more so as the drug leaves your system. Get all your willpower together and make yourself do something that takes your mind off your problems. Clean out the garage sort through your wardrobe deciding what you want and don't you will be amazed that you forget about your anxiety and pains even if it's just a few moments at a time. Diazepan will wear you down and calm you but the sertraline does the opposite it's like being connected to the electricity and getting mild electric shocks