HELP !! Crippling health anxiety.... Do I Go On Meds??

Mental health
1

I am 17, Female and my parents seriously cannot afford to keep taking me to the doctors every two months every time I become terrified I have insert traumatic disease here.

please someone on this chatroom help an extremely anxious girl out, I have no idea what to do about handling this long-term and I genuinely feel scared for my life at least once a month now (especially when not at school).

For reference, I am fairly healthy; I have mild ADHD and mild POTS ( disregulation of blood flow that just means dizzy when I stand up and walking up stairs makes me out of breath. BUT: pretty common among young women).When I was 10, I was diagnosed with separation anxiety and, at 15, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My anxiety was pretty chill (I didn’t even need therapy for a while) until I got COVID in freshman year and it gave me POTS :face_with_diagonal_mouth:. After that… well… here is an excerpt from a note on my phone entitled “Questions for Doctor?”

–
Feels like my ears aren’t popped

Weird episodes with nausea and disorientation when I’m tired

It takes me a few seconds to remember things I should know automatically ( date/time, how many presidents there have been, my friend’s age, ext.)

Sometimes feel weak for no reason

Random Waves of nausea

Tonsil stones

Accessory navicular

Bump on foot, Hodge’s bump?

VISUAL SNOW. Getting worse?

Muscle Aches- anxiety? Muscle twitch a lil, I feel like I’m shaking inside (but not physically)

Do I have a gait (or axial gait) when I walk? (My feet hurt when I walk barefoot sometimes)
Cerebral degeneration???

You get the picture.

I go to a boarding school where I am always inundated with work (ironically, the only good stress in my life, as it distracts me from WebMD-ing any weird symptoms), BUT I’ve been home for the past week (on break) and my physical symptoms have gotten worse.
JUST THIS WEEK, one of my toes inexplicably went numb and I made my mom take me to the doctors (they said I was okay). BUT my parents aren’t rich and can’t keep paying for these visits as per our insurance with a stupid-high deductible.

And so, naturally, the question of MEDICATION once again presents itself.

IMPORTANT: I am not opposed to medication. however, I am also on Adderall to treat my ADHD and in past convos with my psychiatrist, I know it can get complicated to be on an SSRI with Adderall.

however/also, My parents are pretty opposed to the idea of meds. They wouldn’t even let me take a low dose of a benedryl-like calming pills that my psychiatrist recommended I take in the evenings after my Adderall wears off (because my Adderall also helps my anxiety a bit).

Because of these concerns, until now I’ve been like “I always just push through and I always end up feeling pretty fine eventually.” But upon the onset of more physical symptoms than ever, I feel like I might have to face the music. If they will help me, I will go on meds. BUT I would really need to convince my parents and that means legitimately committing to my choice.

So, is my anxiety actually severe enough that I should go on meds? (also, of course, how the heck do I deal with genuinely fearing for my life all the time?)

2

anxiety really does suck. i cant recommend if you should go on meds or not because of your age and im not a doctor. what i can say is anxiety significantly decreases if you just believe what the doctor is telling you. you dont have the life threatening illness. you have anxiety. that is the illness and the symptoms are what you’re getting. if you can keep telling yourself this it does help.

my brain cycles physically symptoms constantly and its draining so i know how you feel. but what we THINK doesnt mean its real. also dont google symptoms. good luck

3

hey Toni, im so sorry you feel like this. i unfortunately know it all
too well!!
im 34 had anxiety from a young age didnt realise it was anxiety for years. now i know and i tell you what its crippling health anxiety and i wish i knew earlier! i have told myself i have had so many things. normally i can get through them but as of late im really struggling. atm i have calf pain hip/buttox muscle pain, feel like i have the shakes. stressed out thinking i have some skits illness im so exhausted by it all! i started Fluoxetine 7 weeks ago hoping it helps. if i can offer any advice try get onto
it early before it gets out of hand

4

Hi there,

So sorry you are going through this and at your age.
I have had anxiety all my life, it has taken many different forms (agoraphobia, gad, severe blushing, panic attacks…) but for me, the most debilitating has been health anxiety, it really does suck.
If I were you I would deffo try meds if you are not opposed to them. I’m 51, started with bad anxiety around 15. I have wasted my life suffering that I maybe could have avoided (at least partially) if I wasn’t also terrified of medications.
You are so young, please try any solution, therapy, meds…anything that can help you.

I really wish the best for you and that you can find something that helps! x

5

Hello,

Well the question of whether you should “go on meds” summarily begs the question of whether you have time in your schedule to do so. :slight_smile: By what I am reading in your comment, you seem to be a young lady who remains glued to medical resources in search of what ails you. As a retired medical professional, I’m going to take a run at your posting but my prominent concern is what has led a young lady of merely 17 years of age to reach such a stage of worry.

Let’s start by addressing some items on your list with the caveat that because of your age, I’m going to limit my discussion and you should most definitely consult with your parents regarding any comments made here.

“Accessory Navicular bone.” Really? Okay, this a reasonably rare condition and I highly doubt that it’s a concern here. The pain you sense when walking barefoot sometimes is most likely poor arch support and nothing to be concerned about at your age.

“Axial Gait.” . This is actually a misinterpretation and use of the term itself. The term axial is a reference term to the axial portions of a person’s gait, such as axial aspects of the gait of an individual with Parkinson’s Disease and before you question it, you don’t have Parkinson’s Disease. I use the reference to merely state a point.

“Cerebral Degeneration.” . . . uh . . . . . no. A term used to describe neurodegenerative diseases. At your age, you don’t even qualify for early onset. Your use of Adderall is of concern in later life stages, not your present status.

“It takes me a few seconds to remember things.” This would be a by-product of your diagnosis of ADHD and the use of Adderall to treat it. Your parents should seek out a 2nd opinion here regarding treatment options and your diagnosis. Have your parents choose an alternate resource that specializes in this type of disorder. Much progress has been made in the last decade relevant to both diagnosis and medications used to treat. Again, this is for your parents to assist you in seeking out a 2nd opinion and potential for re-assessment.

The remainder of your concerns are common to everyone. Aches and pains arises in us all from time to time but they are rarely, if ever, signs of serious illness or disease. Long COVID symptoms have indeed been observed to produce POTS in some individuals but the condition most often abates within 6-8 months at the outside. I very much doubt it to be permanent in your instance.

You seem quite fervent regarding the need to be on some type of medication as though attempting to address a myriad of difficulties that in your opinion require treatment. You are far too young to be concerned with any thoughts regarding such serious disease that would diminish your outlook. You certainly seem to be a very bright and vibrant young lady but your vigilance to medical concerns would be considered extreme and unwarranted. You are immersing yourself in medical information without giving thought to the complexity of human medicine as though cursory exposure through various topics is sufficient to convince you that it is somehow relevant where you are concerned.

I will share with you that a good number of medical students undergo what is characterized as “medical student syndrome.” As students, they are suddenly and almost exclusively exposed to people suffering from various illness, conditions, syndromes, disorders and diseases to the extent that it produces a mindset that human beings are extremely fragile, themselves included. Consequently, their own state of health comes into question and they begin complaining about various physical issues and seeking evaluation. Health anxiety is not uncommon and in rare instances even begins to actually erode what was previously normal health status.

I tell you this so that you can establish a comparison with what appears to be an ongoing and increasing concern regarding your health. You are, in all likelihood, a very healthy young lady that is actually burdening herself with grossly unwarranted concerns that can indeed produce the level of anxiety necessary to produce somatic features of the anxiety. In other words, anxiety is capable of causing physical symptoms that, although real, do not reflect the presence of true disease of any type.

You should be focusing upon what you wish to do in life and all the wonderful adventures that lie in wait for you to experience. Your persistence in a diminished outlook through constantly worrying and investigating what you surmise is extreme illness and disease is entirely unwarranted. During my entire career I saw many persons who were going to fall short of the mark in experiencing a normal lifespan but saw many times more who went on to lead healthy lives well beyond expectations. That latter is far more normal regarding people and you are certainly one of those who will lead a full and healthy life far beyond your expectations.

This is a time in your life when you should be following your dreams, not your worries. Let go of all that is binding you to such imprisonment and be so very thankful that you have so much to look forward to in life.

Your concerns are unwarranted. I have reviewed them several times and given the matter a full measure of thought and paramount attention in a professional context. You are going to be just fine and I see absolutely nothing that indicates otherwise. So put on your best outfit, get together with your friends and enjoy your youth and fine state of health. I can assure you that nothing limits you from doing so. There is no need to see the doctor so often only to find reassurance that you are indeed a healthy young lady with nothing to stop you from proceeding all the way into old age and the chance to look back upon it all with happiness and the fondest of memories. So now set your medical worries aside and leave your concerns to those of us who spent our lives in the profession treating persons in need. You fail to realize just how very fortunate you are at such a point in life.

You are different now than you were at 10 and you’ll be different at 27 than you are at 17, differnet at 37 than 27 and so on. It’s all going to take place and there will be nothing to shorten your life by even a moment so set the matter aside and move forward. Accept the fact that you have misjudged your circumstances and be thankful. Life awaits you.

Best regards

6

Wow. I cannot thank you enough for this incredibly comprehensive response. I am genuinely surprised that I have never once stopped to think about the ridiculousness of giving credence to fears formulated on the basis of completely superficial knowledge of human medicine (as if there isn’t a reason people study for nearly a decade to become sufficiently versed in it). Upon considering your thoughts, I will definitely see about a reevaluation, as it seems that could aid me in the long run and possibly alleviate some of my symptoms good as well. You truly went above and beyond, and you have genuinely made me reexamine how I have been going about dealing with my fears and anxiety. I especially have taken comfort in knowing I am not alone and that there are, in fact, a great number of medical students who also experience this anxiety. Genuinely, after reading this, I felt a relief I do not often experience these days.

But, while I wish your message were enough to subdue my anxiety completely, unfortunately (as you probably know) it’s a long road to recovery. However, your message has truly gone a long way into helping me realize that I am genuinely going to be okay (at least, health-wise), and I know more steps to take to insure that one day (hopefully soon) I will feel a normal amount of anxiety about normal teenage things like school or… college applications…

So, thank you once again, and I already know I will be referring back to this message whenever I begin to feel my anxiety levels creeping up again. Though, with any luck, I will have prevented my anxiety from striking before I need to.

Cheers and happy new year!

7

Also apologies for any redundancies and wording weirdness; I came upon this at night (when my anxiety is usually worse) and I felt the need to thank you as soon as I read it.

8

No apologies necessary at all and your response is neither strange, nor “weird,” in any context.

I’ll close here by sharing with you that not a single medical student has ever subsequently suffered true illness from any of the health anxiety concerns that previously drove them to such worrisome and irrational fears, proving time and again that severe anxiety is the great pretender and incapable of representing true disease in any way, shape or form.

Best regards