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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Vincent_QC on August 21, 2012, at 19:53:13
Another thread...
Why my chronic anxiety symptoms always occur at the same places in my body? Is it because my anxiety is related to the fear of having a real cardiovascular disease or a heart attack and because of that most of my anxiety symptoms are from my heart with the chest pain, numbness and tingling on the left arm, left hand turning blue and being painfull, orthostatic hypotension, skipped heart beat, dizziness, extreme physical fatigue with low tolerance to physical effort...
Is it possible to turn off those symptoms? Why being so afraid, can it be because I know that I dont have a healthy lifestyle, not active physically cause I fear to have a heart attack, cause I know that I smoke since more than 14 years and know its very bad for the heart...?
How I can change my bad thoughts to positive thoughts and how to stop being afraid to die, I mean everyone will die so I have to face it since I will die and probably not from anxiety...
What to do when you had almost all the cardiovascular tests done by a good Cardiologist and all the tests are perfect and he cant find a problem with your heart? How I cant stop that bad cycle of negatives thouths about having a real heart problem...
I know that my heart is probably ok, I know that I have bad habits and need to do some action to change my lifestyle and have better health habits, I know that but its like my brain cant stop playing always the same old tapes and the stronger will be my cardiovascular symptoms and stronger will be my anxiety and will have more and more symptoms...I look at my left hand and it turn blue and start hurting and then my heart start racing and my left arm feel numb and hurt and then chest pain appear and I start being dizzy and have to sit and take my pulse rate and my blood pressure and I worry and worry and cant stop the rapid negatives thoughts in my head...
Thats so exhausting, I get up in the morning and have already tachycardia and I start being very anxious and tense and my head start hurtingand the same heart symptoms start...its like this all day long, everything in my life turn around my syhmptoms. I now fear gettting up in the morning and also going to bed cause each night I have panic in my bed and insomnia most of the time with nocturne sudation and intestine pain...
Anyway like I wrote in the other thread, I start a new therapy so maybe some peoples here know what im talking about and live the same kind of anxiety and maybe you can help me with the therapyh, what I should learn and try, what kind of therapy I should ask for, exposure therapy fail and leave me in a higher anxiety state and I know that exposure to situations and fears is the key to learn to live a normal life and cope with anxiety but I dont know, maybe I should ask my therapist to teach me new tricks to fight those symptoms?
Well I know I write a lot but I feel better when I do that...and I appreciate when someone else answer to me, just to have some support can help.
Thanks,
Vincent
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on August 21, 2012, at 20:18:13
In reply to Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying..., posted by Vincent_QC on August 21, 2012, at 19:53:13
Hi Vincent, I'm quessing that you have had all these symptoms checked by a cardiologist and thatt his has come to nothing, and the assumption is that they are psychogenic?
I'd suggest the folowing:
1. Start seeing a psychologist regularly
2. Take an antidepressant (SSRI, Effexor or Remeron) every day to reduce anxiety
3. Take a short course to benzodiazepine (Valium, Ativan, Xanax) to block anxiety and prove to your self that these symptoms can be controlled. If need be, you might even neet to take a benzodiazepine long term, but this shouldnt be the first choice
Posted by Vincent_QC on August 21, 2012, at 20:44:39
In reply to Re: Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying..., posted by jono_in_adelaide on August 21, 2012, at 20:18:13
> Hi Vincent, I'm quessing that you have had all these symptoms checked by a cardiologist and thatt his has come to nothing, and the assumption is that they are psychogenic?
>
> I'd suggest the folowing:
>
> 1. Start seeing a psychologist regularly
>
> 2. Take an antidepressant (SSRI, Effexor or Remeron) every day to reduce anxiety
>
> 3. Take a short course to benzodiazepine (Valium, Ativan, Xanax) to block anxiety and prove to your self that these symptoms can be controlled. If need be, you might even neet to take a benzodiazepine long term, but this shouldnt be the first choice
>
>Hi,
Thanks for your answer.First I start seeing a Psychologist last week, will see him every 2 weeks cause I dont work and its expensive.
I already take a benzo, I have built a strong tolerance to them and im now on 7.5mg day of Klonopin. I have a diagnostic of benzo dependance...They dont work anymore, and even worse they can be a main anxiety factor for me now cause of the psychological addiction and physical addiction. My Doc decrease the dose slowly, will be a long process, maybe 2 years...
For the AD, im med sensitive now, was used to high dose of AD before but now a small 1mg of Paxil will make my anxiety even higher and the side effecfts will not fade away like in the past.
I try all of them, older like Nardil to newer ones and the Paxil is the only one who is effective for the panic and social phobia. The plan will be to work on the side effects and how to dont fears them, will do that with the help of the Psychologist cause I will not fight that severe anxiety without an AD for sure. Its a family problem, lot of peoples take an AD and for life...dression mostly and anxiety as well.
I was asking about why the anxiety symptoms affect always a part of the body that I fear like the heart... I was used to panic attacks and never fear them but now its like I live a non stop panic attack all the time...
Anyway thanks for your advises -;)
Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2012, at 20:48:34
In reply to Re: Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying..., posted by Vincent_QC on August 21, 2012, at 20:44:39
Vincent I know you do all these things. Seriously Others should recognize that your life is not manageable at all at this time. Do you feel the gastric bypass still might be implicated and that you do not absorb meds. I posted this so others might help even more. Hope you don't mind. Phillipa
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on August 21, 2012, at 22:11:48
In reply to Re: Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying... » Vincent_QC, posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2012, at 20:48:34
Sorry I misunderstood your question Vincent
Posted by Vincent_QC on August 21, 2012, at 22:12:35
In reply to Re: Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying... » Vincent_QC, posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2012, at 20:48:34
> Vincent I know you do all these things. Seriously Others should recognize that your life is not manageable at all at this time. Do you feel the gastric bypass still might be implicated and that you do not absorb meds. I posted this so others might help even more. Hope you don't mind. Phillipa
Thats ok Phillipa, I dont mind about the others knowing I had a gastric by pass.
I do think the gastric by pass is linked to a big part of my anxiety, I mean all the problems I have from it, the hernia repair with a mesh, the intestinal obstructions, the wound who dont heal since 10 months now and the surgery to remove the mesh I will have this fall...its adding a lot of anxiety...also the physical aspect of my body lead to even more anxiety, im horrible when im nude, all the extra skin, I look like I have 80yo and of course I feel bad in social situation especially with other gay mens cause its a superficial community and guys like fit men and muscles and I know it will be probably impossible for me to find a boyfriend...so yes the gastric by pass is one of gthe biggest factor in my anxiety state right now...adding now the fear of having another intestinal obstruction and now having IBS with constipation and need biodfeedback but cant pay for it so will stay stuck with the constipation and pain...
My Doc think im a fast metaboliser because of the gastric by pass so I absorb too fast the meds and have more side effects from them... wasnt like that for 8 years after the gastric by pass but now the anxiety is so high and my body react strongly to meds, before I think that my anxiety level was ok to start and be on high dose of an AD and probably had all those horrible side effects because of the gastric by pass but wasnt afraid of them but now the anxiety is too high to deal alone with the side effects...
Will see the Doc who will repair and remove the mesh, I see him next week and will maybeask him to be put on the Paxil as soon as im awake after the surgery, being at the hospital will be more easy for me and will not fear to have cardiovascular side effects...since nurses and Doc aare there day and night so willaper feel more secure. But I dont know if the Doc will want, since I see my Family Doc the day before, maybe I will ask him a rx for Paxil to start at the hospital so the Surgeon Doc will have no choice to do it. I dont knows how many time I will stay at the hospital after the surgery, a week at least who will be anough to feel secure on something like 2.5mg of Paxil and will increase it slowly at home. I just hope they will not put me on enteral feeding again since it was almost impossible to sleep with that machine running all night and feeding me.
Well bedtime for me, too much cellphone for today and head and eyes hurt...
Thanks again, Vincent xox
Posted by Vincent_QC on August 21, 2012, at 22:29:17
In reply to Re: Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying..., posted by jono_in_adelaide on August 21, 2012, at 22:11:48
> Sorry I misunderstood your question Vincent
Hey dont be sorry, you try to help me and I really appreciate that trust me!
I write long thread and my english is not good so its normal that you maybe dont understand what I asked...I try to express myself the best I can but in english its hard, another benzo side effects who is for me lost of short term memory and cognition...lol
Good night, Vincent -;)
Posted by Phillipa on August 22, 2012, at 0:28:09
In reply to Re: Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying... » jono_in_adelaide, posted by Vincent_QC on August 21, 2012, at 22:29:17
Vincent I wonder if there is a patch form for you as this would avoid the stomach and intestines a compounding pharmacy could make either a patch or cream of the meds. Phillipa
Posted by Vincent_QC on August 22, 2012, at 9:23:36
In reply to Re: Anxiety symptoms and fears of dying... » Vincent_QC, posted by Phillipa on August 22, 2012, at 0:28:09
> Vincent I wonder if there is a patch form for you as this would avoid the stomach and intestines a compounding pharmacy could make either a patch or cream of the meds. Phillipa
Hi Phillipa,
No, well the PDoc call a some drugs company and dont do patch or cream AD...We had to ask health canada to import the liquid paxil and we had to fill out a lot of papers and wait 6 months for an answer and they refuse...
Liquid meds work better for sure...if I take a regular Advil I feel no pain relief but if I take the childs liquid Advil its deccreasinf the headache pain from a 9 on 10 to a 6 on 10...same for the meds who disolve under the tongue like the Tylenol for childs or the Advils for childs...they work better. Dont know why, maybe its because the med enter in the bloodstream faster by passing the stomach?
I still have the bootle of liquid Seroxat that I order from an online pharmacy, its paroxetine but from Greece...expiration date is march 2013 so if I start it at home or hospital I will bring to them the bootle, its more easy to start with the liquid form for a low dose...but I think the online pharmacy stop sending products in the Canada now, it was almost a miracle that I receive it the first time I order it since they open all the box send from another country...
Oh god, I dont sleep a lot. And when I wake up I was in a so bad shape that I took a 0.25mg of xanax insistead of the 10mg of Propanolol...have double vision when I wake up...im not happy, dont know why I keep the xanax bootle on the desk near my bed, should put it with the others meds I dont use...I dont even feel less anxious with the xanax now, last year it was giving some relief when the klonopin wasnt enough to help me with the bad anxiety in the morning, today I took it by mistake and dont even feel its effect, its like I took a sugar pill...and I dont like that since thats mean im really addixcted to the benzo and they dont work anymore, my gaba receptors are probably saturated or change over time so the benzo dont bind to those receptors anymore and it leave me without any meds to help me to cope with the anxiety...
Oh well, will stick with the klonopin only and continue to decrease the dose slowly...
I skip a dose of klonopin since I took a xanax today...will hope I will not have rebound anxiety from the xanax...
Thanks again, Vincent
This is the end of the thread.
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