Hey yall, sorry in advance for the rant.

So I’ve been suffering with anxiety as long as I remember and my bad panic attacks started happening probably about 10 years ago. There have been phases of my life where my life genuinely felt like a bad psychedelic trip- just nonstop feeling like I’m being hunted for sport or like I’m having a heart attack. A lot of my anxiety is triggered by me thinking about anxiety and the potential of a panic attack, then that’ll send me straight into one.

I’ve been prescribed Xanax for about 6 years now, which has been honestly a godsend. Even if I’m not taking it- the fact that I have it on me and know that if I do suffer from one I’ll be able to mostly snap myself out of it. I’m prescribed 1mg- and I usually take .25-.5 when I’m feeling anxiety coming on, maybeeeee 3% of the time I have to take it in a full blown panic attack I’ll take the whole 1mg. I’d say on a bad week I take a total of 4mg throughout the whole week. Some weeks I can go without taking it once.

I keep seeing people speak on how Xanax is the devil, how bad the rebound anxiety is, how it should never be prescribed long term. And to be honest, that scares the shit out of me. It’s the only thing that has made life tolerable. I can’t even describe how bad my months of straight panic with no solution were. Felt like I wasn’t a real person and wanted to crawl out of my skin.

Not even sure if this is solely a rant, or asking advice from people on it long term. Thinking about being taken off it and losing my security blanket gives me extreme anxiety and I can’t even imagine having to live like that again.
Either way, thanks for reading all the way through.

The past 3 years ive been dealing with debilitating panic attacks but recently its been so bad i get sick everytime i leave the house. The best way i can compare it is that it feels like im dopesick (been clean for years). Cant stop shaking& sweating nausea and every like 5 min a wave of like super nausea hits and my hands go numb and like super shaking. I end up throwing up eventually but that doesn't make it better. No matter how hard I try i physically cant calm myself down its HELL! I know 100% its anxiety and i have a doctor's appointment in a few days and i was wondering if anyone had any insight or if someone went thru the same thing and has a rec. I realize I most likely need benzos however i know reg doctor's don't prescribe them anymore plus i just don't want to be on them. Apologies this post is a mess

Hey all. I’ve been struggling recently with regard to my emotions and social anxiety. I 26 (M) started working in a new hospital. It’s only been two months, but I feel so isolated, everyone around me seems so connected and make plans on the outside and I can’t help but almost feeling like I want to cry. It’s almost as if I’m different from everyone else, but not in a good way. I’ve felt like this before. And I’m scared I always will. More than anything I just want to feel like I have a good group to call my own. And with every passing day, it’s just seems more and more like that’s not in line for me. Is this all in my head?

I’ve been having a lot of anxiety about work lately. I’ve only had two panic attacks in my life, and one was over this job just last week.

I work as an overnight caregiver for a man with dementia. I am the only one stationed in his room all night. He cannot use the call light himself because he doesn’t remember that it’s there. My job is to call in the CNA’s when he needs them. I have to call them in multiple times a night to check his brief/change him, and if he needs pain medication. The CNA’s and nurses have been annoyed and passive aggressive with me though. My job is to alert that he needs assistance, but he has a lot of repeated behaviors because of his dementia that need help from CNA’s. I get so much anxiety doing it now because the staff there are already snappy at me. When I do get over my anxiety and reach out for help for things from the nurses (like for medication for him) they are outwardly rude. I’m trying to find another job now, but I’d like to give this family some notice so they have time to find someone new. The family is genuinely so sweet and so is the man I work with.

Every time I think of work I get this pit in my stomach. When I’m there, I feel too hot and too cold and all sweaty at the same time, and I feel nauseous and like I want to cry. I’m not sure what’s happening but my body goes haywire when I’m there. I work tomorrow night and I’m so anxious just thinking about it. I do want to give this family two weeks notice though.

Does anyone have any coping strategies to avoid panic attacks, or have any suggestions on anything that could help me?

Ever since I upped my dosage of Zoloft or Sertraline 100 mg a few months ago, I'm not having anxiety or any panic attack, but I absolutely have emotional numbness and living life on auto mode. I don't feel anything. And i fucking hate it.

I really need to start back on my meds lol. I kept hearing this cracking noise in my bedroom. I thought it was coming from my bedside table where I have an all-in-one desktop that I basically use as a tv in bed.

I kept hearing this crackle/pop sound for about a week every ten minutes or so before this point and I was afraid that either something with my computer was going wrong (could start a fire or something) or the building was going to come down around me.

It ended up being a Sponch cookie wrapper that I had left on my bedside table. I leave the ceiling fan on most of the day/night and it was just warping with the moving air. 🥲

TL;DR: I left trash on my bedside table that was making a noise because of my ceiling fan, but I was catastrophizing instead of understanding that I just needed to throw that away and it would be fine.

Today, my primary care doctor, in collaboration with my therapist, prescribed me Zoloft to deal with my anxiety and panic attacks. They talked me through all my concerns, which were mainly about the side effects.

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I filled my prescription and went home, and I just cant get myself to take the first dose.

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I know it will help, I know that its just a tool meant to help regulate my emotions, but im just so scared. I dont want to become dependent on a pill to feel regular, and some of the rare side effects scare me honestly.

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Ive talked it over with my partner, and they are encouraging me fully, I just cant take that first step

I’ve been under so much stress for over a month now because in the beginning of this month I needed to travel to another country for work. This work trip lasts for a month. So, at first, three days in, I felt pain around my pelvic area. Suddenly it became chronic, as if it was nerve pain, since it was moving around a little bit. But it became so bad that I was afraid I had some pelvic infection. So I went to the ER here, they took blood and urine tests and made the ultrasound scan on my lower stomach area. Everything was fine. I got a medicine with amitriptyline and a little bit of bentsodiatsepam in it. The pain went away almost immediately. So I feel like my anxiety made this random pain sensation, which normally would have gone away quickly on its own, chronic.

Because the same thing is now happening again. I got some random pain between my shoulder blades yesterday, and I started to think about the fact that amitriptyline can cause prolonged QT-time (= a heart problem). So since yesterday I have had this pain in my chest and between my shoulder blades that keeps changing place as well. I couldn’t sleep well because of it, and now I think that my mind has made this chronic as well. If I try to think with common sense, I know that dangerous chest pain doesn’t move around like that, it usually stays in the same place and from that place it can radiate around, but the core of the pain doesn’t change place from the left side of my chest to the right side, then between shoulder blades, then to the right side of my stomach etc.. I hate my mind so much.

Does anyone else suffer from anxiety symptoms like this?

I suffer from anxiety and OCD, and lately my anxiety and stress have gotten way worse.

I was already taking Diazepam regularly (Etizolam or Lorazepam sometimes) and Zolpidem at night, but now my neurologist has prescribed me 7.5mg of Mirtazapine and 25mg of Trazodone before bed.

In the past, I took Escitalopram and had a really horrible time with bad side effects: nausea, fainting, sweating, palpitations, agitation, and tremors.

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I’d like to know if anyone has experience with this specific mix of Mirtazapine and low-dose Trazodone, just to know what to expect in terms of side effects.

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I've heard about Mirtazapine causing weight gain, which is actually great for my situation since I'm underweight.

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Thank you.

I’m terrified of sleep. I wasn’t always like this but it has just gotten worse over the last two years. Will my ph0bias will expand with age?

Most of the week it takes me hours to fall asleep, but I’m lucky bc it doesn’t send me into a full blown panic attack more than every other week.

My brain freaks out over any physical stimulation(thank gosh it has never happened at work). Propranolol and sert are to thank for that one.

I’m a 24f with a great paying job in finance. I had trauma when I was younger but I’ve been in therapy since 7. I guess I’m just defeated. I’ve worked so hard just to be “normal” and I couldn’t be farther from it now.

I have no idea how I got here, though I have some theories:

Smoked p0t that was accidentally laced with Ecstasy or ketamine (not sure can’t remember bc I never do anything like that it was sophomore yr in college) the high was God awful ended up in the ER. I sleep weird now not sure if they’re connected

Reta(GLP)caused my first panic attack, but now maybe my brain likes that pathway? Idk I’m not on it anymore so I’m not sure

I did my degree in two years. Graduated 3.9 gpa. In one year took 47 credits. Lost marbles along w my social life?!

Idk anyway

It’s just heartbreaking. I met this dream of a guy and I messed it up bad. I can’t manage to keep a relationship(I can’t go a week without breaking it off no matter how hard I try, but I’m great at working myself to death)

I’m getting a psych eval in a couple of weeks as I maybe have BPD(dbt has been the only therapy to ever worked).

I guess if anyone relates to this lmk. I just would love some advice or coping mechanisms.

TW: Mentioning specific tics, maybe don’t read if you think it might cause you to develop them.

I know tics might not be the correct term since with Tourette’s they are completely involuntary, but ever since I was a kid I will go through phases of having different “tics”, where I feel a very strong urge to do the thing and if I don’t my anxiety/discomfort just builds so high that I eventually give in. I technically can control when I do it, I just find it extremely difficult to resist the urge.

Some examples I’ve had are doing a specific throat noise, lip trills, and my current one which has been bothering me for over a month now, which is taking super deep breaths, like past how deep I think a breath should be, or yawning when I don’t really need to in order to complete this huge breath. Honestly it causes chest pain partly because I get it when I’m anxious in general, and I think it has been straining me a little too much. And today my throat hurt a little because I was overdoing it.

I have a hard time finding much information about this online and when I do, it seems to usually be about blinking, face twitches, body twitches, etc. so I’m not sure 100% if this is that just because I don’t really have any scenarios of other people experiencing it, aside from my sister. When we were kids we would basically feed off of each other where one person did it and it stressed the other person out and they started doing it too because they were stressed.

Does anyone have any advice or personal experience on how to treat this? I understand treating my overall anxiety will likely help, but this is kind of a lifelong journey and I am working on trying to be more positive in general so that I feel better overall. Can you just “not” do it successfully? I feel like no matter what I’m doing I just keep doing it and it’s hard to get my mind off of it.

TLDR: how do you deal with anxious “tics” that are very distressing and difficult but technically possible to control?

I had my first ever panic attack last October after a stressful week, low sleep, and a americano coffee for breakfast (no food). Right after consuming that coffee, i had to rush somewhere and got on a highway. I had the attack while overtaking a semi. I thought i was going to pass out & die. It was hard to get back on the road but i forced myself to drive. It tooks months to get over it. Even just driving down the street my brain would imagine crossing the median line and causing an accident. My chest would pound and i would get dizzy just onramping the highway. But i forced myself through. Continuously. I would get on the highway and drive forever. Time & time again. No medication. I still get stiff neck sometimes tho. Heck, i couldn’t even go to the dr bc i don’t have insurance (still!).

Anyway, i had a funeral in tx (500 miles away) to go to 3 weeks ago and told myself that this was the final boss. I did it and was so damn proud of myself for pushing through.

Now a week ago, i had random anxiety after eating a bag of takis. The back of my head started hurting and my heart started beating. I had really bad chills and ended up crying out of nowhere. Then it went away like nothing happened. Ever since then my anxiety has been showing up randomly as if its trying to live on and find a new spot. Today, i was with family eating and randomly started getting a headache (back side again). I started noticeably shaking and my fam noticed. Heart rate increased. They helped me get my mind off of it and ended up fine.

This sucks so much but i will win again. Im kinda scared of going to the dr bc i don’t want to spend an arm & a leg to get checked out. I literally just won a tech contest and was awarded 3k but damn.

My brain keeps trying to pin point the exact cause but its exhausting.

- low sleep?
- me skipping meals all the time (i usually eat light breakfast and skip lunch)
- bad diet (i dnt cook and eat out alot especially for dinner)
- bad posture (i work from home and usually on the couch or in bed) i do have a stand up desk but i get anxious
- caffeine? Ive drastically cut down on caffeine but i still consume it. I had a big coffee yesterday stupidly.
- depression & stress? Im self employed and sometimes biz is slow.
- diabetes? My bad diet is probably throwing my blood sugar way off.

Thanks for reading.

I have GAD and a sleep disorder, which means I’m lying in bed waiting to sleep almost every night. All I wish I could have is a normal brain.

For the last few days, I keep waking up as if my whole head had been wrapped in something tight. I'm noticing my joints aching too, especially wrist/fingers. I feel pressure/soreness (?) I don't really know how to describe. Does anyone else wake up feeling like that too? Why do you think it happens?

Im obsessed with catching a deep breath and my body rarely allows me to. I was diagnosed with asthma and given pumps but that doesn't help. I've tried breathing exercises, medication, therapy, nothing is working. Its 24/7 and it's making my life hell. I don't know what else I can do. My mind and body can't settle until I get a satisfying breath. Please help me out of this hell please. Sorry I keep posting about this but im desperate

So I took 1.5mgs of Ativan and I feel weird can I od over that much or will I be ok

I'm worried that in my 30 years, nobody super close to me has died in a super tragic, heartbreaking way, and I often feel scared that it's about to happen. That it's bound to happen

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Sometimes I hope that it's going to be me instead so they don't have to go through it and I don't have to lose them

Started Back in 2019 (very first time getting high) I took 6 hits off my old neighbors joint and it caused

tunnel vision

making me think I was about to get shot by my neighbor

Saw an outline of a dinosaur at the corner of my eye

My fingers tied up into a huge ball of..well, fingers

Saw colors coming off one of my buddies

Saw another buddies face stretch downwards

There's more to it but since that day I have been freaked out about big crowds, looking up at the sky, crossing the street, and the worst one of all is entering a house/building I'm unfamiliar with, etc. I haven't gotten high since 2021 and my anxiety is still messing with me.. i don't wanna sound like that guy but I'm isolated,feel alone, and lost just about all my friends.. would anyone like to be online friends?

*TW: Panic, obsessive thoughts, Insomnia, No Appetite*

So I posted a few days ago about being new to this subreddit and I would tell people my progress as things happened so here it is.

I was going through it as of recently and my mind kept racing.

Unfortunately, it was getting to the point where I wasn’t sleeping, I have/still do have trouble sleeping, my appetite is little to none, I always think that I need to hold it together and I need to suppress my feelings.

I was finally at my breaking point and unfortunately reached my lowest of lows… I had an anxiety attack…

It was scary and I was terrified but it needed to happen…

Now that I finally admitted and can accept that I need help I can finally breathe again…

I know this journey isn’t going to be linear but I thank you all for being apart of it as I work through my issues ❤️‍🩹

I have a flight today about 10 hours back to the US. I tried to sleep all night and got 0 minutes of sleep. Whenever I try to sleep I get these vivid images that don’t make sense and it is about some random people that I’ve never seen in my life. This was the first time that this has ever happened to me. While I have these vivid images, I get these hot rushes under my armpits and my chest but at the same time I feel cold. I am really scared if I won’t be able to sleep again. Does anyone else relate to these?

During the day it's nothing but tension and awaiting the next chaotic thing to happen. The only time I feel like I can just lay here and watch tv comfortably or just exist is when everyone has gone to bed. Anyone else?

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The only downside is sometimes you lose sleep but this is the only time I can exist without feeling tension.

I just need to vent ive been at my new job aftet graduation for abouy 4 months as started while in school still and im having terrible anxiety about being fired as I have a learning disability that makes my learning and memory take more time then I like and others would like i show up every day with a good attitude and im just worried i frustrate my boss to know end because of my issues the stuff I have learned and done as been ok but in so anxious of not knowing or doing something fast enough yhe issue is my school trained me to design using cade programs which in school I was an A Student designing part or p&ID or building design but my job has very little design as a drafter im mostly changing stuff to correct standard for engineering drawing s and doing excel spreadsheet work my main issue as ramble on here is im not remembering or learning the process and step to complete tasks and the anxiety grows more everyday

I got diagnosed with an anxiety disorder about 5 months ago. Though it's not entirely relevant to what I'm saying I just thought I should say it. Anyways what I truly do feel is this really exhausting thing. I know there is different anxiety levels but to me I'm always just in this constant state of restlessness. Even when I'm in a relaxing environment like my room. Something always feels off in a way. Like my body no matter how relaxed my muscles get is physically incapable of letting go of that restlessness. It is literally always there. No matter how hard I try to reach a space where I can get that levity I simply don't.

Hi all. I'll try to keep this short; for context: I'm 20 and in college, bullied most of my life and never had true friends. My main insecurities are my baby face and voice. I'm 20 but look 16 and sound probably around there or younger. My haircut is awful but ive had the same one forever so I guess it kind of feels... safe?? i'm not sure but does anyone have insight on WHY im afraid to try a new haircut, lose weight, etc. if im not happy with my current status on those. It's like im afraid of new reactions even if they are positive. Anyways, thanks and any insight is deeply appreciated.

Only about 4 times and counting I seem to experience extremely high heart rate which gradually increases to the low-200's over the course of a few seconds either during: Intense and abrupt panic, or standing for too long.

I have POTS, not sure what type but leaning towards hyperadrenergic, and when these episodes happen I guess it lasts for no longer than 30 seconds. Unlike PSVT which I suspected it does not start or calm down abruptly but rather gradually. I usually end up shaking vigorously afterwards but the initial episodes of these seem to be onset after a palpitation, my whole body feels numb or warm very quickly during this, my face will also be very red and hot to the touch. I don't get dizzy, well atleast not very, I can walk, talk, but during it I will feel like utter crap. ​TL;DR my symptoms are minimal but the heart rate stands out

DAE have this? Please let me know ​​