Feel ill all the time!

Hi Mango6. I've been tapering off xanax for last 2 weeks so things have been worse. Feels like I'm constantly sick, lightheaded, pounding heart,body shakes, feeling I'm going to totally breakdown. I was like this before but worse for last couple of weeks.I had to go to my gp earlier I was so wound up. He upped my meds for the weekend. I've been suffering from anxiety for 15 to 20 years,but it is only within the last year that I really began to talk about things so my anxiety is heightened because I have to deal with things from my past. They say there is a trigger for anxiety I'm still learning and trying to find mine. There are so many symptoms of anxiety and I like you have so many.

I'm on xanax which I want to get off but it's not easy. Lately I've been trying deep breathing. Takes time to get used to and to remember to do it. Slight distraction diverting your attention to something else like making a cup of tea or going for a walk. I wish i could say herbal remedies worked for me but they didn't I'd prefer them over meds anyday. Different things work for different people. Have you read Dr. Claire Weekes' books,I found them helpful. Take care.

"i am not on any medication as i feel i fight my anxitey better without it"

Good

Do you have any coping mechanisms for anxiety?

I use rescue remedy drops just to take the edge of but thats about it. Are you on any medication? or how do you deal with it x

No, I don't take any medication

I am, however, a survivor of medication.

I deal with it in a few ways. I've posted this maybe 15 times on here before but any time I begin to feel anxious, I do this:

The best thing to do first is become aware of your physiology, or the very real physical symptoms you're experiencing. They are there. It isn't necessarily a symptom of anything else but if you fear it is, you should consult your GP. If you have physical checks and they eliminate the problem (ECG for heart, etc) then you should put it down to anxiety.

Anxiety comes because your brain is creating a 'fear' in your mind, and as with anything that creates fear, you become anxious.

The anxiety, usually, starts in your chest, so you begin to breathe faster and your chest becomes tense (as a muscle would if it is being exercised). Your lungs need more oxygen and no greater way of getting oxygen around your body is by blood. Blood gets to your lungs faster when your heart pumps it quicker, so your heart rate increases.

The lungs are working hard now. They are communicating with your brain asking for more help. Your brain helps by asking your heart for support. So the heart is working harder than it normally would to the point where it needs help from your brain again.

Your brain can't cope with both having a go at it asking for support - you get symptoms such as perspiration, pains in your chest, tingling in your arms, toes and fingers. So your brain panics and makes mistakes.

Your brain then tells you to react accordingly – panic.

The panic says, “focus on your heart; why is it faster? Why are my arms tingling? Why does my chest hurt?”. Your brain says, through duress and under pressure, “I'm having a heart attack; I'm going to die!”

You're not. Just stop and think before your lungs tell your brain that they need oxygen, fast. Focus on your breathing.

How to deal with anxiety is subjective and it depends on how disciplined you are in being able to set yourself space and time to be able to perform breathing exercises rather than rely on medication being there for you to help you. 3 things I've found are the most helpful - 1. Guided Meditation, 2. Mindfulness and Awareness, 3. The '7 to 11 Breathing Technique'

Guided meditation, first of all, is quite structured and disciplined in the sense you have somebody there guiding you through the process of meditation (obviously) and you don't want to disturb others doing it at the same time - but similarly expect others to respect you whilst you do it.

Mindful and awareness can often come hand in hand with guided meditation. Through mindfulness and awareness, you become aware of where you are and most importantly what your body is physically experiencing. In focusing on these feelings (chest pain, shortness of breath, pins and needles) by breathing them in, in a controlled manner, by breathing them out you are effectively telling your brain and body to breathe these pains out too, and they will eventually go away.

The 7 to 11 breathing technique is when you breathe into your lungs through your mouth, nose or both, until your lung capacity is completely full - it may even hurt; you may use parts of your lungs you've never used before - and hold your breath for 7 seconds. Following this, you purse your lips as though you were blowing out a candle and gradually exhale until your lungs are empty. You hold this for 11 seconds and don't take another breath.

Keep doing this for as long as you want. The longer, the better. During the exercise you might experience forms of euphoria; your fingers may tingle, your head may feel slightly dizzy - this is good; this is tension unburdening itself off you; don't worry about it. Instead, focus on it and treat it as a good feeling.

With all of this, it will not be an immediate cure. Mindfulness and awareness courses, and meditation classes take time to book and when you go to them, both take patience to master. The 7 to 11 breathing technique you can perform whenever you want.

My advice would be to understand for the first two you won't get anywhere this week but if you take steps now to look into them and how practical it is to do them, by the end of the week you may be on the right track.

If you ever get on a drug, just remember it should be temporary. Which I did not know till taking anti- depressants for twenty years. Then a specialist in this medicine told me that really no one should stay on anti depressants more than 6 months. Of course, there are other dr that would not agree, maybe.

i am on Xanax , which both together have helped. But it's like any drug, the longer your on them, the less they work. My problem has been kicking them, but my body reacts with all kinds of side effects, terrible ones. I've asked my dr., he dismisses this as nothing. It's terrible. But I'm 64, that could have some significance. 

One day I will be free of these non human drugs.

Sorry to here that ! I have been suffering from this since the start of the year its been really hard i hit rock bottom and  it makes it worse feeling like no one understands. I have been on 2 diffrent anti depressants i thought they made things worse for me! I was on Propranolol for a few weeks they helped alot with the panic attacks but i felt they make me really tired and moody so been off them for 3 months now and all other medications. I started going out for a power walk eveyday just for half an hour and eating better and i felt so much better within a few days. I still get my good and bad days its just the constant sick feeling i get thats getting me down at the moment ! I also tryed hypnotherepy a few months back it helped alot to but was just to expensive for me to keep going back. I also take rescue remedy drops to take the edge of they seem to help also have no side effects.  Dont give up stay positive xxx