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health anxiety hell

Posted , 6 users are following.

zoe71021
zoe71021

Been suffering health anxiety for almost a year now it developed when I started having pains in my chest which then progressed to my arms back neck and jaw so automatically thought it was my heart i have had 2 chest xrays and 2 ecgs which were clear but can't get it out of my head that something is wrong with my heart. Im not a hypocondriac i don't automatically think a headache is a brain tumor or a pain in my leg is a blood clot but i cant shake this feeling. I have been put on a list for cbt but could be waiting months so need a little bit of help untill then so was just wondering if medication has h3lped anyone else with health anxiety.

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • lanabananakins
    lanabananakins zoe71021

    Posted

    I have health anxiety and i am a MAJOR hypochondriac. I find it funny that everything you said in your post was exactly me. I thought my headache was a brain tumor but i got an MRI and it was clear. I also thought a leg pain was a blood clot one time because i was on birth control and i read that it ups your risk for blood clots. The pain went away eventually. The only thing that has helped me was xanax. but its something i only take when needed for a panic attack and i prefer to take it at night because it makes you a little dizzy. my doctor also gave me Citalopram 20 mg but i have yet to try it. I want to try other options like cbt to see if it works for me. if not, then ill be taking the citalopram. from what doctors have told me, all of this is literally controlled by your brain. For me its like if i think i have a brain tumor, ill look it up on google. i'll read all the symptoms like head ache, vision loss, pressure, etc. once i know what all the symptoms are, ill literally feel all those symptoms within in the hour. Thats how powerful your brain is. I know its hard to shake off the fact that you think theres something wrong with you (for me i think i have breast cancer but i have no lumps, just pain), but the best thing to do is distract yourself. when you distract yourself, the pain tends to go away because youre not paying attention to it. find a new hobby and it will get your mind off of it. 
    • Angel91
      Angel91 lanabananakins

      Posted

      If you don't want to be prescribed a medication, it is important you let your doctors know. If you were, god forbid, in some kind of accident and your doctor thinks you are taking your citalopram, that will show on your notes and may affect the treatment you receive. It also means if you do decide to start it and have bad side effects your GP may not put them down to the medication because they think you have been on it for months without issue? Plus the drugs may expire?

      I understand what you are saying, and yes, the issue is in our brains, but it can be a brain chemistry issue which we may not be able to sort without going on medication for a little while. I know I certainly wouldn't be here without my meds, literally.

      It is your choice whether or not you take medication, you just need to keep your Doctor informed? xxxxxx I really hope you get better. With that attitude, you just might make it alone smile

    • Angel91
      Angel91 lanabananakins

      Posted

      If you don't want to be prescribed a medication, it is important you let your doctors know. If you were, god forbid, in some kind of accident and your doctor thinks you are taking your citalopram, that will show on your notes and may affect the treatment you receive. It also means if you do decide to start it and have bad side effects your GP may not put them down to the medication because they think you have been on it for months without issue? Plus the drugs may expire?

      I understand what you are saying, and yes, the issue is in our brains, but it can be a brain chemistry issue which we may not be able to sort without going on medication for a little while. I know I certainly wouldn't be here without my meds, literally.

      It is your choice whether or not you take medication, you just need to keep your Doctor informed? xxxxxx I really hope you get better. With that attitude, you just might make it alone smile

    • lanabananakins
      lanabananakins Angel91

      Posted

      Thank you for your advice here! And yes I'll let my doctor know that I'm not taking it at the moment. I decided not to start taking it yet because I want to see if I can over come this on my own without it. I feel like medication will be my last hope. But me being a hypochondriac is ruining my life and I constantly think there's something wrong and I don't have the patience to wait for an appointment with a therapist. I'll talk to my doctor again to see if medication is really necessary for me. But thank you again! If I do get on the medication I hope it helps me the same way as it's helped you smile
    • Angel91
      Angel91 lanabananakins

      Posted

      I think it is great you are trying to go-it alone. And I am glad you will let your doctor know what's going on in regards to your medication. If you do chose to go on the meds though, please don't see it as a failure. Just see it as another chance xxxxx.

      Also, medication hasn't worked miracles on me, I still go up and down, I still have dark and desperate days, but they are not quite as bad. And to be honest, I have an awful lot of things wrong with me that make me worse so it isn't really surprising lol. xxx

    • cmar32
      cmar32 lanabananakins

      Posted

      Hi!

      I just want to let you know that you're not alone. I'm the EXACT same way. I start to read up on symptoms and within a few minutes I suddenly feel everything I just read about. It's beyond me. I take Xanax as well and citalopram. I dont know what I'd do without the Xanax to calm me down when I get these spells. Glad I'm not the only one as at times I feel crazy!! xx

    • lanabananakins
      lanabananakins cmar32

      Posted

      its great to know im not alone with this! and i feel the same way, i dont know would i would do without xanax, it literally helps me calm down especially went i over think a physical symptoms. its definitely a horrible feeling. 
  • Angel91
    Angel91 zoe71021

    Posted

    If you are having symptoms that match a heart attack, thinking you are having a heart attack is not an over-reaction. But did anyone suggest to you that what you experienced was a panic attack? They can have surprisingly similar symptoms an when you are so scared that you don't even know how much you are breathing (you feel like you're not getting enough air when you are getting too much)... it isn't surprised your heart skips a few beats and HURTS afterwards. After my first major panic attack I was in pain for about a week where I worked my chest so hard! It took two hours for my pulse to come back to normal.

    The good news is that if your ECG is clean (particularly two of them) there isn't a heart issue. Those pains you felt, the ones that started in your chest and moved to your arms and jaw? That sounds exactly like what happens when you are hyperventilating. Breathing too much actually causes a chemical reaction on your body is essentially the result of having too little carbon dioxide in your blood. If you google what happens when you hyperventilate you will get a better explanation.

    The good news is that if you are alone and aren't able to control it, you simply pass out for a couple of minutes while your body 'resets'. And by the time you come round you have a very sore chest, tingly arms, a stiff jaw... you basically feel like you have had a heart attack.

    Because that seems the best fit for your symptoms, CBT is probably a really good thing for you. Also, if you start to feel panicky like that again, breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 6 is an excellent way to regain control.

    It might be worth talking to your GP about some medication for the anxiety. I am on pregabalin which I find keeps my anxiety under cotrol, but because it is so expensive a lot of places are unable to offer it. If you are in the UK you will be able to get it on the NHS. Otherwise your GP will be able to give you an alternative. Even in the UK, Pregabalin may not be the best fit for you. But if you feel you need medcation for it then be sure to speak to your doctor. xxxx

    • zoe71021
      zoe71021 Angel91

      Posted

      Thank you for replying i am currently on pregabalin 150mg twice a day they have given me that for possible nerve pain it does nothing for my anxiety. I will definitely try the breathing technique. Xx
    • Angel91
      Angel91 zoe71021

      Posted

      You can take up to 600mg daily of pregabalin, so an increase may help. But for anxiety they recommend three doses a day, so taking 100mg 3x daily will do the same thing for your pain but may help your anxiety a bit more. I am on the 600mg daily and it helps. Though of course we are all different. If pregabalin isn't working then the doctor may be able to prescribe something else that will. xxxx
    • lynda70899
      lynda70899 Angel91

      Posted

      Dear Angel

      i find your answers to questions very thoughtful, considerate and wise.  I would be interested in checking out your blog.  How do I go about that?

      thks

      Lynda

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