Long term physical anxiety symptoms

Posted , 7 users are following.

Hi I am a 31 year old male with long term anxiety . I have suffered with real body symptoms for more than 1 year. My symptoms are as follows:-

24/7 dizziness (my worst symptom) 

Feeling of poison in nose throat (being treated unsuccessfully for gerd) 

Constant sense of doom like I’m gunna have a fit or faint

Low mood 

Constant trembling feeling

Joint pain in hips knees ankles (flu like)

Constant cough

Constant watery diahrrea

Palpitations 

Whilst I know that most of these can be caused by anxiety I am having a hard time believing it. Does anyone else have long term symptoms without a break. Can anxiety be an all day thing rather than just an attack? 

I don’t know what to do anymore . 

I feel like I would be less of a burden if I just died. 

Sorry for long post. Needed to get it off my chest 

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Michael,

    Im sorry you feel so rubbish! Whilst im no doctor, ill tell you a bit about my story see if it helps smile 

    When i was at my absolute lowest point, suffering with Anxiety & post natal depression, i slowly started to develop the following symptoms

    Dizzyness (Sometimes all day, sometimes, morning & then about 5-6pm)

    Shaky body, shaky hands

    Morning Nausea 

    Watery Diahrrea (usually in the morning, but sometimes all day) 

    No Appetite at All! 

    Palpitations, 

    Very Low Mood, I struggled to smile/laugh, i really didn't enjoy anything, and didn't look forward to anything. 

    i remember a night out, i had to literally force my self to go, and whilst i would normally enjoy a few cheeky drinks, i couldn't bring my self to drink, and i remember feeling like i was in my own world the whole time, a bit like a bubble. I stood around like a zombie in my own world.

    I would be out shopping, and come over all dizzy and shaky, i seriously thought i was going to pass out or even Die 

    My doc kept telling me it was all part of the anxiety, and i did not believe him, i went back for second opinions, i even went to a&E twice, to try and get them to check me out as i was sooo convinced i was really ill! 

    My doctor said o me one day "You are Really ill"  as you can imagine, i went into a state of panic, and asked Why and what was wrong with me, he said you have severe anxiety disorder, which is an illness, and everything im  experiencing is making me feel poorly, 

    Slowly i got my self better, with help from a great doctor, meds and excersize, and these symptoms started to go away, it took a few weeks, 

    one morning i woke up and realized i had a "normal poo" lol, and didnt feel sick like i usually did, and slowly from there it go better. 

    What im trying to say is if you can get your anxiety under control, these symptoms should start to fade away. 

    Dont get me wrong, i still have anxiety every so often, things will trigger it for me, and i might get down/low for a few weeks, then i notice these symptoms coming back again - Now i know its my mind taking over my body

    it scary! 

    Hope this helps, and maybe eases your thoughts a little.

    I always think if your really worried, try and find a really good doctor that understands your concerns, even if you have to move doctors, but most of what your saying sounds very similar to me

    Keep taking about things to anyone that will listen, you can always message me if you need a friendly chat , i would like that ! 

    Good Luck with everything, and work on relaxing ! smile

    • Posted

      Hi, and thanks for the reply. I am glad you are doing better. Can I ask what meds you are/were taking ? Thanks
    • Posted

      Hey Rosie, I gotta say I hope what worked for you works for me. I'm in a very familiar situation where I'm having a hard time believing it is all just anxiety. 

      About 5 months ago I had a 'Silent Migraine' that caused me to have a huge blind spot in my right eye among other things which i learnt is called an 'aura' and that triggered a small panic attack.

      Since then it's been dizziness, feeling weak, tired, Diarrhea or constipation (sometimes both if you'd believe it) and a feeling of always being on the verge of another panic attack (I've checked myself into the emergency room twice thinking i was dying due to tight chest pains and difficulty breathing).

      I have symptoms (especially dizziness) 24/7 with no clue as to why other than the migraine. Yet my doctor (who is a great doctor) insists that it is all anxiety. It would be a relief if I could believe it.

    • Posted

      Hi . I’ve been to my go today and literally just had a meltdown . He has prescribed me Paxil and diazepam. I really hope the meds work because I cannot go on like this . My dizziness is constant from the moment I wake up, not that I sleep much . It’s so hard to believe it’s just anxiety but there seems to be so much evidence I’m at a loss
    • Posted

      Well, I can give you this advice. I've been taking avanza (mirtazapine) for about 2 weeks. It's hard to say if it's working or not but that's neither here nor there.

      The side effects from your SSRI (Paxil) will likely make it worse for a little while but it's best to try and work through it. The side effects should go away in as little as a day or 2 but up to a few weeks.

      Also I've been taking lorazepam which is a benzo like diazepam. These work wonders, when i take them I feel 99.9999% better. The problem is you build tolerance very fast, they are VERY addictive and they carry possibly the worst withdrawals of any drug.

      I was prescribed 1mg every day as needed but i only take half a pill every 2 - 3 days and only when I feel like I'm starting to panic.

    • Posted

      Do not be scared of benzos...I was on Xanax for over 10 years, not addicted was on the lowest dose the entire time and took only as directed. And if you follow the doctors orders for how to stop taking a medication then you can avoid any horrible withdrawal symptoms for the most part. I have been on just about everything under the sun for my anxiety, 20 years + and I will say hands down benzos are the only medications that work for me. I was switched from Xanax by an old doctor because I was going to get "addicted", he switched me to Klonopin (clonazepam), which is basically the same thing as Xanax except Klonopin is longer acting. The reason why so many people have an issue with Xanax is because it is used wrong about half the time, it is a RESCUE drug. If you are starting to have a Panic/Anxiety attack then you take a Xanax, you should feel better very quickly and it should keep you from going into a full blown panic attack. The problem with Xanax is that is doesn't stay in your system very long and the effects wear off quickly so people feel the need to take another and another and another because they aren't feeling the effects anymore. I was actually prescribed it WRONG, go figure, I was told to take one 3 times a day. Not how Xanax should be used, you need something like Klonopin, that releases slower and stays working longer to keep you on an even keel all day long. I took one of those in the morning and one at night and almost never had to take a Xanax again. Currently off my meds due to financial reasons for the past few years and feel horrible but not the point. The best I ever felt in my life was when I took a combo of clonazepam, escitalopram, amitriptyline, and had xanax for emergency only...all at the lowest dose they prescribe. I went almost 3 years without seeing the inside of a hospital or emergency room for my anxiety. I have tried pretty much everything else and benzos are the only thing that works on my anxiety symptoms but I go without them because I cannot afford to see a doctor right now and I'm not about to go find the friendly neighborhood drug dealer because I am not about that life. LOL. I say all this because so many people are now avoiding benzos because of the abuse and horror stories, it is just like anything else, if you abuse it or take it other than your doctor directed you might end up with an issue. Always talk to your doctorabout any medication questions or concerns, don't be afraid to say when something isn't working for you or causing you troublesome side effects and ask for a dosage change or a change to something altogether. You are the only one that knows your body and what works for you, we are all different and what works for one might not work for the other. Best of Luck!!!

  • Posted

    I'm the same even if I don't feel anxious I get funny sensations

    My lower legs get tight or I'll feel lightheaded , heart beats funny plus many more .

    I'm not sure why this happens to us it drives me crazy

    Be nice to feel normal

    • Posted

      I agree the symptoms are lousy. I feel off balance 24/7. Thanks for replying 
  • Posted

    Yes I can have anxiety 24/7 for days and my symptoms are constant with or without me feeling anxiety at that moment. 
  • Posted

    I was diagnosed over 20 years ago and yes I have symptoms EVERY single day! Sometimes I have multiple symptoms and they are off the charts intense other days I have only one or two symptoms and they are bothersome but can be ignored for the most part. I can tell you from experience, this is what anxiety does. It makes you question everything, it makes you question if the doctors made a mistake, if they missed something, if you have some other horrible disease causing all this. The answer 99% of the time is NO, this is anxiety. It is a horrible nasty evil disease and it causes REAL PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. It is not all in your head, your body is reacting to what your brain is telling it, your brain has an imbalance and is telling your body you are about to be mauled by a tiger and you are going to die and you better freak out and run or something. Now of course there is never any tiger and you aren't in any real danger but your brain is sending those signals to the rest of your body and it is supposed to listen to the brain. My most bothersome symptoms are my chest pains, always feels like I'm having a heart attack, but I'm not. I have had every test known to man on my heart and all is normal. You have to start trying to accept this IS anxiety and start treating the anxiety first. If that means therapy and medication or whatever works for you to help you control and cope with your anxiety. I can tell you from experience that without medication and therapy I am a hot mess each and every day. I have been without both for the past few years due to losing my insurance and not being able to afford it on my own, it has been a rough couple years with many visits to the emergency room. When I was on medication and in regular therapy I went almost 3 years without visiting the hospital once. It can make a world of difference and can help you feel "normal" again. In the meantime try researching how to cope with anxiety and panic attacks, different things like aromatherapy, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, what foods to avoid, herbal remedies, anything you can try that isn't going to hurt and could help you. We are all different so you never know until you try. Good Luck and God Bless!!!

     

  • Posted

    I am also plagued with ongoing physical symptoms even tho I would consider myself relatively recovered from the worst of my anxiety. I have come to understand that physical symptoms can take a long time to go away - I think if we stick with it and stay positive they will eventually go smile
  • Posted

    Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply . It’s nice to know I’m not alone , but horrible at the same time you know

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