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New Acceptance of GAD and struggling...

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victoria44680
victoria44680

I was diagnosed with GAD around this time last year alongside Insomnia. At the time I was ready to accept any help and thought it was an insignificant part of my life. A year on, I am acknowledging the way I am reacting to things and noticing that this really isn't "normal", The hardest thing is that I am struggling to find that I am far from understood and that I'm using it as an excuse or "blaming it" on the anxiety.

I am irrationally and unexplainably emotional at times and want to cry all the time when I am becoming anxious or over-thinking to the extremes. I'll cry anywhere, at home, in the street, at the gym. It doesn't matter. It's becoming too much right now and I have a doctors appointment booked to discuss help, but I have no idea what I'm doing. It's destroying my relationship at the minute.

I'm just looking for some advice, coping mechanisms or understanding. Anybody... sad 

2 likes, 21 replies

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  • griffin26316
    griffin26316 victoria44680

    Posted

    When you were diagnosed were you prescribed anything? I was prescribed multiple benzos which none really worked for me and I didn't like the unpleasant side effects but then I tried Klonopin and that was a miracle drug for me. Some medications work for some people and not others due to brain chemistry I believe.
    • victoria44680
      victoria44680 griffin26316

      Posted

      Yea, completely, and I think the anxiety problems depends on whether it's linked with (mild/severe) depression as to what works for you. I wasn't prescribed anything, they offered counselling or medication, but didn't feel like they were too bothered, so I didn't take it seriously until now as it's destroying relationships.

      Is Klonopin addictive (to a legal drug perspective)...?!

      What made you decide to take it...? 

    • griffin26316
      griffin26316 victoria44680

      Posted

      Its not addictive in my experience. But if prescribed it for a long time and especially a high dosage you will have to taper off it slowly to avoid withdrawals from the drug. I was diagnosed with GAD in 3rd grade(I'm now 28) and have gone through several good years and bad years(last 2 years being the worst) and over all those years I was ran through several SSRI's and Benzos. None seemed to work at all. I was prescribed xanax a few years back but I found it didn't really tame the extreme panic attacks and it gave me extreme short term memory loss and I hated it so I told that yo my PCP and he switched me to Klonopin and it worked amazing. It didn't give me any of the "the drugged up feeling" that people take it for recreationally and no other side effects. It literally was the magical switch that when I'd be having a violent panic attack you can take it and within 10-20 minutes it would be like the switch was flipped and I felt just so amazing to be releived of the attack. I was only recently prescribed the lexapro(SSRI) and those take about 4-5 weeks to feel any possible results and I'm like at week 4 but again I'm not enjoying the side effects. Grogginess, an a little scramble brained is how I can describe it and its been giving me crazy terrible dreams that are insanely vivid but in time those side effects may wear off. If they don't I will be stopping the drug. Please ask me any other questions you might have. I feel like talking to other people who experience this stuff and about it is almost therapeutic for me rather than my therapist who might not fully understand it minus her studies in the illness. But she has been a big help with the behavioral side of things and coping mechanisms. And I apologize for the book i just wrote haha
    • victoria44680
      victoria44680 griffin26316

      Posted

      Haha.. The book is perfectly fine. Like you say, it helps a lot more to be able to speak about it to someone that understands. We're all unique and experience it in different ways, but I've found comfort in the past 24 hours knowing that I'm not "abnormal".

      When you have your attacks, how long do they last...?!

      Mine tend to vary, sometimes they can be really short, sometimes they last forever and other times I manage to contain it, but it's bubbling under the surface and I get scared to interact with anyone because one word might set me off. It's horrid.

    • griffin26316
      griffin26316 victoria44680

      Posted

      Well a severe panic attack shouldn't last longer than 20 minutes or so because your body stops releasing the adrenaline and in due time you're bound to calm down but it can leave you still shook up for a while. I've also had the extreme anxiety last a whole day. For me there is a big differnce between general anxiety and a full blown panic attack. My recent issue is having these severe panic attacks and they can be aggressive. Again for me i have GAD but also have very intense panic attacks. There is a difference in my opinion how they effect you but the intense ones are gnarly but can't sustain like just general anxiety
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