Sertraline for health anxiety. Help and guidance needed.
Posted , 3 users are following.
I'm a 32 year old male. I have been suffering from crippling health anxiety for nearly 2 years. I think every illness i have is cancer. Currently been diagnosed with a high tone pelvic floor which is causing genital burning. My anxiety is focused around this, i'm literally obsessed with it. Anyway, i tried some SSRI's fluoxetine, escitalopram etc but they didn't work. Been given sertraline, been on 25mg for a week now im 3 days in to 50mg. Side effects aren't too bad apart from its making my anxiety worse. also having cbt but finding it difficult for some reason. Has anyone else suffered with health anxiety? how did you get over it? I don't want to do anything, i don't want to speak to anyone. I hate leaving the house. I just sit here all day in my own thoughts and they're all negative. Any advice would be really appreciated.
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Gina4004 Guest
Edited
hi there,
I'm literally in the same boat as you, i started taking sertraline two months ago for health and it has gotten better since starting. That being said I still get spikes of anxiety. For example im currently in Malta airport's food court curled up in the foetal position on one of the couches because of said health anxiety because I'm convinced I have bowel cancer (im waiting for my flight back home).
Its really hard to get over health anxiety and everyone is different but what kind of works for me is just thinking about it logically. Like what is causing my symptoms? Anxiety can cause a whole load of symptoms. Right now im thinking of all the things that could have caused my change in bowel habit, ive started taking iron supplements which could have caused it.
Also maybe find something that distracts. That being said, its easier said than done to distract yourself.
I hope I could offer some sort of help, its really hard to have health anxiety but keep fighting!
gina
Guest Gina4004
Posted
that is literally me! last year I was suffering from loose stools, had a colonoscopy done. I know stress and anxiety cause loose stools because the gut and brain axis but i still told myself its cancer. My CBT therapist said to me 'if you are reallt genuinly ill or have a serious illness i would of known by now'
it's really hard seeing a light at the end of the tunnel when im actually in pain but the tight pelvic floor is more than likely caused by stress and tension. Even though i have been told this by a pain specialist and he stated its nothing serious, i still worry its serious.
I guess the way to look at it is that if i had all the cancers im worried about over the last few years i would be dead by now
The sertraline are giving me really bad anxiety spikes, like a few every hour.
thank you for your reply, i feel so alone but there are many people out there in the same boat.
i wish you well in your recovery
Gina4004 Guest
Posted
I felt alone too and I thought I was going crazy but seeing other people going through a similar thing made me feel better.
Thats some good advice by your therapist, I might make it into a mantra and keep repeating it to myself till i make it home.
Healthy anxiety honestly sucks. My symptoms keep changing so I keep thinking i have a different cancer each month and the symptoms of anxiety feel so real and it happens subconsciously too which freaks me out even more
Guest Gina4004
Posted
You're not going 'crazy' it's an illness. An illness i wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. But i get what you're saying, there's so much overthinking going on in your head that its hard to even think about anything other than health.
Symptoms are real! but we never blame it on our anxiety we always blame it on the C word. Anxiety and stress does a lot to the body, it puts you in fight or flight mode. Which tenses your muscles, makes you pee more and makes your stool loose because it needs to evacuate everything to get ready to fight. But the fight we have is anxiety not a terminal illness.
I'm saying all this now but just 10 minutes ago I was obsessing over a pain in my shoulder. Some of the things i've done through health anxiety would shock some people, I've been seriously ill for 2 years. and i find talking to people like yourself really helpful.
If you go on youtube and search 'the anxiety guy' he is amazing! listen to what he says, it brings me back down to earth sometimes.
If you ever need a chat don't hesitate to private message me we are all in this battle together
MrCantPee Guest
Posted
Literally in the same boat mate. 33yo male crippled by health anxiety. A week into Sertraline 150mg and nothing as of yet other than severely increased anxiety and urinary retention.
Like you, I convince myself that every twinge or 'symptom' is related to cancer and it's a different cancer every time.
You aren't alone mate. We're all in this together.
Guest MrCantPee
Posted
I take it you built up to that dose? I know each time you go up a dose you get the side effects again.
Well today ive got a pain in my neck/shoulder.. So todays cancer is neck! It's something new everyday.
Go on youtube and search for 'the anxiety guy' he went through it and everything he says makes sense. We got to retrain our brain as our bodies think we are expecting a fight.