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So my doctor seems to think I have anxiety. I have a few questions.

Anyone who had it, can u share with me what its really like?

In ur experience, can it be treated without pills?

 

I was having fast heart beat and couldnt sleep the other night, my left arm went numb a couple of times, some chest pains come and go. Hard to sleep. At the end of the doctors visit he prescribed me klonopin pills.

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Im not a doctor. But you might try 'mindfulness meditation'. I used to stay awake all night worrying, and other things too. I was going to start taking a pill, but I discovered mindfulness meditation and Buddhist philosophy. You do not have to be spiritual in any way. it just calms your mind. there are many youtubes and blogs and Facebook groups. It is just a way of drastically decreasing or eliminating anxiety. Ive been doing it for more than 2 years.

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I feel more anxious whenever I get sloppy regarding my health. Whenever I'm diligent about serious exercise, strict dieting and hydration, I feel so much better mentally, more secure, calm and quiet. The minute I get lazy regarding my health, I start feeling easily agitated, a bit nervous, hyper and negative. My body feels out of whack. I believe in a a strong body, sound mind connection. I can't speak for everyone. I prefer taking the natural route such as taking care of one's health so I can handle life, people and dynamics better.

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If you feel the workup was not thorough, get a second opinion. Was this diagnosed after other causes, such as cardiovascular disease were ruled out? Read up on panic attacks and anxiety disorders. Inform yourself. Also research any medications you have questions about. You can also ask any pharmacist.

 

Whatever you have, it can and should be managed with appropriate lifestyle changes in addition to whatever medical intervention was suggested. That includes less caffeinated/stimulant substances. Cut way down on alcohol. A better nutrition plan and appropriate activity/exercise plan. Getting in shape and improving overall health and fitness.

 

Ongoing supportive talk therapy can also help you learn to manage stress and could help with insomnia as well. Get a regular fitness schedule together. Take some classes at the gym. Cut back on alcohol caffeine and non-nutritious food. Get your body weight in the healthy zone.

So my doctor seems to think I have anxiety. I was having fast heart beat and couldnt sleep the other night, my left arm went numb a couple of times, some chest pains come and go. Hard to sleep. At the end of the doctors visit he prescribed me klonopin pills.
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First question should be to yourself: can you identify potential causes of anxiety in your life?

 

For instance, when I had nighttime palpitations, I switched my coffee and tea to decaf. I never noticed the difference in taste, but this had a nearly instant tranquilizing effect, and I started to feel like myself again.

 

If caffeine, or a vitamin supplement or any other substance is not your culprit, I'd start the meds and learn whether they are helpful. If so, you'll be better positioned to examine new ways to destress your lifestyle. You can have your doc monitor you as you wean yourself off of the meds to learn whether you can manage from that point without them.

 

Meanwhile I'd also get a full physical workup to learn whether a specific condition may be mimicking anxiety and causing your symptoms. Call doc and tell her or him that you want tests to rule out things like a heart condition, sleep apnea or anything else that might be the source of the problem.

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I have generalized anxiety, some days are worse than others... I mitigate it through exercise, mindfulness, meditation, and various tools I have learned through therapy. I find my anxiety gets much worse when I procrastinate on things, or when I ignore my intuition, when I don't take time to be still and process my feelings, when my routine is disrupted, when I am going through change... I also have a tendency towards codependency in relationships so if the other person isn't happy I feel very anxious, whether it's about me or not.

 

Mindfulness has been the most helpful tool I think... it's allowed me to be in the moment with the feelings and to not run from them or push them aside... doing this regularly has enabled me to be more comfortable with it, to accept it, so that I can let it go and it doesn't keep me up at night.

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So my doctor seems to think I have anxiety. I have a few questions.

Anyone who had it, can u share with me what its really like?

In ur experience, can it be treated without pills?

 

I was having fast heart beat and couldnt sleep the other night, my left arm went numb a couple of times, some chest pains come and go. Hard to sleep. At the end of the doctors visit he prescribed me klonopin pills.

 

You really need to speak to your dr about those chest pains. Be very honest about it at the visit and don't leave anything out. I think you're better off paying attention to your own signs and what your thoughts/feelings are telling you rather than to look for affirmation from other people. This is your anxiety talking right there. Ask your doctor any questions you may have about your medication and what his advice is on your situation.

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Exposure therapy is what they usually do. They put you in a situation and walk you through what you are feeling and how to address it. They do this over and over to retrain your brain. Meditation is a good choice...helps with your breathing.

The ant-anxiety medication that they have is very dangerous. They can only have you on it for 2 weeks. Any longer than that your mental health rapidly goes down hill. They put you on morphine to counteract the medication, and it can become a life and death situation if the don't wean you off it properly. IMO you should go to a proper clinic that specializes in brain/behavioral therapy. here's a link that may give you some insight.

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I feel more anxious whenever I get sloppy regarding my health. Whenever I'm diligent about serious exercise, strict dieting and hydration, I feel so much better mentally, more secure, calm and quiet. The minute I get lazy regarding my health, I start feeling easily agitated, a bit nervous, hyper and negative. My body feels out of whack. I believe in a a strong body, sound mind connection. I can't speak for everyone. I prefer taking the natural route such as taking care of one's health so I can handle life, people and dynamics better.

 

Same here and for me enough sleep.

 

I highly recommend practicing 4-7-8 breathing -google the Weil method. Do it even when calm and then it's more effective when you are anxious.

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I started a thread 'I worry too much' some time ago, and got great advice over there. I used to be so anxious about stuff, I have made some progress, even though it's not as good as I wish it was. I'm trying to remind myself some thins are just out of my control. I also stopped drinking coffee, it has helped me tremendously to sleep better.

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Thanks everyone for all the replies.

Heres what I have done:

 

I called another doctor and will be getting a 2nd opinion next week.

I started getting more sleep. Its been hard to adjust but getting there.

I stopped drinking coffee... not a big deal for some people but I didnt realize how dependent I became on coffee, I needed it to function thru the day. So far, I been ok.

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Thanks everyone for all the replies.

Heres what I have done:

 

I called another doctor and will be getting a 2nd opinion next week.

I started getting more sleep. Its been hard to adjust but getting there.

I stopped drinking coffee... not a big deal for some people but I didnt realize how dependent I became on coffee, I needed it to function thru the day. So far, I been ok.

 

Excellent strategies. The coffee alone will make a huge difference. If you switch to decaf, you'll still enjoy the texture, taste and warmth without the side effects that build up in your system over time. I'd love to hear your progress.

 

Head high.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Thanks everyone for all the replies.

Heres what I have done:

 

I called another doctor and will be getting a 2nd opinion next week.

I started getting more sleep. Its been hard to adjust but getting there.

I stopped drinking coffee... not a big deal for some people but I didnt realize how dependent I became on coffee, I needed it to function thru the day. So far, I been ok.

 

 

I started having anxiety about a year ago and it would come in similar waves almost mimicking a heart attack. Because my heart would race I would become obsessed with my heart rate, constantly checking it and if it were higher than I anticipated it would continue to increase and develop into a panic attack. I completely stopped drinking caffeine and that helped tremendously, as well as increasing water intake. I recently started taking CBD gummies and I’ve never felt better. This could potentially be a placebo effect as I know a lot of it is mental for me but it seems to have really helped

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So my doctor seems to think I have anxiety. I have a few questions.

Anyone who had it, can u share with me what its really like?

In ur experience, can it be treated without pills?

 

A word of caution, which I'm sure you know, benzodiazepines are highly addictive.

 

I nursed a relative back to health who was addicted to Xanax.

 

Not fun.

 

I have Panic Disorder that may or may not be a result of my autoimmune disease and I treat it through therapy, beta blockers and learning to identify and manage triggers.

 

There are many different things you can try before finding one (or more) that works best for you.

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