Extreme Anxiety

CallMeKate said:
*Exactly* .... it's like that list of things oblivious people say that @PeppermintPatty posted in the depression thread... one of my worst triggers (although the anxiety is crisis-high most of the time now with or without triggers) is hearing someone say "don't worry about that" or "stop worrying." That tells me the person has no clue about what severe anxiety is... as if we can turn the worry off and on. At that point, I clam up and retreat within myself once again.
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Sorry for posting the list. I didnā€™t mean to make you feel bad. šŸ¤
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Sorry for posting the list. I didnā€™t mean to make you feel bad. šŸ¤
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Oh, not at all! I was just pointing out that there's a whole list of things like that people say and "don't worry" to someone with extreme anxiety is one of them since it's not a choice to "worry." Maybe I should edit my post... sure don't want to be misunderstood about something so important.
 

CallMeKate said:
Oh, not at all! I was just pointing out that there's a whole list of things like that people say and "don't worry" to someone with extreme anxiety is one of them since it's not a choice to "worry." Maybe I should edit my post... sure don't want to be misunderstood about something so important.
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No I thought my list was triggering. One member mentioned that there should have been a trigger warning so it made me wonder if perhaps I should have.
 
Here are some sayings from the late Rev. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral that is now the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove near Los Angeles.

God Loves You, and so do I (i.e., I the Packleader, leader of a 3 loyal Boxer pack)
Today is the first day of the rest of your life
God has made this day for you and me
If it's going to be, it's up to me
I am going to decide to succeed
[And so many more encouraging words]
And some other sayings:
If life gives you lemons, make lemon juice
Look at the glass as half full (and not as half empty)
Be grateful for everything God has given you
And as one pastor said to me once: God doesn't hate you; you hate God

It helps to have:
a loving spouse,
loving children (OK, at 15 they hated me, at 25 they realized dad is not that stupid, and at 35 they hugged me again,)
having friends, or at least someone to talk to,
and having loyal pets who give you unconditional love.

I am walking every day with my dogs 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening that gives me every time a lift. When I hear birds singing, then I thank my mother and God for the life they have given me.

How is your health? It's incredibly important to take care of yourself. I had over a dozen surgeries, 3 of which were for cancer. Watching what you are eating (no junk food!) and watch your weight. Practice deep breathing, and take nutritional supplements, especially anti-oxidants to keep down inflammation that shortens your life.

Be thankful and be grateful. I am sure you will be able to think of something that makes you appreciating life, even if it's only a flower that smiles at you. It's you attitude towards life that makes it worth living. I am 87 and am going by the book to make it at least to 100. Yes, my family needs me even though they may not say it. I know they do, and that makes my life worth living.

Last not least: I have been living on three different continents, experienced tremendous changes, also faced times of extreme anxiety, but always have been able to overcome those difficulties in the end. God helps who helps himself, and I have accepted that one day I will join his Kingdom.
 
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Myrtle said:
Hi Maisie, I don't have anxiety but I do have age. I'm 78 and the looming 80 has had me thinking about more and making plans.

I think those big birthdays with a zero mean more to all of us than the ones in between and make us think more. I never paid much mind to birthdays until I hit 70. That one bothered me more than all the ones since and I think 80 will be even harder. But, I always think of my friend who lived alone until age 97 and made it to 99 with a little live-in help. Her memory helps me remember that I should plan to live that long because it could happen.

Marian gave you some very good advice, I think. I would encourage you to join in the other threads here in the forum and get involved in the conversations that interest you. There is a wide variety of topics and you will meet a lot of people from other places that have interesting opinions.

All of us here like to talk (obviously) so just keep talking to us about everything and pretty soon you will feel right at home.
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Can you recommend other threads that I could join.
 
Myrtle said:
Hi Maisie, I don't have anxiety but I do have age. I'm 78 and the looming 80 has had me thinking about more and making plans.

I think those big birthdays with a zero mean more to all of us than the ones in between and make us think more. I never paid much mind to birthdays until I hit 70. That one bothered me more than all the ones since and I think 80 will be even harder. But, I always think of my friend who lived alone until age 97 and made it to 99 with a little live-in help. Her memory helps me remember that I should plan to live that long because it could happen.

Marian gave you some very good advice, I think. I would encourage you to join in the other threads here in the forum and get involved in the conversations that interest you. There is a wide variety of topics and you will meet a lot of people from other places that have interesting opinions.

All of us here like to talk (obviously) so just keep talking to us about everything and pretty soon you will feel right at home.
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Hello, can you recommend any other threads that I might join.
 
packleader said:
Be thankful and be grateful. I am sure you will be able to think of something that makes you appreciating life, even if it's only a flower that smiles at you. It's you attitude towards life that makes it worth living. I am 87 and am going by the book to make it at least to 100.
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Thank you for posting your thoughts. I think it's important to remember that anxiety disorder is a mental health diagnosis and not anything like a case of generic "worrying" or "feeling nervous." Knowing a ton of quotes and scriptures is great but we're talking about a medical disorder that cannot simply be pushed aside by doing a happy dance after seeing a smiling flower.
 
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Hello as you know my doctor has started me on 25mg sertraline which I have been taking for 5 days now. I take it at breakfast which is what she said to do. In the morning I feel okay and can cope but by the afternoon I develop terrible physical symptoms which include weakness,lethargy,shaking,heart racing. By the evening they seem to abate. I wonder if anyone else has had this reaction when starting sertraline. She wants me to go up to 50mg from Monday but am a bit wary of doing this because of these symptoms.
 
Maisie123 said:
Can you recommend other threads that I could join.
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Maisie, there are some daily threads where people tend to check in and chat about whatever is going on in their day and there are some continuing threads that deal with specific topics, such as cooking, gardening, finances, retirement, photos, jokes, etc. Here's one called
"What are you doing today 2023. https://www.seniorforums.com/threads/what-are-you-doing-today-2023.78081/page-259

If you click on What's New or New Posts at the top of the page you should see a variety of topics. It's also good to click on Forums which is a list of main topics with sub-topic threads under them.

One thing to remember is that people here are nice almost all of the time but you could encounter someone having a bad day or a grumpy moment. If you do happen to see that don't take it personally. Just move along to another thread and your next stop will be different. Remember, the members want you to be here and have a good experience here. We want you to feel better and to be part of this group. :)
 
Maisie123 said:
Hello as you know my doctor has started me on 25mg sertraline which I have been taking for 5 days now. I take it at breakfast which is what she said to do. In the morning I feel okay and can cope but by the afternoon I develop terrible physical symptoms which include weakness,lethargy,shaking,heart racing. By the evening they seem to abate. I wonder if anyone else has had this reaction when starting sertraline. She wants me to go up to 50mg from Monday but am a bit wary of doing this because of these symptoms.
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Whether it may be "normal" or not, you'll want to be sure to mention these things to your doctor, Maisie.... especially since she's planning to double your dose. It may be something that's expected, but if it's not, she'll need to know what you're experiencing.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
No I thought my list was triggering. One member mentioned that there should have been a trigger warning so it made me wonder if perhaps I should have.
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That was me, Patty, but I didn't mean it literally. It was more a comment on how frustrating and even demeaning such comments can be.

I wasn't actually saying it needed a warning and didn't mean to make you feel bad about it. ā¤ļø
 
Hello everyone, it is now day 7 of the sertraline and am still having weakness,tiredness and lethargy which I am finding it hard to cope with. I thought that by now the side effects would have started abating. My doctor wanted me to increase to 50mg now but I dont think I can do that with these horrible side effects. Can anyone relate to how long they found these side effects would go on for.
 
Maisie123 said:
Hello everyone, it is now day 7 of the sertraline and am still having weakness,tiredness and lethargy which I am finding it hard to cope with. I thought that by now the side effects would have started abating. My doctor wanted me to increase to 50mg now but I dont think I can do that with these horrible side effects. Can anyone relate to how long they found these side effects would go on for.
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Unfortunately, it's, as far as I've experienced, as person-by-person, med.-by-med. thing.
I'm sorry you're having so much trouble with this med and can understand and empathize about medication side effects.
Are you thinking of giving your doc. a call tomorrow maybe just to let them know what's going on and maybe get some advice?

You've probably done this, but I've Googled it and found this:

It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for sertraline to work fully, although you should start to feel better after 1 to 2 weeks. Side effects such as feeling sick, headaches and trouble sleeping are common. They're usually mild and go away after a couple of weeks.

More info. here:
https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/sertraline/about-sertraline/#:~:text=It usually takes 4 to,after a couple of weeks.
 
Maisie123 said:
Hello everyone, it is now day 7 of the sertraline and am still having weakness,tiredness and lethargy which I am finding it hard to cope with. I thought that by now the side effects would have started abating. My doctor wanted me to increase to 50mg now but I dont think I can do that with these horrible side effects. Can anyone relate to how long they found these side effects would go on for.
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When I was prescribed Citalopram, which is also an SSRI I felt weak, tired and lethargic for about the first month. I hated that, but the Citalopram was effective in dampening the depressive horror feelings, maybe too effective, because after several months I got tired of feeling "flat" emotionally. I then started to wean myself off the Citalopram, reducing the dosage in the prescribed weaning manner. By then the source of my situational depression had resolved, so I figured I'd get on with life on my own.

About increasing the dosage: Ever since I first read that your doctor wanted to increase the dosage, I thought that was a bad idea. It sounds familiar though, but I think the ultimate determining factor is the condition of the patient.
 
Maisie123 said:
Hello everyone. Well 2 of my friends took me to a local garden centre for a coffee this morning. At first I didn't want to go but I made myself. I felt very weak and nauseous but I made it through. My doctor said try to get out. Now home and just want to go to sleep.
Am continue to persevere with the sertraline and hope the side effects will get better. I am so grateful to you all for talking to me. It really does help.
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For what its worth I've been on sertraline (Zoloft) for over 30 years non stop. This has proven to be very beneficial for me the entire time. The only issue for me was getting to the correct dose. For me (a 195 pound male) either 50 or 75 mg is therapeutic yet causes no noticeable side effects. 100 mg + is therapeutic but definitely causes side effects.
Hope this is useful!
Best, Steve
 
Maisie123,
I do hope that once you find the solutions that work for you, your anxiety and depression will decrease.
There are certain things such as caffeine that can worsen the physical symptoms of anxiety.
 
Been There said:
There is a saying ā€œOnly worry about the things you can control and not the things you canā€™t control.ā€ None of us know when we are going down for the count, so live each moment like itā€™s your last.

I may be only 62, but Iā€™ve already buried several friends. Some were ill, 2 that I can think of just fell over dead and 1died from spinal meningitis while we were in Africa. It didnā€™t take him long to pass away. I never knew someone could die so quickly after being diagnosed.
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Thank you for your service. My oldest grandson is a Marine - I am proud of him, but goodness, I miss seeing him! It's been over a year now since I have had his arms wrapped around Grannee ;)
 
Maisie123 said:
Hello I have just reached 80 years old and have extreme anxiety with the feeling that I am going to die soon. This feeling dominates everyday and I am unable to enjoy the life I had. My doctor has now put me on an anti-depressant but so far still feel the same. I do not want to feel like this. I want to enjoy life. I know it is all irrational but I cannot convince myself of that. Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated.
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My late husband battled severe anxiety in his younger years - mainly based on the thought of dying. He came home from work one day with a smile on his face. I asked what had happened. He said, "I no longer feel anxiety about dying." As he talked to me, there was such a peace on his face, and a light in his eyes. He explained that while working that day, he felt like a "light bulb" went on in a dark room. I listened as he talked and shared. Telling me that we are given 72 chances each minute to meet death - that is the average number of times our heart beats in a minute. And all it takes is one heart beat to make that cross over. He said that as he realized the truth of that - he had decided to look at it as 72 opportunities for life each minute, instead. Choosing to live each heartbeat as full as he could possibly make it. Whether it was to listen to a bird singing, or a child laughing. Whether enjoying a sunset or sunrise. Whether drinking a favorite drink, or talking with someone. 72 opportunities each minute for LIFE.
Sending you much love and many hugs ((( )))
 
Does anyone know of an article (ideally from a medical journal) that we could post here explaining the difference between true clinical anxiety disorder and "worrying" or "fearing" something that can be "fixed" if someone sets their mind to it or "thinks happy thoughts?"

I haven't said much here because there seems to be quite a bit of confusing the two issues so I'd like to have some kind of document to help new folks know we're not watering a serious illness down with "quick fixes." If those of us with anxiety disorder and/or clinical depression could just will it away with ANYTHING we'd do or make ourselves think, by darn, we'd DO it instantly. :cry:
 
CallMeKate said:
Does anyone know of an article (ideally from a medical journal) that we could post here explaining the difference between true clinical anxiety disorder and "worrying" or "fearing" something that can be "fixed" if someone sets their mind to it or "thinks happy thoughts?"
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I've read many articles on this subject, will post one in a bit. But what I wanted to mention is the way of dealing with anxiety in practicing Yoga, Taichi or one of the other alternative medical disciplines: Breathing to calm anxiety, and mindfulness, which can also be an integral part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
 
I've been wanting to look into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and checked the Kindle store to see what reading material is available. There were so many that I reached the "overwhelming, I'll do this later" place and never got back to it. Not sure how to tell which are the good/helpful books.
 

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