Ginger has good wisdom. Good recomendations.

Can anxiety kill? Experience from a healthy (physical) body and brain.

The General Anxiety disorder started early in life for me, mid teens. I did not know I had GAD. I just coped with it. At 31, it came to a pinacle. My dad died from a long illness. I was promoted to president of the company I worked for. I had two daughters, toddlers, and a son on the way. A wonderful wife. The stress of my type of work and the promotions, eventually to the top, was a pressure cooker. It near exploded.....

These events and situations are necessary to describe so you can see Ginger's recs are good. A good doctor that listens, a diagnosis, and medication is what I needed.

Anxiety itself and the severe panic attacks seem like they can kill. I had no depression but got to the point I would have an anxiety attack at a stop sign (turn left or right) or similar meaningless choice and I would shut down. After it was over I just had to sleep and hour or so.

Anxiety is a genetic and environmental interaction. Genetic, proven in some forms of diagnosed conditions, environmental in the forms, daily work and relationships of life, and small or large events (pressure cooker). The pressure cooker starts off slow, then pressure increases until it is too much and/or to fast.
The presure cooker seals the pressure inside (like your body and brain seals away stress and some keep all to themselves) and the interal organans and workings of those are the contents of the cooker.

I was "normal" and healthy early on, but someone turned thebburner on high (events).

At 31 my hair started turning white from brown (skipped gray), my heat rate went to, once awake and a little movement to around 90 to 110 bpm as the daily normal (from BP of 135 over 65 and heart rate of 67 resting, all chemistry in good numbers), and I vomited each morning in the flower bed when I was on the way to work. I avoided, with extreme prejudice, any conflict or disorder (coping mechanism). When I finally went to the doctor at early 32, my BP was 190 over 90 - 110, cholesterol total (back then) 290, triglycerides 500, amd so on. I was drinking, daily, a bottle of wine plus. I was mad and angry all the time (andrenyline and cortisol release). My wife was ready to take a break and move in with her parents, for a short time, until I got things figured out. It should have been a joyous time. Instead the effects of the anxiety were killing me literally.

Why did I go to the doctor? I added life insurance as I was worried about my family. I did not recognize my symptoms. I did not know I had any symptoms. My wife told me, but I could not see them.

I had to have a blood tests to add life insurance. My insurance agent and close friend called. He said, first, leaglly, I have to tell you about the policy and price. He said, I can get you a policy, but you can't afford it. He said, by law, I have to tell you to seek medical attention immediatly. The data shows to you will have a massive heart attack in the immediate future and you will die. My head nearly exploded. Then, the friend, encouraged me to go to a doctor asap. I did, he listened, diagnosed me with anxiety disorder (what it was called then), prescribed a short-term, immediate impact (kicked in by 5 to 10 minutes) medication, and a long term medication treatment (venlafexine XR 75 mg per day).

Within hours I improved, within weeks I was able to get off the short-term medication. I have been on the same dose (Effexor XR 75 mg, back then) of Venlafexine XR 75 mg per day since. Decades.

Most doctors may not realize how critical and fast an anxiety disorder may get out of hand and destroy a person's health.

Be your own advocate with a close family or friend aiding you.

Jt