1. < Depression & Anxiety

Anxiety: bouts of nervousness, dry flushing and nausea

Posted by annedodrill44 @annedodrill44, Jan 16, 2018

I have been experiencing intense bouts of nervousness, dry flushing and nausea for months. These “spells” come on quickly and pass quickly. They happen a few times a week, which doesn’t sound like a big deal. But this feeling is so frightening! I’ve had heart, blood and urine testing. Everything comes back “normal”. I am a fit 70-year-old woman, so I can’t blame this on hormones! I’ll be at Mayo for my annual physical next month thank goodness. If my symptoms have a name, they’ll know it!! In the meantime, I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has similar issues!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

kdo0827 | @kdo0827 | Jan 30, 2018
In reply to @cdcc "I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very..." + (show)
@cdcc

I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very low dose of Ativan because mornings damn near kill me. I hate being around people for fear of it hitting and them looking at me like what the bells wrong with you. Anxiety, panic and depression is not fun and a hard way of living

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Hopefully your dr will find something that works! I, too really struggle in the mornings. Wonder why this happens to us?

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Parus | @parus | Jan 30, 2018

@ccdc I know this feeling. I scare myself at times. Mornings are the worse for some reason. Therapy in the past was a disaster as I believed the threats of some seriously disturbed professionals. I advocate for myself now. Just because someone is a professional does not always mean they are ethical. Do your homework. There are good therapists. They are hard to find. If you are not comfortable with one then find another. No one knows "you" as you yourself do. I do hope you can get some help. CBT has helped the most and the other therapists I had did not teach thus. I knew more about their lives than they did mine. The things you mentioned are real. Everyone deserves some quality of life. Keep us posted as you can.

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24 replies
Parus | @parus | Jan 30, 2018
In reply to @cdcc "I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very..." + (show)
@cdcc

I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very low dose of Ativan because mornings damn near kill me. I hate being around people for fear of it hitting and them looking at me like what the bells wrong with you. Anxiety, panic and depression is not fun and a hard way of living

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@kdo0827 I have wondered the same thing. Why does it happen to any one? I know my abusive, dysfunctional childhood has a lot to do with the fears I now have. Many abusive relationships because I did not know how to speak up. I thought it was normal to be abused.

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peach414144 | @peach414144 | Jan 30, 2018
In reply to @cdcc "I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very..." + (show)
@cdcc

I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very low dose of Ativan because mornings damn near kill me. I hate being around people for fear of it hitting and them looking at me like what the bells wrong with you. Anxiety, panic and depression is not fun and a hard way of living

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yes Parus. you are right. i also thought it was normal to be abused. when i left my family (ran away at 15 because my father was trying to rape me.i guess he thought the beatings were not enogh.) and i was in normal society it was an anxiety riddled time (many yeara) for me to get used to a normal atmosphere with normal people. and by the way, what is normal? i am sure there are other persons besides myself who do understand your sufferings and that they feel your hurt. we are not alone. if only there were more groups in my area. they are sorely needed. hang in there remember: EVENTUALLY!

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Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Jan 30, 2018
In reply to @gailb "@annedodrill44 I also welcome you to Mayo Connect. We are here to help each other through..." + (show)
@gailb

@annedodrill44 I also welcome you to Mayo Connect. We are here to help each other through our experiences with situations that may be similar to yours and relating what worked or didn't work in resolving or helping things improve.

I have symptoms similar to yours that turned out to be panic attacks, and anxiety attacks. I don't know if you've had your tyroid checked, but if not, I recommend that. One time when I was having the same symptoms, it turned out that my Synthroid medication was too strong for what I needed. It was causing my anxiety. Other times, I have truly had anxiety to the point of panic. These sessions lasted 20 minutes or so, and I felt as if I might be going crazy. If i was in any store, where this happened often, I would have to leave, hoping I didn't show signs of what was going on with me. I figured if anyone noticed, nurses would come in white coats, put me on a gurney and take me to a mental hospital.

I basically treated myself during those years by reading Born to Win, Women as Winners, Your Erroneous Zones, and other self-help books at the time. I was in a therapy/counseling group at the time, but was even afraid to tell them about my "sessions". I endured the anxiety most of my life, but learned how to meditate and relax, and did Yoga over the years, which all relieved the symptoms most of the time. Certain situations were impossible for me to control my fear in, such as flying, being in "breath - taking" views of valleys, bridges, heights in general. I would literally get nauseated and my heart pounded out of control. I learned that a small dose, 1 mg, of Lorazepam would help calm my anxiety when it was out of relaxation control. I didn't like taking it, but needed it in order to fly. Then about 10 years ago I saw a friend of mine who was always high strung in the grocery store. She was very relaxed and happy and very different from the person I had known. I asked her what she was doing in her life that had made her change so dramatically. She told she had been put on antidepressants and they had changed her life. I made an appointment with my doctor and asked for antidepressants telling him my long experiences and my lifetime of abuse, neglect, etc. He prescribed Citalopram, 20 mg to start. After 2 weeks, i began to feel the difference in my anxiety. I am still taking 40 mg of Citalopram and I am so thankful for it. My irrational fears and anxieties are gone and I am free to live my life.

Everyone is different and what worked for me in my situation may or may not work for others. You may not even have "anxiety" issues. I hope you will be assertive in pursuing an earlier appointment with Mayo. At our age, quality of what's left of our lives is very important.

Warm regards,
Gail
Volunteer Mentor

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@kdo0827

I started taking Wellbutrin in '05. It was the first antidepressant I found that helped. I had tried a whole string of them. Six weeks on a med, no result, six weeks of another med, couldn't make myself stop eating, six weeks of another, became hugely suicidal on week 4, lasting one week. I was already attempting suicide, so adding a med with that side effect really ramped up the desire to die. Exactly 7 days of that and it was like a switch turned it off.

I tried a few add on antidepressants, Abilify was one, but they didn't cause any improvement. Recently, my depression seemed to be getting worse, so I got an appointment with the psychiatrist, and he started me on Remeron. After a couple of weeks, I began feeling better. I felt like a weight was lifted.

Antidepressants are incredibly personal. With so many options it can take a while to land on the right one. I hope Wellbutrin will work for you.

Jim

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Parus | @parus | Jan 31, 2018

Sure would be nice to not always be tied in knots within. Antidepressants increased my dark thoughts and had me doing and saying things I normally would not. Yup, we are all different. My medication is art and at times this does not help. Have been in one a funk for a long time. Anxiety reigns supreme in this dark world. Enough negativity.

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6 replies
cdcc | @cdcc | Jan 31, 2018

I do agree with you 100% about some psychiatrist not being the right one for you. So far my first visit went really well and she told me if I felt she was not helping me there were others in the practice that may be better for me. No hard feelings would be felt. We seemed to hit it off pretty well so hoping my follow up visits go just as well with her. So I ask what CBT is. I don’t think I am familiar with this. Thank you. I started on the last of the Lyrica today taking a 50mg capsule and halving it, by late afternoon all the withdrawal symptoms hit big time just as they did when I started coming off the 300mg. I was like holy crap here I go again when I thought I was getting better. Tomorrow starts four months off all these horrible debilitating feelings. Thanks for listening

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2 replies
cdcc | @cdcc | Jan 31, 2018
In reply to @cdcc "I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very..." + (show)
@cdcc

I’ve seeked a psychiatrist to help me I can’t live like this. I’m on a very low dose of Ativan because mornings damn near kill me. I hate being around people for fear of it hitting and them looking at me like what the bells wrong with you. Anxiety, panic and depression is not fun and a hard way of living

Jump to this post

I tried taking an Ativan at night to see if I had no morning anxiety...that was a no go, still awoke with it. Damn sucks! I’ll ask my psychiatrist next week when I see her maybe she will have an answer for it because I surely don’t!

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Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Feb 1, 2018
In reply to @cdcc "I do agree with you 100% about some psychiatrist not being the right one for you...." + (show)
@cdcc

I do agree with you 100% about some psychiatrist not being the right one for you. So far my first visit went really well and she told me if I felt she was not helping me there were others in the practice that may be better for me. No hard feelings would be felt. We seemed to hit it off pretty well so hoping my follow up visits go just as well with her. So I ask what CBT is. I don’t think I am familiar with this. Thank you. I started on the last of the Lyrica today taking a 50mg capsule and halving it, by late afternoon all the withdrawal symptoms hit big time just as they did when I started coming off the 300mg. I was like holy crap here I go again when I thought I was getting better. Tomorrow starts four months off all these horrible debilitating feelings. Thanks for listening

Jump to this post

@cdcc

CBT is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I should be able to tell you more about it, but I'm still under the influence of the flu. It's been helpful for me, dealing with depression anxiety PTSD and suicidal ideation.

Jim

REPLY
cdcc | @cdcc | Feb 3, 2018

Sorry to hear you have the flu. When your feeling better and up to it please expand on the CBT. Thanks

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