Physical symptoms of depression / anxiety

@jmobe- I think, for your own peace of mind, that you should go to your PCP and get some blood work done. During a bad bout of depression myself and migraines I made an appointment with my neurologist for some whacky symptoms that I had never had. Thankfully she was bright and thought outside of the box and ordered tests that helped save my life. I don't know, if at this time, you can be certain that your slurred speech is caused by depression, although it could be. Follow through on this. If your psychiatrist is correct then you need to find the cause. Please keep me up dated. Some other people have had this and it might be a valuable answer to some.

@jmobe I found that a lot of my problems were caused by medications and found the psychiatrists were stuck in the mode of side effects and my diagnosis. They believed that I would be better off taking them than not. Also I had and still do have thyroid issues. I had the radioactive iodine over 40 years ago and my thyroid does nothing. I rely solely on medication for this.
There are so many possibilities when it comes to causes for anxiety and depression.
As @merpreb has mentioned in her comment. Don’t give up. Merry has been through a lot and a wealth of knowledge.
We know ourselves the best. I know I keep plugging away and progress can be slow and I tend to be easily discouraged and be
compliant. I have started listening to those little bells and starting to realize I am not always what I have been told.

Hello @jmobe

I appreciate your sharing your concerns about your slurred speech and manual dexterity problems. These symptoms can be very disturbing, can't they?

Like the others have said I do hope that you make an appointment with a doctor who can check you out for other health problems that might be causing this. Everyone does react differently to medications and they might be the cause of your problems. Often if we have a history of anxiety or depression all of our symptoms and problems are seen as part of the mental health issue which is certainly not always the case.

If however, after testing and med changes you still have these intermittent problems with dexterity, clumsiness and speech difficulties I might suggest that you get a referral to a neurologist. These can be signs of an early stage neurological problem as well. Have you ever seen a neurologist?

Neurological problems can also cause anxiety and depression because they originate in the brain/central nervous system. I've often heard of people with Parkinson's talk of "inner tremors" a sense of shakiness on the inside (but they don't have tremors of the hands or limbs). Many of these problems were labeled as "anxiety" etc. when they actually had a physical origin.

You are doing well to keep searching and being your own advocate. Keep with it. Will you update me and let me know how you are doing with this process?

@jmobe Hi I'm sorry to butt in here but just wanted to say advocate for yourself ,you know your body better then anyone so if you feel something is wrong and your Dr. wont listen to you go for a 2nd opinion maybe a new Dr. will see something your other one doesn't and even in life if we talk to someone for years sometimes they think they know you better then you do . Take care of yourself

@jmobe

Thank you for sharing your situation and history further with us. There are many good suggestions in the responses of others here. In particular the recommendations of Teresa and Merry are important to follow through on in my opinion.

The fact that this time of slurred speech feels different than the other times is an indication that you need to check out the cause beyond being depressed and anxious. Checking with a neurologist is important as your symptoms may indicate other causes.

Here is a link to Mayo Clinic explanation of DNA drug testing to help in determining the best medication for your metabolism.
https://mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cyp450-test/about/pac-20393711
I recommend reading this excellent information to better understand how the test may be helpful for you. Also, contact a neurologist at the same time. Please remember that I am not a medical professional, so sharing my experiences and recommendations are the best I can do. I hope you find answers soon.