Connect
Anxiety over... anxiety meds
I've been battling anxiety for several years now, which has been mild for the most part but due to various pain throughout. I would have a routine pain in my chest (more of side wall near armpit), get anxious, take a .25mg clonaz, and almost instantly feel relieved (and I know it doesn't even work that day). Maybe once a week. This started back in 2018, and I was on Cymbalta for a couple of years, didn't need the clonaz, until I realized it made me crave wine, too much wine. I got off that after tapering, and doing well for a good year with periodic clonaz but started getting the chest pains again more severely, and my dr put me on 100mg gabapentin for fibromyalgia, told me it was much safer than Cymbalta and non addictive. I got covid in May and had a lot of abdomen and chest pain and huge stress of having the covid, but wasn't coughing that much, so she said I was flaring and increased my dose to 300 mg daily. I noticed a few days after that a spot appeared in one eye, and then things seemed darker in my vision. Then came eye pain, and then I noticed dim lights were burning into my vision for a minute or so, so I put 2 and 2 together and tapered back down to 100mg a month in. It's been several weeks, and my head is still dizzy or feels like vertigo but without the spinning, like blood rushing to my forehead periodically, often when I move my head. My vision has cleared up though. So while all of these things were happening, I would take a clonaz but didn't seem to do anything, and I got in my head that it might be causing this as well. Yesterday I went to get a CT scan of my brain, and I've had contrast for other scans a few times, but this time I went into full panic when it went into my body. My heart was racing, and I could barely breathe. I just held on knowing it would be over soon, started breathing exercises after she pulled me out, and I was shaken but breathing fairly normal a few minutes later. I'm pretty sure it wasn't an allergic reaction, but it was quite possibly the worst panic I've ever had, for nothing. So today, I'm having some mild pain in my head and neck which I get often anyway, and decided to take a clonaz and just get off of this gabapentin once and for all, even if I have to take clonaz a few weeks short term. As soon as it dissolved, my heart began racing, slight breathing trouble. It's like I can't do anything medically to my body, it's so worn out, and my mind is so messed up from this stuff, and it's all i think about. So has anyone else gotten a panic attack from taking panic meds? This seems so ridiculous. 30 minutes later, I felt better and my mind was clear on the fact that it was yet another mental issue.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.
Connect
@supernat Did the CT tech explain to your that you would feel a "flushing" or "warmth" within a few seconds of when the contrast is given? When I had contrast for a CT the contrast infusion was explained to me as a "flushing" sensation but when it became apparent to me it felt like an adrenaline rush and I got panicky for a few seconds. I breathed my way through it. A few months later I had contrast again with CT. Same sensation but this time I was expecting it so I was better prepared. Does this sound at all familiar to you?
I've had anxiety off and on for many years. I've found that someone who has never experienced anxiety the way you and I have really doesn't get it. It comes and goes and is always a challenge for me. I've found that cognitive-behavioral therapy works best for me and the research evidence supports this type of therapy for anxiety. I learned different ways to reframe my thoughts and skills to address the anxiety when it occurred. Do you have a therapist you connect with?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
10 ReactionsThey did, and I've had contrast on several occasions, for MRIs and CTs, so I thought I knew what to expect. In fact, I had one in the ER back in May and didn't bother me at all. I understand that contrast is diluted and different though. But my heart just went crazy this time. I guess it's possible it was a less severe allergic reaction. I just seem to be so hyper sensitive to any sensations in my body these days, even the smallest tinge of pain, hiccup in breathing, heart rate increase, shadow in my vision, list goes on, I start to get very anxious. So I wouldn't be surprised if this was a panic.
Sorry you've dealt with this for years too. Yes people don't understand how severe anxiety gets, especially when it starts to affect your physical state, and then that feeds back into the loop. It's so much more than just a bit of worry. Granted, that's where it usually starts.
For me, this all stared when I had a consistent pain in my side chest wall, and I went to Dr after Dr, test after test, doing my own research (which really created the majority of my anxiety initially). I probably could have dealt with the pain and even the amount of anxiety that was creating, but my dr put me on medications, which induced more anxiety. Gabapentin may be great for some people, but with the attacks I've had just going from 300 to 100 mg after only a couple of months, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone, find anything else.
Thanks for the tip, I'll certainly look into that. I DO need to retrain my brain, for one to stop thinking constantly about my pains, what's causing them (if Dr's can't figure that out, I sure won't), and lately thinking ahead that this or that event is going to cause me anxiety, because I dwell on it, and then it does. I wish I could just let it all go and ignore it all.
I don't yet have a therapist, but planning to contact one this week and get that ball rolling. Thanks for your response!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsI have found that antidepressant meditation’s like colossopan how long is a pan and such cost me more depression and anxiety as well as loss of appetite. Since I’ve stopped all of that back to Medical Marijuana I’m feeling so much better.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@donfeld, it's crazy how all of this started with a pain in my side chest wall that was mild to moderate most times, and these meds, while they resolved that pain, have caused so much more havoc. I would like to return to the pain and just accept it. I also never had that pain until after I had dual hernia mesh repair. I wish I could take that back too.
Do have Arachnoiditis which what I have?
I meant to say do you have.