Has anyone else experienced anxiety after getting Covid?

Yes! It is a constant struggle to keep any positive outlook, and physically exhausting as well. Never been like this my entire life.... 2&1/2 years out from first bout of covid. There are so many varied symptoms to LongCovidSyndrome and no real answers or proven treatments. I try every day to practice good healthy habits for my body ( success varies), and forge on as I am able. You stay encouraged! There are millions of us right there with you!

Thank you....My depression has gotten worse... But the anxiety is the worst...It feels like i am crawling out of my skin....Then after a attack i am wiped out more than i usually i am.
As fatigue as i am all the time....You wouldn't think i had enough energy for anxiety but i do.

Are you being seen at a “CovidClinic”?
Have you had an MRI of your brain?

I'm here with you and for you! I've had anxiety episodes almost daily after COVID. I started therapy once a week, which I look forward to every week. I've been meditating daily and trying different anxiety-decreasing exercises to help whenever I feel too out of control. But I know that some days are just really hard; those days, I try to be compassionate towards myself and still do things (meditation, yoga, visualization, grounding exercises, music, movies) that make me feel more grounded towards reality. It also helps when I state back facts to myself like I know that I've been checked by my doctors and that this will pass, it's a slow process and not always gradual but it will pass eventually. Sending you so much healing energy and care!

I got Covid in late January 2022 and about 6 weeks later developed severe anxiety. My Dr prescribed Sertraline (Zoloft). I started at 25mg/day for 2 weeks, then increased to 50mg/day. After three months, I felt my anxiety levels had reduced, so I started tapering off the Sertraline by reducing the dosage to 25mg/day for ten days. It's been one month now, and my anxiety seems back to normal. However, I'm still suffering with sleeping problems that started out suddenly as severe insomnia. I began taking Trazadone to help, 50-100 mg/night. It helped me fall asleep but I woke up every 2 hrs while on it. After three months, I began to tapering off. Now I only take it 1/4 to 1/2 of a 50mg pill as needed (1-2 nights a week). However, I am still waking up every 1.5 to 2 hrs every night, so am still not getting restful sleep. I saw a Dr specializing in sleep issues and her only solution was putting me on hypnotic drugs (like Ambien) which I didn't want to take. I am seeing a different sleep Dr this week but expect he will just push drugs also.

I am halfway done with TMS therapy for treatment resistant depression.
Which is keeping me from seeing my primary care doctor as i miss 2 hrs of work each day
for my treatments.
I did speak to a covid clinic and told them my symptoms and they said it sounds like long covid.
My worsening depression and onset of anxiety and extreme fatigue are terrible.
The long covid clinic told me to see my primary care doc after my tms treatments and get a referral.
I am just doing the bare minimum and getting by as i have no energy or motivation to do anything unless it is absolutley neccessary.
Any physical activity make my muscles sore for a couple days afterwards.

I’m with you in the Buspirone camp post booster reaction- I’ve been able to slowly wean down to once a day now. Hang in there! I use the unwinding anxiety app, healthy minds app and use a heart math sensor for mindfulness daily. You’re not alone.

I started experiencing bad anxiety and some depression after Covid and developing some physical issues (dizziness going on 8 months now, among others). My anxiety came on as chest pain, nausea, heart palpitations, tingling in arms and legs, stomach issues, crying spells, etc. I told my husband I wanted to climb out of my body, it felt unbearable - like I was holding my breath 24 hrs a day. I have never experienced anything like this, to this extent, prior to this year. I asked my doctor for medication we tried Lexapro and I reacted terribly, so started on Buspirone and stayed on that for a few months - was at 15mg 2x. I was still having crying spells, it was making me dizzy in the morning, and I still had anxiety anytime I felt physically unwell or something new, on top of continued constant worry. I started seeing a Psychiatrist and we decided to try something different. I'm still searching for the right medication for me, but in the meantime I have been off the Buspirone for 3 weeks (scary to be on nothing at first) and I have realized that it wasn't as effective for my anxiety as I wanted to believe it was. I also practice guided breathing/meditations through my Fitbit app (they help more the more I do them), and do weekly therapy that has helped me to realize what's happening to me, how to try to cope with it, how my thoughts contribute, etc. I try to take life one day at a time, to go for short walks to get outside, and do my best to go to work each day, even when it feels hard, to be around others and have some sense of purpose. I have bad days. All that to say - Be open to therapy if it's an option for you, and don't be afraid to talk to your doctor or a Psychiatrist who might be able to help you with a more effective medication plan if this one isn't working for you. I recently read an old book called Hope and Help For Your Nerves - it's not modern, but it really resonated with me. Best of luck to you, just know it will get better for us.

Have you tried other non medication remedies to help your sleep? Meditation, massage, exercise, acupuncture? I was told that anxiety can run in the background without us realizing it - like open tabs on a computer - do you think that could be contributing still? I found body scan meditations or progressive muscle relaxation helpful at night to make me more relaxed. I don't suffer from insomnia - actually the opposite where I want to sleep like 12 hrs a night and never feel rested - but imagine it's very difficult to experience. I've also heard that certain vitamin and minerals can impact sleep - like magnesium. May be worth asking for labs to see if you're deficient in anything, if you haven't yet? Hope you find some relief.

It’s not really anxiety - it’s your nervous system being over charged by many factors. I am working with all sorts of alternative healers after Western docs had nothing to help me. Coconut water and electrolytes are calming along with magnesium, ice pack on your head and face, natural sunlight every day, walking, gardening, things that help your vagus nerve function properly - tongue scraping, gargling, singing. Eating increased amounts of antioxidants - dark grapes and berries. Reiki is awesome. Anything you can do to keep the ‘anxiety’ and other symptoms at a low level before they get full blown helps your system start learning to be calm again - I have found. Hang in there. When you feel a good moment sit with that and take in that feeling - your body and mind learn from that.