Has anyone else experienced anxiety after getting Covid?

Hello, I too am taking trazadone and I too am waking up every 2hours. I kind of actually want to ask for Ambien or another hypnotic because traz loses its effectiveness pretty fast, don't you think. But I do understand that one can become dependent(yes I worry about that too).
My doctor is referring me to a sleep doctor by next month, will probably want to, like you, put me on Ambien. What other choices are out there, really. Thanks for sharing 🙂

My sister in law has been having terrible anxiety as well. She also has tremors which seem to make the anxiety worse. She has not even left her house for the last 3 months because of the problems. We are still trying to find her some help but there seems to be no one locally ( Savannah, GA). Appreciate any help!!

@da69 @pattysgirl @angelicaaustrich @ripley @kristenk2003 and everyone else in this discussion, I think you will find this blog post from Dr. Vanichkachorn, medical director of Mayo Clinic's COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program, to both validating and helpful:
- Cognitive Changes and Post-COVID https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/post-covid-recovery/newsfeed-post/cognitive-changes-and-post-covid/

Excerpt
"Troubles with anxiety and depression are common symptoms in long haul COVID.
34% of patients seen in the COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic report having troubles with their mood. This occurs even if patients have not had any mental health problems in their past.
...
If you are suffering from depression or anxiety, please don’t be afraid to seek treatment. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. Ultimately, the mind and body work together to maintain your health. As you continue to recover, your evaluation and treatments should address both.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that just because someone is experiencing mental health symptoms does not mean all their symptoms are due to mental health problems. Your physical health greatly impacts your mental health. As you recover physically, you may find that your depression or anxiety symptoms will lessen. "

What is helping you?

I developed extreme anxiety two months after Covid. My Dr prescribed Sertraline (Zoloft) 25mg/day for two weeks, then increased to 50mg/day. After three months, I wanted to go off the meds and see if my anxiety had resolved. I began tapering by reducing the dosage to 25mg/day for ten days and then stopped. My anxiety was better. However, I was still having insomnia, which got a little better but now is back full-force. I am going to ask my Dr is I should go back on the Sertraline to see if that helps with my sleep.

I was on Lexapro for depression and had been for several years when I got covid in August of 2021. I was sick for about 4 months and in April my depression worsened to the point I could hardly speak , it was such an effort and everything, I mean anything involving leaving my home was almost debilitating. I spoke with my doctor and explained all my issues and what all had happened and she added a 2nd antidepressant
.. she originally wrote Rexalti but it's around $1500 per MONTH and $1300 with good rx and my insurance wouldn't approve it. So she gave me risperidone 1 mg per day. Within 10 days I could tell a huge difference. She also gave me antianxiety med for acute attacks .. I wish all of us with long haul the best and God bless us.

I hope she can find some help soon. Physical sensations/ symptoms are a huge trigger for my anxiety and depression. I'm currently learning how much avoiding things can prolong those feelings and make them worse. I'd suggest the book Hope and Help for Your Nerves by Claire Weekes if she's open to listening/ reading as a start. It might at least give her some encouragement to start small and try to work back to leaving the house to do things, until she can get individualized help. Maybe she can make a schedule for the week of one thing per day that she'd be willing to do, that she used to do but doesn't anymore, bonus points if it's outside the home? I believe my anxiety issues led to my depression - it's hard feeling so far from your normal self on a daily basis. Best of luck to her, I hope she can find help soon, and thank you for being a support for her. I'm sure it means a lot.

Thank you so much for sharing! It has been such a struggle for her. I will definitely tell her about your recommendations.

Have you had any testing done to check your thyroid function? Anxiety/ depression, fatigue, muscle/ joint aches, muscle weakness, trouble sleeping are some of the issues I experience when my thyroid hormone levels are imbalanced. It's a simple blood test to look at values. It may be worthwhile to explore it with your doctor if you haven't yet.

Yes. I’m already medicated for depression and anxiety and long Covid made it worse.
I’d lose my car and spend 25 minutes searching for it, which would spike my anxiety, and make it harder to focus.
I was also anxious at work because I couldn’t be effective in meetings pulling info from the top of my head. That hit my confidence and was depressing.
So I’ve worked with my psychiatrist and long Covid team on meds. Communities like this help. Letting my family and some close friends in helps. I let a good friend at work know for support and to let me know if my behavior was off.

Hello, I was also given trazadone and would wake up 2-3 hours after taking. Was given Quetiapine 25 mg at night. Also Buspirone 20 mg x 2 daily and Xanax as needed. Also Albuterol inhaler, since developing asthma during COVID as well. Been working on diet change, and more activity. This has been since early may and finally sleeping some and more good days than bad. Looking forward to getting my life back