Anxiety disorder

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L

Lecrae

Guest
#1
#1
I have generalized anxiety disorder. I can often feel sick/disoriented/ or have panic attacks because of it. I am on medication, but may need to up the dose as it's extremely low dose and was only effective the first week.

But now the true point of the thread: is it possible that these panic attacks/sick feelings come as a result of unconscious worries that I can't control? Because I can get these anxiety attacks and I know I haven't been worrying about anything. I can get these attacks when a certain event happens (such as hanging out with friends) even though I know I wasn't worrying about that either. So could these attacks be happening unconsciously? If so, should I seek counseling? Will medication not be enough?

I know the usual answers - "take it to God" "stop worrying" "pray when you feel worried/an attack happening" etc etc etc. I do apply these things and it's very practical advice. But I'm searching for (hopefully) a deeper answer from people who deal/dealt with this or experience it themselves.

Thanks,

~Will
 
U

Ugly

Guest
#2
#2
Typically there is a single situation that sets the anxiety in motion. The hard part of battling anxiety is that having anxiety also creates anxiety. So it becomes this endless cycle. And even if you can work past the issue that sparked the anxiety, and also work through the anxiety itself to where the attacks stop, that doesn't stop anxiety in your life. Once you struggle with anxiety you run the risk of it peeking up again and again. I battled it a few years ago, and just the past few days i've had it pop up here and there.
The good news is, the more you fight it, the more you learn to recognize it. And the more you recognize it the easier it is to keep it down. You learn to control your thoughts so that they don't run rampant.
What i do now, when i feel a little anxiety spring up, i use a natural supplement called Gaba. You can buy the capsules of the powder and put a whole capsule in your average 16 oz bottle of water. Shake it up and you can chug it or sip on it. Putting it in water makes it more effective than taking the pill. So i'll just sip on the water when i feel a little anxiety and it often helps stop it. Though i'm not having major attacks like i used to.
You can find Gaba at most health food stores and some vitamin stores.

Another good idea is to move around. Since anxiety is mostly just adrenaline shooting off at the wrong times, causing the fight or flight reaction, if you move around it can help burn off that adrenaline faster and minimize the symptoms.
 
L

Lecrae

Guest
#3
#3
I just tried looking at Kroger for Gaba but no luck. I'll try to find a nutrition/vitamin store around here tomorrow. Thanks for the tips!
 
N

NodMyHeadLikeYeah

Guest
#4
#4
Hi Will,

I also have an Anxiety disorder/ panic disorder. I've been dealing with anxiety and panic since i was 9. I get panic attacks almost daily. They have lasted up to 6 hours at times. I'm on medication also, however this week i'm getting mine changed to something that will work better.

I can get anxiety then a panic attack just sitting on the couch watching t.v.... Last night i was laying in bed trying to sleep when i suddenly just started having a panic attack. I don't know why it just happens out of no where, but it does. So i understand what your dealing with.

Ugly talked about a natural supplement, but be very careful because your already on a medication and depending on which one your on those can interact with what your taking and cause very serious side effects. Please talk to your doctor first before doing that.

Anxiety usually stems from somewhere. Some people have hormone imbalances, some people went through a bad experience and it now produces anxiety and panic in them. It certainly wouldn't hurt to see a counselor. I've seen tons of them.

I wish i had more answers for you, but i just wanted to let you know i deal with this to. It can be very frustrating at times not understanding why this is happening so if you ever want to talk i'm here.
 
K

kenthomas27

Guest
#5
#5
NodMyHeadLikeYeah said:
Hi Will,

I also have an Anxiety disorder/ panic disorder. I've been dealing with anxiety and panic since i was 9. I get panic attacks almost daily. They have lasted up to 6 hours at times. I'm on medication also, however this week i'm getting mine changed to something that will work better.

I can get anxiety then a panic attack just sitting on the couch watching t.v.... Last night i was laying in bed trying to sleep when i suddenly just started having a panic attack. I don't know why it just happens out of no where, but it does. So i understand what your dealing with.

Ugly talked about a natural supplement, but be very careful because your already on a medication and depending on which one your on those can interact with what your taking and cause very serious side effects. Please talk to your doctor first before doing that.

Anxiety usually stems from somewhere. Some people have hormone imbalances, some people went through a bad experience and it now produces anxiety and panic in them. It certainly wouldn't hurt to see a counselor. I've seen tons of them.

I wish i had more answers for you, but i just wanted to let you know i deal with this to. It can be very frustrating at times not understanding why this is happening so if you ever want to talk i'm here.
Click to expand...
I didn't know you were dealing with this Nod. If it's ok, I'll pray for you and Lecrae. The upside is, it hasn't killed you yet! I don't mean to be glib, what I mean is that it hasn't DEFEATED you. The reason it hasn't is because it can't. It's you.

I wish I had answers for you too other than that of God's peace of assured souls which is yours and Lacrae's. I love you both.
 
L

Lecrae

Guest
#6
#6
NodMyHeadLikeYeah said:
Hi Will,

I also have an Anxiety disorder/ panic disorder. I've been dealing with anxiety and panic since i was 9. I get panic attacks almost daily. They have lasted up to 6 hours at times. I'm on medication also, however this week i'm getting mine changed to something that will work better.

I can get anxiety then a panic attack just sitting on the couch watching t.v.... Last night i was laying in bed trying to sleep when i suddenly just started having a panic attack. I don't know why it just happens out of no where, but it does. So i understand what your dealing with.

Ugly talked about a natural supplement, but be very careful because your already on a medication and depending on which one your on those can interact with what your taking and cause very serious side effects. Please talk to your doctor first before doing that.

Anxiety usually stems from somewhere. Some people have hormone imbalances, some people went through a bad experience and it now produces anxiety and panic in them. It certainly wouldn't hurt to see a counselor. I've seen tons of them.

I wish i had more answers for you, but i just wanted to let you know i deal with this to. It can be very frustrating at times not understanding why this is happening so if you ever want to talk i'm here.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Mine usually seem to have a trigger, although sometimes it seems as though there is no trigger at all. Right now I'm on 10mg nortriptylin. I tried 20mg citalopram but those had horrible side effects, even with it being a baby dose. I have a feeling this is some type of imbalance that runs in the family...my dad had the same thing and my oldest sister has the same thing as well. So it could be hereditary.

And ditto on if you want to talk! I know having people there for you is comforting with anxiety.

Thanks for the responses so far. :)
 
PennEd

PennEd

Senior Member
#7
Apr 22, 2013
12,980
8,687
113
#7
Anxiety is a horrible affliction. I suffered for several yrs from this about 10 yrs ago. At least in my case I know that sin was the root cause. I have been off all medication for about 7 yrs now thanks ENTIRELY to the LORD. I would VERY strongly caution taking medication for this. ESPECIALLY xanax or similar type drugs. May the peace of Jesus Christ relieve your stress, worry, and anxiety.
 
R

rainin

Guest
#8
#8
I think my anxiety attacks came from the chronic stress of living with an abusive husband. Since he has been absent from my daily life the panic attacks have stopped. Are there any environmental factors in your life that could be causing it in addition to the hereditary possiblilty? Problems that are never resolved can pile up for years and eventually our bodies start reacting. When I started dealing with my problems in life instead of just worrying over them the panic attacks became less and less frequent. If you are predisposed to this problem from a heriditary stand point, the stress of daily life could be much harder for you to manage than a person who isn't. It helped me to start resolving the problems that could be fixed and giving the ones I had no control of to God. It wasn't easy and it didn't happen over night but little by little the emotional load I was carrying got lighter and the attacks became less and less frequent. I am unable to take most any medication so I had to manage it by dealing with my environmental issues. My life was out of control and I felt like there was nothing I could do about it. That really wasn't true but I had to realize that before I was able to start confronting my problems and then taking action to resolve them. My prayers for the strength, wisdom and inner peace from the Lord Jesus gave me all I needed to start taking control of my life again. It is still a daily battle but I know I can overcome all things with His help.

I also lived in fear of my anxiety itself. I sometimes wonder if that was causing even more stress to deal with. Everyone is different and what helped me may not help another. It helped me to read of David's battle with Goliath. David was small and Goliath was a giant....that is how my anxiety made me feel....small, terrified and helpless. When I got up and started fighting, the things that would trigger an attack became fewer in number. It would also help me to control my breathing when the attacks would first start. I hope you are able to find a way to manage with out more medication. Also, have you gotten a second opinion about your diagnosis? Sometimes things aren't always diagnosed correctly the first time around. I have read that food allergies and such can cause problems like this. Eliminating sugar from my diet made a big difference for me as well. I hope and pray that you are able to find what works best for you.
 
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