If you have suffered from long-term stress did it cause you physical symptoms: what did you experience?

[Topoftherange]

If you have ever suffered from a period of prolonged stress and anxiety can I ask if you also struggled with physical symptoms as a result and what were those symptoms?

I have been under a lot of stress these last few years and it will only get worse. I have so many horrible physical symptoms that I now often struggle to function on a day to day basis. I am told (by my GP, family and friends) that it's simply the stress causing a myriad of issues but no amount of stress reduction is helping. Obviously worrying about serious illness is NOT helping, I know but I just can not help myself the more I struggle physically, the more it stresses me (yoga, hypnosis, meditation, exercise etc - none of these things help). I suppose the only way I would know for sure if the stress and physical issues are connected is if the stressful situation went away and it won't, not for a while at least.

So if you have ever suffered from a terrible period of stress/heightened anxiety for a significant amount of time did it also affect you physically and what were your symptoms?

I'll definitely ask for the Propranolol. Did try amitriptyline and nortriptyline but they made me feel zombie like.

Oh, the early morning panic attacks, aren't they simply dreadful. I get this a lot, really sets me up for an awful day ahead.

I've had a lot of stress throughout my life (CSA, abusive relationships, stressful jobs etc) and was diagnosed with bowel cancer a couple of months ago (aged 54). Now, there's no evidence to my knowledge that stress causes cancer, but heightened cortisol levels have been shown to turbo-charge existing cancer growth, so my conclusion is that my cancer was given a helping hand by my stressful environment.

Last year after months of extreme stress in my life, my hair began shedding like an Alsatian dog. I lost over 40% and had to cut what was remaining as it was thin and stringy. After various investigations i was told it matched a condition called Telogon Effluvium which tends to be stress related. The rapid hair loss really frightened me and messed with my confidence. I had to make some mega life changes to minimise or eradicate the stress I was feeling. In the last couple of months the shedding (of what’s remaining of my hair) has slowed down significantly. The body really does keep the score I’ve learnt. However as upset as the hair loss was initially, I do not regret receiving that kick up the arse to change certain things in my life, as something had to give, and I’m definitely living my life in a much better way now than previously.

My stress valve is ongoing costochondritis. After my initial flare up (caused by my dog being attacked and nearly dying, then having to get Police involvement and a year long battle to get the other dog owner in court), anytime I get run down or stressed, boom off it goes. It's horrible to manage, and makes me feel really unwell. I now refuse all pain meds and see an osteopath but each flare up can take months to settle again. Sigh.

I think that the first sign was that my back and shoulder muscles solidified with stress, which in turn caused stress headaches and vomiting. My eczema flares up when stressed- on my face, which people like to point out. There were strange rashes. I couldn't eat very much. I have always struggled with sleeping, but it got ridiculous. I rarely bathed. I didn't want to be around people. I constantly worried about time (so I struggled with things like going out for a meal, where you have to wait for a long time for the food to arrive), because I could be doing more work, and I was struggling to keep up as it was. I became very jumpy. I couldn't enjoy anything. I suffered from a touch of paranoia and seeing things that weren't really there. Then I was crying on a regular basis... at work. Then panic attacks started to kick in again... and eventually, I had a nervous breakdown, which turned out to be a bit of a twisted blessing in disguise. It took nine months to start getting back on my feet, but after re-training, I grew a lot more confident, and now work in a different field, where I'm much happier.

I got shingles...

Anxiety
Sleeplessness
Over thinking

The worst was the day I was driving into work and I realised I was just silently crying as I was driving. That was how much I was dreadding going to work.

I found the amitriptyline made me a zombie but stuck it out and after a week or so that side effect eased off.

I am also on sertraline and HRT.

💊💊💊

When my DD died I was destroyed mentally and physically and had awful tension headaches and muscle pain. I do have muscle skeletal issues anyway. It is possible to have all sorts go haywire, a lot of my hair also fell out, enough for me to wear a wig.

At different times in my life I have had to deal with extreme stress. My physical symptoms have been (not necessarily all at the same time):

Nightmares, night terrors, teeth grinding, headaches and migraine, insomnia, weight loss, skin very painful and cracking at corners of mouth to the extent I found it difficult to eat, skin breakouts, irregular and erratic periods, neck and shoulder pain, tinnitus, needing to wee more than is usual.

Extreme stress is awful OP and definitely can cause physical symptoms x

That's just where I feel I am heading atm. I genuinely feel as though I'm losing mind.

The same thing happened to my sil, her son died 20 years ago and her hair never grew back.

I'm sorry for your loss.

About 10 years ago I became a sandwich carer... kids + MIL. Then there was talk of her moving in. ... I had cortisol induced "crispy" arteries... caused a heart attack. 4am sweats and anxiety, menopause at the same time.

I just learned to say no. To everything.

IBS and anal fissures, now potentially slight incontinence. Waiting for an "urgent" colorectal apt. Basically years of digestive problems and investigations since I became a working lone parent. Didn't have any problems in the pandemic and life was a little chilled.

That and being a nervous wreck all of the time.

Hemiplegic migraines
IBS
Nodular prurigo
vertigo attacks
severe fatigue

I'm lucky to be out of the situation now but I had a period of working somewhere that was awful to me. Sexist, borderline sexual harassment, bullying constant stress and pressure from the work load. I couldn't leave as we had moved to get me this job that was the only people who would hire me for my field. We had just bought a wreck of a house so we're living in dust and bare floorboards without hot water or washing facilities. I couldn't leave until we got the house into a sellable point. My relationship was falling apart due to all of the above.

I would get random head rushes so powerful they were painful and would half collapse/white out at my desk until they passed. My employer didn't give a shit and thought I was making a fuss over nothing to avoid working. The only solution was to leave. Bf and I had a hard discussion about how miserable we were, resolved to sort the house so we could move and I could leave the job by a certain date. Gritted my teeth and handed my notice in two years to the day that started. Not a single head rush since so I can only attribute it to the stress of that particular time.

I am part of the sandwich generation too, elderly and unwell parents who need my constant attention, dc still at home who also still need me and in perimenopause.

I am trying hard to build some boundaries, it's so difficult.

I feel for you, my digestive issues have ruined my life and are getting worse.

OMG! I suffered years of stress as a safe guarding social worker and manager. Im on amitriptyline for neck pain and sleeping. I had breast cancer and I'm convinced the years of stress contributed to it.

The gut brain axis is real!

Yes terrible IBS that lasted for months. Was prescribed mebeverine which helped with the day to day symptoms but it definitely got to the point where I thought I'd never feel well again. Had panic attacks, health anxiety, palpitations. Quit my job in December (the source of stress) and had blood tests, fit tests and ecg come back clear which also helped me snap out of it. If you can't remove the source of stress it's really hard.

Palpitations, bowels problems, tearfulness, constant fight or flight… Propranalol has helped to some degree, on a waiting list for CBT.

Yes, it gave me pancreatic insufficiency, basically my pancreas no longer produces enzymes (similar to diabetes except then the pancreas no longer produces insulin). Mine is classed as ‘idiopathic’ which means no identifiable cause, but I asked in an online support group and of people who had been diagnosed as idiopathic, so many of them went through a period of extreme stress right before symptoms started.

Symptoms were right sided abdominal dull ache and loose bowels. Took about 1.5 years to be diagnosed. I take tablets with every meal for life. It’s no big deal to manage and I have no symptoms anymore, but I know it’s stress related.

I also got cancer a couple years after that, which is less directly related to the stress, but no doubt it played a part.

Except for the cancer (a big one), my life is otherwise quite low stress now. I went NC with my family. I left the job I hated. I don’t drink anymore. I went to therapy. I have really good mental health practices now and don’t feel stressed.

@Topoftherange My hair did grow back but it took a few years, my hair was really thick it’s not as good as it was but I am grateful it came back.

I hope your period of stress passes quickly.

I had a period of extreme stress, anxiety and depression my physical symptoms were-
migraines
aching lethargic body
stomach pain
nausea
insomnia
Forgetfulness
heat palpitations
breathlessness
it all cane to a head when I had a breakdown. I got sign off sick from work and I worked hard on my mental health. What helped-
Hypnosis - if it didn’t work see someone else
cbt therapy- helped me understand my thoughts and the control I gave them
yoga
meditation
mindfullness

The key to overcoming stress and anxiety is to stop listening to the thoughts in your head. They are not real you can choose whether to engage with them or not. The key to happiness is to be grateful for what you have no matter how small. It sounds easy but obviously it’s not it requires hard work and commitment and the reality is we all have negative thoughts and emotions in the same way we all have positive ones the difference is how you react to them. While ever you are resisting you negative thoughts and feelings your body is in panic mode which is why you have all the horrible bodily reactions