Anxiety as a *symptom* of covid 19

[CulturallyAppropriatedName]

Way back in March I had what may have been mild covid. I have never had a test to confirm it.

The overriding initial symptoms were sudden loss of appetite and then watery diarrhea, with dizziness, a sore throat and thick mucus and then gradually a sense of having inhaled chili that lasted a few days, a mild dry cough that didn't disturb my sleep, and then weeks of acid indigestion.

Alongside the initial part of this I experienced a few days of terrible anxiety. If I drink too much nowadays I get a racing heart and wake with a horrible sense of dread and shame, and these same feelings accompanied this strange illness, but without having consumed any alcohol. At the time I didn't think it was covid - I didn't have high temp or repeated coughing as was described in the advice at the time, and the illness was mild after the first 48 hours of diarrhea. I worked from home throughout. I have talked about this weird anxiety feeling - accompanied by insomnia, I would wake at 4am with a sense of fear - and feel jittery all day. Everyone has dismissed it as being due to the situation (right before lockdown) or my age (49, so perimenopausal). But I am sure the anxiety was part of the illness itself, generated by the disease. It suddenly lifted on about day 6 or 7 - right around the time the cough started and around the time when, if I had been worried about covid, I would have been especially anxious to see if I would take a turn for the worse. Instead, the dreadful anxiety and insomnia lifted and I felt able to handle things again.

Has anyone else - maybe other women of around 50 - had anxiety as a core feature of their covid or possible covid course?

I feel very frustrated that I am being dismissed by friends as "menopausal" when I know in my own mind that it was part of the illness.

I have seen confusion and psychosis recognised as part of very severe covid in hospitalised women. Might anxiety not be a "mild" version of the same neurological attack?

I absolutely had very severe and debilitating anxiety back in March when I suspected I had it. I suffer from anxiety on a regular basis and take beta blockers for it when needed, but this was completely different. A real sense of crushing, impending doom and an inability to think straight.
I also had diarrhoea, but my main symptoms were severe chest and upper back pain, heart pounding and arrhythmia, headache, shortness of breath, fatigue and a weird ‘bubbling’ moving and nauseous feeling in my stomach. It felt like I was being ‘invaded’ somehow.

I think it's possible that if our organs are under stress, we might go into a bit of a fight, flight, freeze situation, as our bodies are aware of the problem and this could feel as you described.

Yes its most definitely a symptom, the virus attacks the central nervous system and I think that's what causes this weird bodily sense of anxiety and for me almost paranoia. I had some diazepam which helped with this a lot, but when I asked my GP for more at the time they told me I was at risk of becoming a drug addict (after a whole 8 pills) and told me to meditate. My opinion of the NHS couldnt be lower after my Covid experience tbh.

I remember being too frightened to lie down and sleep because of how I felt. Heart pounding etc. I did take some valium at one point and walking around the house to try and distract myself.

A sense of impending doom is an genuine symptom of illnesses like sepsis, which are caused by infection. It's your body registering changes like low blood pressure that aren't otherwise obvious. With certain conditions doctors take this symptom very seriously as patients often get it before they become very ill.

Yes I had that when I had suspected Covid - we were also going through a house purchase at the time, so I put it down to that, but it was exactly as you describe. I’m under 30 though, so not the age bracket you wanted

I had that.
Though tbh im quite anxious about covid.
But yes it was like havimg panic attacks in my sleep.
Im not sure if for me it was the trouble breathing or as you say the heart racing.
I actually felt worse about day 15.
Ive got pcos and hypothyroidism (autoimmune) so those things could have made it worse.

Darling Anxiety causes many symptoms I had a break down last year stay strong xxx

I don’t think I had covid although did do some extended throat clearing for most of March and April, but I have had, as someone described it above, absolutely crushing anxiety to the point where I can barely function by midday. I have been through some challenging times anyway but this was absolutely beyond anything I have experienced before. I put it down to just actually being in the midst of a pandemic but who knows. Also racing heart, palpitations, periods of sheer terror etc etc. But then it was a scary time. Now improved a lot but easily triggered. Age 40

A colleague was off sick back in March with what she believed to be anxiety and panic attacks.

She's since had positive antibody test so now believes that must have been the time she had it (another colleague had actual symptoms the same week and tested positive at the time )

Thanks everyone for your perspectives - a bit of a mixed bag but a few people with a similar story.

Ellsbells - I know anxiety is debilitating, I don't want to minimise it, sorry to hear you have been so unwell. I had dreadful health anxiety in postnatal period, looking back I was totally unreasonable. The thing about this particular anxiety is, is descended upon me as I was cooking tea - when I put the salmon in the oven I was fine, when I got it out I was jittery - stayed for about 5 or 6 days, and then went away overnight. It felt physiologically based in a different way.

Yes! Thank you for posting this. I feel like I’m going mad! I had a cough in March, it lasted a while but was accompanied by palpitations. The heart racing has remained. I’m awaiting the results of an antibody test, but have obviously been warned that if it’s negative it doesn’t mean I’ve not had it. I also have the anxiety but it seems to have no basis like it has in the past. As in, I’m not worried about anything. I have heard of others who had suspected and not confirmed covid who had palpitations.

Ive also had and have muscle twitches.

I also get that every few weeks and it can last for day. The heart pounding that wakes you then sudden feeling of anxiety and panic. It comes and goes regularly since I was sick in March. Unfortunately seems to be coming more often...
I had another blood drawn antibody test last week as had tests to check heart and I still have antibodies.