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Physical effects of anxiety

42 replies

Emptyspacex · 20/06/2019 13:28

What physical effects of anxiety do you get?
I keep getting all these symptoms and doctors put it down to anxiety..
Racing heart
Palpitations
Dizziness when standing up
Tinnitus
Blurred vision
Sweaty
Dry mouth
Nervous tummy feeling (the worst at the moment)
The runs
Anxious heavy chest (not chest pain just a heavy feeling)
Brain for
Memory problems

I've had all these for about 8 months after a serious health condition.

I've had ecgs, brain mri, brain CTs, blood pressure monitored, chest xrays, all sorts of blood tests..
The only thing that has come back is low iron.
All different doctors I see whether it's a specialist consultant or just a GP say it's just severe anxiety.
It's driving me mad now.
Enough about me.

Please tell me others also suffer with these physical anxiety symptoms??

OP posts:
SmiledWithTheRisingSun · 10/07/2019 22:09

I have this!
Can't stop my heart thumping. It's doing it right now.
Do I really need antidepressants?

Limensoda · 11/07/2019 08:03

I've been on escitalopram for eight weeks. I've just had the dose increased from 10 to 15 mg. I'm also on 80mg slow release propanolol.
I still get stinging and burning in my face and top of my head and a feeling of pressure in the top of my head.
I also get a dry and painful burning mouth. I'm not sleeping either, about one and a half hours a night.
I'm too exhausted to go anywhere or do anything and can't switch my mind off thinking about how I feel.
I still have meltdowns almost every day. There are brief periods I feel relaxed but it never lasts.

Pamela26 · 11/07/2019 16:01

Depending on when your symptoms first started - it is sounding like signs of PTSD. There is no one particular recommended treatment for PTSD. But it’s so debilitating and generally people are prescribed ant-depressants or psychotic drugs which only suppress and could make you numb to emotions or disconnect. All therapies which support you to feel safe and present are the road to recovery. PTSD doesn’t go away the trauma experience produces changes in the brain and the balance of rational thought with ability to regulate emotions is affected. For example- mothers healing from a difficult birth - feeling violated, helpless, trapped or unable to escape in a life-threatening situation are often sent home to get on with motherhood and the experience is played down. Apart from the ‘normal’ expectations on her like sleep deprivation from looking after a newborn baby - she may become edgy, hyper vigilant- suffer nightmares and flashbacks triggered by every day events. Many new mums suffer in silence or eventually get to see their GP who mis-diagnoses as post natal depression. Post natal depression is very different but can be part of the picture because anyone would feel anxious and depressed if PTSD symptoms continue. And symptoms will continue without help. The difference between PTSD and PND is that the trauma experience produces a very deep and real feeling of threat and fear. The whole world becomes unsafe and relationships are very much affected.

Poppydex · 20/02/2021 11:30

Im back again.. have changed names since my OP.
I'm still on propranolol and anti depressants, I have my anxiety under control for the most part.
The last few days it's come back worse than ever, I think getting an oximeter is what's triggered it off again. My heart feels like its racing but the oximeter is saying 70ish bpm.
The rushes of adrenaline I'm getting is debilitating.
My main symptoms this time is feeling like im not getting enough breath in, constant heavy anxious feeling in chest and stomach and the runs.

Poppydex · 20/02/2021 11:30

Oh and feel so sick I can't eat.

butteredtoastplease · 21/02/2021 11:11

All symptoms mentioned and also pins and needles Sad

Geogaddi · 21/02/2021 21:55

i get all of thse symptoms then in 2019 i started getting problems with my ears. Tinnitus, pain, blockages dizziness, nausia, vertigo, couldn't stand up at one point.

This went on for about a year and in that time I went to the doctors many times, got my ears cleaned, didn't work, had a CT scan, found nothing, had a bloody MRI scan, nothing.

After a year of this my specialist who gave me the MRI results casually said "do you suffer from anxiety at all" and i laughed and said "yeh massively". He told me it was probably that and that it was quite common. Turns out i clench my jaw so tightly it was damaging my inner ears.

i'm much better now i know what the problem is but i wanted to share this with everyone to demonstrate how much anxiety really does fuck with you body. It SOOO physical. Don't ignore it, get help, be kind to yourself and remember to keep checking in on your health. I have to monitor it all the time now, but at least i know what triggers it.

imfallingtopieces · 13/03/2021 08:07

I have all the symptoms mentioned. I'm so glad I've found this as sometimes I feel like I'm dying. It's the worse feeling ever. I also get a kind of rush of adrenaline in my stomach/heart. I've started citalopram but it's made me worse (only on day 3).

Sarahlou63 · 13/03/2021 11:24

Anxiety causes the body to release the 'flight, freeze, fight' neurotransmitters to deal with the danger/risk that your thoughts have triggered.

This is a great video explaining what's happening in your body;

And this is a great way of dealing with anxiety as a relaxed body cannot be anxious;

Best therapy of all is to deal with the thoughts that cause the anxiety in the first place. This is a good place to start;

psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions#The-Most-Common-Cognitive-Distortions

Sarahlou63 · 13/03/2021 11:27

The (brilliant!) Hank Green specifically talking about anxiety;

Lonelydaisy · 18/06/2021 09:26

Can't cope with this feeling

Lonelydaisy · 05/08/2021 12:31

Back again with the same heavy chest feeling

Lonelydaisy · 05/08/2021 12:38

Sick of waking up and not even being able to do basic tasks until the propranolol kicks in.
Not great for the summer holidays!! Although so far I haven't been too bad until last night at work now I've woken up with a heavy chest today.

My chest feel heavy and panicky but when I check my pulse I'm sure it will be in the 100s but it's as low as 68 today.
Feeling a bit breathless but not enough that it stops me doing stuff - oxygen always between 97 and 100 though.

Thewholeshackshimmy · 05/08/2021 13:29

I have awful anxiety and equally awful physical symptoms and I’m stuck in a vicious cycle. Life is far from fun atm.

Daily IBS symptoms switching from an upset tum to constipation
Feeling really nauseous
Gurgling guts
Burping
Gas
Headachy/pressure inside head feeling
Obsessed with visual issues and eye floaters
Tinnitus
Teeth grinding at night and tmj disorder (I bite the inside of my mouth and tongue at night too!)
Weird, vivid dreams
Weak, shaky feeling like that feeling you get after a shock
Panic attacks almost daily
I feel all this much worse in the mornings and it gradually gets a bit better by the evening
I also have very low iron which makes it all worse but my gp or gynae department don’t seem to give a toss about this!

Lostsoul21 · 05/08/2021 13:51

Sorry, I know this thread has been running a while, but wondering if I could join as I stumbled upon here. Finding everyone’s descriptions really interesting and reassured my reactions to extreme anxiety aren’t just me.
I get panic attacks and when the acute panic subsides, I’m left feeling shakey for days at a time, very low, depressed etc. I get burning fingers and skin that comes in waves, followed by a strong desire to scratch my arms (to the point of bleeding) nausea/physical retching, confusion/brain fog, an extreme heightened sensitivity to noise, a constant feeling in my chest like there’s a caged bird ripping at my insides…… I am having relationship issues and I know this is the cause. I haven’t tried any medication or counselling (I would have to keep it secret, so I darent) but I do have a CBD vape which helps - I think it helps calm my breathing more than anything. Thank you for listening. Smile

Sarahlou63 · 05/08/2021 14:01

Google the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s in charge of keeping you safe in times of danger (stress). Problem is, it doesn’t know the difference between an imminent attack by a sabre tooth tiger or a rogue maladjusted thought so it reacts in the same way to either stimulus.

Winenota · 07/08/2021 05:55

I’ve heard of this, apparantly if you take long slow breaths it fools your parasympathetic nervous system into thinking you are relaxed so it stops producing cortisol etc. Also excersise burns up excess adrenaline.
💐 to all, it’s exhausting

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