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Original poster

Crippling health anxiety

33 replies

Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 14:20

Hi,
I'm new here but I was wondering whether anyone could help me. I am dealing with crippling health anxiety that started few weeks ago when I got the covid jab. I am a healthy 23 year old, never before had any issues with anxiety or depression. I was exercising daily, going out, enjoying life. Few days after getting covid jab, I read some comments online from people that didnt wanna get vaccinated calling it experimental therapy and that it's gonna cause long term health problems and stuff like that. That freaked me out and ever since then, i can't shake that feeling. What made it worse is that I had covid before so I didnt really need to get it. And the thought of me not being able to take it back is even worse. Its got so bad that I abrely leave my house because of the anxiety, cant sleep, dont reallt go gym anymore, basically everything I found enjoyable just seems a waste of time now.
I tried to talk to my GP about it but he told me to try to relax and that he can't really help me with something that might or might not happen in the future. He then told me that he can prescribe anti depressants if it persists for couple more weeks. But thought of that freaked me out even more because I was fully fine before the getting the jab so I got even more scared. I am now convinced that something bad is gonna happen to be because of the jab and that I destroyed my life. Please can someone help me or share whether you had some similar issue and how it got resolved?
Thank you.

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 31/07/2021 16:46

I read some comments online from people that didnt wanna get vaccinated calling it experimental therapy and that it's gonna cause long term health problems and stuff like that.

Look again at those comments and research who posted them. Are they backed up by peer-reviewed academic studies? Are the posters medically qualified in the area of epidemiology? What independent proof do they have of these 'long term health problems'? (Hint - they would need a time machine!).

Now do the same research into the opposite view - really dig into the background of the drug companies, universities, medical establishments and individuals who have been working non stop, with unlimited resources, into producing a safe and viable vaccine.

Then decide which one you believe.

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 17:05

Thanks for your reply. I have spent days researching both views however unfortunately it didnt help that much. The thing that gets me is that there is no way to know it's safe long term until the "long time" passes. And I'm scared that I will be suffering like this for a long time and miss out on actually living life like before. Whenever I start feeling better, 1 mention or thought of the vaccine gets me back to that state and suddenly I start thinking that I'm gonna die because of it. I think it also triggered tinnitus which I never had before and that makes it worse.

OP posts:
time4anothername · 31/07/2021 17:09

GP should refer you for CBT for health anxiety. Try asking again.

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 20:33

Is anyone else affected by some of the negativity around these vaccines or do you just somehow learn to tune it out?

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 31/07/2021 22:26

Have you looked at the bigger picture? The pandemic is something completely alien to everything you've believed until 18 months ago - somehow a tiny virus that has upended your world and paints what seems to be a very uncertain future.

That's very unsettling so you're catastrophizing www.headspace.com/articles/4-things-remember-next-time-youre-spiraling and looking for all and any evidence that your negative thoughts are true.

Think logically for a moment. You've had vaccines before. You take other medicines before, trusting in the science that they work and won't kill you. They didn't. This won't. Is there something else going on in your life that is making you feel out of control?

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 22:35

Nothing out of the ordinary apart from this. I think the main issue is that other vaccines that I've had in the past were around for years and these new from Pfizer are based on a new technology. That thought is stuck in my mind and has been interfering with my daily life for the last few weeks. Generally the anxiety gets better in the evenings, however the mornings are the worst.

OP posts:
BichonFrizz · 31/07/2021 22:47

Is there anything else going on in your life that's causing you additional pressure or worry?

The problem with looking online for things is invariably you will find evidence which may have no scientific basis but still feeds the anxiety.

Sarahlou63 · 31/07/2021 22:52

Yes, you're right about the other vaccines. But you need to do more research. SARS and MERS are very similar to CV so the drug companies had been studying them for the last number of years. More importantly, once it was realised how devastating CV was turning out to be every possible global resource was totally focussed on understanding it and hundreds of billions of $/£/€ was invested in finding a way to stop it. Projects that normally would have taken decades through lack of funding were fast tracked.

Trials, tests, more tests, more trials - everything possible has been thrown at this disease, but the technology is not new. It was used for smallpox, polio, diptheria, TB. I guess you're not worried about catching polio. Why? Because there was a vaccine...

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 22:54

Nothing that I can think of that would cause me additional pressure. It's only that 1 thing on my mind 24/7 and I can't seem to get rid of it. Even my appetite is gone now.

OP posts:
Original poster
Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 22:59

Yes I absolutely agree with you. I have considered all these things that you listed and I know that my worries are probably irrational and blown out of proportion. But it always comes down to "not a long time passed so there is no way to know if it doesn't cause anything that might show up years later". And no matter what I say to myself, my brain just keeps throwing that thought at me and it triggers the never ending anxiety circle.

OP posts:
Original poster
Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 23:03

For instance, I would probably have no issues if these vaccines were similar to traditional ones but the use of mrna just scared me and I can't even justify why. Sorry for turning this into some scientific debate.

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 31/07/2021 23:22

If your best friend came to you tonight telling you that she was scared of dying from having the vaccine, would you feed into her concerns? Would you bring up ridiculous pseudo scientific articles to frighten her? Would you say all the things you've posted on here until she lost her appetite?

No. You'd do everything in your power to reassure her that the vaccine is safe, that the science is valid and that (like most of us) she will die peacefully as an old woman. Try being a friend to yourself.

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 31/07/2021 23:27

Thank you. Your replies really made me feel better today. I hope it gets better tommorow.

OP posts:
Original poster
Newcomer12 · 01/08/2021 09:04

As usual it's again much worse in the morning. I tried to think about the deeper issue but the only thing that comes to mind is that whenever I see someone rejecting the vaccine, they do so for similar reasons that I agree with for example not knowing long term risks, they had covid already like me etc. And seeing them making the "right" choice makes me feel terrible because I can't take it back now. I honestly don't see any way out of this situation.

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 01/08/2021 09:28

I guess the bigger question is, what's going on in your life that you are choosing to torment yourself by searching for validation that you made a mistake?

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 01/08/2021 09:31

I don't know. I've never had any issues with anxiety or depression. I was absolutely fine and happy before. It only started with this and I don't know what to do anymore. No matter how I try to think about this, it's not going away.

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 01/08/2021 09:41

Have a read through this guide to cognitive distortions and see how many apply to you...and how to counter them. Then maybe step away from the internet and go to the gym?

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 01/08/2021 09:53

I'll try but it's hard to do anything on empty stomach and minimal sleep. I also heard good things about CBT but whenever I try any technique, none of them make a difference as I've convinced myself that I'm gonna die and therefore anything I try just automatically doesn't work as this idea is now drilled into my head.

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 01/08/2021 10:04

So, when you don't die, (do you have a timescale in mind?) are you going to accept that your thought was untrue? If you read lots of passionate posts saying the moon was made of cheese would you believe that? Smile

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 01/08/2021 10:11

I have no idea because only couple of weeks have passed since I had it so there's no way to tell if it's somehow gonna fix itself or not. I wish I had a timeline but I'm scared that there really isn't gonna be one because it's not like there's a specific timeframe in which I know the jab would have "expired" if you know what I mean.

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 01/08/2021 10:22

What's going to fix itself?

Original poster
Newcomer12 · 01/08/2021 10:25

The fear of dying as a result of taking the vaccine.

OP posts:
Sarahlou63 · 01/08/2021 10:30

And I'm scared that I will be suffering like this for a long time and miss out on actually living life like before.

So you are going to stay scared, waiting for 'something' to happen and miss out on living life like before. So at the moment you are choosing to scare yourself and you are actually missing out on living life like before. Does this sound like a sensible course of action?

Lovie, your thoughts are 100% untrue. But they are driving your emotions and therefore your behaviour in a direction which will cause you to become physically ill. Please go back to your GP for advice.

Tomselleckhaskindeyes · 01/08/2021 10:34

firstly they aren't a new technology. They have been developed since SARS. Secondly in my local town 8 people are in intensive care. They are all under 30 and unvaccinated.