The absolute complete and utter panic of health anxiety.

[JacknDiane]

I hate it, i really do. I can't see anything objectively, I go from zero to total panic attack. It floors me, it feels like white hot heat throughout my body and I need to rush to the loo.
I have it now due to something I found this morning. Im in bits. I've taken propranolol. I already take citalopram.
I had counselling but nothing, absolutely nothing seems to help at this time.
I just dont want to be like this, I want it to go away.

I urge you to check out the anxious truth by Drew Linsalata.

I take duloxetine for my health anxiety having previously taken fluoxetine for generalised anxiety. Duloxetine has been life changing in a way fluoxetine wasn’t. Literally turned my anxiety off like a tap. I also kept a diary of symptoms and what they turned out to be to rationalise things when I feel crap.

I don’t have any tips or recommendations unfortunately but just wanted to say I really know how you feel as I am exactly the same, and going through the same thing right now. I have been like this for a long time and can’t seem to ‘get better’ with it. Sending solidarity 💐and watching this post for any tips/recommendations! Xx

Im sorry you feel the same @Sleepy21, I really do. Its just awful isn't it.

I might try changing the citalopram, it isn't helping at all. Im willing to try anything. Thanks @Haggisfish3

@Realisation14, I will look that up. Is it a book?

I currently take paroxetine for anxiety (health anxiety is a particular problem for me and has been for most of my life) which keeps it in check but I am not thrilled about the side effects (really hard to get up in the morning, 20 lb weight gain, ridiculous vivid dreams). Am intrigued about duloxetine. Escitaopram worked for a few months but then seemed to stop being effective. Fluoxetine wasn't particularly helpful for me either. My condolences @JacknDiane , health anxiety can be crippling and I am all too familiar with that surge of cold dread through your body.

@JacknDiane So sorry to hear that you are feeling like this. I also know this feeling only too well. Six months of intensive CBT with an amazing therapist worked wonders for me. Whenever my health anxiety starts to creep back in now, I have to make a big effort to use the strategies that I was taught. I wish more people understood how debilitating health anxiety can be. My life was on standby for months on end.

I clicked on this because I am in the same boat. It ruins my life. I am trying a new approach where I kind of distance myself mentally from a sensation: when I feel what might be a worrying symptom, I try to view to through an external lens: “oh interesting, my foot really hurts. Never mind. I’ll ignore it”. Otherwise I panic it’s broken or a sign of something serious, I google all night and turn myself into a wreck. It’s not easy but I’m trying.

Its the unpredictability i can't handle. So many things I've worried about have turned out fine...but its the constant "what if?" I can't handle. What if this time is actually something serious, what if it turns out to be cancer?
Its the all pervasive worry about cancer that fuels my health anxiety. It seems to be everywhere and I feel im just waiting my turn.

rather than counselling have you had CBT? It changed my life 11 years ago.

i would see your doctor again, the meds you’re on are not doing it. Hypchondria is notoriously difficult to manage, so it may take a few different things to get there.

Yes, I did but it didn't work.

I take a very low dose of duloxetine-30mg every three days. Definitely worth trying imo.

Im going to ask my gp for duloxetine. The citalopram doesn't seem to be doing much.

I have crippling bouts of OCD that mingles in with health anxiety. One of the things I found helped me get out of the immediate danger was rather than saying “what if”, I’d say “even if”.

so “even if I do have cancer, I know that treatment is probably available, and I will have found it early”.

Or “even if I do have cancer, I have the support of my family and I won’t be alone”.

This line of thinking gives you some control back, because that’s what any theme of anxiety is about, a lack of control.

Medication definitely helps.

CBT isn’t a magic wand. It is supposed to give you tools that you use every day to get and stay well. It did work for me but I still have to use those tools. Plus the right meds help!

Its difficult finding the right meds though, isn't it?

That's a good way of thinking @whatsnewpussycat34

It definitely is. I tried several before landing on the right one. But even then it’s not a cure. I need to use the CBT lessons to stay well. (Or wellish!)

Hard. Hard to find the second opinion on a Sunday at 5pm who says you need to go to surgery as whatever is shooting up the lung.

As a more well girl I’d have loved to ask what was going up toward the lung?! To this day I do not know.

Yes he has a book but also a podcast, I really recommend it. It's not specific to health anxiety but it can be applied to all/any anxiety.

See the "what if" thoughts in your head, when they come, be aware of them and change it to "AND if" and then complete the sentence. So for example "what if I end up in hospital?", respond to yourself "AND if I do, I have a plan of action in place for that." Or "AND if I do, it would be unpleasant but I will cope because XYZ". Catching the thoughts and challenging them is really one of the most important parts of anxiety recovery.

Yes exactly this. It's part of how I have managed my health anxieties over the past few years. I am also a Christian so I lean heavily on my faith during such times. I will not allow myself to get into a Google spiral. Instead I put on Christian music and remind myself that every other time I've had anxiety about these things it's always been something minor.

If eventually it isn't a minor thing happening, then I already have a bag packed and ready if I need to go to hospital suddenly (probably wise at my age even if I was 100% healthy, you never know!). I tell myself I will deal with whatever as it arises. I know what treatments I would and wouldn't accept. My partner knows. All this is reassuring and has considerably reduced my anxiety without going near drugs or counsellors (not to say you shouldn't if you need to, but I don't wish to get caught in that cycle either).

I don't think I have health anxiety to a huge degree, but I do find a lot of cancer awareness stuff in the media unhelpful and it does make me anxious if I consume that kind of media

Like - yes we should be aware of symptoms that should be checked out, but a lot of it isn't helpful stuff like that it's just general 'awareness' and talking about celebrities who have cancer and people who have cancer at a young age. I don't know if a single person who hasn't had someone they know have cancer, I don't think we need to be reminded constantly about it, we are already aware of it and lots of us have watched people go through it. I avoid that kind of content where I can, but it pops up everywhere so that's not always possible.

I totally agree @Almostwelsh

I hear you! It's absolutely shit. Mine has got so much worse in recent years thanks to menopause and advancing age, especially as I near the age one of my parents was when they were diagnosed then died of cancer. Now I'm in my 50s I can no longer tell myself I'm too young to have whatever illness. I avoid medical settings wherever possible these days as the stress of having tests and waiting for results sends me over the edge.Being over 50 seems to trigger 2ww referrals quite easily as DH & I have had one each this year - both were nothing, but so stressful!

I too find all the cancer stuff in the media so triggering, there's no escaping it!

I had CBT a few years ago which helped a bit but I eventually slipped back into my old ways of googling, checking, & obsessing. I have the tools but struggle to use them when I'm in a spiral as it doesn't seem "safe" to stop worrying in case this time it's THE ONE. I feel like a ticking time bomb and that it's only a matter of time before my worst fears come true. I keep a list on my phone which currently has more than 50 illnesses I thought I had - I've never been diagnosed with anything! I literally go from one health worry to the next and often have several on the go at once.

I would love to hear from people who have successfully beat this as it's so exhausting living like this 😑

Same boat. There is one thing that really helps me and that is asking myself "What would a normal person do?" I fully acknowledge that my instinctive reaction would (panic and call a doctor) is not a healthy one, this is the disease talking. So instead I picture how for example my best friend would react if she has those sensations (for this to work it is important that you think of someone you respect or trust would do the right thing, someone you know would do the intelligent thing and not ignore the issue but also not jump to conclusions.) and then I try to follow that lead. When I can't do it I ask my DH to help me be responsible for my health without giving in to the panic (i.e. we agree that if symptoms x lasts for x amount of time or worsens within s certain timeframe, I can make a gp appointment. This really helps.
When its about our DC we keep the threshold lower because its just different with kids, but still I always say the "what would a normal non anxious person do now?".
It really seperates the disease from the decision making. I should add though that i am not in the UK and our healthcare system is easier to access in that we get GP appointments way easier, so once I do decide to get seen for something it's always possible in less than a week.

I have been in therapy and I have benzo prescription to take the edge of when things are too bad but I only use them in frequently because of the addictive nature. But they definitely help break the cycle of physical anxiety reaction feeding the intrusive thoughts. Am starting a new therapy soon that should help fix my perpetually overactieve stress system.

Sorry this was so long! But i hope it helps. Health anxiety is horrible

Bless you, that sounds like it's so hard and you sound like you deal with it amazingly 👏🏻

My health problems are absolutely horrid anc I've genuinely been through a lot over the past decade, especially when I think a lot of it was totally surprising and unexpected. I had a horrible mild traumatic brain injury and post concussion syndrome a decade ago, which gave me a terrible breakdown. I was polydrugged and prescribed some awful psychotropic medication for severe insomnia and anxiety, and then had a severe adverse reaction to an off label antipsychotic called Pericyazine.

As a result, it harmed me permanently with a movement disorder that is called tardive dyskinesia. I hate it, and my life was definitely changed for the worst as a result of the bizarre nature of it. I get involuntary movements of various body parts including my mouth and tongue, and it's a bit like Tourette's and Parkinson's disease combined 😳😢

The irony was that years ago as a teenager, I had severe health anxiety about neurological conditions like CJD during the BSE episode. Now i actually have a crappy movement disorder, I wish i could turn back time and appreciate my good health before 😵‍💫😔

I'm actually feeling anxious about an ingrown toenail at the moment, as it's been painful on and off. I've got a huge fear of taking any necessary medication so if I need anything to treat it, I'm going to be worried about it exacerbating my movement disorder symptoms.

Life is horrid at times, and I totally empathise with you about how hard it is to have a health anxiety.