Any anxiety sufferers out there?

I would love to know if there is anyone out there that suffers from anxiety as I do. Actually in my case it started 2 years ago. It was horrible to say the least. For people that have never suffered from this they don't seem to really understand what you go through. It's very real and scary. I felt that it was affecting my life, work, etc. and I had to do something. My doctor prescribed Lexapro. I was afraid to take it but all I wanted was to feel normal again. I don't know if the Lexapro masked the symptoms or made them go away but all the issues I was having disappeared. I was back to myself again. Last September I stopped taking it, no anxiety, felt great then in February of this year was diagnosed with ITP. Well guess who has anxiety again? My doctor of course said to start taking the Lexapro again. Is there anyone that is dealing with this and managing anxiety without taking a pill? Yes, like many I did gain weight. I started feeling good and started eating. No doubt I was overeating.

Anxiety is pretty common these days. Me, my husband and two of my kids all have that problem. It's a stressful world out there.

As Sandi said anxiety is everywhere. I have anxiety attacks - they started when I was first on Prednisone (I had "pred head"!) I have been off pred for several years in that time I was put on Celexa, had IVIG, Rituxin and now on Nplate - (this seems to be working really well.) I still have the attacks, but not so severe. Some kind of cognitive therapy could work. I do Tai Chi and meditation and have been off Celexa for a year. You must find what works for you. Good Luck - been there done that!
High platelets, Christine
ps I have had ITP for over thrity years and I have ITP it doesn't have me.

i'm what people call a type A personailty

I have had more anxiety attacks on Pred not dex
and on 2 have not been med related that i am aware of.

living with invisible conditions carry a high level of stress.

I LOVED doing Jujitsu but when my stable for years counts dropped again i had to forfit my classes. i was losing the weight and feeling amazing even my fibormyalgia was managed..

I have hit an ugly slump and hope to find change.

as christine said you gotta find what works for you.. a happy place

good luck!

Thanks all for the input. I do know there has got to be something out there other than taking pills.

i'm not sure how effective it is but maybe hypnotherapy? i know smokers who want to quit have tried it with success and also i saw a show where a man was having a neck spasm he couldnt stop or control looking to his side and he couldnt turn his head straight so he did hypnotherapy as doctors said it was a subconscous thing and it worked for him really well.

i have even thought about it myself becasue i find i get anxiety and sometimes i have so many serious thoughts all the little things niggling me that i have had trouble falling asleep. its all things constantly on my mind, not so much itp (even though it is on my mind), but all other little niggly things, what's the best job for me, what age should i start thinking about buying a house, am i too old to study? little stupid trivial things but it builds up and builds up and i stress and get anxious about it and it can feel overwhelming. but i dont think pills are the best option just my opinion, it's like sleeping pills i've friends who take them but i cant it seems drastic. my granma always told me to count sheep even if i start at 500 but then i lose count and i have to start all over again. but it works.. eventually. it gets so boring im seeing zzzzz's in no time! but it doesnt stop the anxiety that's why i was thinking about hynosis therapy. like the proper hypnotherapy done by real doctors, not some hippy thing. although that is valid if you're into that sort of thing, i like to be open minded but to an extent.
i completely understand about the "invisible condition" you feel normal but on the inside its a crazy out of control party going on.
i did martial arts also which i did after i got beat by a bully, i had no defence against her and it was a huge scare with my low platelets. but it was the best thing i ever did, i will add though that i didnt do any "risky" martial arts everyone thinks. and everyone there knew i had a "delicate" condition and were extremely supportive. it was mostly cardio and technique not boxing and fighting people. but it really worked out my reflexes which came in handy, i saved myself from some pretty hefty knocks and whacks from my reflexes.
ok im writing a novel, sorry bout that :blush:

Hi Kim,
There is some possibility that the Lexapro triggered your ITP, as decreasing the platelets is one side effect, though rare. Still, perhaps you were one of the lucky ones who was sensitive in that area. Quite a few of the anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs can cause ITP, but not everyone makes the connection. In truth, there is no way to say with 100% certainty what is the cause of an individual's ITP (Hence, the term 'idiopathic'!), but, I think it's wise to avoid taking anything that has been shown to perhaps have an effect.

One avenue you may want to explore for your anxiety is find yourself a good, experienced homeopath, someone who primarily only does homeopathy. I am NOT talking about naturopathy, which primarily treats everything as a result of some toxicity, deficiency or need for change in the diet. Some Naturopaths know a little about homeopathy, but most only have a small amount of training in it, which is fine for minor acutes, but not sufficient for deeper illness.
A homeopath is more interested in understanding what particular state you are in, how you perceive and experience the world and others and what's happening to your body. (IOW, the 'everyone's different and everyone responds to treatments differently' phrase that you so often hear on this site! Yes, it is so! And that's why homeopaths actually treat each person as an individual-- literally choosing from thousands of different remedies, as compared to the limited number of treatments or drugs offered by conventional medicine.). Homeopaths also look at a patient's total symptom picture--the physical (in your case, the ITP would be taken into account, including the symptoms that YOU actually have), the mental and emotional symptoms are also explored. In fact, those are often the most helpful symptoms to look at in figuring out which remedy you might need. IOW, homeopaths look at the WHOLE picture of you and not just one little piece.

I happen to be a homeopath, and in my practice I would say the top reasons patients come are because of Anxiety, Depression (often going hand in hand), Allergies and various emotional or social problems. I'd say 95% of these have been on anti-drugs, often numerous ones, many times with many side effects. Usually they've been seeing therapists or counselors for years, with really no drastic change in their initial problems (perhaps these things work for some, but obviously those who are seeking me out have not seen good results. ). It can be quite amazing to experience the lifting of depression with homeopathy, or to suddenly not have the anxiety that may have been there lifelong. But, I'll tell you, that is a very common happening in my practice, as well as homeopaths world wide. It's safe, non-toxic and has no side effects. Try it!

April

YES! I started taking Lorazapam the night they diagnosed me with ITP and put me in the hospital for the IVIG. I've always had anxiety and didn't do anything about it but when this ITP came up it was too much and I asked for something to help. Now, 8 years later I can't get Lorazapam anymore because the pharmacy changed wholesalers and what they gave me to replace it is absolute junk. It does NOTHING. So I started Xanax today. I did just post on another forum here to find out if we can even take Xanax. Anyone know??

Celexa triggered my ITP. I was no the meds for close to a month, but notice anything then ended up the the ER one day with platelets at 7000. The only thing I take now is Xanax and that is as needed.

I was put on Celexa after diagnosis due to depression/anxiety. It is an evil thing to go through. I am tapering off now. We live in a world of anxiety, stress and PILLS to help us feel better.

I have been on nplate and the occasional ivig, ive been taking the xanax all along with no side effects. The sad part is i think i'm building a tolerance for them and now they are no where near as affective as when i 1st started taking. i will be seeing mty Dr. this coming week and see if there is an alternative that I might be able to share. I'm no Dr. but for myself, it did help considerably in the beginning

HI all i have been put on tablets for anxiety but i am too scared to take them because of the side effect it says they can make you feel suicidal and i felt that way before and am soooo scared but the anxity is terrible and i can barely leave the house and just want to feel better. Diane

I have a question about anxiety -- essentially wondering if what I am experiencing is an anxiety attack.

I will have these moments, usually when it is very quiet (like right before bed), where I will get very nervous about a seemingly unlikely issue. The feeling will make me almost sick to my stomach, and all of my attention will be focused on that one issue.

In example, I work in a smaller office at a University, and we had a coffee pot. A few months back, on a Saturday night, I got this tiny thought in my head that I hadn't remembered to turn off the coffee pot. Even though this is something I have never done in my life -- either at home or at work -- I couldn't stop the thought. At 11:30pm, I ended up driving back to work, thinking I was going to see the building in flames because of my coffee pot being left on. The building was closed and locked until Monday, so I couldn't get in and check. I ended up driving by work about 4 times on Sunday, and I didn't feel at ease until Monday morning when I was able to see that I had actually turned the coffee pot off, and the building was fine.

Anxiety? Am I crazy?

Hi Jess,
It doesn't really sound like the classic anxiety or panic attack. Those are usually described more as
as having more physical symptoms, and usually there seems to be no discernible reason for having it.
Physically, there is often racing or violent pounding of the heart, perhaps breaking out in a sweat, shortness of breath or feeling you can't get enough air, hyperventilating, cramping or spasms in the abdomen, feeling suddenly very hot or very cold. There is often a panicked restlessness, fear of a heart attack or that one is surely going to die. Some people feel the need to go outside in the open air or they MUST have someone with them. Some will be crying or shrieking, clinging, begging for help. I've heard many people say they would rather die than go through these panic attacks again.

What you're experiencing sounds more like obsessive/compulsive thoughts--you can't get an idea out of your head, no matter if it goes against rational thinking, and you're compelled to try and do something about it, can't rest until you do.

Of course, I don't know that a different label makes a difference. Neither sounds too fun to deal with. And no, you're not 'crazy'! There could be many factors involved that could cause such a thing. It could be a side effect of some of the meds or treatments you've tried. It could be as a result of excess loss of body fluids (blood, sweat, diarrhea, vomiting), it could be as a result of hearing bad news (the diagnosis of ITP can be a shock to many.)

I suggest to you, just as I did to Kim, above--look into homeopathy. It can very quickly take away these fears or obsessions. What you describe would be a very important clue for the homeopath...one piece of the puzzle that would be looked at. If not homeopathy, find some other healing modality that treats you as the whole person you are. Specialists tend to look only at one small piece, ignoring or dismissing the rest of you--an "it's not my department" sort of philosophy. You are more than your platelets, you are more than your obsessive thoughts. Find some sort of wholistic healing. You can learn how to do the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) from some easy tutorials on the internet for free. That is a very effective method for anxiety or OCD.

Jess - no, that isn't anxiety or craziness. It sounds more like fear of being the one responsible for forgetting and causing a fire.

I also worked in a small office and have, many times, gone to bed only to realize that I didn't remember turning off the space heater in my office. I would also drive to the office, no matter what the time, and check it out. I had a key to get in, so I was at least able to check it. I think this reaction and response is perfectly normal and is actually responsible.

Good to know that what I am experiencing is not anxiety, and that I'm not the only one who has experienced obsessive thoughts like this. Although true anxiety attacks, with the physical symptoms attached, definitely do not sound like fun. I sympathize with those of you who suffer from them.

Interesting about the homeopathy. I've never looked into it much, but I will definitely look into the Emotional Freedom Technique and see if it is something I would like to try. Thank you.

I have a similar compulsive tendency too. While leaving for work in the morning, I go through a ritual of repeatedly checking that all bathroom faucets and stove-top burners are off. Once in a while, I turn back right after locking the door to check again. Maybe my quirk's on a smaller scale, but I am scared of returning to an apartment full of water or cooking gas.

Tyler - that might be a bit of OCD. My son in law is the same way. He checks everything several times before walking out the door.

I was labeled with OCD after my major attack of ITP when I was 19 (30 now). I have a harder time dealing with it when my platelets drop to nothing, but then again whp wpuldn't...? Interesting comparison though. I hope this helped.

There's a useful tendency to OCD and useless OCD. The former is when we double check that the cooker and taps are off. Not really a problem and caused by a genuine fear. The useless OCD is the real problem.. having to tap the front door 18 times before you can go, or turning lights on and off exactly 7 times in the morning. It's useless and life damaging. Luckily I only have the useful kind.

I got both lol. When I am not doing so well with it I cannot leave anywhere I see words and haven't connected all the words in a particular order. I f I cannot connect tehn I have to start all over again and try a different way. I have to have things a certin way before I go to sleep, I start to fear everything... luckly I haven't been that bad in a while and they make great pills for it now with the only side effect is REALLY strange dreams. And YES I dream every night on them. My doctor warned wm that would happen and to just think to myself "Gee I should really write a book about that dream.".