I swear anytime I get oversomething and my fuckass brain catches me having fun or being at ease, it HAS to look for something or worry about something it used to. It's as if it's default state is not calm, but fucking scared or worried. I feel like I'm not in control of my mind or being, there's also my brain whose hellbent on being my worst fucking enemy and making my consience a hell put on repeat while also shitting itself. It makes me want to scream my lungs out.

Hi! I recently went off Gabapentin because I also have med anxiety..so I was switched to propranolol. I have taken it once when I was in a really stressful situation and I think it helped? I have pretty medium social anxiety. I have trouble making friends because of this. I was thinking joining some discords and going in VC and taking it? Because even doing VC seems so scary for me.

Just looking to see what others experience has been on this medication, especially for social anxiety. But for anything else is okay too, just want to hear your experience with this. Because previously Gabapentin wouldn't have helped me for this issue, but it helped me in high stress situations.

Edit: I want to start using this in social situations in general (instead of drinking) because I've been told I can be awkward.

Its been a year since my mental health deteriorated I dont even know how I have got through the year.

My anxiety never shuts up its always firing even when sitting in chest, stomach, neck.. iv tried literally every single med going by May I was in severe depression and derealization too that I had to go inpatient

That also didn't help for the past few months iv been on fluoxetine and clonazepam daily even the clonazepam doesnt fully help.

My psych seems to think I have a dysfunction norephiphrine system that is just churning adrenaline all day. I stopped working months ago

This has eaten me alive, im only around as it would upset my family etc, but im in hell every day.

My psych has just added guanfacine to see if that can help. The only thing that switched my anxiety off was olanzapine but I had unlivable side effects of nearly passing out.

Its like my brain has totally damaged and it cant come back from this anxiety and depression

Yes I know about the benzo thing but its only thing that slightly takes edge off or I wouldnt be here

I recently come off trazodone which wasnt helping to start the guanfacine and anxiety and depression is gone up ten notches more, withdrawal or getting worse. This is all so sucky.

Anyone else had anxiety this severe that turned to depression, please no rubbish talk about accepting it.. its literally burning through my body and brain 247 which is draining every ounce of my energy

I really hate being an anxious person, specially when it comes to trying new things, being exposed or embarassed, and situations where I have to perform and run the risk of failing (exams, interviews, presentations, to give a few examples). Even though I try to take deep breaths, get good sleep, and meet my bodies basic needs, I still can't help myself and I'm a nervous wreck in those situations.

I'm currently taking a speech class in college, and I have accommodations that allow me to record my speeches and send the videos directly to my instructor instead of presenting in front of the class.

However, for my last assignment, which is a persuasive speech, I genuinely want to present in person. I came up with a topic I'm really interested in, and just thinking about sharing it with the class made me excited.

I think I actually enjoy talking to people about things I find interesting and sharing what I know. But my fear of speaking and being perceived by others prevents me from doing that. I can really only open up around people I deeply trust, and even then, it's rare. They would also have to genuinely want to listen.

The problem is that whenever I imagine myself standing in front of a classroom, my body reacts as if I'm in danger. My heart starts pounding, my hands shake, and my face gets hot. I become so aware of everyone looking at me that I start forgetting what I want to say and messing up, which makes me even more afraid of being judged.

Even while I was lying in bed imagining how I would present my speech, I started experiencing these physical symptoms. I know logically that I'm not in danger, but my body doesn't seem to understand that. Being watched almost feels like an attack, like everyone is already judging me before I've even said anything.

I really don't want this fear to keep controlling what I can and can't do. For once, I genuinely want to stand in front of people and share something I'm passionate about.

If I absolutely have to, I'll use my accommodations. But I want to at least try to overcome this enough to give my final speech in person.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of anxiety and managed to reduce it? What helped you get comfortable with being watched, speaking in front of strangers, and not shutting down from fear?

I have a severe fear of presentations and speaking up during meetings at work. I become so self-conscious and focused on monitoring everything I say that I struggle to articulate myself properly, even when I know exactly what I want to say.
It’s like I’m constantly analysing myself while speaking, which makes me even more nervous and causes my words to come out wrong.
I’ve recently increased Zoloft to 100mg and I’m hoping it’ll help.
Has anyone experienced something similar and managed to overcome it? Did Zoloft help you speak more naturally and confidently without constantly overthinking yourself?

My doctors continue to prescribe me HCl which I've never really had to reach for until recently so I've never really tried it with bad anxiety. I took 25mg HCl yesterday and felt no relief, it was weird. Eventually took a nap and calmed myself down.

My mother in law had extra Hydroxyzine pamoate that she won't need and gave to me months ago - I have taken that as needed and have just noticed a nice relief being provided within a short period of time after taking it. Anyone else experience this phenomenon or just me?
Various health sources have indicated that HCl is intended for allergy relief whereas pamoate is intended for anxiety relief so that's an interesting thing to consider as well..

I just started Zoloft three days ago and I feel constantly nauseous like there’s a lump in my throat and I’m about to vomit. Has anyone else experienced this and does it go away after awhile. I’m also generally just feeling like really dizzy on it too.

if anyone else here suffers from a feeling of tight throat/throat closing/globus sensation, how do you deal with it in public?
i always feel like i’m going to gag or stop breathing because my throat gets so tight. i’ve tried breathing exercises, chewing gum, yawning etc but it never goes away until i get back home or somewhere i consider “safe” and away from strangers.
any tips would be appreciated :)

I can’t tell how much this book helped me with my social anxiety, back when I was a uni student with presentations every other week and debilitating anxiety I felt like death, couldn’t afford therapy and also the fact of talking to a therapist who is a person was not a choice, my anxiety was so bad, this book really helped me understand my anxiety better and how to handle it, I cried reading some chapters and felt understood. I would recommend it to anyone.

“Overcoming social anxiety step by step “
Thomas A Richard’s ph,D

im freshly 14,around 4 years ago i started doing this little head movements,some in my family said that I looked like a T Rex doing that head thingy,anyways,it started normal,just few sudden head movements and that was all,bur around 2 years ago it went crazy,it went from a little head movement to a full speed movement that made my neck crack,i did NOT give attention to it,went to the doctor one day,got diagnosed with anxiety tics,wasn’t given too much info about it,but know since like 3 months ago I have been doing this thing,it first started with my mouth opening and then closing abruptly,know it’s teeth grinding,and I can’t stop it nor control it,like I could be speaking with someone and suddenly I have a ”tic attack “(that’s what I call it) and my body just loses control,I need help,what should I do? my mom always says “it’s the damn phone get over it” but im positive it is not it.

thanks in advance.

I’ve (20F) always known I’m an anxious person and a big overthinker, but recently it’s been affecting my life in ways I never could’ve imagined.

It’s ruined my relationship with my ex and affecting my performance in school. I’m currently getting seen to be medicated but honestly I feel like there’s no hope. It started getting really bad around June. It got better for a while and I was able to cope with my stressors but now I’m just tired and I feel like I can barely support myself.

Even after we initially broke up, my ex and I stayed friends. One day we were talking and I just had this outburst of anxiety. He told me the other day he didn’t enjoy talking with me anymore and said I needed help, that just when he thinks I’m getting better I get bad again. Honestly, that hurt a lot.

I feel like I’m trying my best but it’s just not enough right now. My professors and friends are all worried about me, and I feel like such a burden. It’s almost funny, I don’t even have to be worried about anything. I’ll be laying in bed and my heart feels like it’s going 1000 miles per hour and I can’t think. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night like that and all I can do is just cry and wait it out because nothing else helps.

I’ve lost a lot of weight since June as well, almost 15 lbs and I say a lot because it was not intentional. I’ve lost my appetite and nothing can be kept down.

I just want to know there’s hope. That one day I’ll feel like myself again, and all of this is just a distant feeling.

I have severe general anxiety, to the point where every time I leave the house I feel dread and anxious. I don't go out at all unless it's for a dr. appointment or something hospital related. I've been job searching for about a year and I finally got an offer as a Home Health Aid. It's the same job and company my mom works for. I start next week, but I'm starting to feel like I can't do this. I am going to try my hardest just to get exposure. The good thing is it's only 4 hours a WEEK. A WEEK! And I'm somehow still panicking. It's making me feel like a failure and I'll never be able to keep a job or live a normal life. Does anyone have any advice (besides "suck it up")? Thank you!

My brother just had a baby 3 months ago and today he got benched on his job because the client company didn't renew his contract.

A lot of hard things have happened in the last 3 years, in the beginning of this year I kinda gave up, too much anxiety, I am not even able to talk to anyone, just sit alone all day. The last bad thing that happened to me was losing my job. I could've gotten another job easily but I kinda gave into my anxiety, now I am stuck, it will be hard to find a new job now. Today's news brought back the same feeling.

Heart racing, heavy in the head and eyes but unable to talk to anyone. I tried talking, to the person who used to be my best friend but it didn't help and I kinda regret talking with her.

Whenever I try to talk to someone l, they try giving me advice and tell many people faces similar problems etc. I am aware of what I am doing wrong, what I should be doing but I don't have courage, I lost courage and stopped believing in myself when I gave up earlier this year. It feels impossible to start believing in myself to start doing something. I don't have motivation to do anything, doing things to survive isn't something I can do. It's stupid but I am like this, I hate it but at the same time I can't change myself.

This is ruining my life recently, it’s taking everything in my power not to drive to ER and waste 10 grand getting a bunch of tests that will come back fine just to calm my anxiety. Like once or twice a year I get severe health anxiety about my heart, fully convinced I have angina and am dying, they my heart comes back fine.

About to get back into the dating scene. Any suggestions to manage the anxiety? How many dates in do you mention it? I’m old so likely my dates wouldn’t expect it at this age.

So I just got back from a three day vacation. I had anxiety before vacation and once I got there it was so bad. I was able to function through it and enjoy some but today I drove home and I feel utterly a mess. Walked in my front door and started having a panic attack, forgot to breathe and got dizzy for a sec, and now I’m just sitting in my room trying to breathe. It’s been several hours and I feel so tense and just not good. Barely ate anything while I was gone (thanks anxiety lol) and now everything is ruining my stomach. Has anyone else experienced something like this? It’s like I held it all together enough to get home and fall apart. I just want to feel like a normal person again. I hate this.

Hi everyone. I want to agree my experience over the past few days to see if anyone has advice.

Backstory: I have generally been anxious my whole life but I have managed to keep anxiety and stress to myself. It had never overtaken my day. Mostly, I felt anxiety in my stomach. I have struggled with depression as well, but also managed to keep it down forever. For context, I live and operate 100% on my own, so I have HAD to keep myself above water.

Over the past few weeks I have noticed increasing anxiety, especially when smoking (never happened before). About 1 week ago or 2 ago I was smoking with my friend and I swallowed a bit of gum. I was freaking out. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I was able to take some deep breathes and eventually let it go.

About a week ago I was out with my friends and when we sat down to end the night, my heart was beating out of my chest. I had never felt anxiety to that level. But, I was able to get past it.

2 days ago I went out to eat with my friends and on the way home I entered a full blown panic attack. I couldn’t breathe and I felt extremely uncomfortable in my skin. My heart was racing incredibly fast and I was terrified I was going to die. The next morning, I went to urgent care and I couldn’t stop freaking out.

The doctor said my heart and lungs look fine and that I was having a panic attack. He said it is likely I have panic disorder. He prescribed me hydroxyzine, which I have taken 2 times now. It makes me incredibly sleepy. It definitely helps with general anxiety but I can still feel my heart beating every single second. Is this normal?

For more context: I am 26, F and live a fairly healthy lifestyle. I work out often, eat well, read, enjoy my hobbies and avoid stress, when possible. Recently, I have even felt proud of myself for how I have been handling life and stressors.

I have never been the type of person that struggles to leave the house, but I tried to go to target earlier and felt like I was going to have another attack. I usually love grocery shopping but I had to order groceries to be delivered because I can’t fathom going anywhere right now.

I have a plan to speak with a therapist/psychiatrist on Monday, but I don’t know what to do until then.

What are some easy things that help ease your anxiety? Specifically those fluttering, rapid heart beats in your chest? I hate this feeling.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post im not sure where to post it

as far as i know i dont have anxiety

I'm 17 and have mild autism. I'm in a program meant to help me build a routine so I can get back into school or work, but I haven't been going because I've been struggling too much.

Lately everything feels worse. I feel useless and I avoid mirrors because I hate how I look. My suicidal thoughts are getting stronger, and I often think about how and where I'd do it. Today I held a knife against my thigh and was too scared to cut.

I can laugh and switch moods in a second while feeling awful inside, so I feel like I'm faking it. I've tried therapy with different people and formats, and nothing has

helped.

I keep telling myself it doesn't count because other people have it worse, but that doesn't make the feeling go away.

I'm also scared of losing my only close friend. He's 18 and from the program. We haven't talked in a while because we've both been struggling. Texting is hard for me and I always feel like I'm bothering people.

I don't know exactly what I'm hoping for. Maybe just to not be alone with it for a minute.

If you felt like this at my age and it got better, what changed things for you?

I hate myself

hello everyone. i struggle with dpdr and anxiety…lately a dpdr flare up came back and i was starting to feel better due to distraction but i guess i got hyperaware that the distraction was actually helping me so every time i feel myself get distracted a thought pops in my head to remind me that im trying to distract myself? i can barely explain it but its scary and idk if its extreme anxiety or dpdr induced OCD. i’m scared that ill never be distracted again and that the thought will pop up for the rest of my life. im scared that ill never stop thinking about it, and it pops up in my head every 5 seconds. i really need advice because dealing with just dpdr is a job in itself and now these constant thoughts are just distressing me more. if you have any advice, please help..im becoming hopeless. it’s like my brain won’t shut off and i haven’t felt joy in over a month.

Couple months ago I took 15, 7.5mg zopiclone tablets as a suicied attemt. Thankfully, I survived and my life has been going very great lately and my symptoms of depression have largely improved. I was just wondering if I am lucky to be alive, or if speeping meds and sedatives like zopiclone are unlikely to be fatal at these doses in general?

I was on Prozac for about 10 years at 40 mg. After having my first baby, going to therapy consistently, and feeling like I was finally in a good place with my anxiety, I decided to gradually taper off.
I’ve now been completely off Prozac for about 4–5 months. The first 2–3 months honestly weren’t too bad, but recently I’ve started experiencing some really strange physical sensations.
The best way I can describe it is a subtle dropping or sinking feeling in my chest, almost like that feeling you get when you’re about to fall off a cliff or when an elevator suddenly drops, except much less intense. I also experience an internal buzzing or vibrating sensation throughout my body, along with occasional lightheadedness. These feelings can come and go for hours, and they’re really difficult to explain.
Before anyone suggests getting checked out, I want to mention that I’ve dealt with pretty severe health anxiety in the past, which is why I originally started Prozac. I’m already in contact with my doctor and currently wearing a Zio heart monitor to see if these sensations are related to my heart rhythm.
I’m mainly curious whether anyone else who stopped Prozac after being on it for several years experienced anything similar, especially months after stopping. I was on it for such a long time that I’m wondering if my body could still be adjusting, even after 4–5 months.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had a similar experience. Thank you!

On Tuesday, I was was working at a coffee shop (two toddlers in school twice a week so this is my usual routine). I had a cup of coffee (normally I have more) then went into a meeting. I noticed I was shaky so I bought a muffin and water. The feeling didn’t subside so I went on a walk in the parking lot. 1.5 hrs of my HR between 120-160bpm, numbness, tingling, panic, etc. Eventually I called my husband to pick up the kids and the barista to call 911 bc I thought my thyroid was going wacko.

The EMTS wanted me to practice boxed breathing which made me mad and I kept asking them to help me. They agreed to take me to the hospital and gave me Versed which helped a lot. Many EKGS, X-rays, labs, and Ativan later I went home.

Anyway, now I’m so scared of it happening again that I can’t even go to a coffee shop. I’ve been on antidepressants for over a decade but never had anything like this. I’ve stopped coffee and switched to a cup of tea a day. I have a prescription for Ativan now. But I’m so scared of this happening again.

I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and it’s the time of year to turn on our furnace for Fall/Winter. We had our reliable HVAC tech out who said our almost 30 year old gas furnace is “running great”.
This has still been a trigger for me. Worried sick of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning or a fire.
Anyone else dealing with this, please share what has helped!

It’s been running all day today but I’m think of turning the thermostat down overnight so ease my mind.

I never thought that my picture in others’ heads will affect my daily life but here i am, I recently started feeling like there are certain people that dont want me in their lives. The people in question aren’t people i face everyday so we were distant ever since we lost contact irl. I was in touch with them online for a long time until god knows what happened that made them start avoiding me and its driving me crazy even though im trying so hard to ignore the situation. I keep asking myself trying to remember what i did exactly that made them not like me or avoid me or lose interest in me i dont know what i did wrong i wish they confronted me. Now everytime i even think about something as silly as even posting my face i feel disgusted by the thought of them seeing me and being disgusted by me and i’ve been picturing that ever since they started avoiding me. I hate acting like a victim so i’ll say I’m definitely not a victim in this, atleast not to them. I feel like my thoughts are taking over me this time and i genuinely hate myself for this and i dont know what got them to feel this way about me