Generalized Anxiety- Lexapro

[renschwa]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to the anxiety forum. Had a a few weeks of anxiety hit me in January when I was having medical testing done. I am 36 and have high blood pressure every time I see a doctor as I just get so nervous when I go to the doctor. They ran tests which freaked me out even more and wham, I was then anxiouss all the time. The tests eventually all came back normal. With that reassurance my anxiety vanished.& I was even able ot take my BP at home with no anxiety. The anxiety returned however, when I went back for my check up about a month ago and now I am in a state of constant anxiety/nervousness. My triggers surely seem to be doctors/health issues. I have an odd problem. I know from when I had my calm period that when my anxiety is controlled, my BP is normal (with meds), but yet right now I find myself anxiuos worrying about my BP when I know that worrying/anxiety is just causing it to rise. It is a crazy cycle I am in, and the worst part is I KNOW it doesn't make sense.

My parents had health issues from when I was a youg age (heart attacks etc). My parents died a year about 6 & 7 years ago so I am still grieving, and I recently had health problems myself with a really bad case of Lyme disease. That was horrible experience but yet I had no anxiety then but for some reason I went crazy with anxiety come January with the worst being right now.

I am seeing a psychologist, only had 2 visits so far. I take Ativan for bad anxiety attacks but my primary gave me RX for Lexapro which I have not started yet. I was hoping to do this without meds but am I doubting that I can at this point.

Have any of had luck with Lexapro? Any advice for me? This is awful.

I'm also unemployed and wonder if I have too much time on my hands to think, but feel so bad I wonder how I could work.

[renschwa]

Thanks CJ29 & everyone else! Ugggh! I wish I could get over the BP problem and not worry as much.  I do worry about it so much, used to be just when I went to the doc, but the last few weeks it seems to be all the time, along with this anxiety. I even get nervous/panicky now when I take my BP at home (which I do not do anymore). That's just crazy b/c it was always normal or even low at home! However in January I made the mistake of taking BP once during a full blown anxiety attack, not a good idea! It was sky high, which made me panic more of course. So now I just don't check it when my anxiety is acting up b/c I know from previous experience that it's high if I'm anxious, so then I worry more, it is a vicious cycle. I keep telling myself, if you stay calm, your bp is not a problem, just get over it, don't think about it. It doesn't seem to be working though...

I'm getting tempted by the Lexapro. I see my psych tomorrow night and will talk to him about it. I do want off of the Ativan for sure. I do not like meds and am struggling with this decision but I feel like hell and often have trouble functioning so meds I think are in order at the moment.

However yestertday I had a good day, visited a friend & had dinner, little or no anxiety all day, needed no meds either. Then I woke up this morning with a jolt, like a bad dream or something. I was dizzy & felt like crap. I would fall asleep briefly and jolt awake again. So now I'm tired & anxious and it's gone downhill from there today. So frustrating! Yesterday, I thought maybe I had a break through but that nasty anxiety just came right back. I feel like if I can be anxiety free for one day, then I can keep doing it. But I always fall back into the anxiety trap again. Not fun!

I noticed my previous post was a little confusing LOL.... My Dad died in 2004 of pancreatic cancer & my mom in 2005 of heart disease. Both of my parents also had heart problems. My dad had a heart attack when I was in 8th grade & my mom when I was a sophomore. It was always one thing after another. I think my psych suspects that this is where my health anxiety stems from... And as I wrote before, I had some health issues recently with lyme disease, then oral surgery to remove a cyst, etc etc.. I had no bulls eye so docs first thought I had MS, then Lupus, and some just said they didn't know. After several doctors we finally came to lyme disease and after antibiotics I'm much better now. I just wonder why I did not suffer anxiety back then? I find this timing to be odd unless it is just the accumulation of stress, from one thing after another in past few years. I guess I've reached my breaking point.  

Thanks everyone. I'm sure I'll be a regular around here!

[sickofpillsandpain]

im glad that you are going to a phycologist he/she will help you learn to cope and help you to get past things so life wont be such a struggle. i am on lexapro 10mg . i have tryed pretty much everything else on the market and they would work for a little while and then stop working. i have been on lexapro longer then any of the other ones and it has worked for me.... sometimes its trial and error with this type of medications. i will say though after you start taking the lexapro and its in your system (takes a few weeks or so) you will feel it if you miss a dose! living with anxiety is awful... did you know that you can have anxiety/panic attacks in your sleep? maybe just taking the meds giving them a try while you work through things with your therapist might be good. remember you dont have to take them forever, you can always work your way off of them when you feel the time is rite to try. adivan is very addictive i would be more worried about relying on them then the lexapro! i haven't had to take hardly any xanex in months seance the lexapro started working =] good luck to you!!

[mammo]

Hi and welcome!  I think your anxiety has evolved into health anxiety due to losing your parents.  Which is understandable.  Anxiety alone can increase your blood pressure, and you're very young to already be on BP medication.  Many of us have had great success with Lexapro, but we all react differently to these types of medications.  Unfortunately it is often trial and errror as to what will work best for us, and taking them is how we learn what will work.  What one experiences on a particular medication may not be another's experience.  You are in that vicious cycle of worry feeding your anxiety and creating more symtpoms and so on.  This cycle can be broken with therapy and/or medication.  Don't think because this is a mental issue that you should be able to handle it on your own....because we rarely can.  Anxiety often needs to be treated like any other medical condition requiring daily medication to control the symptoms...and that's okay.  Therapy can be a lengthy process and the Lexapro can make you feel so much better while going thru therapy.  You know what your triggers are and that a big first step, and with therapy you can overcome these triggers.  You've been through a lot, listen to your doctor and do what will help you to move forward with your life.  Yes....I believe when we have too much time on our hands it gives us too much time to think and worry, making our anxiety worse.  Find things to do that occupy your mind, reading, crossword puzzles, etc.  Get out and exercise even if it's only walking to burn off the excess adrenaline and help with your BP.  Journal your feeling, this is a form of release for us and is very therapeutic. I hope this helps and know you're not alone.  You will get beyond all of this, and be patient with yourself.  We're always here if you need to talk or just vent.  Take care,

[cj29]

I am sorry that you are going through this right now, but what you are describing is 'classic' health anxiety in my opinion.  While we all experience anxiety in different ways, I believe what you have written will resonate with a lot of members here.

My first experience with anxiety came about due to health anxiety and despite multiple tests, I would not believe the doctors because I knew something had to be physically wrong with me (which of course was not the case).  But, the mind can be VERY powerful in my opinion.

As far as your BP going up when it is taken, I am definitely par for the course with that.  I definitely have 'white coat' hypertension and it is not uncommon for it to shoot up 30 points in the doc's office.  In fact, I was getting screened a couple of weeks ago and it did that exact same thing, but after years of this I realize that it is going to happen, so I don't pay much attention to it (But I did for years and that would be a 'trigger' to worrying about my health constantly).

You are doing the right thing by going to counseling in my opinion.  Just have patience with it; it can take some time and some work but I believe it is the most crucial step in dealing with your anxiety.  It will give you the knowledge to confront it and understand it.

Medication is definitely a personal choice in my opinion.  I have taken an SSRI like Lexapro with great success and I believe that it was also one of the best decisions I made in moving forward with this.  I was originally EXTREMELY skeptical about taking any form of medication for it, but decided to try it and combined with counseling it has worked wonders for me.   Skepticism and fear about medication is normal in the beginning, but remember millions of people have taken medications like Lexapro with great success.  Of course, some will choose not to do it and some will not like it, but for the vast majority of people I know who have been on them, they work pretty well.

Please keep us posted, and know that you are going to get through this.  You have already taken crucial steps in dealing with this...keep your head up!