extreme anxiety

[Lois75]

ok i was diagnosed in april 2012 i am on copaxone and that seems to be going well so i dont think that is related to my problem. two weeks ago i started having extreme anxiety mostly at night to the point that i wouldnt sleep maybe 2-5 hours a night which is not like me. Has anyone had this problem and what kind of meds would i have to take? Just wondering because i am tired!!!!

[saucygrl]

Anxiety is one of the common side effects listed for Copaxone.  I would call your neuro's office or at the very least the Shared Solutions nurse line.  I was one of the lucky 4% who experienced severe migraines on it, but looking back I also had anxiety.  I don't know if it was caused by the Copaxone or the pain.  Both went away within a week of being off of it.  

This site has been a total blessing for me.  I totally understand when you say no one in your house understands.  We are here when you need to vent!

Best wishes!
Chris

[Lois75]

a week ago i was fine with this then i woke up one day and could barely see .Then the anxiety started i tried to go back to work today....FAIL off till my steroid treatment is done i think. Just bummed but i am going to try to be more positive but very hard when noone in your house understands.

[HVAC]

I never had anxiety on Copaxone but I have had on other medications. My pain clinic says anxiety goes hand and hand with pain. I could not understand why they kept asking me about anxiety when I was first a patient.

Night time is always a more anxious time for me because I am not distracted during the day. I feel more pain. The pain wakes or keeps me up then my mind starts churning. I find getting up and doing crossword puzzles helps to stop the thinking.

The anxiety of any illness is a real thing. At the beginning of my MS I had so many worries. A friend use to say " I worried about so many things happening to my son. Most never happened, things I did not think about did".

“Don’t spend a lot of time imagining the worst-case scenario. It rarely goes down as you imagine it will, and if by some fluke it does, you will have lived it twice.” Michael J. Fox

For general anxiety and MS can cause this just by making the wrong signals fire there is nothing wrong with seeking out medication. I love Xanax. I tried valium but it makes me mean.

Alex

[Lulu54]

Lois, what types of meds are you on now in addtion to the copaxone?  You are right that shouldn't cause anxiety.

Have you considered that your upheaval of health could be a source?  Knowing we have a chronic disease to which there is no known cure can turn us upside down and create all sorts of problems, such as depression and anxiety.  

I hope you will contact your neurologist and start a discussion about what is going on and find the cause - don't just let them throw pills at you without knowing what they are treating.

best, Lulu