Anxiety Sufferers? How do you manage Stress.

[Haggle1]

Just wondering how you all manage stress (Serious) Ive been suffering with Severe muscle tension all over my body, the worst is the tension headaches, tight throat and chest , sometimes squeezing or fullness in chest , brain fog. Doc put me on Welbutrin and hydroxzine since im trying to loose weight (Celexa made me gain 50+ pounds) Ive been trying meditation, PMR , hard exercise , diet , sitting in pool, essential oils, magnesium , b complex , multivitamin, sun bathing , 8-10 hour sleep and its slowly getting better but im not 100% I know I need to fix my breathing as I find im constantly yawning,belching,going for deep breaths,overbreathing and thats when the tightness really gets bad.

(My story)
After leaving high school in 2011.. I was at a party and was smoking cuban cigars with a buddy and his Girlfriend put a high dose of Synthetic Marijuana(K2) and marijuana in the cigar without telling us..We smoked almost all of it and began to hallucinate and see colors, and started having severe chest pain,painfull heart palpitations and loss of breath and racing heart. I was sure I was going to die of a heart attack it was pretty intense we both almost fainted. It eventually went away but the chest pain was on and off for a week. Went to the ER eventually and was cleared healthy. Did research and found out many people died of cardiac arrest from smoking K2. Ever since that first panic attack.. Anxiety has always been in my life. I got treated with medications, started going to the gym, eating right and it never hit me for 5 years.

It recently came back after I was getting off work and sat down in my car and couldn't feel the steering wheel for like 2 seconds, looked around and everything was going slow. Had a weird lightheaded, brain fog feeling. I made the mistake of trying to drive home and I felt a squeezing in my chest and it got really bad and had to pull over ( I was hyperventilating i think ). As soon as I got out the car it went away so I knew it was anxiety. I began to have bad tightness, squeezing,pressure in my chest, racing heart , tight muscles in head, legs,raised tensed shoulders, shortness of breath. After 3 ER visits, 8 different doctors and specialists I was told that im healthy. Its improved 75% after medications and gym, diet but im still suffering slightly.

 

[Yaya]

Smoke a tone of weed... (if your in a state that it's legal of course)

 

[Gadawg]

I say dump all the meds. For me, extreme high intensity exercise daily is the only thing that controls it. I lift really hard for about 1.5 hours 4 days a week but I wouldnt survive without my super high intensity cardio.

Beyond that, one or two hits of weed every night (and embracing the high rather than fighting it) has done me wonders. I truly have learned life lessons with cannabis and it has been nothing but beneficial.

 

[PillarofBalance]

It's possible that the Wellbutrin isn't for you. Something different may work better.

You aren't the only one dealing with these kinds of problems. It's very hard to figure out because the last thing you want to do is explore your own anxiety.

 

[Gadawg]

Wellbutrin causes a ton of anxiety in lots of people. Burn that stuff off in the gym and you wont need meds.

 

[HollyWoodCole]

Just wondering how you all manage stress (Serious) Ive been suffering with Severe muscle tension all over my body, the worst is the tension headaches, tight throat and chest , sometimes squeezing or fullness in chest , brain fog. Doc put me on Welbutrin and hydroxzine since im trying to loose weight (Celexa made me gain 50+ pounds) Ive been trying meditation, PMR , hard exercise , diet , sitting in pool, essential oils, magnesium , b complex , multivitamin, sun bathing , 8-10 hour sleep and its slowly getting better but im not 100% I know I need to fix my breathing as I find im constantly yawning,belching,going for deep breaths,overbreathing and thats when the tightness really gets bad.

(My story)
After leaving high school in 2011.. I was at a party and was smoking cuban cigars with a buddy and his Girlfriend put a high dose of Synthetic Marijuana(K2) and marijuana in the cigar without telling us..We smoked almost all of it and began to hallucinate and see colors, and started having severe chest pain,painfull heart palpitations and loss of breath and racing heart. I was sure I was going to die of a heart attack it was pretty intense we both almost fainted. It eventually went away but the chest pain was on and off for a week. Went to the ER eventually and was cleared healthy. Did research and found out many people died of cardiac arrest from smoking K2. Ever since that first panic attack.. Anxiety has always been in my life. I got treated with medications, started going to the gym, eating right and it never hit me for 5 years.

It recently came back after I was getting off work and sat down in my car and couldn't feel the steering wheel for like 2 seconds, looked around and everything was going slow. Had a weird lightheaded, brain fog feeling. I made the mistake of trying to drive home and I felt a squeezing in my chest and it got really bad and had to pull over ( I was hyperventilating i think ). As soon as I got out the car it went away so I knew it was anxiety. I began to have bad tightness, squeezing,pressure in my chest, racing heart , tight muscles in head, legs,raised tensed shoulders, shortness of breath. After 3 ER visits, 8 different doctors and specialists I was told that im healthy. Its improved 75% after medications and gym, diet but im still suffering slightly.

Crazy stupid question......do you have reflux issues? Thyroid?

 

[PillarofBalance]

Wellbutrin causes a ton of anxiety in lots of people. Burn that stuff off in the gym and you wont need meds.

I can appreciate your more holistic approach but for some of us the most intense exercise physically possible isn't enough.

 

[Gadawg]

Understand. But Ive been on and off of different antidepressants and antianxiety meds for ages. Most of them stole my happiness and my personality. And statistically, things like SSRI's are remarkably unsuccessful. For me, anxiety was only treatable through exercise and completely changing my thought processes.

 

[Haggle1]

Crazy stupid question......do you have reflux issues? Thyroid?

I have heartburn with certain foods but doctors didn’t go further unless you can check that stuff out with blood work. But thyroid was good.

 

[Haggle1]

I can appreciate your more holistic approach but for some of us the most intense exercise physically possible isn't enough.

I mean it worked initially in 2011, I got stable on meds and exercised and ate right and got off meds and anxiety was gone for 5+ years. As soon as my lifestyle went to crap from overworking and eating crap and stopped gym.. that’s when the anxiety came back. But this time around diet and exercise wasn’t enough.

 

[Haggle1]

Smoke a tone of weed... (if your in a state that it's legal of course)

Even indicas make me anxious af

 

[Gadawg]

The real root cause of anxiety is an overly active internal monlologue that focuses on the negative. If you can slowly change the way you look at the world, you will feel relief from it. I know that sounds impossible and it is a TON of daily work, but I assure you that it is possible. It is totally about our lifestyles that cause these things. If you look at the few remaining native cultures, things like anxiety, depression, diabetes, heart disease, etc just do not exist. They are a product of the way we live now. Keep trucking man. If you have beaten it before, you can again

 

[BrotherJ]

Therapist here - always take things with a grain of salt. What works for some may not work for others. Gotta find what works for you. And what works now may not work in the future. Always try to find new coping skills. That being said, is your medication being managed by a psychiatrist or just your PCP? If you have cancer go to an oncologist - if you need medication for psychological symptoms go to a psychiatrist.

Have you tried any form of counseling? I'm a huge fan of DBT and EMDR practices. If you go on Psychology Today and type in your zip code it will give you a list of therapists in your area, their specialties, and if they accept your insurance.

Things that work for me are: fitness, watching my diet, limiting alcohol consumption, maintaining an organized living space, hobbies (guns/cooking/chilling with the dog), and mindfulness practices like meditation. At times I have also used medication or counseling to supplement my needs at certain periods of my life. Anxiety, for me, means spending too much time in my own head. Running through scenarios (past/present) and stewing on stuff. I have to find ways to get myself out of my own brain whether that's exercise, mindfulness, or just an engaging movie.

Keep at it man! I always ask people if their anxiety is between a 1-10. The goal is to take it from a 10 to a 1, 2, or 3. Being human means having anxiety/stress. The only people at a zero are dead.

 

[HollyWoodCole]

I have heartburn with certain foods but doctors didn’t go further unless you can check that stuff out with blood work. But thyroid was good.

This isn't something that can be found with bloodwork, it would require an upper GI.

I had the exact same anxiety issues you're describing before and finally came to understand my problems were due to reflux. Heartburn is a tricky mofo, it can make you think it is something else in numerous ways to include chest tightness, throat tightness, general feeling of malaise, etc. The acidic burns to my throat caused me to feel like I was gasping for breath and I was stressed out constantly. I had no idea my heartburn was as bad as it was, I was only aware of it when I ate certain types of foods. If you have heartburn a few times a week, I would recommend a couple of things:

Get on prescription Omeprazole, not the OTC shit (aka esomeprazole I believe).
Make some serious diet changes. Do not eat any foods with a tomato based sauce (pizza, spaghetti, ketchup, etc.), no fried foods, and avoid sugar.
Purchase and consume alkaline foods and alkaline water, I like Essentia water. Google alkaline foods, its not that hard. Consistency is key here, give it a couple of weeks of diet change at least.

Not saying this is 100% your issue, but I know that this worked for me. Best of luck.

 

[Seeker]

good blowjob always calms my nerves

 

[HollyWoodCole]

good blowjob always calms my nerves

FD is not always available Seek.

 

[Elivo]

Anxiety isnt a one size fits all issue. If it were a lot less people would suffer from it. I dont think ive ever had actual anxiety issues but ive had periods of very intense stress from either family or work related issues. For me here the last almost year, the gym has been a great therapy session, but that wont work for everyone.

Like has already been said here, there are lots of causes for it, mental and physical. Get with your doctor, see if you can get to the bottom of the problem and get it treated in a way that will work for you. Not all meds are created equal, while one may work wonders for one person, it may have no or even a negative effect on someone else.

I think youve already got a lot of good advice from people who have replied, but you are not going to find the way to manage your symptoms on a forum. Would be great if it worked that easy but it just doesnt.

 

[Robdjents]

Fellow sufferer here....i Personally self medicate with marijuana...does the trick for me...only thing that sucks is my job(s) are completely fine with me being on god knows what(prescription) but get caught with weed in your system and you’re toast...I just don’t get caught because I’ll be damned if my employer is going to make my medical decisions ...and like E said it’s definitely not a one size fits all condition...best of luck brother

 

[ccpro]

Forgive my callousness...I've had it all or at least thought I did. Many of us need help but it should never be your first reaction to take a pill or even think you need one. Hate to preach here or anywhere, but take a good look at yourself...you might find all the help from within. I apologize if I'm giving you bad advice, it's just your initial post seems more desperate than than I think you need. You're here, that took something! Don't underestimate yourself and don't look for a crutch. Again, maybe I should be quiet...but the older I get the tougher and hopefully wiser. I'm going to back off for now and follow this post. Don't give up on your own internal advice...

 

[PillarofBalance]

Forgive my callousness...I've had it all or at least thought I did. Many of us need help but it should never be your first reaction to take a pill or even think you need one. Hate to preach here or anywhere, but take a good look at yourself...you might find all the help from within. I apologize if I'm giving you bad advice, it's just your initial post seems more desperate than than I think you need. You're here, that took something! Don't underestimate yourself and don't look for a crutch. Again, maybe I should be quiet...but the older I get the tougher and hopefully wiser. I'm going to back off for now and follow this post. Don't give up on your own internal advice...

What other diseases should we pretend don't exist and stop taking medications for?