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Posted 11/28/2015 11:11 AM (GMT -5)
Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum. I came here to share my story in hopes that someone will have some advice for me. I have a lot of issues going on- more than just anxiety, but I think a lot of it steams from anxiety so I'll post it here.

I'll start by saying that I'm 20 years old, female, and I've always struggled with feelings of depression and anxiety. This year in particular has been very rough. Last month I began seeing a counselor and psychiatrist. He decided to give me Strattera for my ADD (which I didn't know I had) and felt it would help with my anxiety and depression along with talking to a counselor every week. Personally, I didn't feel like this was any help. I usually left my appointments more upset and she never had any advice to offer me. It was more just her listening to me complain about my life. lol

At the beginning of this month I started feeling sick. Lots of mucus in my throat making it hard to breathe, congestion and post nasal drip. I went to the doctor and they said I had a sinus infection and gave me an antibiotic. During this time I started to feel worse, I still had mucus in my throat, I was getting an upset stomach everyday. My acid reflux also started acting up. I burp after almost anything I put into my body, sometimes I feel the food coming up with the burp, etc. I could also barley eat...I had NO appetite. At this point I started to freak out in my head, wondering why the medicine wasn't working. I take a lot of other medications so I thought maybe it was because I'm taking too much medicine. I stopped taking my Strattera and Protonix for acid reflux. I went to the doctor and they informed me that the antibiotic can give you an upset stomach and sometimes takes up to 5 days after you finish it to feel better. He also perscribed me a new medicine for my acid reflux- Omemprazole. I took this omemprazole for 3 days and I felt it gave me instant relief from my chest pains but I was still burping after everything I ate and I felt like it was giving me heavy breathing, especially at night.

Cue anxiety. lol this was a Sunday night (so 2 weeks from tomorrow) and I'm not sure if it was a reaction to the medicine or an anxiety attack. I was trying to sleep and my breathing was unusually heavy, my right shoulder randomly started hurting- it was like a sharp pain and I didn't sleep at all that night. The next day when I was at work I was not feeling well. I was getting sharp pains in my chest and below my boobs. I also burped up acid for the first time. I left work to go to the ER and they did a bunch of tests on my heart, lungs, etc and everything came out okay. The only thing they noticed was my above normal heart rate. A normal heart rate is anywhere from 60-100 and I was at 130 when I came in. I eventually dropped to around 107 and they kept me overnight (to do a test in the morning because a machine was broke) and they said my heart rate was in the 80-90 as I slept. They gave me medicine to calm me down and help me sleep. They suggested a reaction to the Omemprazole and I stopped taking it and switched back to the Protonix I was on before.

I've had insomnia for almost 2 weeks now. I've been so upset about this because it's so random. I've NEVER had a problem like this before. I quit my job where I was working full time (my boss wasn't being understanding) but I know I can't work when I'm like this. I'm a college student though so I'm still attending classes. I had to cancel all appointments with my counselor because I can't afford it now that I'm not working. I spend my days worrying about my symptoms and trying to figure out what to do. I can't distract myself. My Dr. gave me Lexapro (5mg for the first week, I'm on day 5, then I'm gonna up it to 10mg) He also gave me Hydroxyzine to help me sleep. I've taken anywhere from 50-75mg. It hasn't worked too well, some nights I slept for a few hours but the last 2 days I didn't sleep at all. (And I was taking 75mg) Most nights I just toss and turn. Because of the holiday and the weekend I'm not able to get ahold of the Dr. until Monday. I went to Urgent Care yesterday and he gave me Temazepam (30mg) to help me sleep. He said Hydroxyzine is an anahistamine and isn't for sleeping so he doesn't understand why the Dr. gave it to me. He told me to take the Temazepam for 1 week and see if I'm able to sleep. I took it for the first time last night and fell asleep within minutes of laying down. However I only slept for a few hours. I woke up around 2 and couldn't fall back asleep.

I feel like my issues are a combination of acid reflux and anxiety but it's hard to tell which one is affecting me more. For the last few days my throat has been feeling tight when I swallow...but I've also had some post nasal drip that's driving me insane. Anything that interferes with my breathing or throat freaks me out. I'm taking Zyrtec and using nasal spray to help with allergies if that's what it is. I can't bring myself to do anything. I feel so disengaged. I feel overwhelmed because this has never happened before and I feel like I've done everything I can do. Some days are better than others but I just want everything to go back to normal. This whole month I haven't felt good...I haven't felt like myself and I hate feeling like I have to rely on medicine to survive. I just want to cry and some days I feel like giving up. I know my family is overwhelmed too, because they don't know what to do for me. I can't sleep, I can't eat because of this stupid acid reflux, my throat has been bothering me for awhile, my body feels weak, I'm irritable and my anxiety feels worse than it ever has. Why is this happening to me? 😑

I have a an endoscopy on Wed to basically confirm my acid reflux. I needed that for my peace of mind. I'm also gonna ask if they can look at my throat on the way down. Advice and prayers are much appreciate. Thanks guys! ❤️
Posted 11/28/2015 3:49 PM (GMT -5)
Hi,

Welcome to the forum! There are a lot of nice people here, and you should get a lot of helpful advice. :)

The reason the doctor prescribed Hydroxyzine is because it is an anti-anxiety med AND an anti-histamine, plus a lot of people find it sedating. I would have recommended it if you hadn't written that you already tried it!

Starting an anti-depressant can sometimes mess you up at the beginning, so the Lexapro may have contributed to the increased anxiety. Plus, there are some antibiotics that are no good to take if you have anxiety... Cipro is one of them. This could have been a factor in your increased anxiety or perhaps not.

I hope you feel better soon... I went through a similar thing a few months ago with a sinus infection and major anxiety. It took a few months to get all of the snot out of my system and I just drank protein shakes because I didn't want to eat. It is a really rough thing to go through, but it will get better.

Take care and keep us posted!

-Cat

Post Edited (BlueCat) : 11/28/2015 1:54:38 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/28/2015 8:27 PM (GMT -5)
Hi AF and welcome!

I don't know if there is a glitch going on...or if you attempted to cross out your post?

Would you like it erased? I can do so at your request...

...but hope more that you will stay and allow us to support you here!! :)

If you would like some guidance in regards to great self help material you can look into while you are unable to attend your counseling sessions...please just let me know, okay?

We are here for you if you want our assitance!

Scaredy Cat
Posted 11/29/2015 8:05 AM (GMT -5)
It may be a glitch! I'm typing on my phone and it didn't show up like that until I posted it. Not sure what I did wrong but we'll see how this one posts.

Thanks for the support! I'm the type of person who needs constant reassurance. I hate feeling like I'm alone.
Posted 11/29/2015 12:02 PM (GMT -5)
This one is fine! :)

Well you have come to the right place! We are all.about support
...so keep posting.:)

Please go through our Resources at the top of the main forum page. They are full of great self help that's very effective if practiced regularly.

If you'd like any further/specific help in any area...please let us know.:)

S.C.
Posted 11/29/2015 3:59 PM (GMT -5)
Hi

Welcome to the forum I am pleased you have found us but sorry to hear of your current symptoms.

The good news is lots can be done to help so have a look at our resources for some good links and keep posting here so we can support you.

Hibee
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