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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tone on November 9, 2006, at 15:43:22
Okay for a while now I have been thinking that I am suffering from anxiety possibly some sort of panic attacks but not sure....for example, when I am in an exam at school, I will all of the sudden lose concentration do to my heart pounding, clammy hands, almost a sense of being outside myself or something(hard to explain)....also, sometimes its like my body is so pumped that i will even ejaculate (sorry, i know its kind of gross) and have a feeling of breathlessness..
I also seem to worry way too much about everything else in general..such as my Mom back home and her stress at work, my brother and his problems, and I also find myself worrying about what people think of me in normal situations, even complete strangers; such as on a bus on campus, or in other social settings...have any advice?????
Posted by tensor on November 9, 2006, at 17:29:17
In reply to Anxiety I think....??Help!!, posted by tone on November 9, 2006, at 15:43:22
Hi Tone and welcome,
>for example, when I am in an exam at school, I will all of the sudden lose concentration do to my heart pounding, clammy hands, almost a sense of being outside myself or something(hard to explain).
This has happened to me, it's panic attacks, no doubt. This is how my career in mental illnesses began, actually. It's common to feel you're going insane, but that's part of the disorder. You're not going insane.
>I also seem to worry way too much about everything else in general..such as my Mom back home and her stress at work, my brother and his problems, and I also find myself worrying about what people think of me in normal situations, even complete strangers; such as on a bus on campus, or in other social settings
I think you suffer from social phobia, SP for short, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD. I recognize your symptoms so well.
You need to see a therapist for cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT), the therapist can also assess if you need medication.
/Mattias
Posted by Phillipa on November 9, 2006, at 19:05:04
In reply to Re: Anxiety I think....??Help!! » tone, posted by tensor on November 9, 2006, at 17:29:17
Tensor has given you some good advise and I agree with him about the Gad and Social anxiety. But the classroom sounded like a panic attack. Love Phillipa
Posted by Lindenblüte on November 10, 2006, at 8:10:03
In reply to Re: Anxiety I think....??Help!!, posted by Phillipa on November 9, 2006, at 19:05:04
Hi tone,
sounds like panic- I get this when I have acute stagefright. It's pretty bad, and it definitely makes it hard to perform one's best. (minus the ejaculation part- I'm not sure how I would be able to hide that during a violin recital, plus I'm not a guy.Sounds really intense and unpleasant. I'm able to keep those symptoms under control with a fairly safe medication called a beta-blocker. When you know that an exam is going to make you "sick", you can take this small pill an hour before, and it keeps your heart slow, soft and calm. It won't do much for racing thoughts, but you'll be amazed, that when your body is responding normally (heart rate, breathing- won't get shallow and rapid, no clammy hands, no chest pains- well, you will find that your mind feels much calmer when it's attached to a "calm" body.
I think therapy is a great place to start working on anxiety. I posted a humongously LONG and encyclopedic thing on that very topic recently.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20061026/msgs/701660.html
It's on a different "board" on psycho-babble, the one where we talk about therapy and stuff. This board is one for talking about drugs and side effects and such.
My doc has me on an SNRI (it's like an SSRI, but it also inhibits reuptake of norepinephrine [NE])
NE is an important neurotransmitter for communicating anxiety signals throughout the body and mind, so this drug is supposedly really good for general anxiety.
I still use a benzodiazepine for when my mind is going crazy with anxiety, and a beta blocker, should I ever have to give a speech in front of an audience or god forbid-- perform a solo.
Welcome to psycho-babble. keep posting, and I hope you get some relief. You don't have to suffer like this. If you're a student, a good place to start might be the campus mental health services.
take care,
-Li
Posted by Rani on November 13, 2006, at 5:23:14
In reply to Anxiety I think....??Help!!, posted by tone on November 9, 2006, at 15:43:22
I too have had panic disorder pretty much exactly like what you described (with the ejaculation - I am a girl!).
It is pretty hard to live with but with help it can get vastly better really quickly. The gold standard in help for anxiety and social phobia disorders is SSRI (antidepressants) combined with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. I would go really soon for medical help. It is a really hard thing to live with and the sooner you get onto help the better and make it manageable.
Here is a link to an online CBT site free that is like a program run by a university.
http://www.moodgym.anu.edu.au/Hope you feel ok and good luck
Rani
Posted by tone on November 15, 2006, at 22:29:57
In reply to Re: Anxiety I think....??Help!!, posted by Rani on November 13, 2006, at 5:23:14
Hey you all, I thank you sooooo much for paying attention to my post...I know I am new on here and all. How should I go about finding a doctor and should I mention any medications that I think would help me with my problem....when you respond please dont use any abbreviations....again-I am new at this and have never even thought of seeing a doctor about it until this year when my panic attacks seem to have gotten worse. And is it wird that they are triggered by specific stressors such as exams, or do panic attacks happen more randomly?? Again thank you all soo much for your input!!
Tone
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