Nice to hear about exercise helping. My 6 year old will sometimes complain about his stomach hurting at bed time. My guess is having a bout of anxiety. He is pretty active throughout the day and we don’t use screens much at home. We have a 30 minute bed time routine to slow down but that must not always work. When he complains about his stomach I have started to have him hit a punching bag for a couple minutes. I don’t get much feedback from a 6 year old so maybe it’s working?
Anxiety
- Thread starter demoncore1031
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It can't hurt. I think a lot of anxiety is built up nervous energy.
Recently diagnosed with GAD here. I took Certraline for a few months and it was giving me terible restlses leg syndrome. I have more recently been diagnosed with ADHD and I have also been wnating to loose some weight. We are going for the home run, so I am switchings meds to Naltrexone and Buproprion for the GAD and ADHD, but both of those are the two components of Contrave(weight loss drug). Today was my first day, so i don't know quite what to expect. It is going to take a few weeks for the meds to give me full benifit. I have noticed that I have been doing a LOT of involuntary lower body flexing/streaching, and some yawning.
less caffeine and taking ashwagandha has really helped me.
I have ADHD and I've had infrequent problems with restless leg syndrome when I'm trying to get to sleep. Adderall cured my ADHD and I'm not really sure experts even know what causes restless leg syndrome. I know that when I'm worn out and really only care about hitting the hay it's non-existent. When Im not really tired and have things on my mind it appears. I think it's probably anxiety related. It does suck sometimes.
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I also urge anyone having serious issues with it and talk to a specialist and not their GP. That's just not what they do. Most of them will admit that. If you are just having what I'd call "generalized" anxiety and depression they're probably okay, but anything out of the ordinary needs to be handled by a specialist. I love my GP and think he's a good Dr. but I don't feel like he understands anxiety and depression any better than I do. As someone who's lived with it for about 25 years I've probably done way more research on the topic than even he has. And just remember you're not alone! This thread should tell anyone that.
That seems expensive. Even before my insurance covered mine my out of pocket was only like 65$ monthly. Id pick it up and inject myself once every too weeks. Now that insurance covers it it's totally free. If it helps pay what you gotta pay though. If you tested at 283 id think you're GP could prescribe it and it would be covered by insurance.
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I had to go to the ER again last night. Doc said the pain meds for my stomach were way too high a dose and mixing that with the anxiety meds are probably what has been causing the dizziness.
They gave me a shot of something, and holy crap did I start tripping. Felt like I was on acid for like 45 minutes and I was laughing uncontrollably the whole time.
Feeling alright today. Stomach pains are low and no anxiety so far.... Got results back from abdominal ultrasound so I meet with my primary Monday to discuss the things that showed up.
They gave me a shot of something, and holy crap did I start tripping. Felt like I was on acid for like 45 minutes and I was laughing uncontrollably the whole time.
Feeling alright today. Stomach pains are low and no anxiety so far.... Got results back from abdominal ultrasound so I meet with my primary Monday to discuss the things that showed up.
I feel you man. 100%. Pain meds can make you go into a drug psychosis if you mix them with something else. Even if you aren't abusing them per say. I assume they are narcotic painkillers so just get off of them. The rebound(not quite the same as detox) from them can really **** your brain chemistry up. Obviously Vicodin and oxys work better but try and and get on something non-narcotic even if it means being in slightly more pain. Sometimes mixing a few things together, even if they are prescribed and legal can be a nightmare. DO NOT DRINK if you're having anxiety and depression issues. Generally opioids painkillers won't give you psychosis but when mixed something else can. My biggest issue with benzo's isn't just how addictive they are but your body naturally starts panicking as they leave your system cause that's what it relies on to calm you down. It's basically withdrawal.
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Sorry to hear that man. Sound like maybe we were similar. I have dealt with instances of anxiety in life…. end of last year it started to feel completely overwhelming though. Was a mixture of that and depression… sometimes both making each other worse. Hardest part was, there was really nothing to point to why. Doctor said sometimes anxiety/depression is like a big boulder rolling slowly down off a cliff when it is chemically related. All the sudden it just drops. I have been at the lowest of lows.
A couple months into taking lexapro, it was life changing. I didn’t feel the full effects until a couple months in, at least. Mixture of that and some therapy has done wonders. It is important to remember it is a process, and you are not alone. Keep with the meds. When in doubt, reach out to doctor. Write anxious thoughts down in a journal. Whatever you figure out works for you. I would say I feel like my old self about 95% of the time now, and the other 5% is a lot more manageable now knowing it is temporary.
A couple months into taking lexapro, it was life changing. I didn’t feel the full effects until a couple months in, at least. Mixture of that and some therapy has done wonders. It is important to remember it is a process, and you are not alone. Keep with the meds. When in doubt, reach out to doctor. Write anxious thoughts down in a journal. Whatever you figure out works for you. I would say I feel like my old self about 95% of the time now, and the other 5% is a lot more manageable now knowing it is temporary.
FYI, had stomach issues for a year or two similar to what you describe, vomiting all the time. Never could figure out what it was. Now looking back it was clear it was severe anxiety. Have been on meds for anxiety and have had no issues since. Stomach issues might just be the anxiety and nothing else?
The ER has ran every test possible and they all show nothing wrong. The abdominal ultrasound I just had on Thursdays mentions a 1.1 cm cyst (either on the kidney or liver, I forget which) and a 2.5 cm lesion. I have a colonoscopy scheduled but not until late July. That's how messed up our system is, people have to suffer for months when they need answers right away. I can't wait that long.
Thank you everyone for the incredibly insightful replies.
My severe anxiety manifests itself as stomach pain as well. From age 8-23 I saw every specialist under the sun. Therapists, psychiatrists, gastroenteroligists, the whole gambit. I did colonoscopies, endoscopies, barium swallow tests with xrays... EVERYTHING.
The older I got the more I realized that it was just anxiety controlling myself and once I admitted it to myself and actually started talking about it... the better I began to do and the more the doctors could help me with medication. The crazy part is I have GAD, but I've never really pinpointed what I'm worried about. I honestly think that I'm anxious about being anxious. I worry about having panic attacks or anxiety and that triggers... panic attacks and anxiety.
As I mentioned previously, I finally found a very low dosage medication (Fluoxetine (generic Prozac)) and it works great for me. Sadly it took probably 10 years to find the right medication and the right dosage. Unfortunately it takes weeks for SSRI's to build up in your system and a lot of them have weird side effects... Don't get discouraged, there is something out there that will work for you, you just have to stay positive and keep trucking. YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT HELPS. I promise you.
Been meaning to reply to this for a long time.
Thank you for sharing this, it isn’t easy to be vulnerable about anxiety so being forthright is a great step.
In my non-professional opinion, I think it’s good that you’ve started meds and are noticing at least some relief. I find it is worth remembering that meds can take time to fully stabilize in my system, and sometimes need adjusting. So if you’re finding they’re only helping part of the time, it might be worth talking with your doc about dosage or alternatives.
As for managing daily anxiety what sucks is everyone’s different, but there are a few things I do that might help:
Grounding Techniques. These can help when you feel like you’re spiraling. Things like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique (naming 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste). Weird as it sounds it grounds me.
Journaling or Voice Notes. I pushed this for years thinking it would never work and would be a waste of time. But I was so wrong. Getting anxious thoughts out of my head and into the world can reduce their power. Sometimes even recording a voice memo when things are overwhelming can feel like a release especially if it’s hard to talk to someone in the moment.
Create a “Calm Kit”. Whether physical or digital, it could include things like a playlist of calming music, nature sounds, a scented candle, a weighted blanket, or favorite photos/videos that bring you comfort. Think of it as a sensory reset. I’ve found a playlist I made of songs I truly love is incredibly beneficial.
Reduce Information Overload. This was huge for me. My anxiety was worsened by constant input (news, social media, overstimulation) and I decided I don’t need social media as much as I thought I did. I left Facebook and Twitter and SnapChat etc six months ago and holy fuckballs it’s crazy how my anxiety dropped. Taking intentional breaks can really help.
And it’s not unusual for anxiety and gut health to be closely connected. If you haven’t already, maybe keep a journal to track food, symptoms, and anxiety levels. It might help uncover patterns.
I haven’t read this thread so maybe these thoughts have been covered. But you aren’t alone! Hope you find some comfort.
Just wanted to share in this thread again as I have had a rough week with our daughter's anxiety. Since I last posted in this thread we now have an official anxiety diagnosis and started medication. First prescribed an antihistamine that we originally were just going to use if we had a prolonged panic attack but started taking it daily when she had some big panic attacks. Thought that was working but then had multiple rough days and agreed to go on daily medication but that takes 2-3 weeks to kick in. This by far has been the most challenging week in 11 years of being a parent as she will be 1 week into that medication Friday and has has the most severe panic attacks to date 3 days in a row. Finally tonight she gained calmness and was as close to herself as she has been all week and was able to fall asleep without a prolonged panic attack. Just pains me to watch it because she doesn't even know what triggers it. For example today we could be sitting in the living room and just out of the blue she panics like is scared and has problems breathing properly. If she can't get it under control she can have an attack that goes on for 2 hours and is basically hyperventilating at that point and almost passes out. Nothing we do can get her to focus on breathing, any technique we have practiced she won't show the willpower to keep doing it if we can even get her started. One thing I found to work this week was the sudden minor panics if she can't get out of it right away if she has a sour warhead candy she kicks right out of it. yesterday she went through 2 bags but by the end of the day she hated them. Today she didn't want them then later in the day she did until she had too many and said her tongue hurt.
What finally melted my heart was her younger sister who has been a real trooper through all this and wants to help gave her a big hug this evening and the 2 of them sat in the recliner and did things together and my older daughter did not panic once while they were together or afterwards through falling asleep. The anxiety and panic attacks have been so bad this week she can't stand on her own because her energy is just drained, but she ate great today and is wanting to try to walk on her own again so hoping tomorrow we make progress to returning to normal. We have vacation planned for next week and my wife and I already have had conversations that we may need to delay or even cancel it depending on how the next 2 days go. My daughter asked about vacation today and we told her we still plan to go but getting her back to normal is our priority so if we have to adjust we will. Hoping that is her motivation to put in the work with us to get back to normal days again. Realistically I think it's going to be tough to leave Sunday like we planned but if we have to shorten our plans or worst case cancel our priority is her but ideally if we can get any of it in that will be good for her too.
I've prayed more in the past few weeks than I have in a long time so if you are moved please pray for my daughter and my family as we navigate this. Never did I imagine I will have to deal with mental health like this. I'm a strong guy and rarely show my emotions but this week has been a roller coaster of emotions and I have learned more about mental healthy this year than I ever thought I would have.
What finally melted my heart was her younger sister who has been a real trooper through all this and wants to help gave her a big hug this evening and the 2 of them sat in the recliner and did things together and my older daughter did not panic once while they were together or afterwards through falling asleep. The anxiety and panic attacks have been so bad this week she can't stand on her own because her energy is just drained, but she ate great today and is wanting to try to walk on her own again so hoping tomorrow we make progress to returning to normal. We have vacation planned for next week and my wife and I already have had conversations that we may need to delay or even cancel it depending on how the next 2 days go. My daughter asked about vacation today and we told her we still plan to go but getting her back to normal is our priority so if we have to adjust we will. Hoping that is her motivation to put in the work with us to get back to normal days again. Realistically I think it's going to be tough to leave Sunday like we planned but if we have to shorten our plans or worst case cancel our priority is her but ideally if we can get any of it in that will be good for her too.
I've prayed more in the past few weeks than I have in a long time so if you are moved please pray for my daughter and my family as we navigate this. Never did I imagine I will have to deal with mental health like this. I'm a strong guy and rarely show my emotions but this week has been a roller coaster of emotions and I have learned more about mental healthy this year than I ever thought I would have.
My daughter also has anxiety. She’s on a daily med and we use an antihistamine (hydroxyzone?) to bring her down when she has a panic attack. One thing that helps her is her cat. We have a very mellow cat and when a panic attack comes on it really helps her to hold it. A dog would probably work even better. Another thing that can work was recommended to us by her therapist. When the attacks start we begin a conversation about something silly to get her mind going in a different direction. For example, we might ask her what kind of car she wants someday. Where would it take her? What would she name it? If it could talk, what would it tell her? Anything that will redirect where her mind is going.
It’s awful to see your kids go through mental health issues. I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers.
Hydroxizine is the antihistamine, we switched from taking it when she had a panic attack to a daily dosage per recommendation of our pediatrician and thought it was working but then had another stretch of long and severe attack so started a very low dose of sertraline hydrochloride too which takes 2-3 weeks to kick in and then we can adjust dosage if needed. We have been trying to get into therapy but everything is a waiting list at that age that we've contacted so it's frustrating but just hope 1 opens up soon. We have been given a lot of different techniques to try and snap her out of it like the questions thing, breathing techniques, etc and she just doesn't focus enough on it when we try and gets more frustrated which leads to not breathing properly and elevating the panic attack. It's such a helpless feeling as a parent that you want to do anything you can to help her figure it out There are times this week that once you think you found something that might of worked then she doesn't respond to it the same way the next time.
