I am a wreck. I can’t sleep at night without calling my Mom at least once and saying, “I love you” a million times. I’m afraid something will happen to me or my family and I not there to say good-bye. I always look out my bedroom window at night to see if anything unusual is in the sky. My mom can’t be out more than two hours without me having to call her (when I stay home alone). I hate this experince! It is very frightening and I have even considered taking prescribtion medicine to wave away those types of thoughts. I have talked numerously to the school counselour, but my mind is no where near ease. I never had this anxiety (disorder) last year. It came from no where! What can I do to clear away my anxiety? (P.S. Last night, I had a dream my Dad got shot and this man walked up and said he died, but then I practically jumped awake).

Chosen Answer:

The good news is that anxiety generally responds VERY well to treatment.

There are a number of ways to go about it, but first – I would suggest you speak with your doctor to work out a plan.

You can do biofeedback, meditation (sounds true has a CD called anxiety relief that is terrific), yoga.

You can work with a cognitive-behavioral therapist who can help you get your thinking on track.

And then, there are a LOT of different meds. Some anti-depressants can be if you’re a teen this may not be the best course. There are anti-anxiety meds and then there is propranalol which inhibits the body from having anxiety reactions – so you may start to feel anxious but when your heart doesn’t race and you don’t get a stomach ache, it stops the chain of anxiety and you’re fine.

Or…you might wind up doing a combination of things. just speak with your doctor. This is totally workable!
by: Shrieking Panda
on: 17th April 07

Does anyone here have diagnosed anxiety disorders? Do you know any support groups? Have you recovered/improved and how? I have generalized anxiety, panic, and OCD. I’m doing cognitive therapy, but I know having someone understanding would help a great deal. Thanks for any advice.
By the way, I’m in my late twenties and have had anxiety since I can remember (around age 4 or 5).

Chosen Answer:

I do… I am battling it every day. It is so hard… and I feel like I can’t talk to anyone about it! I have a great doctor, so she helps some. I hear going to a conslr. can help, but i feel uncomfortable with that, just isn’t for me. There are lots of online support groups. I think ivillage can be a great resource. Even things like drinking herbal tea, getting sunshine, getting “pampered” at a spa could help. Yoga and meditation have helped me. Also, email me I’d love to chat!
by: missy
on: 15th June 08

so i think i have anxiety but not sure or it could even be depression..

like i have bad thoughts and i mostly think about it when im away from my mom. or just anyone. it normally is about scary things like the world and all thats in it..

it goes away but comes back.
i tried changing my life around. like doing things differnt but it always comes back.

iv been having these feelings for awhile (a couple months) and i dont know what to do about it.

i seriously need help. or i dont know how much more i can take.

Chosen Answer:

I have anxiety and this is not one of my symptoms or even a classic symptom of it. Could be depression though, since you think of scary things. You probably need to seek out some help for a diagnosis and some medication. Sweets, don’t stress on this at all, lots of people think about scary things, you may be at the beginning of an anxiety disorder or depression. Talk to someone, your Mom would be the first one to talk to about this. You will be fine though!
by: Premo Mom
on: 30th January 08

I know that I am very depressed and that I have adhd, but lately I feel like if something or someone makes me mad then they are like having the conversation with me until I just actually blow up… I then start talking to the person and saying how I feel.. What is wrong with me???? I start arguments with my husband for no reason and just go off… I know I need help But where do I begin.. is this more like depression and I need counseling or all in my head I need to go to a brain doctor.. I already go to a nuerologist for migraines and counselor for ADHD and anxiety/depression, But where to begin???
I am being treated for ADHD with a form of Ritalin… I was using Adderall. I am also using Zoloft for depression. I also take Topamax for Headaches and mood. I just feel like a walking time bomb.. One minute I am fine and the next I am stressing.

Chosen Answer:

sweetie, stop worrying about what is wrong with you. you’re okay. now, the next time you go to see you adhd counselor ask his advice on who to see. my thought is that you need to see a good psychiatrist and let him diagnose you. there are so many new therapies and drugs out there for the problem you described. you will find help and your life will get better. so, chin up and get out there and find help. you deserve to have the help you need. don’t let anyone discourage you. God Bless you and the best of luclk to you
by: justme
on: 13th March 07

I’ve started taking 6 ibuprofen pills a day (as prescribed by my doctor) and have started having massive insomnia issues ever since. I googled it and found out that long-term use of ibuprofen could cause insomnia, but I’ve only been taking them for less than a week. Could this be related anyway?

Chosen Answer:

Ibuprofen is just a COX blocker. COX doesn’t really have any play in sleep. I am trying to make connections with prostaglandins and stuff further down the line after COX that might stop you from relaxing but I can’t come up with anything. So, to answer your question: I don’t see any conceptual link to insomnia with ibuprofen.
by: ►Noble◄
on: 17th January 10

I had a miscarriage 4 months ago and am now 6 weeks pregnant. I have a son and that pregnancy went perfectly so I know reasonably that I can and probably will have a healthy pregnancy. However, I can’t stop the anxious feeling that I will lose this baby too. I have been having really traumatic dreams that I am having a miscarriage. I feel like if I can’t get this anxiety out of my head that I may actually cause myself to have a miscarriage. Any help would be appreciated.

Chosen Answer:

I know how you feel. I had a miscarriage and 2 months later i found out i was pregnant again. I know until you hit that 12 week mark you are going to be anxious, try maybe taking a warm bath with some lavender scented bath gel before you go to bed to relax your body and maybe it will help you sleep better. When you wake up from one of those dreams, just take a few deep breaths, and i know it sounds kinda wierd but i used to touch my tummy (well the lil bump that was there) alot just to remind myself that i was blessed enough to get pregnant again and it would make me wonder what this baby would look like, what gender, what name i would give and eventually my anxious feeling would go away. I really hope this helps
by:
on: 23rd October 10

I just started taking effexor on Thursday for depression, anxiety, muscle pain, and migraines. Before I started taking it I would always wake up early in the morning (6 to 7 am) and not be able to fall asleep but now I also am waking up about 4 times throughout the night and having a hard time falling back asleep. My question is will this go away after the 1st couple weeks of taking this drug or will I continue having insomnia the whole time?
I have always avoided taking pills but my depression/anxiety got so bad I just lay on the couch and watch tv day from the physical pain it causes me.

Chosen Answer:

I had that too when I first started taking Effexor. After about 10 days my sleeping patterns were back to normal, and after a month the benefits of taking it far outweighed the first couple of weeks of insomnia. If you’re still sleeping badly in a couple of weeks you should see your doctor, as with any other side effects that haven’t gone away by then. God luck!
by: Rain Dogs
on: 20th February 09

I have really bad anger issues and social anxiety, and depression problems. I used to be on meds but I’m not anymore, and the symptoms are back. Im 20 and I cant be depending on my mom for rides. How can I take a bus or train without having a panic attack? People think I’m lazy because I only want rides, it angers me because that is not the case at all. Please help.

Chosen Answer:

Don’t look at anyone, and imagine you’re in your own little world, even thought that sounds crazy. Just ignore it and count to ten everytime you panic.
by:
on: 12th August 11

I notice that I have insomnia which is something that I have never dealt with before and it is making it hard for me to go to sleep. I have heard that Sleeping pills are bad because they make the body dependent on them later on but I feel like I have a hard time going to sleep.

Chosen Answer:

benadryl (diphenhydramine) is a great drug to help you sleep. It is sold over the counter (OTC) in most pharmacies. The best part is that it is non-habit forming, so your body will not get dependent on it.

Another drug to try is melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. Taking it medicinally can help with insomnia. Do not take melatonin if you have high blood pressure (can raise BP), diabetes (can raise blood sugar), depression (can make symptoms worse), or a seizure disorder (can potentiate seizures)

One more option could be Valerian root extract. This has been shown to help treat insomnia. Do not drink alcohol with this drug, or other CNS depressants because they could increase each others effect in the body
by:
on: 24th October 11

The applications themselves are okay because proactive, but the waiting period is brutal. I’m having insomnia, anxiety dreams, fits of listless apathy, existential crises, flights of panic. It’s lovely. Anyone have some tips on how to deal?

Chosen Answer:

I think just being able to talk to someone about it will help. I’m waiting to hear about my college of music auditions and it is BRUTAL. I used to have nightmares almost every night, when I could get to sleep, but I started talking about it with my councilor and friends and it has really helped.

Good luck on getting in!
by:
on: 27th March 10