Here to help.

[Summers]

Yes you do lol. Just googled Viibryd, unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s available in the UK.

That's crazy! How can it not be available in the whole country?! Maybe you can get it shipped from the states?

 

[Chris]

I read that’s it’s not ‘licensed’ whatever that means. Unfortunately I can’t ship something like that from the states. You need a prescription for it right?

 

[Summers]

I read that’s it’s not ‘licensed’ whatever that means. Unfortunately I can’t ship something like that from the states. You need a prescription for it right?

Unfortunately, yes you need a script for Viibryd. There are other options available though I'm sure.

 

[Nadia]

Hey guys/girls,

I'm new here, and I'm sort of an "anxiety survivor". After a lot of work and long suffering, I was able to overcome crippling anxiety to the point where...I don't feel anxiety very much at all anymore.

I remember thinking when I was going through all of it,"If I just had someone that truly understood what I was going through to talk to, this might be a lot easier. If I just knew someone that beat this that could help me".

I feel like I could provide a few really good tips (depending on your situation) that really helped me overcome this. I hate the fact that there are so many people out there struggling with this.

So let's start with, what kind of an anxiety are you all feeling? Mine was health and then it turned into anxiety about getting anxiety.

I have the same type of anxiety that you had. I always was a party girl that lived my life reckless until my 30s when I finally settle when I met my current husband. I was married when I was 20 years old and obviously didn't work for us but we remained very good friends... Until he died of a stroke a couple years ago ( he was 41). Ive always been a very strong kind of woman where moves on in terrible situations and didnt even know what anxiety was, but after my ex husband died something happened to me, something triggered that horrible fear of getting sick, or the unknown future. I cant sleep, I doubt of my doctors capability of treating me, and its getting to a point that it became symptomatic, and its out of my control. I dont want to take any drugs, and ive been exercising like crazy, but it helps temporarily...what else can I do??

 

[Nadia]

I recently started with health anxiety. It all started with the weak/ tingly feeling in my left leg and lower back. It freaked me out. Now i am usually an anxious person but i was able to control it. Well after feeling that sensation for a few days i called the doc. and went in. everything was apparently ok and they referred me to a sports medical doc. because i suffer from back aches too. After that feeling everything went down hill. I started having a panicky/ nervous feeling throughout my body, shaking cold feeling. Pulsing in legs and then my whole body. Then i decided it would be smart to google my symptoms:/ Came across all sorts of neurological issues. Then i started feeling all those symptoms, my ibs went through the roof and now here i am.

fighting all these thoughts and sensations everyday. I went for a physical and full check up; doc said everything was fine. Was checked for lupus, mono, anemia, arthritis and nothing, everything is neg. according to the doc. problem is i dont feel ok. i have all these symptoms. feeling dizzy, super tired, short of breath, all these aches and pains in my body. My face is breaking out. etc. I also experienced my first panic attack and ended up in the ER. I have experienced and felt panicky other times after that as well. Its sucking the life out of me. The fun, sarcastic me does not exist anymore. I made my doc refer me to a neurlogist because there are times that gets so bad, that im convinced i have a tumor or other things like that. my mom is a woman of faith too and every time i talk to her i feel so much better. She went through something similar so she keeps telling me its just my nerves/anxiety acting up. But its super hard.

Its incredible what Im reading, Im going through thr same thing, except that my problem has been allergic reactions that are idiopathic and everytime I break in hives it freakes me out. Also since my ex husband died all of the sudden, something happened to me, I was never like this, I was reckless, happy, adventurous and never knew what anxiety was.

 

[Tiva]

Hey guys/girls,

I'm new here, and I'm sort of an "anxiety survivor". After a lot of work and long suffering, I was able to overcome crippling anxiety to the point where...I don't feel anxiety very much at all anymore.

I remember thinking when I was going through all of it,"If I just had someone that truly understood what I was going through to talk to, this might be a lot easier. If I just knew someone that beat this that could help me".

I feel like I could provide a few really good tips (depending on your situation) that really helped me overcome this. I hate the fact that there are so many people out there struggling with this.

So let's start with, what kind of an anxiety are you all feeling? Mine was health and then it turned into anxiety about getting anxiety.

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, but unfortunately not new to having anxiety. As an entrepreneur, much of my anxiety has been attributed to a lack of fulfillment and purpose. Sometimes I feel like I have so many great ideas, but I can decide where to start, and I ultimately spend more time thinking of where to start, and never actually starting anything. I know...it sounds crazy.

Here are a few of the strategies that I use to keep my anxiety at bay.

1.) Find a hobby unrelated to your business. I LOVE to cook--so I am constantly trying new techniques and new dishes.
2.) Read EVERYTHING! I find that a lot of my anxiety comes from me living in my own head--i.e. I overthink EVERYTHING. So I always have at least 5-6 books on my night stand, ranging in topics fro, Cannabis/CBD Oil to Grilling techniques, gardening, etc. My advice--write down a list of 5 things you are interested in. Then find 5 books on your topic. You don't have to read 1 at a time....just keep them close and read a few chapters a day. You'll be amazed at how therapeutic (and distracting) learning is.

3.) Exercise: The key to exercise ( and adherence) is finding something FUN. It could be running. Weight lifting. Kayaking. Rock Climbing. ANYTHING. Just find something you enjoy.

4.) . STOP PLANNING EVERYTHING! I used to be guilt of this ( and sometimes still am). I would plan out my day from the second I woke up till the second I managed to fall asleep. And god forbid something didn't go as planned---ANXIETY attack. Like clockwork.

I hope you find some value in this. These are just a few things that I used to help stay sane. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with. We are in this together.

 

[Summers]

I have the same type of anxiety that you had. I always was a party girl that lived my life reckless until my 30s when I finally settle when I met my current husband. I was married when I was 20 years old and obviously didn't work for us but we remained very good friends... Until he died of a stroke a couple years ago ( he was 41). Ive always been a very strong kind of woman where moves on in terrible situations and didnt even know what anxiety was, but after my ex husband died something happened to me, something triggered that horrible fear of getting sick, or the unknown future. I cant sleep, I doubt of my doctors capability of treating me, and its getting to a point that it became symptomatic, and its out of my control. I dont want to take any drugs, and ive been exercising like crazy, but it helps temporarily...what else can I do??

Hey Nadia, welcome to the board. Sorry you are dealing with this. It sounds like you have a lot of unresolved baggage from your past that is all the sudden surfacing. I, and the rest of the people on this board, know exactly what you are going through (the anxiety aspect). I think you can really benefit from seeing a therapist. At least try it. My first really bad spat with anxiety didn't happen until I was 26. I had a lot of trauma in my childhood, and then had a very rough age 25 year. When it settled down, all the sudden the anxiety came after.

The good news is that this all will eventually subside if you continue to try and find help in healthy ways. There are more people than you can ever imagine going through what you are going through. Exercising is a great start, keep that up.

 

[Summers]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, but unfortunately not new to having anxiety. As an entrepreneur, much of my anxiety has been attributed to a lack of fulfillment and purpose. Sometimes I feel like I have so many great ideas, but I can decide where to start, and I ultimately spend more time thinking of where to start, and never actually starting anything. I know...it sounds crazy.

Here are a few of the strategies that I use to keep my anxiety at bay.

1.) Find a hobby unrelated to your business. I LOVE to cook--so I am constantly trying new techniques and new dishes.
2.) Read EVERYTHING! I find that a lot of my anxiety comes from me living in my own head--i.e. I overthink EVERYTHING. So I always have at least 5-6 books on my night stand, ranging in topics fro, Cannabis/CBD Oil to Grilling techniques, gardening, etc. My advice--write down a list of 5 things you are interested in. Then find 5 books on your topic. You don't have to read 1 at a time....just keep them close and read a few chapters a day. You'll be amazed at how therapeutic (and distracting) learning is.

3.) Exercise: The key to exercise ( and adherence) is finding something FUN. It could be running. Weight lifting. Kayaking. Rock Climbing. ANYTHING. Just find something you enjoy.

4.) . STOP PLANNING EVERYTHING! I used to be guilt of this ( and sometimes still am). I would plan out my day from the second I woke up till the second I managed to fall asleep. And god forbid something didn't go as planned---ANXIETY attack. Like clockwork.

I hope you find some value in this. These are just a few things that I used to help stay sane. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with. We are in this together.

Great advice. Your comment about reading made me think of something else that really helped me: educate yourself about anxiety. Learn the ins and outs of what anxiety is. What is happening in your body? You might literally get anxiety reading about it, but it will be worth it in the end. Once you have the knowledge of anxiety, it helps you fight it off (sort of from an intellectual standpoint).

 

[jmarch2000]

Good Evening,

I am not an American, I live in the caribbean, and I recently started med school. Here in my country it’s only 5 years in the same college, my girlfriend, whom I met on april still on senior year, studies in the same college, only a different subject which lasts 3 years. We love ourselves very much, she is the best for me, she understands me, very little have we argued because we care so much for each other and she has proven how much she loves me. Our 2-month summer vacation was well-lived, we talked to each other every single minute and we went out a lot. But school has ended and now we enter a new stage in our life which is college, it started yesterday and I felt a sudden anxiety because we now of course have to talk less to each other due to different class periods, but it hasn’t in any way downgraded the realtionship, I still lov her and same for her. The thing is I’m just scared that the relationship will fall apart due to college, and it shouldn’t, beacuse we see ourselves every morning and live close to each other in a very small country. I even told that to her and she gave me tips to calm down and told me it was going to be okay. I just need some advice on how to end this anxiety and not be afraid of the relationship ending, which I want to be long lasting.

 

[Wesmanka]

How can i tell my brain to stop Im so sick of this. I am depressed now, i just feel like crying all the time and have zero excitement about anything or energy. Is it really possible for all this just to be in my head/brain. I believe is just my brain sometimes but then other times i say it cant be. It has to be something else causing this. My doctor is no help, he told me all my test were good and did not suggest anything else or say anything else. thats why i told him to refer me to a neurologist because maybe they can give me more input. Just curious to ask you some questions since our stories are so similar. Did you ever enjoy anything while you were going through this? Was it an all day thing or did you just feel it sometimes? Mine is constant now from the moment i get up, my brain is already thinking ok this is whats wrong today. I get up feeling really tired and my head feels heavy. Then im ok but the thought of whats coming next or when will the next symptom show keeps me on edge all day. Also keeps me sad and doesnt let me enjoy anything. I cant even eat sometimes.

I had IBS issues already and gall bladder issues. So my IBS is through the roof right now. How did you do it? How did you overcome this? I keep thinking maybe going to the neurologist and if something is not wrong; that will be what changes my brain thoughts. I been going to a counselor and i feel im worst after i leave there. I feel drained and sad; maybe because i talk about all my issues and remind myself of them? I thought this is supposed to be helping me not making me feel more depressed and worst. Maybe i need to change therapist.

I am going through the exact thing. I've resorted to alcohol though and I hate it. I make excuses to leave work because I'm so on edge and the drive home is the worst.

 

[Nadia]

How can i tell my brain to stop Im so sick of this. I am depressed now, i just feel like crying all the time and have zero excitement about anything or energy. Is it really possible for all this just to be in my head/brain. I believe is just my brain sometimes but then other times i say it cant be. It has to be something else causing this. My doctor is no help, he told me all my test were good and did not suggest anything else or say anything else. thats why i told him to refer me to a neurologist because maybe they can give me more input. Just curious to ask you some questions since our stories are so similar. Did you ever enjoy anything while you were going through this? Was it an all day thing or did you just feel it sometimes? Mine is constant now from the moment i get up, my brain is already thinking ok this is whats wrong today. I get up feeling really tired and my head feels heavy. Then im ok but the thought of whats coming next or when will the next symptom show keeps me on edge all day. Also keeps me sad and doesnt let me enjoy anything. I cant even eat sometimes.

I had IBS issues already and gall bladder issues. So my IBS is through the roof right now. How did you do it? How did you overcome this? I keep thinking maybe going to the neurologist and if something is not wrong; that will be what changes my brain thoughts. I been going to a counselor and i feel im worst after i leave there. I feel drained and sad; maybe because i talk about all my issues and remind myself of them? I thought this is supposed to be helping me not making me feel more depressed and worst. Maybe i need to change therapist.

Hi Jackie:

I know exactly how you feel and even though Im not saying this is your case, I thought it wont hurt to look into that. So I have always been a very calm, anxiety free person, and as Im going through my mid 30s I started experiencing panic attacks, severe anxiety for my health and devoloped the worst IBS out there. I was depressed , sad and scared ALL THE TIME, and my doctors were no help, but then I found this family doctor that even though she is a MD her approach is kinda holistic. She wanted to learn more of my eating habits and she did a full nutritional/ vitamin screen..and sure enough my B12 was dangerously low, just as my vitamin D and my prolactin was extremely high.. she explained that my vitamin B12 is responsible for my nervous system and that is prob the cause of my sudden anxiety, the prolactin was messing up with my body due to high level of stress and at the end everything relate to my daily intake of zantac ( anti acid h2 blocker) that eliminates completely the production of acid in my stomach...and we need acid to absorb our vitamins, and now that I think about it, everything started since I started treatment for my H.pylori. Im taking B12 in 5000 mg and vit D and I cant tell you how good I feel now, my bathroom habits came back to normal, Im eating healthier, Im exercising a lot , my prolactin went from 42 to 11.5, and my depression is GONE.. Im still a little anxious here and there, but I feel that all your nervous issues that are not autoimmune are due to some hormone unbalance or vitamin defiency. Gastrosenterologist dont test you for this at least they suspect malabsorption. Try to find a holistic physician that can treat your IBS and also explain your anxiety levels.. advocate for yourself because now day doctors just treat symptoms, they dont cure you anymore. I hope it helps

 

[Hari]

I am sorry if my English is not that good.
I've been diagnosed with pure O's for 10 years or so, and I've been drinking SSRI's for 2 years, which helped me a lot. Now my obsessions are lowered and there is only one kind of fear that buggers me a lot.

I am afraid of being influenced by someone's opinion, when that person doesn't like the things that I like. I am afraid that by understanding her/his perspective, I'll stop enjoying the things that I do enjoy. It works on some emotional level even when I understand how unreasonable is that fear of mine. Also I am afraid of losing some of my abilities I value the most.
For an example, there was a guy who told me that he is bad with remembering names of people and things. I am aware that it is a common thing and I know that there are environmental and natural causes that make many people bad with remembering things.
Yet, I have become obsessed that I will get his perspective and I will stop remembering names. Even, I somehow get the feeling that it is wrong for me to remember names and I should stop doing it. I know my reasoning is flawed, yet I believe it on an emotional level. Is there a way, to stop worrying about those things, do any of you, have similar experiences?

 

[Rinka]

I am sorry if my English is not that good.
I've been diagnosed with pure O's for 10 years or so, and I've been drinking SSRI's for 2 years, which helped me a lot. Now my obsessions are lowered and there is only one kind of fear that buggers me a lot.

I am afraid of being influenced by someone's opinion, when that person doesn't like the things that I like. I am afraid that by understanding her/his perspective, I'll stop enjoying the things that I do enjoy. It works on some emotional level even when I understand how unreasonable is that fear of mine. Also I am afraid of losing some of my abilities I value the most.
For an example, there was a guy who told me that he is bad with remembering names of people and things. I am aware that it is a common thing and I know that there are environmental and natural causes that make many people bad with remembering things.
Yet, I have become obsessed that I will get his perspective and I will stop remembering names. Even, I somehow get the feeling that it is wrong for me to remember names and I should stop doing it. I know my reasoning is flawed, yet I believe it on an emotional level. Is there a way, to stop worrying about those things, do any of you, have similar experiences?

I haven’t had such an experience, but reading your post, reminds me of a kind o OCD. Obsessing to comply maybe? Aside from the SSRI are you getting any other help to support you keeping your own opinion, such as therapy? CBT, cognitive behaviour therapy, can be very effective in changing ones perspective and behaviour in certain situations.

 

[Hari]

I haven’t had such an experience, but reading your post, reminds me of a kind o OCD. Obsessing to comply maybe? Aside from the SSRI are you getting any other help to support you keeping your own opinion?

Only my close friends who understand my fear on some intellectual level, but because they don't share it, they don't know how to help.

If it is worth mentioning, there are periods when I don't care about these things and other periods (like this one), when I cannot function and obsess with these thoughts.

 

[Rinka]

Are you able to access a service that provides therapy such as CBT. Obviously during your more stable time, you might think that you don’t need it or can wait, but that should be the time when you should start therapy. When the down time hits, you have already learned some coping mechanisms that can help you.

 

[Hari]

Are you able to access a service that provides therapy such as CBT. Obviously during your more stable time, you might think that you don’t need it or can wait, but that should be the time when you should start therapy. When the down time hits, you have already learned some coping mechanisms that can help you.

You are right. I've being doing some CBT with my psychiatrist when I was on SSRI's and that helped me a lot. I guess I'll have to start my therapy again.

 

[Rinka]

You might not need to start from scratch though. I suppose a few sessions to refresh memories and methods might already help. Let me know how you get on

 

[sierra9779]

I remember that feeling all too well. That this was simply how my life was going to be now on, forever. I even had someone tell me that. Which as I'm sure you know...is the worst thing you can hear! Its simply not true. I also had someone promise me that it would leave me eventually...they were right.

Anxiety is a very complicated thing to pin point as there are many reasons why it developes and for how long it remains. That's so great that you were able to "overcome"it. I can't imagine what that would feel like. However, many of us will find healthy coping mechanisms for the rest of our lives and yet never actually "overcome" or "cure" it because it is actually how our neurological systmes are wired. For those of us, I'd much rather know about what your healthy coping mechanisms are to "weather the worst of storms" of anxiety on a regular basis, other than medicine? Some of mine are CBT, yoga, meditation, and baths.

 

[Blader712]

I have what I think is general anxiety, Im 25 years old and have been in it for over a year...I feel like a completely different person and I can't remember my old personality. Do, that being said...I feel like Im never gong to feel like I used to.

 

[Blader712]

thank you so much for being here for us all together we can learn something