I am a 33 y/o male and am dealing with several physical symtoms I believe are related to stress. I suffer from the obvious issues of low-energy, body pains, a sudden onset of allergies, constant diarrhea, anxiety, etc. I have been on every medication including Prozac, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Cymbalta, etc. None were very effective and most usually had horrific side-effects.

After suffering through the awful withdrawls associated with Effexor, and trying all these different meds over the span of 10 years, I decided enough was enough. Instead I chose to fight this battle without meds. My mind is healing, but my body is still suffering. I have learned how to compensate with the majority of my issues, but I believe my body is producing a chemical that is causing me problems. Some have said it is Cortisol, but I’m not sure. The reason I believe this is because I am dealing with a seemingly constant rectal itching and seemingly endless outbreaks of almost athlete’s foot-type itching on my right hand, in the creases between my thighs and pubic area and on my feet. The itching is severe and unbearable. It may even be a type of recurring yeast-like infection. I also have miniscule white flecks in my stool.

These symptoms began almost immediately following an extremely stressful event that occured in my life approximately 13yrs ago that has led to long, drawn-out battle with depression and have continued, unabated since then. I have been to counseling and have discussed some of these issues with my doctor, but have not had any success. My question is, is there a possibility that my body is producing a chemical that is causing these symptoms and is there anything I can do to stop them?

Tags: athlete, constant diarrhea, creases, cymbalta, effexor, energy body, flecks, foot type, lexapro, low energy, meds, occured, physical symtoms, prozac, stressful event, sudden onset, thighs, wellbutrin, withdrawls, yeast