i’m 19…since age 11, i have overcome panic attacks, agoraphobia, then anxiety attacks (as a result of anxiety disorder), situational depression—i lived thru it all untreated. now i have pure-o ocd…i’ve been on zoloft since february, it gives me energy but idk..i only started therapy at school last september, but now i need a new one since i’m home for the summer

it’s so annoying because i feel like a big baby that i can’t just GET OVER THIS shit already. it’s so STUPID. no one i know is going thru this crap. i just wanna live a healthy, normal and happy life…

has anyone gone thru this – or anything like it – and OVERCOME? right now i just have no hope…i’m all "hoped" out…

Tags: Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, crap, depression, happy life, last september, ocd, Panic Attacks, quot, zoloft

I have no job and haven’t in a long time. I mostly stay in my house all the time. I can run errands no problem but the thought of going somewhere and having to stay there even though I want to leave scares me. I was taking Zoloft for my anxiety but I stopped because I thought that I was over it (anxiety) and didn’t need it anymore.

When I am hired, I go and then feel trapped in the place for eight hours and then excuses fill my head. I do want to work, don’t get me wrong. I just feel so helpless and lost when I am at work. I am really close to giving up on myself…Can anyone give some real advice on what to do? Perhaps someone has been here before?

Tags: anxiety, eight hours, job, long time, zoloft

I’m 16 years old and for the past year i have had a great deal of anxiety. Mostly about my health and it has caused me to feel all these physical symptoms that make me stress more. I have been to just about every type of doctor who have all assured me that im fine. I have suffered with vertigo, light headedness, and stomach problems but the hardest one to deal with is the shortness of breath. At first my chest felt very heavy but now its my throat. It feels so tight like someone is strangling me and it wont go away. Excersise used to ease my mind but now i am affriad because i feel like i cant breathe. I am on 100 mg of zoloft and have been seeing a phsyciatrist. Nothing is helping and its ruining my life. Anyone have any suggestions…. Oh and sorry this post is so long, I just have a lot going on

Tags: anxiety, doctor who, health, shortness of breath, stomach problems, vertigo, zoloft

I’m Tiffany. I have had severe panic attacks since I was about 17. I did LSD and had a "bad trip" I went into convulsions it felt like my spinal cord was ripping out of my body. Every since then I have severe panic attacks no matter where I go or what I do. I was fired from two jobs because I ran out the door and fell to the ground (I felt like if I didn’t my heart was going to explode.) One time I had to go to the hospital cause everything turned white I couldn’t see, breathe, or walk. The dr’s said I was having a real bad panic attack and nothing is wrong with my spine. I no longer have health insurance so I’m going to have to withdraw from my Zoloft(Which makes me angry all the time and deppressed but eases off the panic attacks for the most part.) How do I get cured? This is ruining my life. I’ll be 21 next month and can’t even go out like normal people. How did you over come your panic attacks? I have lost most of my friends because I never want to go out. I can’t do this anymore

Tags: angry all the time, bad trip, convulsions, health insurance, heart, insurance, jobs, panic attack, Panic Attacks, spinal cord, spine, tiffany, zoloft

I am going crazy with anxiety over anxiety! I’m not thinking about other issues, just the fact that I may have another anxiety attack, which is causing anxiety. It’s an endless loop. How can I stop it? I’ve gotten over my major depression but the anxiety is killing me. I am on 150mg of zoloft also. Thanks.

Tags: anxiety attack, causing anxiety, endless loop, major depression, zoloft

I’ve been suffering with social anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder most of my life. I often feel alone in my symptoms and plight. Some of my symptoms feel strange and uncommon from what I’ve read most people experience. Along with the usual worries, fear of loss of control, and despondency, my other serious problems are uncontrollably shaky hands and numbness around my mouth to the point of being unable to speak clearly. Anyone else experience this? I just talked with my doctor yesterday and he put me on Lexapro and Klonopin. Have only ever been on Zoloft and Xanax in the past. Anyone had success with these meds? All help is appreciated. I’m very scared…

Tags: despondency, generalized anxiety disorder, klonopin, lexapro, meds, numbness, plight, shaky hands, social anxiety, worries, xanax, zoloft

For several years now, I have been battling severe panic attacks related to social anxiety disorder/agoraphobia. It isn’t just "shyness", it’s a full-blown panic attack – sweating, chills, rapid pulse, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, hyperventilating, and the overwhelming need to get out of the situation immediately.

I am on daily Zoloft to curb the anxiety, and Xanax as-needed for panic attacks. The Zoloft works alright, the Xanax works better, but neither is 100% and I have several very stressful weeks coming up and I need some kind of remedy or trick, preferably something all-natural, to help me cope with the panic attacks.

All ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated. =)

Tags: chills, diarrhea, hyperventilating, nausea, overwhelming need, panic attack, rapid pulse, remedy, social anxiety disorder, xanax, zoloft

Started zoloft about 6 weeks ago and yesterday I had some anxious feelings.I was so…disappointed because I thought I had this under control.Just went to the doctors on Monday and told him I felt great.I do sleep well but today I also feel anxious. Anyone have the same experience?

Tags: anxious feelings, doctors, sleep, zoloft

Which of these 3 medications is most effective in treating anxiety and panic attacks?

I’m talking about IMMEDIATE treatment (along with over a period of time).

Vistaril 50mg
Zoloft 50mg or 100mg
Prozac 20mg

(a follow up to my previous question, in case you answered it)

Thank you for your info!!!

Tags: anxiety and panic attacks, medications, period of time, previous question, prozac, vistaril, zoloft, zoloft 50mg

i’m 19 but for my whole life i’ve had anxiety disorder…it got worse when i was 11 and started having panic attacks. my teenage years were a nightmare and i got no treatment. i began therapy last fall and in february i started zoloft, but got off it in june because while it stopped my physical anxiety attacks…it made me manic and then depressed. it was pretty unpredictable.

i started taking vitamin b-12 a couple days ago, so far no cigar. exercise and stuff helps but never lasts for too long.

i’m not sure if i try herbs or try a mood stabilizer as i have mood swings too, and they help anxiety.

can anyone relate to my situation? and what do you do for it?

i’m frustrated.

Tags: Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, cigar, couple days, exercise, herbs, mood stabilizer, mood swings, nightmare, Panic Attacks, teenage years, vitamin b 12, whole life, zoloft

I have been diagnosed with panic disorder about two weeks ago before i was diagnosed I had been up under a great deal of stress for about two weeks straight. Then I noticed one day that my muscles were twiching more than usually then that same night my muscles twiched in my chest and scared me. I thought my heart was doing somthing weird so this caused me to have a panic attack. For the rest of the night I felt really weak and had a head ache. Then next day I woke up feeling really weak and tired and I had chest pains. The next day I went to the doctor and told him how i was feeling and what happened and he put me on Effexor. For the past two months I had had tremors mostly in the legs, Chest pain in different parts of the chest, twiching muscles all over the body, Feeling real jittery at times, Feeling dizzy or light-headed from time to time throughtout the day, I have had this pressuer on the leftside of my head for 2 weeks, headaches, neck aches, heart speeds up 57-64bpm to 77-86
well I am not on effexor any more I been off it for over two weeks now I am on the generic brand of zoloft (Serlaline) because My family doctor up my dosage to 150mg form 75mg and I was almost sleep 2 nights after wards and rolled over and felt my heart racing with no symtoms of a panic attack so I went to the ER room and they did an EKG and said to find nothing wrong with my heart at the time but when i first got there my pulse was like 111 then after being there a while the nurse check it and she said that it was down to 81 and she asked me did it still seem to be beating fast and i said yes because usually at rest My puse ranges form 53bpm to 63bpm So I am really scared right now I am a 21 year old male in college was an athelete until all this came about. At times i wonder is there somthing wrong with my nevous system cause by stress. I wish I wouldn’t never started taking any kind of Anti-depressants.
I also sweat real easily esp. at night during sleep My legs sweat more than anything else. Then I also get cold real easy. I have always been a hot natured person every since i was a little kid. I havent really had any test done on my heart or any besides an EKG and a BLood test. The frequent coming a going chest pain that come and go really scare me at times. I has feel as if I have the little episodes of being short of breath when i am not doing nothing I also be trying to fall asleep and at time i will either jump or awake with a snort or gasp for a breath

Tags: anti depressants, athelete, chest pain, chest pains, effexor, ekg, family doctor, generic brand, headaches, leftside, legs, muscles, nevous system, panic attack, panic disorder, rest of the night, sleep 2, tremors, wards, zoloft

I have been suffering with depression/panic attacks for a few months now and I am on Zoloft but I talked with a herbalist and they gave me Omega 3 to take 2 times a day and a liquid called Rescue Remedy, for anxiety. I’m just a little worried about all of it. If anyone has tried it let me know please.

Tags: anxiety, depression, herbalist, omega 3, Panic Attacks, rescue remedy, zoloft

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with acupuncture as a treatment for depression and/or social anxiety/phobia? I am currently on Zoloft but I would like to stop taking medication for the condition and use a natural alternative instead.
If it helps, this isn’t a one-time occurrence… I have been having major depressive episodes on and off for years now, playing with different medications to try and yield the best results.

Tags: acupuncture, depressive episodes, major depressive, medication, medications, social anxiety, time occurrence, treatment for depression, zoloft

hi im 17 and have been on zoloft for about a year for anxiety. ive been off it for over a month now and i feel like crap, physically. It seems like i feel like im buzzed on alcohol 24/7 (dizzy, felling of unreality, lightheadedness, so on) the symptoms sort of match anxiety but don’t come it attacks its 24/7, so i have a hard time believing it’s anxiety when i don’t worry that much. I would like to hear from anyone who’s had the same situation, my parents tell me im fine but im worried there is something physically wrong. your help would be much appreciated, thanks.

Tags: alcohol, anxiety, crap, hard time, match, parents, unreality, zoloft

Okay, about a week about I started having some chest pains and slight shortness of breathe. Went to the ER thinking it was heart related. They took a lot of bllod, did an EKG and chest x-ray and all tests came back fine. They told me to follow up with my dr. this week which I did. They think it is stress/anxiety since I have been dealing with a lot over the past couple of months. Death in family and then I had a miscarraige plus little things going on with the house, ie frozen pipes, etc. Anyway, she prescribed me Zoloft. I am scared to take anything like this because I have been feeling fine the past couple of days. The only thing I have it chest tightness off and on. I haven’t taken the Zoloft yet. Would like to try something all-natural first. But then againm I don’t know if the pain is just heartburn as I have never had that before. I have it the better part of a day. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I am a healthy 25 year old female with a great life and fiance.

Tags: chest pains, chest tightness, chest x ray, couple of days, ekg, fiance, frozen pipes, stress anxiety, zoloft

hello i need help. i suffer very bad case. i have kids anxiety. i also am on antidepressants anxiety like zoloft and prozac. i want to get rid of anxiety. i take the panic attack drugs to get rid of anxiety . i suffer headaches and other side effects. i take a lot of naturally herbal remedies and drugs like pills and medicines. i also love playing rock band. palm

Tags: antidepressants, anxiety, bad case, drugs, headaches, herbal remedies, medicines, palm, panic attack, pills, prozac, rock band, zoloft

My doctor believes I am suffering from panic attacks and anxiety. I’d just like to ask some questions that he doesn’t answer for me.

Is it common for panic attacks/anxiety to just come on suddenly, with no stressful incident or anything to set it off?

How long does a panic attack usually last? The symptoms I’ve been having can last for days without letting up–weakness/shakiness, chest discomfort, trouble breathing… I always thought they only lasted a few minutes to a few hours.

Are there any over the counter remedies I can try to alleviate the symptoms? I have had bad reactions to everything they’ve tried so far, and the pharmacist won’t even fill the most recent prescription because it’s in the same class of drugs as the other ones I’ve tried.
I have tried Zoloft, Lexapro and Xanax and had reactions to all–basically felt 10x worse after taking them (wanted to run screaming up the street or jump off my roof). The doctor prescribed Celexa, and the pharmacist wouldn’t even fill it based on my other reactions.

Tags: anxiety, celexa, chest discomfort, drugs, few minutes, lexapro, other ones, panic attack, Panic Attacks, pharmacist, stressful incident, xanax, zoloft

Okay, about a week about I started having some chest pains and slight shortness of breathe. Went to the ER thinking it was heart related. They took a lot of bllod, did an EKG and chest x-ray and all tests came back fine. They told me to follow up with my dr. this week which I did. They think it is stress/anxiety since I have been dealing with a lot over the past couple of months. Death in family and then I had a miscarraige plus little things going on with the house, ie frozen pipes, etc. Anyway, she prescribed me Zoloft. I am scared to take anything like this because I have been feeling fine the past couple of days. The only thing I have it chest tightness off and on. I haven’t taken the Zoloft yet. Would like to try something all-natural first. But then againm I don’t know if the pain is just heartburn as I have never had that before. I have it the better part of a day. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I am a healthy 25 year old female with a great life and fiance.

Tags: chest pains, chest tightness, chest x ray, couple of days, ekg, fiance, frozen pipes, stress anxiety, zoloft

For over a week I’ve been suffering from shortness of breath and chest tightness/pain. I have had past anxiety problems, but I’ve been on Zoloft to treat it, and haven’t had any attacks since I started it over a year ago.
I tried taking Buspirone which normally calms me down, but it only made my breathing more labored. I’ve tried to be unconcerned, but I’ve never had a constant anxiety attack and trouble breathing at all times of the day, and since I’m 3 months post-partum, I’m wondering if it might be a pulmonary embolism? I had some unexplained pain in my left calf muscle about 6 weeks after giving birth, but it went away after an hour or so, and I’ve had no issues other than the current problems.
I took a trip to the ER last night and the did a D-Dimer test and a chest X-ray, but I’m worried that it isn’t enough to completey rule out a problem? Any help would be great!
I was under the impression that a chest x-ray often misses signs of PE and a CT scan is much more effective. Should I contact the internal medicine speiclaist I was referred to tomorrow? I called my OB, but they told me to go to the ER if I was having those sypmtoms…which I’ve already done.
I’d like to not have to wait until some sort of awful symptoms show up.

Tags: anxiety attack, anxiety problems, buspirone, calf muscle, chest tightness pain, chest x ray, ct scan, d dimer test, giving birth, internal medicine, medicine, pulmonary embolism, shortness of breath, signs, trouble breathing, unexplained pain, zoloft

started having panic attacks about 15 years ago. They have gotten worse over the years. I have been taking Xanax 1.5 mg and Zoloft 100 mg for about 8 years. I honestly could not function without the Xanax. It is a life saver! However; even with both meds I still have episodes almost everyday. I always get myself out of the situation in time tho before I have a full blown attack. I am so tired of living this way. I avoid restaurants and places that I know I might have one. I have been in therapy before but it didn’t seem to be helping. Does anyone have any advice for other treatment? I want so bad to live a normal life. I am tired of this disorder controlling me. I have even thought about hypnosis. Please help.
The problem is…I KNOW they are attacks and I KNOW there is no real anger. Believe me I have tried everything. When I start having one I tell myself that nothing bad is going to happen and there is no danger around and that its just snother stupid attack. But it doesn’t go away…it isn’t as bad but it’s still there.

Tags: 8 years, anger, hypnosis, meds, Panic Attacks, restaurants, tho, xanax, zoloft

Hi,

Ever since Sunday afternoon I have been having this thought that I am having a heart attack. I have a history of panic/anxiety. However, I am having a hard time convincing myself that it is just anxiety. I have had symptoms such as left arm pain, chest pain, tightness in the chest and throat, shortness of breath, dizziness bouts etc.

I went to the ER and all they did was ask about my history, listen to my heart, take vitals and oxygen levels. No EKGs or Chest X-Rays or anything like that. They said my symptoms were due to anxiety and gave me Zoloft.

Right now (about 4 days after the symptoms started), I am sitting here with tightness in chest and throat and a shortness of breath. Is this really just anxiety? I keep trying to convince myself it is but I am having a very hard time.

If it was heart related, since I started experiencing symptoms about 4 days ago, would the symptoms have gotten a lot worse?

Thanks!
Nope, no blood test was done. I was puzzled as to why they didn’t do any testing really but I guess I was an obvious anxiety case?

Tags: blood test, bouts, chest pain, chest x rays, dizziness, ekgs, hard time, having a heart attack, heart attack, left arm pain, oxygen levels, panic anxiety, shortness of breath, sunday afternoon, tightness in chest, tightness in the chest, vitals, zoloft

Hi,

I was having symptoms of an anxiety/panic attack or a heart attack. I couldn’t tell so I went to the ER and they prescribed me Zoloft and told me I was having an anxiety attack. I do have a history of panic/anxiety attacks but this time the ER did not do a chest x-ray, etc. but only listened to my heart with a stethoscope and measured my blood pressure and oxygen levels.

Can they tell at the ER if one is having a heart attack vs. an anxiety/panic attack without carrying out tests like x-rays?

Thanks!

Tags: anxiety attack, anxiety panic attack, blood pressure, chest x ray, having a heart attack, heart attack, oxygen levels, panic anxiety attacks, stethoscope, x rays, zoloft

I am on Zoloft for anxiety disorder. The side effect was at first a decrease in OCD symptoms and depression for two and a half years. When I went from 50mg to 100mg due to depression, the OCD symptoms seem to increase.

After a recent twenty day stay in the hospital due to pneumonia complications, I have returned home and back to my normal schedule. For almost two weeks I was without Zoloft. Though I was sedated for a bit of that time, I was OCD free for about two-three weeks of awake time. I felt free of OCD finally for the first time in twenty years. After a couple weeks of taking the medication again, my mood seems slightly down and my OCD seems to be back again.

My symptoms aren’t life altering, but they are annoying. I understand that after suffering a traumatic experience heightened OCD is normal, but could Zoloft be irritating my condition?

Does anyone know of similar experiences?

Thank you in advance .

Tags: Anxiety Disorder, awake time, couple weeks, depression, experiences, medication, ocd symptoms, pneumonia, traumatic experience, twenty years, two and a half years, zoloft

Okay, about a week about I started having some chest pains and slight shortness of breathe. Went to the ER thinking it was heart related. They took a lot of bllod, did an EKG and chest x-ray and all tests came back fine. They told me to follow up with my dr. this week which I did. They think it is stress/anxiety since I have been dealing with a lot over the past couple of months. Death in family and then I had a miscarraige plus little things going on with the house, ie frozen pipes, etc. Anyway, she prescribed me Zoloft. I am scared to take anything like this because I have been feeling fine the past couple of days. The only thing I have it chest tightness off and on. I haven’t taken the Zoloft yet. Would like to try something all-natural first. But then againm I don’t know if the pain is just heartburn as I have never had that before. I have it the better part of a day. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I am a healthy 25 year old female with a great life and fiance.

Tags: chest pains, chest tightness, chest x ray, couple of days, ekg, fiance, frozen pipes, stress anxiety, zoloft

I started taking Zoloft a couple of months ago due to stress-related heart problems. I exhibited no physical symptoms of anxiety, but the doctor prescribed it for me to take the internalized stress off my heart.

Since taking it, I’ve felt no different. No happier, no sadder. Nothing. Just the same old me from even before I took it. But in the last few weeks, my hands have started shaking, which they never did before. Not annoying or disturbingly so– just slightly.

Not to mention, my balance has been off. I’m not tripping and falling everywhere, but, for instance, when I take a shower and I wash the shampoo out of my hair, I have to prop myself against the wall because walking backward with my eyes closed makes me dizzy.

Are these normal side effects of the drug? If they are, is there an alternative that will keep me from experiencing them?

I know for a fact it isn’t my heart with the problem. I’ve had EKGs, ultrasounds and even dye run through it to search for a problem. But there’s nothing physically wrong with it. It’s stress.

Tags: heart problems, physical symptoms of anxiety, shampoo, symptoms of anxiety, ultrasounds, zoloft