Could it be more than anxiety? Please help!

[crackerjackamf]

I'll try to explain this as clearly and in as few words as possible. For starters, I am twenty years old, female, 5'2", and 105 pounds. I am in fine shape, and get a decent amount of exercise riding horses three days a week. Primarily within the last two years, I have begun to experience a number of symptoms, which I'll list below. My family assumed that it was a mental health problem, what with sleeping a lot and being anxious, so I went to a psychiatrist and am now on 200 mg Zoloft and 300 mg Wellbutrin. I feel a little more stable emotionally, but I still fatigue easily, sleep a lot, and have all of these physical issues. Furthermore, the physical symptoms came some months before the anxiety and/or depression. I have now been to two physicians to try to determine whether there might be something more than anxiety going on, and both times was told that, no, there's nothing else. You'll just need to keep trying different medications. One physician did find that I had high blood pressure and gave me medicine that I took for a couple of months. My blood pressure seemed to stay a little more stable for awhile, but in the last month it had gone up, and so she put me on 5 mg Lisinopril, which has now caused my blood pressure to drop and sometimes make me feel even weaker and out of breath. I just can't shake the feeling that the doctors are missing something.


Current symptoms:

- Irregular sleep patterns, almost nocturnal
- Fatigue, excess sleep, though sometimes difficult to fall asleep
- Excessive sweating in underarms that does not coincide with anxiety, comes in waves and can occur even when I'm cold or inactive
- Also, I sweat head-to-toe when I'm exercising, and it makes me miserable
- Recent night sweats
- Slightly elevated blood pressure
- Rapid pulse, frequent resting heart rate of 85-110 bpm, heart rate seems to spike when I stand
- Shortness of breath, especially with exercise, also does not coincide with anxiety
- Chronic nasal congestion
- Irregular menstrual cycles, about every six weeks, but it varies
- Lightheaded, blurred vision often when I stand up, weakness
- Increased appetite
- Occasional chest pain on the left side, usually when I'm laying down
- Difficulty concentrating
- Occasional muscle twitches, especially in limbs
- Occasional jerking awake or thrashing in sleep
- Sometimes when I turn my body a certain way I get a shooting pain through my shoulders and can't move until it subsides, almost feels as though I might crack something
- Mild anxiety, secondary depression as a reaction to all this
- Worse anxiety/depressed feelings when I have my period
- Generally uncomfortable


Past and other symptoms that may be relevant:

- I had migraines from the time I was ten years old until I was eighteen, and then they mysteriously stopped, which I wouldn't think twice about except that it corresponds to the same time when the other symptoms started
- I get especially bad reactions to caffeine (ie. one latte will give me severe anxiety), and also to alcohol (ie. just a couple of drinks will now cause me to have a hangover until the next evening)
- I used to get dizzy spells every once in a while, about three years ago, that would come out of nowhere and fade after about a minute
- I get an anxious, shaken feeling if I'm even a little tired
- I developed panic attacks in the last year, but they have since stopped


I have had a negative test for thyroid problems, and have had normal results for all of the following: liver tests, kidney tests, calcium, creatinine, glucose, potassium, sodium, white blood count, hemoglobin, and platelets. My doctor also had me get an ultrasound of my heart, EKG, echo cardiogram, and an ultrasound of my kidneys a year ago when the high blood pressure started. All were clean.

Please help me if you can! Anything is appreciated. I've had to put my life on hold and take a year off of college to deal with these issues, and I just want someone to listen to me.

[pamelasmc]

Look up Dysautonomia, or Postural Orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
Good Luck
Pam

[lynsey7397]

I'll try to explain this as clearly and in as few words as possible. For starters, I am twenty years old, female, 5'2", and 105 pounds. I am in fine shape, and get a decent amount of exercise riding horses three days a week. Primarily within the last two years, I have begun to experience a number of symptoms, which I'll list below. My family assumed that it was a mental health problem, what with sleeping a lot and being anxious, so I went to a psychiatrist and am now on 200 mg Zoloft and 300 mg Wellbutrin. I feel a little more stable emotionally, but I still fatigue easily, sleep a lot, and have all of these physical issues. Furthermore, the physical symptoms came some months before the anxiety and/or depression. I have now been to two physicians to try to determine whether there might be something more than anxiety going on, and both times was told that, no, there's nothing else. You'll just need to keep trying different medications. One physician did find that I had high blood pressure and gave me medicine that I took for a couple of months. My blood pressure seemed to stay a little more stable for awhile, but in the last month it had gone up, and so she put me on 5 mg Lisinopril, which has now caused my blood pressure to drop and sometimes make me feel even weaker and out of breath. I just can't shake the feeling that the doctors are missing something.


Current symptoms:

- Irregular sleep patterns, almost nocturnal
- Fatigue, excess sleep, though sometimes difficult to fall asleep
- Excessive sweating in underarms that does not coincide with anxiety, comes in waves and can occur even when I'm cold or inactive
- Also, I sweat head-to-toe when I'm exercising, and it makes me miserable
- Recent night sweats
- Slightly elevated blood pressure
- Rapid pulse, frequent resting heart rate of 85-110 bpm, heart rate seems to spike when I stand
- Shortness of breath, especially with exercise, also does not coincide with anxiety
- Chronic nasal congestion
- Irregular menstrual cycles, about every six weeks, but it varies
- Lightheaded, blurred vision often when I stand up, weakness
- Increased appetite
- Occasional chest pain on the left side, usually when I'm laying down
- Difficulty concentrating
- Occasional muscle twitches, especially in limbs
- Occasional jerking awake or thrashing in sleep
- Sometimes when I turn my body a certain way I get a shooting pain through my shoulders and can't move until it subsides, almost feels as though I might crack something
- Mild anxiety, secondary depression as a reaction to all this
- Worse anxiety/depressed feelings when I have my period
- Generally uncomfortable


Past and other symptoms that may be relevant:

- I had migraines from the time I was ten years old until I was eighteen, and then they mysteriously stopped, which I wouldn't think twice about except that it corresponds to the same time when the other symptoms started
- I get especially bad reactions to caffeine (ie. one latte will give me severe anxiety), and also to alcohol (ie. just a couple of drinks will now cause me to have a hangover until the next evening)
- I used to get dizzy spells every once in a while, about three years ago, that would come out of nowhere and fade after about a minute
- I get an anxious, shaken feeling if I'm even a little tired
- I developed panic attacks in the last year, but they have since stopped


I have had a negative test for thyroid problems, and have had normal results for all of the following: liver tests, kidney tests, calcium, creatinine, glucose, potassium, sodium, white blood count, hemoglobin, and platelets. My doctor also had me get an ultrasound of my heart, EKG, echo cardiogram, and an ultrasound of my kidneys a year ago when the high blood pressure started. All were clean.

Please help me if you can! Anything is appreciated. I've had to put my life on hold and take a year off of college to deal with these issues, and I just want someone to listen to me.

Hello. This sounds like the classic signs of anxiety (not all symptoms tho), i am on citalopram 20mgs for anxiety, iv had it for over 2 years. I get the same symptoms as you now and again, have you tried a counsellor.

[Jezz]

Look up POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) because a heart rate that increases by 30bpm or more when you stand is typical of POTS. Also severe fatigue, shortness of breath, feeling lightheaded and dizzy, weakness, headaches, even being intollerant to alcohol and caffeine that you mentioned are all symptoms of POTS. Good luck

[crackerjackamf]

Thanks for your quick responses! Wow, that's interesting if caffeine and alcohol intolerance are some of the characteristics of POTS. Anybody else?

[crackerjackamf]

I thought I'd add that I'm having an adverse reaction to the Wellbutrin, which I only started a couple of days ago. It feels almost like I'm on speed, not that extreme, but that feeling. Does this mean my norepinephrine is already too high?

[Jezz]

Another thing excessive sweating or being unable to sweat is another symptom and copied this from wikipedia - Symptoms of POTS overlap considerably with those of generalized anxiety disorder, and a misdiagnosis of an anxiety disorder is not uncommon

[cez6]

Generalized anxiety disorder or GAD is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events. Here are the following that cause GAD:

• Genetics: Some research suggests that family history plays a part in increasing the likelihood that a person will develop GAD. This means that the tendency to develop GAD may be passed on in families.
• Brain chemistry: GAD has been associated with abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are special chemical messengers that help move information from nerve cell to nerve cell. If the neurotransmitters are out of balance, messages cannot get through the brain properly. This can alter the way the brain reacts in certain situations, leading to anxiety. Medizinprodukt

[crackerjackamf]

I just wanted to add that I did some experimenting today, and measured my heart rate lying down and then standing. One time it went from 75 bpm to 132 bpm! I think I have my diagnosis. Now I just need a doctor.

[richard wayne2b]

Some of your symptoms could be from drug interactions or side effects themselves.