Anxiety

[happidaiz]

Hi there,
for the past six months I have much higher levels of anxiety. this has resulted in me having anxiety attacks at work(I work in a special school),which can be really upsetting. I don't like not being in some control over my mind and emotions.I'm sure people must think I'm a little off kilter,but there's alot going on in my head.
Having to deal with getting rid of hair every morning,feeling self conscious,being overweight,all tricky things that take their toll, but I try to be happi and positive as much as possible. I also have a lovely man who is beyond supportive!!
Does anyone else suffer from anxiety/panic attacks??

[ScaredSally]

Oh my god yes .. and it has been noted that its common in PCOS people due to the symptoms ..

I suffered severe panic attacks for nearly a year ... I was nearly agrophobic and was struggling to get out the front door I went on Seroxat anti depressents (known also as Paroxadine) and I had intesive councelling and I eventually got over them .. HOWEVER as my PCOS gets worse with age I was diagnosed with alopecia in teh male pattern (yes LIKE a man) this set them all off again .. I have had to struggle hard to keep above them and some times I just want to let it take me over and sleep sleep sleep ...

PCOS has a lot to blame on this

[TennisNut]

I certainly do...I don't have panic attacks, but my anxiety has increased markedly. When I was on BCPs, my anxiety was so bad I thought I was going to lose my mind. I worried about the craziest things, and my BF thought I was losing it! Now that I am off of the pill it is better, but I still have days that I can't get anything done because I'm so worried about....anything and everything!! I used to be an optimist, very positive and carefree. Now, it's almost like I'm always expecting the worst. Why is that? I think it mostly revolves around my crazy hormones.

[barneyb]

Me too! Me too!! I also teach in a stress-inducing school, but never had panic attacks at school. My problem was always getting to and from. I hate standing in line and being stuck in traffic and crowded places. I've been very lucky, in that my administrator is very understanding and supportive. We've been through medication changes and days when the meds made me seem drunk. . . Hang in there and see if there's someone who is going through something similar. In my school, there are at least 7 of us with some type of anxiety problem. Several of us take the same meds too. Since we have different free periods, there's always someone who can come and help out if someone else is having trouble. . . they know what you're going through and they'll help you through it. I'm not sure how you find those people -- since I'm not shy about my panic disorder, it wasn't too hard. Good luck & let us know if we can help!

[kelliet]

Hi All,

I work in a school too - whats going on! Had my first panic attack in December after starting on Diane. I thought I had compleatly lost the plot! BF clearly thought I had and left me. Had a couple more in January but nothing since thank god. Anxiety levels are still a little high at times but I think it was introducing the bcp into my system that caused it.

[FeryDst]

Hi, I also suffer from anxiety attacks. I believe now that that might had been my first symptom of PCOS. At the time I didn't know what they were and I felt I was going crazy . I went to the Dr.and treated it with Prozac ,since I suffered from depression I thought it was another episode.That didn't help, shortly I had to quit my job. I gained more than 50 lbs. in less than a year,still thinking this was from the untreatable anxiety attacks,depression.I haven't worked for 5 yrs.,during some of that time I still took Prozac. It never worked and I developed most of the PCOS symptoms gradually during these past five years not knowing the connection between all of the symptoms until I found this site and others like it. I have been suffering for over 5 years not knowing what is wrong with me and I feel really miserable because I haven't been able to get a diagnosis. I don't have insurance and endocrinologists I have called charge about $400 not including lab work.Can anyone tell me if this is too expensive and how much lab work costs. I'll appreciate anyones input.

[ScaredSally]

being stuck in traffic

God I get this .. I also get it if I drive especially if I cannot pull over ie on the motorway and the hard shoulder isnt there ...or if I am stuck in major traffic jams .. my palms sweat, I feel sick and I nearly pass out !! Driving is becoming quite problematic for me again but I have found that I MUST keep on moving ...

My sister (twin) also PCOS has to meet me at the tube station if she goes to teh tube to colleage as she will freak out if the tube gets stopped in a tunnel for any length of time !! .. PCOS truly sucks ....

The first timeI had a panic attack I was visiting New York City and I really thought my time was up ended up on the floor in a cafe with my boyfriend thinking I was a weirdo !

[Amavin]

OMG. I thought it was just me! I had my first panic attack when I decided to leave my husband and they haven't gone away. Sometime I panic for the most insane reasons... I recently was put on Effexor to treat depression and anxiety, and my doctor gave me a back up prescription for Xanax for those times when I know i'm about to have a panic attack. I haven't had to take the Xanax yet, and it's been 3 weeks, so it's looking good, but my depression isn't any better, so i think i need to up my Effexor.

the most insane panic attack in my opinion was when I was on the rebound from the ex, i was talking to this guy and we had plans to meet in MN, since I was looking at moving up there...my plans started to fall through and I paniced, went into the bathroom at work, hyperventalating, crying, total panic, rocking back and forth saying "I have to get to you, I have to make, I have to make it chris" ..... calmed down and snapped out of it later thinking "i have to make it to you chris???? wtf...." LOL

[linusmom]

I used to suffer from frequent (chronic) anxiety, but it was very much work-related, and it went away when I got a new job. I never had panic attacks, but I was prescribed Ativan for when it was really bad. This did seem to help.

My husband used to get panic attacks, and he also took Ativan.

There are medications available... though I'm not sure if you're TTC, if so, this might not be what you're looking for.

[barneyb]

ScaredSally - your problems with driving are so much like mine except my tummy gets really upset and I have to rush to a restroom. Not a good thing when traffic isn't moving. I often feel the same way when I'm not in control of my mode of transportation -- on a field trip with my students, riding in someone else's car, etc. Fortunately, the Effexor has really helped that & I haven't had problems in a while. Still, the fear of it happening again is always there. I think a lot of times I talked myself into a "freak-out" in traffic, but I now know every back way to work. As long as I can keep the car moving, I can hold off the anxiety.

But I don't have PCOS. I have a fibroid, IR, and a panic disorder. So no relationship between the anxiety and PCOS for me. Mine is a gift from my gene pool.

[ScaredSally]

PAnic attacks are fecking horrendous things.... I too can work myself into them I can almost cause one to start by worrying about having one !!! nuts isnt it

[thirteen]

Hey girls, I just had to join in and add a few things, since my panic attacks are what finally got me diagnosed with PCOS.

I used to get them a lot, particularly when travelling. I seriously thought I had a neurotic form of homesickness. My worst episode was a month before I was DXed when I went on vacation with DH. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, felt sick the whole time - I was a mess. I broke down the second day in a total panic and told him I had to go home and I couldn't stay anymore. I called the airline to change my ticket and they told me it would cost the $100 change fee, plus $500 in fare difference! At that point I completely lost it. Thank God DH was so calm and worked me back to a rational state.

My Dr put me on a low carb or IR type diet and the anxiety is back in check. I'd much rather eat right than take meds, so this really worked for me.

If meds aren't working for you, try checking into dietary changes or Met to see if the insulin levels (which affect hormone levels in PCOSers) are causing the anxiety. It took about a month of being on the diet to notice a change in how I felt and six months before I was completely "normal" again. But it did happen!

Hope all of you can find something that helps you feel normal again - I know how hard it is! Lots of luck!


- A

[nicole47]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but I know a lot of cysters on the board, including myself, who have been cured of anxiety and panic attacks through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and I know a couple who also benefitted from biofeedback. Cognitive behavioral therapy uses a series of techniques to train your body to ignore the physical responses to anxiety so that your rational mind can take back control. In studies it works just as well as medication and continues working after therapy has stopped. I did it once a week for under 3 months and it completely cured my anxiety and now I am one of the calmest people I know. Many places that offer it offer it on a sliding scale so you can afford it, and some will offer it for free if you agree to participate in research studies.

[Twilite38]

I have panic attacks and Anxiety attacks i can not leave the house and go somewhere without having a attack, i can't go into a store alone without having a attack and if im in a resturant and its crowded i freak out with a attack.....seems i can't go nowhere and do anything.i mainly stay at home inside and go no where unless someone is with me.i refuse to be on meds because i don't like the way they make me feel..........i didn't know PCOS causes this...........now i know why im like this

[Cathlena]

I have anxiety as well. I have been taking Lexapro 10mg. for almost two years. It has really helped me. I used to have attacks about every month or so. Now I think I have had 1 since being on the med. My attacks were terrible......I can't even believe how bad they were....

I too hate being in crowds, people just P@#$ me off! (it really isin't them, just anxiety kicking in at the time)...I have been like this in crowds since I was a young girl....I just want to tell people to move their A$$. Driving is pretty much the same way....