Hey Namaste,

Sorry that you've been going through so much.  Your thread is helpful though as I have never heard of GAD.  For sure stress can manifest itself in many ways.  It is a good idea to look into troubles that are ongoing.  I hope that this new medication will be helpful to you and that the doctor will stay with you until you're feeling better.

Thinking of you....

Click on the "videos" section at the top of your screen...I uploaded this one just for you. Actually, it's the song that's the best...the particular video is quite bad.

On another note...now I'M worried cuz once I uploaded that video I couldn't remove it - and I didn't watch the whole thing through. Now I'm worried that it has offensive things in it and I will be flagged and banned from here.

I'm also worried about the baggage retrieval system they've got at Heathrow...

Namaste!! Welcome fellow GAD'er!  I have GAD and SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder).   Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is very important in learning to manage anxiety.  If you are not already doing so, I suggest you see a counsellor for one on one work and a group for interactive stuff.   For example, when you "what if" all the time, that is known as "catastrophizing" where you are  automatically going to the worst possible outcome in your mind and getting stressed out over it even when the likelihood of it actually happening is very small.  CBT teaches you how to catch yourself when you start doing this and change your self talk so that you stop doing this.  I used to be a champ at "what if?"ing.

Anxiety used to rule my life, and for many years I didn't even realize how bad it was.  I thought it was "normal" to feel like that.  I've spent many hours in CBT, and when I look back on how I used to be, I cannot believe the change in me for the better.  

If you don't mind me asking, what med are you going off, and what med are you going on?

Anyways, you have tons of support from me.  I know what it's like.  Hang in there, girly girl!

The video link is YOUR videos.  I don't know how someone else views them, but clicking the link at the top of the screen won't work.  Unless that person is you :)

edit - problem solved!!  Namaste, click on LJ's squirrel to get her profile, and look in the boxes on the right hand side.  You will see the video there.

Namaste- support for you!  with stress from work & life changes & stuff, I've discovered St. John's Wort. 
I'm starting to think half the world should be on something, and it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Congratulations on finding some answers, and enjoy some new positive energy soon!

Thanks so much everyone. I'm just getting ready to head out the door, so I'll write more later. I'm actually going to attempt to go to school today.

Busymom- thanks for your support. I may just post some more info on GAD on here for you and others who may be interested.

LoveJoy - LOL. Thanks for the video. The song was hilarious. The video was so lame that it was actually kinda funny too. When I'm not totally freaking out, I can see how ridiculous the stuff that I worry about really is. It's almost as ridiculous as worrying about the baggage retrieval system at Heathrow. It's all stuff I have no control over.

Punkins- Thanks for sharing. It's nice to know that someone else has been there and "gets" what I'm going through.

Birthstone- I had to chuckle when you said "I'm starting to think half the world should be on something, and it wouldn't be a bad thing". I agree with you. Sometimes I see something that I definitely think needs to be on something. But there's also those people you meet and you're like "what are they on?". I don't know what it is, if people are just becoming more willing to talk about stuff like this, or if anxiety is actually becoming increasingly prevalent.

Just a word of caution - if you are already taking anti-depressants, talk to your doctor or psychiatrist first before trying St. John's Wort.  St. John's Wort can have unpredictable effects when mixed with anti-depressants.  You should probably also check if you are on other medications just to be safe, as with any other "natural" treatments.

I am constantly amazed at both the stuff I learn, and the support received here.

Not much to say, other than thanks for letting me learn and hopefully be a better person due to it.

I am getting knee replacement surgery, and have been highly stressed for weeks. Consciously, I'm fine - but deep down where I can't get at, the little boy in me is terrified. My abuse survivor's anxiety is on a hair trigger.

I know I'll be OK - but the little boy doesn't really believe it,

I'm glad you're getting some help with anxiety, namaste. 

Life has some challenges that have to be met and whatever help you can get to rid yourself of unneeded fears and negative chatter...is a bonus.  I'm not a worrier but my mom does enough for the whole province....I could call her up if you'd like to drop yours off there....she won't mind, she'll just stay up a little later....

LOL. Thanks Penny.

Hi Namaste - great to have an accurate diagnosis - that's an important thing!  GAD is a very treatable disorder - and Punkins reference to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is right on.  There's lots of research regarding its effectiveness with anxiety disorders.   Medication is important, but alone, is not particularly effective.  Combine it with CBT & away you go!

I love that word - "catastrophising"!     So descriptive.  So true about the automatic thoughts that plague people. 

A couple of useful websites that come to mind - www.heretohelp.bc.ca  is an excellent resource - look in the toolkits section for Anxiety disorders.  

Also, www.anxietycoach.com has some good info regarding diaphragmatic breathing - also proven to calm one down - but it does take practice!  Just like anything new that you're learning.  In fact - I always tell my patients they'll probably be MORE anxious  at first, because they always are when learning something new!

There a couple more excellent websites, but I have the references at work ... I'll try to remember to post them next week.   C.

Hi SLJudds - it's a great point you raise - regarding prior life traumas & how they creep into current contexts. 

If you're comfortable, it would be helpful, before your surgery,  to talk to your doctor or the social worker on the unit where you will be admitted, to let them know that you do have abuse in your background.  When we (hospital staff) are aware of such experience, we can try to tailor usual routines to avoid or minimize triggers, where possible.   You might be able to tell the staff things to avoid - e.g. some folks are afraid of the dark, closed doors, etc.   In the post-anesthesia, narcotic induced  fog, some things can be quite overwhelming.  And on the flip side of that coin - you can also tell them what will calm you. 

Sometimes it's also possible to talk with a health psychologist, to assist in preparation for surgery.  Learning how to provide calming reassurance to yourself, challenge ideas that may be troubling you etc. can often be quite helpful.

Sending you calmness & courage for this next chapter of your journey.  C.

I find deep breathing very effective in controlling anxiety.  I like to visualize the anxiety leaving my body as I exhale.

Hi Carolla - I do a lot of deep breathing in the past and I have found that it helps to control my anxiety a bit. I found it worked really well for isolated anxiety attacks. I'm just not sure if it would be as effective for lower levels of constant anxiety.

Punkins- I like the idea of visualizing the anxiety leaving the body. I'll have to try that.

The sermon text couldn't have been more perfect today. It was Philippians 4:1-9:

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,^* whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. ³Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion,^* help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.4 Rejoice^* in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.^{* 5}Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved,^* whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about^* these things. ⁹Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Just to reinforce what some others have said: CBT is the #1 most effective and only proven long term remedy for clinical anxiety. As I mentioned on your blog, your physician should have recommended it first or at least in conjunction with meds, otherwise s/he is not qualified enough in the area of anxiety treatment (which is a significant problem with many physicians - they are just not up to speed on anything outside of what the pharmaceutical rep has dropped off for samples). Most major centres have anxiety support groups that can actually take you through the steps of CBT. It works!

Thanks Cate. My doctor is pretty up on things when it comes to anxiety. She has mentioned CBT to me and it's the plan that I will start it in conjunction with the meds.

I haven't been able yet to figure out if I have a real anxiety disorder (catastrophizing -- I'm always imagining worst-case scenarios). 

I haven't separated what is being realistic and what's unreasonable.  I worry an awful lot about things that could very well happen.

I guess if that makes me reasonably proactive and thereby preventing catastrophe, it's useful.  If it's over stuff I can't control (human cruelty)  that's anxiety?????

Gotta do some reading.......

Hey Ninja, the best way to determine for yourself if you feel you might have an anxiety disorder, is to think about how your fears/worries/worst case scenario thoughts are affecting your day to day life, and overall quality of life. Many people worry a lot but it doesn't really bother them much or interfere with their daily activities.

If, on the other hand, fears and concerns are taking over your thoughts on a regular basis, making it hard to focus on life, preventing you from doing certain things (affecting your choices), then you should discuss with your doctor, keeping in mind that if things are a little bad but not terrible for you, I would personally recommend avoiding the meds that are often prescribed to people who only have mild anxiety. The meds can create larger problems for people than what the anxiety was in the first place.

Hi Ninja- I agree with Cate. Wondermail me if you'd like to chat more.

Hi all, just thought I'd give you a little update in case you're interested.

It's been a week since I've started decreasing my current meds. One more week to go. I've found this a bit challenging. My emotions are like a yo-yo and I've experienced some increased anxiety, but that was all expected.

As a result of this increased anxiety, I've become even more of a control freak than usual. There's so many things I worry about that I can't control. There's been a couple things make me anxious this week that I realized I am in control of, so I chose to remove myself from those things. I know this is not going to be an effective way of handling my anxiety long-term, but it's working at the moment to get through the rough patches.

After I'm off of my current medication, I'll spend two weeks unmedicated. I guess this helps to re-set my body or something. Then I'll start on a new medication. Once it begins working (about 2 weeks or so), I'll start CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy).

I must admit I'm still very nervous about CBT even though people have tried explaining it to me. There's always that fear of the unknown. And that really gets to me.

So the next month is going to be a little bumpy, but I'm really looking forward to starting to feel better and hopefully much less anxious. I know this isn't going to happen over night, so I need to be patient. I'm not the greatest at this.

Thanks again for your support and thoughts. I really do appreciate it.

Namaste

Hi Namaste. I understand your anxiousness regarding CBT. Rest easy though, it is nothing 'weird' or 'new age' etc. It is not brain washing or hypnotism or anything like that either. It is simply a 12 step program that gradually builds up your self confidence, self awareness, and breaks down your fears and worries. It teaches you to challenge your own though patterns, and ultimately change them. It basically just teaches us to think the way "normal" people do.

A CBT program works best in a support group setting, where they work though one step together each week. Do you have something like that in your city? In the meantime, check out the CBT information (and online interactive CBT program) on this website: www.paniccentre.net. It might help put your mind at ease about what's involved with CBT.

The best advice I can give you is this: if you are really serious about completely freeing yourself from anxiety, you MUST work through the CBT program diligently. Do not cheat on it, skimp on it, put it off, delay it, or go at it half-hearted. Give it your all. And one of the most important parts of CBT is to refuse avoidance. So while I totally undersand needing to withdraw right now, be certain to comit yourself to refusing avoidance once you start CBT.

If you have any questions or need to talk about CBT or anxiety, feel free to wondermail me.

Switching meds is always a tricky thing and an unstable and unpredicatable time, and I think that your choice to remove a few things during this time is a smart move.  Ongoing avoidance is not a healthy thing, but there are some situations such as this where it is good to stay away from or remove certain stressors for short periods of time.  Hang in there! 

Thanks Punkins

Namaste -- one more thought for you. I am currently taking a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) meditation course in Vancouver. (I believe you're in the lower mainland.) I had heard really good things about this course/practice and am really pleased with it. Although I don't have clinical anxiety, it is a useful, helpful practice to decrease stress. Here are a few links: the first describes the program http://www.mbsrbc.ca/  and this is the website for the course I am taking  http://www.mindful-living.ca/

I know you have a lot happening right now and don't need to add another program, but consider it for the future.

Take care.

Thanks so much myst. It looks really interesting. I just may look into it.

Here is a bit of info about what GAD is for those of you who may be interested.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by:

Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least six months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance).

The person finds it difficult to control the worry.

The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past six months). NOTE: Only one item is required in children.

Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
Being easily fatigued
Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep)

The anxiety, worry or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.

For those of you who are really interested, there's tons more stuff out there. Just google "generalized anxiety disorder".

Hi Namaste,

More support for you! I've struggled with anxiety for years, especially the catastrophizing kind. I was also going to mention MBSR, but myst beat me to it! There are also Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy programs, which I've found helpful (I've struggled with depression along with anxiety).

There are lots of us out there and many people don't realize how common this is, especially if they are seeking professional help for the first time. You are definitely not alone in this.

The Globe and Mail ran an interesting series on mental health this year to educate the public and increase awareness. Almost every day there was a substantial article about a Canadian living with a diagnosed mental illness and how it had affected their family and life in general. If I recall correctly, the one on anxiety was about a woman in the Toronto area who started to go to weekly CBT group classes at CAMH to help her with her anxiety. If you want some inspiration, I encourage you to check out the CAMH website: there are profiles of individuals there who have overcome massive obstacles in their struggles with addictions, poor life circumstances and mental illnesses. 

Just noticed that LBmuskoka posted some information about the Globe and Mail series earlier in the year when it first came out.

Making mental health a priority is important!

Thanks Kappa.

I've just been at great workshop for the past two days, dealing with treating anxiety & panic.  The new piece for me is "Energy Psychology" - using some specific techniques to get the body's energy fields into balance, and help with reducing a lot of the physiological anxiety response symptoms.  I've gotta say, I'm very impressed!!  

I was introduced to a quick, simple, new (to me anyway) technique called Energy Tapping - and wow - it really is effective.  Here's a website if you'd like to read a bit about it  http://www.energypsych.com/Content/books-tapping.htm   The website also has links to trained practitioners - maybe one near you! 

You're very welcome Namaste! ;-)

Carolla -- I've never heard of "energy psychology" or "Energy tapping." Does it do anything different than other methods of relaxation that we already have? We already have deep muscle relaxation, abdominal breathing, meditation and mindfulnes, positive visualization, etc....the list goes on. I just wonder what the mechanism is...sometimes a lot of the things that end up helping with anxiety, or depression, or really any health/life problem where you have to make long-term changes, seem to end up working because of the way they are presented to the people who use them. So I wonder if this Energy Tapping is something that we already have, but the people who run the workshop have found a way to make it even more compelling and/or accessible.

I tend to be a bit skeptical of new techniques that claim to have found something new (or to be based on some sort of "state of nature" which modern humans have fallen from), which is not to say that this doesn't work. For example, EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) seems to work quite effectively for people with post-traumatic stress, but it's unclear why, and it doesn't really sound like it would work, on the surface.

Hi Kappa - so healthy to be skeptical!   I hadn't heard of this either, despite having worked in mental health for over 30 years.  New?  Well, yes & no.  It's based on the centuries old prinicple that our bodies are composed of energy fields, and when these fields go amiss or energy flow is blocked, we feel badly as a result.   Think meridians in accupuncture, chakras in yoga.  There is some science to back it all up too.

This workshop added specific EFT treatments to all the important modalities that you've outlined above, to make them even more effective, by first balancing the energy fields, then reducing the emotional impact/distress of thinking about past or future anxiety producing events.  There are specific techniques, done in specific order, to calm and re-organize the energy fields.   If you'd like to read about the specific techniques, there are a number of good books & on-line sources.

The psychologist leading the workshop did use a volunteer participant , who suffered panic attacks, as a subject for demonstration.  She's a therapist, had 'failed' treatment for panic disorder in the past & was obviously skeptical - but had extraordinary results from using the techniques.   So, I'm intrigued, will learn more and try incorporating it into some of my practice to see if it can bring relief. 

Hello. I know just how hard it can be to go through anxiety disorders. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with OCD,(Obsesive Compulsive Disorder), It is an anxiety disorder, where basicly, I feared germs, mold, bacteria, bugs, ect, ect,. It got so bad that I was afraid to eat anything, but eventualy, I ended up in the hospital for dehydration and malnutrition, and ended up going to CBT. It ended up working, to an extent. And now, I only regret how long it took me to admit I needed help. Hopefuly, it works well for you too. Just remember to keep trying. It took a couple hard years for me to get over it.

Hey Namaste I was just wondering how you're doing with your new meds if you're on them. Have you started CBT? How are you doing with that?

Still thinking of you.

Hi Bethany. Thanks for asking. I started on the new meds last week. I haven't noticed a huge difference yet, but maybe I'm a bit better. Certainly no worse. There is a long waiting list for CBT. I'm on this list, but it'll probably be 3 or 4 months before I get into the anxiety clinic. This worried me a bit, but my doctor thinks it should be fine. She believes that the medication will be effective in alleviating most of my symptoms. If however the meds don't work for me or things get worse, she can get me bumped right up the list.

Thanks for the thoughts. I really appreciate it.

I hope you start to see some improvement soon Namaste. And hopefully you can get into the CBT quickly and get the help from that.

Over on the Herbal Remedies thread, someone has posted that they are on Effexor and it has totally killed their sex drive. I'm a little worried now...

Anyone have any experience with Effexor? My doctor certainly didn't warn me of this!

With side effects for anything it varies. Lack of sexual desire is a common complaint for all types of antidepressants, although for Effexor it seems to be more common than some others. But not everyone reacts that way. It seems to work super well for some people too, especially if you have "mixed" anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Sometimes if you expect  to have a certain side effect, you are more likely to have it. Maybe that's why your doctor didn't tell you? It should have been on the medication information when you picked it up from the pharmacy though: they are usually fairly thorough when they list the common side effects.

Do you have any CBT exercise books to read and work on while you are waiting to get into a program? There are often things you can do on your own with these books before you get to see a professional.

Best wishes!

Thanks for all the info carolla! That's neat to know that you work in mental health. If I have some spare time one of these days, I must remember to look into EFT and find out more!

Well, at the risk of providing TMI, I did notice a drop in sex drive when I first started Effexor.  But my body eventually adjusted and it reverted back to "normal". (fortunately !)

And as far as side effects go, you can expect almost anything under the sun as a side effect.  Sleep less, sleep more, eat less, eat more, dry mouth, sweating, constipation, diarhhea, headaches, lethargy, anxiety, more dreams, less dreams,  loss of sex drive, increase in sex drive, ... and the list goes on.  As f for me with Effexor, the most noticeable side effects that are ongoing are the dry mouth, more sweating, night sweats and more vivid dreaming.  

The other notable thing with Effexor is the withdrawal effects if you quit it cold turkey or miss consecutive doses - transient dizziness, also referred to as "brain shivers".  I had that once when I missed a dose and it is freaky.  Effexor appears to have a higher incidence of this than other antidepressants.

Thanks for the info Punkins.

If your worried about it talk to your doc Namaste but he/she obviously thought it was best for you so maybe stick with it a bit and see if it's bugging you before you look into switching again.

I will be checking with my doctor this week. And I have no plans to switch meds. I'm just going to have to stick it out, because so far it's working wonders.

I have become a big believer in exercise in helping with stress and depression.

Three years ago I was very depressed, the stress in my life was overwheming. I had to make some really big choices. I removed the negative things in my life.

Changed jobs, removed negative people which was not easy. and strated to exercise. Course I also left a very negative church as well.

At the time I was on heavy douses of anti depressive meds. Today I am med free. And am healthler emotional and phyiscally than I have been in a long while.

I walk my dogs 2-3 times a day and go to the gym every morning before work. Now when I am stressed I am more likly to head out for a walk or hit the gym then emotional eat.

A great book that helped me was

Toxic People