Help, help, help. Anxiety out of control!

May 19, 2008 7:38 AM

Help me deal with my severe and (hopefully) temporary anxiety until I can see my psychiatrist this week.

Friday my world (seemingly) came crashing down around my ears. This includes being mid-move, losing my job, and my roommate being kicked out by my landlord, as well as other various and sundry every day stress associated with trying to go back to school and get things done, as well as get bills paid (specifically, my debt).

However, since all of this has come to pass, my normally-weak stomach has been on strike. I believe it's stress-related and not illness-related, since this started happening the same day, it's constant no matter what kind of medicine I take, and there's always that tight, tense feeling. This, unfortunately, has led to much throwing up, and much time spent in bed curled up in the fetal position while I attempt to deal with the tight feeling.

I am trying to schedule an appointment for my psychiatrist later this week, but in the meantime, am looking for ANYTHING that might help alleviate some of these symptoms. This includes herbal, prescription, otc, behavioural, whatever- I'm willing to try anything to make this stop until I can speak with my therapist. Please help, AskMefi! in the meantime, i'm wearing away at my teeth with all this jaw-clenching and stomach acid vomiting.

posted by anonymous to health (20 comments total)

Meditation! Take some deep breaths, relax, push the panic-y thoughts out of your mind. Do this for 20-30 minutes, with slow steady breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Think about anything that doesn't make you freak out, but make it one thing, like your breath as it passes your upper lip, or a candle flame, or the shape of a circle.

There is also a move you can do to free that stress-in-the-middle-of-your-chest nervous feeling, its kinda like doing a pushup but vertically on a wall. I did it before gigs when I was feeling a bit fluttery.
posted by Mach5 at 7:47 AM on May 19

Get some exercise. YOu may not "have time", but you don't have time to sit there so stressed you can't get anything done, either. If you're out of shape, make it a long walk, at least an hour.

As for the upset stomach, chew some gum, and drink some water. That nervous feeling (I've had it, oh yes) is very similar to the nic fits I had when I quit smoking; gum helped immensely.
posted by notsnot at 7:54 AM on May 19

Chamomile tea? Or Tension Tamer (it's a brand name for Celestial Seasonings). I have no idea if it'd work for you but it'd be what I'd try (along with meditation). Somewhere around three cups.
posted by salvia at 7:55 AM on May 19

IANAD.

Since your situation seems pretty severe, I'm going to jump in with stronger recommendations. There are numerous prescription anti-anxiety meds that your Dr. or psychiatrist should be able to phone in for you until you can get an appointment. These include the usual suspects - Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin etc., but obviously your doctors should have a better idea of what works for you. You should definitely try exercise, meditation, tea, etc., but if you're doubled over in pain, it sounds to me like you're way beyond beginning to learn how to meditate right now. Focus on getting through the next few days for now, then look at longer term solutions. You should not be suffering like this. Besides the pain you're going through at this moment, this terrible experience could make your anxiety trigger that much more sensitive in the future.

I know this is unlikely to help much, but as bad as your situation seems right now - and you're clearly going through a lot - these are temporary problems that can be resolved. Good luck. Anxiety sucks.
posted by walla at 8:12 AM on May 19

I agree with walla. This doesn't sound like a simple "use some mindfulness techniques" situation. You're hurting and you're not eating. Would you really try to downplay this situation if the symptoms you have had a physical cause?

Does your psychiatrist do emergency/urgent appointments? Because this sounds exactly like what that sort of appointment is for. The worst thing that can happen is your doctor cannot accommodate you, cannot find another person to send you to immediately, and will tell you to go to the ER. Granted, going to the ER is anxiety inducing in and of itself, but if you have the means to pay for the visit, I would suggest a couple hours of anxiety over a couple days of anxiety. But chances are, your doctor will find some way to fit you in.

I hope you feel better soon!
posted by giraffe at 8:27 AM on May 19

If you're in this much pain, you need to get in right away. Go to Urgent Care until you can see a psychiatrist or your regular doctor.

If you have cable with the Oxygen network, there's a yoga show on in the morning at like 6 AM central with an easy-to-follow format; that helped me get a handle on some of my own sudden life issues. If you don't want to do some of the movements, just sit there and do it partway or just wait for something else. Sitting there on the floor trying to concentrate on this very gentle show can be good for distraction.

Sit up on the end of the bed and stomp your feet on the floor for about a minute.

An acid reducer will be a big help; I ended up on Aciphex twice a day.

You can get through this. Life will keep moving. Good luck!
posted by Madamina at 8:36 AM on May 19

I agree with walla as well - I can also recommend a coping bank. Here's mine for reference. I carry this list around with me on index cards and most of the time one of them works while, for instance, I'm waiting for a call back or for meds to kick in.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:47 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

Since anxiety is in essence over-focusing on what is wrong, due to constantly looping of your internal dialogue, I would advise you to get yourself outside. No matter how hard it may be, and spend time around other people. Even if it's schlepping yourself to the bookstore or park or out to dinner with a friend. Or just go for a walk. The best bet would be to hang around someone who will make you laugh. Family may not be a good option because while they care, they too may spend too much time dwelling on your problems as well. The main thing is to distract yourself from the main cause of your anxiety--you.

None of these problems are unsolvable and you will get in to see your psychiatrist soon, in the meantime, get out of the house and do something else.
posted by i_love_squirrels at 8:50 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

You may have developed an ulcer during this stressful time. If this is painful and you cannot hold down food you must go to the emergency room today.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:52 AM on May 19

Exercise until you drop. Run, bike, swim, dance, do whatever will physically exhaust you in a healthy way. It will significantly help with the physical manifestation of the stress which is so severe right now, and should even help somewhat with the mental aspect. Pepcid or similar over the counter meds will help with your stomach. Meditation is also great, but sometimes when you are this stressed, even if you are proficient at meditation, it is nigh impossible to enter the necessary relaxed state. Deep breathing exercises will be possible though and they will also help take the edge off the physical manifestations of the stress.
posted by caddis at 8:59 AM on May 19

I agree that a trip to urgent care sounds appropriate. You might also try cornsilk tea (makes me high and mellow) or valerian (mellow without the happy high). Candied ginger could settle your stomach--I mean real Ginger chews.
posted by PatoPata at 9:24 AM on May 19

damn dirty ape, stress doesn't cause ulcers; helicobacter pylori, a bacteria, does. A group of scientists won the Nobel Prize in 2005 for their work in refuting the theory that stress causes ulcers. Stress can exacerbate existing ulcers, just as it can exacerbate many other medical conditions, but it does not cause ulcers. There is no reason to believe that a person under a lot of stress has a bacterial infection.

That's not to say that medical care is not appropriate. But I'd say that psychiatric rather than internal medicine is the first order of business.
posted by decathecting at 10:07 AM on May 19

On preview, nthing the ER if you can't see a dr. soon. I know a few people who have gone to the ER for anxiety issues - it's not uncommon, and they got tremendous relief. And this is your HEALTH and your SANITY we're talking about. There's nothing more important than that. Do you have a friend who can take you? That would help but you should go regardless.

Also nthing Pepcid for anxious stomach, although it sounds like what you have might be more muscular than acid-induced. Force down some chicken broth with rice if you can't eat anything else - hunger makes everything worse.
posted by walla at 10:11 AM on May 19

Write down each stressor and write down your plan to deal with it, even if the current plan is 'pray.' When it's out of control, it's more stressful, and writing it down will help you get it under control.

Cold wet washcloth on the face helps. It stimulate nerves that help your body cope. Long walks help, and Bach or Mozart help, or the music of your choice, just not AngrySuicidalDeathMetal.
posted by theora55 at 11:20 AM on May 19

Lorezepam and exercise...even just a walk. Good luck!
posted by mintchip at 11:23 AM on May 19

The last time I went through some serious stress-related digestive issues, I ended up taking probiotics (OTC non-refrigerated in any drugstore). It wasn't a fix-all, of course, but the burning stomach and related issues were just making everything so much worse - crappy nutrition, dehydration, yet another thing making it hard to sleep, and it seriously cleared some bandwidth for me to cope with everything else.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:28 AM on May 19

decathecting , I'm sorry but youre incorrect. Stress still causes ulcers. Not everyone with pylori gets an ulcer and things like eating certain foods and being overly stresses can open an ulcer. Stress easily can increase the acidity level of the stomach causing the bacteria to begin forming an ulcer. He may not have an ulcer but he clearly has gastrointestinal issues which sound pretty serious. A lot more serious than 'drink some green tea and go for a long walk.'
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:48 AM on May 19

breathe. walk. get sunlight. get busy. now would be an excellent time to clean your house from top to bottom.

eat bland, highly caloric foods to keep your blood sugar up. being hypoglycemic doesn't help. (ice cream, candy, mashed potatoes, pasta with butter, rice pudding, rice, oatmeal, whatever you can get down.) if all else fails, try to drink something like ensure--one of those creamy nutrition drinks.

if you really can't take it anymore, go to the ER, or call your shrink and tell them it's an emergency and ask what to do.

good luck. i'm sorry you have to go through all this crap. hang in there.
posted by thinkingwoman at 11:53 AM on May 19

IANAD, but I am going through some shit of my own. For a while, I was taking calcium after reading on the Internets that it is supposed to help with anxiety. See here. I don't know why or, for that matter, whether it works. Exercise and meditation/breathing exercises are also really helpful.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:03 PM on May 19

This book has been recommended a million times by me and other MeFites, but it's definitely for a reason.

Although it focuses on depression, it definitely helped me lower my anxiety levels as well. This book is by the same guy, and may be more centered on anxiety, although I haven't checked it out yet.

Ignore his hair as best you can.
posted by Defenestrator at 7:33 PM on May 20