Does anyone else have debilitating weakness

[forever young 06]

I use to eat or drink any thing I wanted to with my medication. I have taken anti-depressants for over 30 yrs. I was doing great all that time till I went off Prozac last march and had the weirdest spell. It was like no other spell I have had. I never for sure figured out what it was. I could never believe it was my panic or anxiety returning. I was not anxious at the time but of course I became afraid of these spells. I went to the er to 4 other doctors including a neuro/ physchiratist. they didn't know what caused the spells what they were. I had numerous blood work that came back fine except for low potassium and eventually low vitamin D. I wonder if it was my body needing the medication. the er dr told me to get back on it when I told her I had a life time of taking them. I have phobias I have never gotten over. the only way to get over them are to face them and I have always been reluctant to do. I am doing this program again but really I have never went all the way thru it. I have trouble driving by myself and going with anyone driving long distance. I won't ride in elavators. If I think about this I could get down. I know we have to learn to work on our negative thinking and also eat right and excerise. most of all we have to face our fears. I am going to try this.

Mary B your medication should keep your depression at bay. I know being hospitalized is a little scarey but most depression can be controlled with out it. Hang in there you are okay we will make it one step at a time. Do you have the weakness with out an anxiety attack too. I know when you have had a panic attack you will feel weak and tired after but mine came on with out the attacks. I have been having less as I have been on the celexa since July. If I don't get much sleep I feel more tired. but I occasionally get the weak feeling come over me. I am trying to ignore it.

[hope11]

Hi Forever Young: Glad to hear back from you. I also have low Vitamin D which I have been taking supplements for now about 2 or more years. I am also having hormonal imbalance issues which has been another whole thing to deal with. My estrogen and progesterone were down to nothing so we have tried everything to build that back up. My naturopathic doctor thinks if we could ever get it back in balance that a lot of my anxiety issues would get better. I also have developed phobias since this started. For the first year, I couldn't drive anywhere alone and now I have to make myself drive once in a while, and still have to get my husband to go shopping with me. That has been so hard since I was always independent, holding down a full time job, taking care of everything I needed to for my family, and was doing fine. Then one night, in the middle of the night, I awoke with my heart racing, I couldn't breathe, etc. I immediately became paralyzed to everything I was able to do on my own. I would not even go outside for several weeks and finally only with my husband walking around with me holding my hand. I have been to so many doctors the last three years and still not completely functional on my own. I am supposed to see an endocrinologist next month. I am still searching for help. I just feel a constant ongoing fear in my body that I cannot make go away and then feel bad or tired most of the time. I just don't understand what has happened to make so many people have anxiety like this. There seems to be no answer. Good talking to you. Have a good day today.

[forever young 06]

I am glad to hear back from you. How old are you if you mind me asking? I am 59 and have gone thru menopause just wondering if you are there too. I know what you mean getting tired of feeling like this. I had my first panic attack on vacation in the mts. I have never been the same as I developed agrophobia and never able to go any where I wanted to even with my husband taking me. I got better on meds but I have never made a full recovery. I have had set backs too. I have gotten to where I can drive to my small town where I live I live in the country and it is 7 miles. I used couldn't go there even with my husband driving me. I have seen some dark days. yesterday I felt weak in my arms and my back was hurting and I became a little worried. I am not letting myself go into a panic and I feel the anxiety wanting to rise up. I am working on the program and am on lesson 9. I need to start facing my fears but am reluctant to do. I know I wont't get well with out facing. I live in Kentucky where do you live ? Do you have any kids? I have one daughter she is 35 I got worse after she was born. I can't believe I have been like this so long. I was stable on the meds for yrs but would not face my going out of my comfort zone. I hope I can find the strength to do so.

[hope11]

Hi forever young: Yes, I will soon be 56. I went through menopause at 42 because of surgery. But the doctors say this anxiety can happen to women years after surgery after the age of 50. So they think that might be my problem, yet cannot get that straightened out either. Right now, I am sooo nervous I feel like I'm going nuts. It has been really bad this past week for some reason. By the way, I am from Georgia. Have two grown sons and am a grandma. I am losing so much precious time with my family because of all of this. I can't even feel comfortable around them. It started when my 1st grandchild was 3 weeks old. I have not even been able to attend her birthday parties yet due to anxiety and fear. I am about to have another grandchild in the spring and they live about 12 hours away. I know if I am not better, I will have to miss going there to be with them. This problem takes away a lot from your life that I used to enjoy so much and I want to be able to do those things again. Do you get feelings of extreme nervousness like this very much or at all? It is awful. I am presently reading a book where the family almost lost their six year old son in a wreck many years ago and how hard it was on their family. They were told as bad as that was that a lot of people would just wish that were their hardest days ever. This is true for everyone, I think. I know there are so many people worse than me and I just pray for people everywhere no matter what they might be going through. I also live about 5 miles out in the country and just make myself drive into town and just turn around and come back to force myself into doing it alone. Enjoying talking to you. Hope you have a good day today.

[forever young 06]

Wow you and I have so much in common. I am a grandmother too. we have a 4 yr old and a 10 month old. They are so cute I love spending time with them. I got worse after going off my medication. I don't know what happened but I started having these weak spells I feel weird all over even in my chest. I started focusing on them and got really worried about the way I was feeling. I was keeping the little baby at the time. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I too used to work I got laid off 2 yrs ago. I would love to go back to work but I am limited as to where I can drive. a lot of jobs require you to go out of town and I can't. I think being at home all the time allows too much time to dwell on ourselves. I am able to keep my anxiety pushed back most of the time. Is your husband pretty supportive? does one of your sons live close to you? I know what you mean about missing things. my granddaughter is doing dance and she will have a dance at a town that I haven't been to for over 35 yrs. I wanted to start working on going there. I dread starting. are you doing the program? I bought it a few yrs back and never finished it. I have started it again but am having a time staying in track. It also says you need to face your fears. this really is the only way of getting over this. I seem to find new reason not to do that. I keep thinking something is wrong with me. I like you have been to the er and 3 other drs and no one knows why I have these weak spells they don't seem to go along with anxiety in fact it was not bothering me at the time. I wonder if my body was used to the anti depressant and reacting from not having it. the drs don't think so as I didn't have the spells until 2 months after being off the meds. but blood work has never found a reason for the spells. I hate feeling like something is wrong with me. I hate to keep spending money on drs and test. I would go and have every test thought of run if it would make me feel better but sometimes I am afraid they will find something. I am so tired of feeling this way. I like you am praying for this to be removed from me. I have really getting back close to my faith. I read the Bible I think this the answer if we could get strong in our faith. our minds need to be retrained we our thinking the wrong way. I am so glad to have found you. we have more in common than most people I wish we lived close to each other.

[hope11]

Good morning Forever Young: We really do have a lot in common. I was just telling my mother-in-law that last night. And, YES, my husband is so supportive. He has been my rock through all of this. He is a quiet person and doesn't know what else to do to help me but I just feel better when he is with me. He has taken his vacation days off just to take me to doctors out of town and still takes me almost everywhere I go, even just to buy groceries. As far as working, I could not possibly work because I can't get the courage to go hardly anywhere at all. I was very close to the friends I worked with but haven't even been able to go back to see them since I had to quit almost 3 years ago. I just get a sick feeling and fearful feeling when I try to do things so I still avoid them. I do have the one son who lives nearby. His daughter is the one who was born right before my anxiety started and he has had to bring her to my house most of the time just so I can spend time with her. She will be 3 next month and I am praying this year I will be able to go to her party. I was so excited when they told me they were having a girl. I never had a sister or daughter and wanted a little girl so much. I wouldn't trade my two sons for anything though. They are also a blessing from God and both turned out to be such fine young men. It is hard to watch the other grandmothers having time with their grandchildren, taking them places, and enjoying everything they are involved in and I get really down because I have missed out on so much. My other son and his wife will be having a boy. I have a wonderful family (my parents are both still next door) and they, too, have done so much to help me through this. I just don't understand what else to do to get over it. I have been through the program this past year and it has helped some. I reread my book quite often and do the relaxation exercises all the time. I don't worry about things quite as much, mostly how to overcome this. I do wish we lived closer to each other but it helps just to talk to you. Have a great day!

[forever young 06]

good morning, you are so blessed to have such supportive family. my husband was not that supportive when I first started with this. we had many arguments because I wouldn't go places with him . I also didn't know what was wrong with me either when I had my first panic attack. I live in a small rural area it is several miles to a larger town. I haven't been to those towns in a long time. I feel like at one time when I was more stable I should have tried harder to get better. I feel like with all I have read the only way is to face the fear and I feel paralyzed from it. If I had a better support system. I don't know. I am doing the program again and hoping something will click. I know this is not real it is only anxiety. I love to hear the ones on the tape telling how they have gotten better. I will feel hopeful but then if I think about this a lot I will start to feel depressed. don't feel guilty about not spending time and doing things with your granddaughter. You have plenty of time. how about her staying all night with you? It would be good if she could spend the day Sat with you are just a few hours. The more we put guilt on ourselves it makes us feel bad and we stay more anxious. I have been there with that too. I have not been feeling too good the last few days and I know I need to work on my driving and want to put it off. I think if we could get mad at this mess and face it no matter what happens it takes a determination on our part. how do you spend your day? I have been spending too much time on the computer and on tv till I don't get a lot of any thing done. I put off everything. I hope you are having a good day today.

[hope11]

Hello again: The more I hear about you, we really do sound alike. My days are very long. I have an almost never changing daily routine. I get up after feeling the anxious feeling lying down until I can't stand it any longer (seems worse when lying down and comes and goes during the day), read my Bible for a while after breakfast, watch a lot of TV, try to walk mostly in my house or ride my stationary bike on and off during the day, try to do what I can to keep my household going but tend to avoid things I really want to do. I used to be the type that kept busy all of the time. It is strange that I am here all week by myself and do less to stay busy but when my husband is home on the weekend, I do the most. I get the "want to do it feeling" but then back out once I start like something is going to happen if I do things like cleaning out closets and drawers, etc. I get on the computer some. Occasionally, I will get the nerve to drive to the store, get two or three things, and come back home, but not much. I also don't really have many friends to talk to now that I don't see anyone from work so one lady emails me and another friend tries to call me most every day. Then my family calls some but I get so lonesome. I have always been a people person and now feel so left out. I haven't been able to attend church all of this time and I miss that very much. There are so many things I want to do but just can't seem to push through it. I have asked my therapist if we could start a support group and she is supposed to find out. I think that would help. But this website is the closest thing I have to that right now. Hope you have a blessed day. I really appreciate you talking to me. I look forward to it now. Maybe we should start sending a Private Message to each other and not take up so much space on here. Let me know if you would like to do that. Also, I was wondering if you take an anxiety med or just the antidepressant?

[forever young 06]

hope did you get my private message I sent you yesterday ? I didn't see one from you. I am having trouble getting around this site it is not like it used to be. I went for a mammogram yesterday. I didn't feel comfortable going to the hospital but I did it. Have you heard of Claire Weekes books ? She is very knowledgeable on panic attacks and agrophobia. I have a cd of hers and it is very comforting to listen to. It makes you feel hopeful about this condition. hope you are doing good I wanted to hear back from you. I at times feel very lonely too. I had lunch with my daughter too yesterday. I thought about keeping her kids today too. we have a little bad weather. I am tired of cold and snow. pm me to see if I get it maybe I am looking at the wrong place

[hope11]

Forever Young: Look on your email. That is where the PM's go to. I responded to your PM by the Reply. Check it and let me know.