Anxiety Just Makes No Sense!

Howdy! I just can't make sense of anxiety. Always the confident type through the years I could barge into a room and talk to anyone anytime. I could do anything anywhere. After hospital in '11 and experimenting with several meds, I settled on Lithium 600mg and Lamictal 150mg, which I'm still on today. Then I started feeling funny.

I was planning on meeting two buddies in Vegas. Booked flights and rooms, but when it got closer to the time to leave I kept feeling sick. After about a week of this, I was thinking maybe its just too soon for me to go on a big adventure...and I backed out of the trip.

I had been meeting 3-4 lifelong friends at this little mountain bar/grill for years, but lately when I had attempted to go I would feel sick coming up the road and just drive by...turn around and come home.

I wanted to go see my sister out of state, so I started planning the trip. I always loved to drive so I was looking at that mode of transportation, but kept getting a knot in my belly when I thought of driving through the plains of CO and KS. So I booked a flight.

Wifey took me to DIA...was waiting by the gate, and it was packed. Old folks in wheelchairs, babies in car seats and crowded as hell. I started feeling like I had smoked a joint...without the fun part. It was time to board. As I was walking down the jetway I started feeling funny...and by the time I was 20ft from the aircraft it hit. I was nauseous, lightheaded and unsure on my feet, stumbling around amongst the strollers and other baggage outside the cabin door. I held it together long enough for the passengers to thin down, then I got the feck out of there.

I sat down in the concourse to attempt to digest what had just happened. Wifey had just pulled into the driveway after her hour drive back home when I called and asked her to come back for me. I was stunned at my behavior the last year or so. I had been driving for 45yrs...why did it bother me now? I had gone to that bar for 5yrs and I had known these friends for 55yrs...there was no danger there nor anything to dread. I had flown scores of times, and at least 8 times per year for the 3yrs preceding this event with -0- probs.

It had to be this combo of meds, didn't it? -IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE SENSE-

Anybody else get first time anxiety from meds?

I would definitely suggest talking to your doctor about this. And double check the pharmacy didn't change your prescription dosages or even switch to a different generic. I haven't personally had this happen but I had a friend that was put on a generic from a name-brand medication awhile back. Even though the active ingredients were the same, the inactive ingredients were SLIGHTLY different. However slight, they had a substantial impact on her.

Your doctor might be able to let you know if these sort of side-effects are normal and/or determine why you are having trouble with anxiety.

On a non-med route, have you had any changes in your life recently? Be it a job or location, fight with a friend or relative, etc? I would re-evaluate your recent history to determine if anything could be prompting these anxious responses.

However, at the end of the day, if you can't come up with an explanation, that's ok too. Anxiety can happen without rhyme or reason. Which I know you don't want to hear. None of us do! But, if you riddle your brain and NOTHING jumps out at you-- don't panic.

You mention a hospital visit and medication administration back in 2011. Without prying in to your past, are there any similarities behind that hospitalization and changes in the present day?

Best of luck to you!! I know anxiety can be a really confusing and strange emotion. It's really hard to explain it to someone that hasn't experience it. You're NOT alone. I have these same sort of problems during high-stress points in my life. I will cancel plans, I will avoid social places, heck lately I can't even go grocery shopping on a busy day without getting a mild panic attack.

Hang in there! And, I definitely encourage you to seek professional help JUST in case its a change in your RX or an explainable side effect.

You aren't alone. Anxiety can make you feel sick, and unfortunately, I'm one of those that gets sick from anxiety, too.

There's a possibility that it is your medicine, but that doesn't mean that it is! Just as Jaymoq said, I encourage you to seek professional help with your anxiety, too.

Take some time to inspect your life and see if you did anything differently. Did you have a change or event occur in your life recently? Sometimes that can be the cause of anxiety. Pinpointing the root of your anxiety might take some time.

Good luck. I hope that you find the help that you need!

I see my therapist and psych often. My psych had me try propanolol and something else, but I did't want to add another daily med for the off chance I would fly someday. Then the best they can do is shrug their shoulders. I attended about 6mos of CBT with a psychologist last year to learn coping skills for anxiety, but haven't been flying so I haven't been able to try them out. What I did do though was back off my Lamictal 50mg and a lot of my dizziness lessened. I completed a driving trip to CA with my wife in March without any probs, so maybe that reduction worked..

jaymoq: I've experienced the difference between brand name and generic meds twice before, though those around me think I'm pulling wool because they have the same argument: 'the ingredients are the same'. I argue back the name brand manufacturers wouldn't allow generics to be made if they were 'exactly' the same: why would they compete against their name brand moneymaker? I don't buy store brand items either...I don't care how cheap they are.

My first go-round with psychotropic meds in the late 90's was with Desipramine, and when my insurance forced me to go generic I DID notice a difference. Several years later I experienced it with Wellbutrin also.

Hi ChickenKicker, I couldn't agree with you more. Sometimes my anxiety doesn't make much sense to me either so I just wanted to put it out there that you are not alone in thinking this.

It's interesting how you noted that there was the difference when you had the change over in meds due to insurance. Just reinforces what I thought that certain meds can play a role whilst others are less effective for us, personally, according to how we individually respond to them.

Thank you for sharing this with us.