Health Anxiety

So I have had some unhealthy habits over my life. I have been, and still am overweight I have been through periods when my drinking can be borderline heavy just to give a couple concrete examples. Over the winter I am pretty sure I developed SAD and I started taking some supplements that might help with this condition. Saturday I had a panic attack that I am pretty sure was rooted in that health anxiety and I went to an urgent care facility just to get checked out. I One thing I had noticed was (sorry if this is TMI) is that my urine was a garish yellow color. In this case Googling it actually gave me some relief afterwards because it turns out that that is quite common when taking B Vitamin supplements. Sunday I was still feeling quite anxious though and found an online doctor and told them about some of my symptoms and the supplements I was taking they seemed to suggest that I quit taking them immediately. They also suggested that I find someplace that would give me a routine examination to see if I actually had an deficiencies. I don't really know why I'm writing this, just to see if there is anyone here who can relate, or maybe some advice for when I actually make an appointment for a screening, what to say and maybe even what not say so that the Dr. takes me seriously.

I can relate. I am out of shape and prime to have something happen to me.

So what advice would you give me?

Probably to get checked out by a doc and start some moderate exercise if doctor says it's ok.

Make better food choices, etc.

The basics

I did find out today that the niacin in the B supplement was probably the cause of my panic attacks. I think I would tell you to go get at least a basic health screening and talk with an actual MD/DO about any concerns you may have, quit Googling every ache and pain you have and continue efforts to to develop healthier habits. Remember that just because something says its "Natural" or a 'Vitamin" doesn't mean it's harmless especially in very high doses.

That's interesting about the niacin. I never knew that it could cause panic attacks.

Hello. If I recall correctly, I remember you posting/discussing on here about your battles with PTSD, annoyedgrunt84. I'm obviously not a doctor or anything like that, but I have a feeling the cause of your panic attacks lies in the PTSD. Possibly exacerbated by some other external stresses you're going through. Just putting that out there.

B vitamins have an effect on the nervous system. For example the mega-dose of B6 (or P5P) that can help with autism can lead to difficulty moving the legs and walking. The effect is temporary and reversed when discontinuing. (I'm paraphrasing from the 1987 study by Bernard Rimland.)

A sudden drop in blood sugar can bring about anxiety. I experience this a few hours after going to bed if I've over indulged in sweets before going to bed. Maybe alcohol has the same effect.

Health anxiety is a condition characterized by excessive worry and fear about having a serious medical condition. It often leads to frequent checking of symptoms and seeking medical reassurance.

Hi annoyedgrunt84,

I also recently had a panic attack (about a month ago), it it felt very much like a heart attack. In have not really taken care of myself over the past few years and heart disease sort of runs in my family, so naturally I had a serious nervous episode over the whole thing.

One thing that helped me a lot was visiting a doctor and getting checked out (heart, blood work) and most importantly ACCEPTING THE RESULTS OF THE TESTS. In my case, there were things I needed to work on, I made a plan and am working on them. I think this might help you as well, the proactivity, and knowing you are "working on it" may do a lot for your state of mind. At least it did for me.

Hoping you feel better my friend, and know you are not alone.

Del