Physical Effects from Anxiety?

[lunarla]

Does anyone else have any physical effects related to their anxiety?

I've had back and neck problems for quite some while now from tensing up and feeling anxious. The pain often gets severe enough to the point where I have to take relaxant pills for my muscles to loosen up.

Also, and what I absolutely hate the most, is that I have these indentations or something on my forehead from wincing or cringing from the pain and getting headaches and feeling anxious. It's permanent at this point, I know it. It's easily seen under lighting. That is basically the reason why I have bangs and probably will for the rest of my life, looool.

 

[iamthenra]

I get very bad stomach cramps, the kind that hurts bad enough you are forced to lay down.... The doctor told me that it ties in with IBS... I noticed this pattern when I was little around the age of 5, whenever I would be with my cousins and aunts and uncles for the holidays. That is the first thing I always notice with the anxiety, the pain in my gut... ::

 

[FOR REAL]

great post lanurla

when i was around 19-20 i used to get twinges on my forehead, the doctor sais it was just down to depression but it didnt feel like that at all.
i get sore finger tips sometimes and of of course spent fkn hours on the net looking up the causes, the one that really caught my eye was "vitamin deficiency" so of course im straight on to ebay buying these fkn pills that are supposed to help with the symptoms (honestly theres packets all over my house)
but then you watch the news or read the paper the next day and it sais that vitamin suppliments can cause cancer or heart heart attacks!
so your left baffled! im worried about all the effects anxiety has on my immune system.
im constantly searching the net for cures for stuff.

a couple of great things i found was "pure honey" and "olive oil" they are great for so many things.
i know im going off topic here but you get the idea

 

[Harleyq]

I get irritable bowel syndrome when I'm anxious. I also tend to cry. A few times my hearing and vision started to go, although I've never completely lost my hearing/vision and it only lasted a few seconds.

 

[FOR REAL]

I get irritable bowel syndrome when I'm anxious. I also tend to cry. A few times my hearing and vision started to go, although I've never completely lost my hearing/vision and it only lasted a few seconds.

see when your vision goes, only for a few seconds, like you say. do you feel like you are going into shock or a feeling of dying, and its way beyond anything you could possibly control.

 

[Noca]

Does anyone else have any physical effects related to their anxiety?

I've had back and neck problems for quite some while now from tensing up and feeling anxious. The pain often gets severe enough to the point where I have to take relaxant pills for my muscles to loosen up.

Also, and what I absolutely hate the most, is that I have these indentations or something on my forehead from wincing or cringing from the pain and getting headaches and feeling anxious. It's permanent at this point, I know it. It's easily seen under lighting. That is basically the reason why I have bangs and probably will for the rest of my life, looool.

What meds do you take? Soma? or benzos?

 

[Harleyq]

see when your vision goes, only for a few seconds, like you say. do you feel like you are going into shock or a feeling of dying, and its way beyond anything you could possibly control.

Nothing serious, it's more trippy than threatening...I guess it's along the same lines as when some people get up too fast and get dizzy as a result. It happens when I become emotionally shocked, though. There's my normal anxiety where I know something's going to make me anxious and it's far enough ahead where I can control it somewhat. Then there's the bombs such as "Oh, btw, you have to do a presentation tomorrow" and those bombs would induce the temporary white-outs.

It's only ever happened maybe 5 times in my life that I can remember, though.

 

[lunarla]

What meds do you take? Soma? or benzos?

I actually don't continually take prescribed medications for any of my problems with anxiety/dysthymia. Besides fish oil pills, vitamins, and SUNSHINE, of course! (jk jk i h8 sunshine)

But for my back/neck pain when it gets severe I take a muscle relaxant known as Metaxalone, I believeeeeeee. Usually happens 2-3 times a year where it gets built up to that extent.

 

[Hellhound]

Well.. I don't know if this happens from anxiety or what, but I get really bad headaches and I get dizzy. It's happening very often.

 

[lurknomore]

I get irritable bowel syndrome when I'm anxious.

I've never been diagnosed with it or anything, but I think this is pretty much what happens to me when I'm anxious... sometimes I don't even think I feel the anxiety, but my stomach tells me otherwise ::

 

[FOR REAL]

Well.. I don't know if this happens from anxiety or what, but I get really bad headaches and I get dizzy. It's happening very often.

"dizziness" is my middle name, i wish it would fk off and leave me alone! even though i try to convince my self that its all in my mind, i know that it isnt, because i struggle to see straight even in my own house most of the time

 

[Hellhound]

"dizziness" is my middle name, i wish it would fk off and leave me alone! even though i try to convince my self that its all in my mind, i know that it isnt, because i struggle to see straight even in my own house most of the time

Yeah, it's a very crappy feeling... x.x

 

[Harleyq]

I've never been diagnosed with it or anything, but I think this is pretty much what happens to me when I'm anxious... sometimes I don't even think I feel the anxiety, but my stomach tells me otherwise ::

Same. I remember one year, it happened nearly every morning, whether I actually thought I was anxious or not. I had a really bad teacher and I was constantly in trouble of missing the school bus because I got really bad stomach aches 5 minutes before it arrived. I think on a few occasions, I even stayed home entirely because of it.

I hate it, particularly because it's embarrassing. It's one thing to say "I get a lot of headaches" but it's hard to explain away having to take multiple exits/bathroom breaks because you're afraid of having diarrhea in your pants. Especially in highschool where the tacher only allowed to us to go to the bathroom for one minute, and that included the walk to and from the bathroom.

And then on top of that, my SA made me afraid to ask to go to the bathroom so i had A LOT of days where I was sitting somewhere in complete agony over my stomach and praying that I'd get through it, instead of just asking if I could leave for a little bit.

 

[P+G]

I have headaches nearly everyday, sometimes they can get really painful to the point where you can't do anything but cry because painkillers don't work and you can't sleep it off. I'll also get stomach aches now and again. Blushing and sweaty palms. And a few times I'll experience essential tremor with my head or hands. I have to keep really still and stiff otherwise my head will twitch. It's extremely uncomfortable and awkward. My anxiety levels are definately soaring high at this point. What annoys me the most is that the tremors can start out of the blue when I'm copying notes of the board in class. I have to face the board of course but turning a certain direction makes my head shake so I have to hold my head in place by placing my head in my hand in the, hopefully, most natural looking way as possible. It's hard to explain but I had to research a lot through the internet to understand what was happening. It's things like this which tells me that there's something wrong with me.

 

[iwanttogetbetter]

i don't get hungry. my body just shuts off. I can't concentrate on anything the teacher is saying

 

[this_portrait]

I think it really depends on the situation for me. Sometimes I'll get all shaky, I'll get butterflies in my stomach, I'll stutter, my heartbeat will increase, and in the case of dating, I'll blush.

But it all really depends on what situation I'm in and how comfortable I am.

 

[cyberboy82]

Hands/head shaking severely, severe sweating, ringing in the head, cant process what people are saying to me, need to use the bathroom when anxious (don’t know if this is IBS triggered by anxiety or what…Blurry vision and dizziness also lets not forget constant 24/7 heartbeat awareness for years now. All that’s just associated with moderate social exposure, with something severely stressful I just pass out.

/wrists

 

[lurknomore]

Same. I remember one year, it happened nearly every morning, whether I actually thought I was anxious or not. I had a really bad teacher and I was constantly in trouble of missing the school bus because I got really bad stomach aches 5 minutes before it arrived. I think on a few occasions, I even stayed home entirely because of it.

I hate it, particularly because it's embarrassing. It's one thing to say "I get a lot of headaches" but it's hard to explain away having to take multiple exits/bathroom breaks because you're afraid of having diarrhea in your pants. Especially in highschool where the tacher only allowed to us to go to the bathroom for one minute, and that included the walk to and from the bathroom.

And then on top of that, my SA made me afraid to ask to go to the bathroom so i had A LOT of days where I was sitting somewhere in complete agony over my stomach and praying that I'd get through it, instead of just asking if I could leave for a little bit.

Wow, I completely relate. I don't remember much from high school, but I think that there were a few occasions where I had to go, and waited until the break between classes... and I wouldn't make it in time to the next class, so I just waited in the restroom until the next period because the last thing I wanted to do was walk into a class late, and even worse, be expected to explain my tardiness.

In college, it was easier since in most classes it wasn't a big deal if you had to leave the classroom to go to the restroom, but it could still be embarrassing to have to run out right in the middle of a lecture, or even a test. There were a few times where I had to go just 3-5 minutes into a period where we were having a test, and I just hoped I didn't get questioned by the professors. I think the worst was once when we were doing group presentations, and I was hoping that my group would be one of the first ones to go, but no such luck. We were last (or maybe next to last), and I ended up running out right in the middle of another group's presentation. I kept telling myself to go during the time between presentations, but I kept trying to hold off... I hope the group wasn't too offended, but that was at least less embarrassing than what would have happened if I hadn't made it to the bathroom then. ::

 

[L Hilla]

Little headaches, neck pains/strains, slight dizziness, yeah. I think you just have to try hard not to focus on it, maybe? That's what I do sometimes when necessary; it doesn't work all the time but it helps somewhat.

 

[alice_down_the_rabbithole]

"dizziness" is my middle name, i wish it would fk off and leave me alone! even though i try to convince my self that its all in my mind, i know that it isnt, because i struggle to see straight even in my own house most of the time

yeah. i get that extreme dizziness towards the beginning and the end of the school day, and it usually lasts until i'm in my brother's room going through his homework with him. even when i'm alone i get them, but when i'm alone with a person i can trust, they go away mostly. sometimes they come randomly, but the last few hours of school totally unnerve me and make me more anxious than ever to get home and smoke a cigarette for some closure and relaxation, so every time i stand up to move seats or something i feel like i'm gonna fall or collapse.
it sucks. totally.
but i know how you feel.