questioning my anxiety diagnosis

chibiXphantom

Well-known member
Went to the doctor a couple times, and each time I went I had very, very high blood pressure (hypertension levels), a super fast pulse, and would be shaking a lot. It's not high blood pressure due to physical health issues like being overweight or eating poorly or anything like that. I'm thin, maintain a healthy body weight, eat decently, don't drink, smoke, or eat junk all the time. anyways, he asked a few questions about when i feel anxiety and such, and then diagnosed me with anxiety and prescribed medication to take as needed when I'm experiencing anxiety.

However, my boyfriend thinks that I don't actually have anxiety and that the doctor is just pushing drugs. He says that he knows people with anxiety and I'm not like them at all. They're afraid to ever go out, have panic attacks frequently, don't function well, and would certainly not step out of their comfort zone and take risks. I drove myself to the airport and flew by myself out of the country to see him. He doesn't think I'd be able to do that if i had anxiety bad enough to be medicated.

So i'm kind of unsure about the diagnosis ....
 

Hot_Tamale

Well-known member
Someone can fly out of the country and step out of their comfort zone but still break out in cold sweats and nervousness in social functions. Anxiety isn't a one size fits all diagnosis where everyone shares the same list of symptoms. Maybe you have anxiety on the low end of the spectrum or it only presents itself in some situations but not others.

I am a little like you, I attend job fairs, drive all over the city, and break out of my comfort zone every now and then. I know it's not right but I still fear making phone calls, approaching a customer out of the blue, I make excuses not to go to peoples birthday parties, and if I drive to a restaurant I like I will still turn around and go home if I see that it's too crowded inside. This is coming from someone that has his college degrees in the health and wellness field, which is a field that caters to the "outgoing" type...I'm still looking for a job in that field :)
 

NathanielWingatePeaslee

Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
Staff member
Went to the doctor a couple times, and each time I went I had very, very high blood pressure (hypertension levels), a super fast pulse, and would be shaking a lot. It's not high blood pressure due to physical health issues like being overweight or eating poorly or anything like that. I'm thin, maintain a healthy body weight, eat decently, don't drink, smoke, or eat junk all the time. anyways, he asked a few questions about when i feel anxiety and such, and then diagnosed me with anxiety and prescribed medication to take as needed when I'm experiencing anxiety.

However, my boyfriend thinks that I don't actually have anxiety and that the doctor is just pushing drugs. He says that he knows people with anxiety and I'm not like them at all. They're afraid to ever go out, have panic attacks frequently, don't function well, and would certainly not step out of their comfort zone and take risks. I drove myself to the airport and flew by myself out of the country to see him. He doesn't think I'd be able to do that if i had anxiety bad enough to be medicated.

So i'm kind of unsure about the diagnosis ....

Start by buying a blood pressure monitor. They range from $20-$60ish. Hypertension is a serious health problem, so you need to know if you're experiencing it when you're not in a social situation. Learn to take your own pulse as well (that's free).

Doctors, as a rule, are pretty quick to push drugs. Maybe that's the case here, maybe it's not. Research all the symptoms of anxiety for yourself.
 

lily

Well-known member
if you don't feel your anxiety is bad enough to be medicated then don't take it
 

Sacrament

Well-known member
Everyone has anxiety. If you feel that you're only anxious in certain situations, maybe try to assess your thinking patterns during those events, and work on those patterns in order to change how you react to stressful situations.
 

Kiwong

Well-known member
There are people who are high functioning with anxiety.
Anxiety can be situational , I have severe anxiety but I travel around the country without trouble

High blood pressure can be caused by numerous things. Including caffiene and artificial sweeteners in soft drinks.
 

chibiXphantom

Well-known member
There are people who are high functioning with anxiety.
Anxiety can be situational , I have severe anxiety but I travel around the country without trouble

High blood pressure can be caused by numerous things. Including caffiene and artificial sweeteners in soft drinks.

the high blood pressure would always go down by the end of the appointment, so it is probably caused by my anxiety.

i dont drink soda or anything with caffeine except on rare occasions.
 

chibiXphantom

Well-known member
Someone can fly out of the country and step out of their comfort zone but still break out in cold sweats and nervousness in social functions. Anxiety isn't a one size fits all diagnosis where everyone shares the same list of symptoms. Maybe you have anxiety on the low end of the spectrum or it only presents itself in some situations but not others.

I am a little like you, I attend job fairs, drive all over the city, and break out of my comfort zone every now and then. I know it's not right but I still fear making phone calls, approaching a customer out of the blue, I make excuses not to go to peoples birthday parties, and if I drive to a restaurant I like I will still turn around and go home if I see that it's too crowded inside. This is coming from someone that has his college degrees in the health and wellness field, which is a field that caters to the "outgoing" type...I'm still looking for a job in that field :)

yeah, i'm chill most of the time when i'm in comfortable situations and environments. i just get anxious in certain situations. which i guess is what the medication is for, when i get anxious in those specific situations
 
In our country there is the option to seek for a second medical opinion even a third one if you are satisfied by the first one.

Maybe you can seek for that second opinion. The high blood pressure can be when you are going to the the doctor and in the rest of time is in normal limit. You have to monitor the pressure for few days - weeks with a good blood pressure measure device and if it's high in the morning when you wake up then the doctor will prescribe you pills and other investigations like renal checks, heart and so on ...

Good luck!
 
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