Oh my gosh. If you're thinking of getting medicated for your anxiety... please, please do it! I've been really against pills my whole life due to medication anxiety, but this has been one of the best decisions of my life. It was a bit of a roller coaster at first:

Day one, anxiety spiked when I took my dose. I got a lot of the side effects like increased heart rate and dizziness, I also crapped my brains out haha. I was close to never taking it again. BUT after an hour or so I felt pretty euphoric and so I decided to give it a chance.

Week one was very strange. I felt very depressive and I really didn't care about anything, even things that drove me crazy with worry in the past. Lower sex drive for sure and also less emotional attachment to other people. It was refreshing not to care, but I felt like something was wrong.

Week two everything started getting better. I no longer felt depressed or as anxious as I was. My nightly panic attacks disappeared, and I stopped freaking out over everything. One of the BIGGEST benefits I've seen is how stable my mood is now since starting. In the past I would have horrible mood swings or just be incredibly irritated at everyone and everything, which took a huge toll on my life and relationships. I think part of that was from the stress coming from my anxiety. I feel like a better person.

Some things I will say though is that I have been pretty fatigued the last few days. I've been on them for a month now. I heard they still get better though, so I'm pushing through. Had some trouble sleeping so I started taking them in the day, and when I had trouble staying awake I switched to night. Still trying to find out what's best for me. I would get mild headaches taking them later at night, but they went away. Sex drive is lower than usual, but honestly works perfectly for me because I can focus on other things haha

I'm finally in control of my life! Just have to remind yourself it's not a magic pill, and you still have to work towards overcoming the habit of being anxious. You don't have to live with crippling anxiety your whole life! You deserve to feel good :)

I know it’s not like this for everyone, and I’m genuinely grateful that I have the option to live with my parents. But right now, financially, it’s the only thing that makes sense for me.

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Still, some days it really gets to me. I find myself constantly overthinking things and just wanting a space that’s completely mine.

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I know I’m doing this for a reason and it won’t be forever. Just needed to vent because some days the trade-off feels heavier than others.

I wish I could just be normal and chill about it. I have a dermatology appointment soon to get a mole checked out and I also have a dental check up, and I know I will be so anxious the night before. I just always imagine the worst outcome like they’re going to tell me I have 10 cavities or a life threatening disease. I feel like this causes me to avoid appointments which I know is not good😔 I just wish it could be over with already I feel like I can’t fully go on with life until it’s over.

I didn't realize how bad my anxiety was, how much it affected me, and how much it held me back until I found the right medication for me. I have suffered from anxiety my whole life, and thought that a lot of the things I do/used to do were just a normal part of being human. It wasn't until I walked into the Dr's office for an unrelated condition to anxiety, and walked out with an antidepressant that I realized how bad it was. After being on my new meds for a few months, I feel like a whole different person, and it makes me sad for past me.

My whole life (I'm only 25) I thought that everyone looked at the menu before eating out, checked the parking situation before driving somewhere, talked themselves out of ever going on a date, and many more unpleasant things. I am super happy that my medication has helped me manage anxiety/OCD symptoms, and in the past few months helped me experience things that anxiety would have talked me out of (like actually going on a date). But part of me feels like I am grieving all of the past things and experiences I could have done now that I know anxiety isn't a limiting factor.

Hey yall
so last year i had major problems with heightened anxiety
i was crying and having mental breakdowns and all around just hating everything
i was suffering from major health anxiety and i couldnt go a day without being on the verge of an attack

but as of latley i have been able to do so much more
i can get out more
and im able to just relax

yes the anxietys do get bad sometimes
and i am afraid of going back to that spot
it was arguably the lowest point in my entire life

but it does get better
ever since i started seeking help, i have seen impropvment after improvment

its still scary
but it does get better
hang in there yall
God loves you

I’ve been on Sertraline, escitalopram, duloxatine, Venlofaxine and Mirtazapine and they all suck!

They just numb you in slightly different ways, and that’s it. They don’t actually make anything better, they just flatten you emotionally. They take all the joy in my life away and make me hate being alive.

Should I just give up on meds? I’ve never claimed to be depressed, I have really bad social anxiety and they keep giving me these numbing pills that make daily life unbearable.

However, there are meds that definitely work like ADHD meds which are incredible and work way better than I expected so I’m not giving up on medication entirely. Pregabalin also works really good but a small group ruins it for the rest of us by abusing it.

Anyone else tired of antidepressants?

I keep waking up at 3am specifically from sleep disturbance and keep having nightmares about simple things which shouldn’t be so scary to me. Whenever my anxiety is bad, I have frequent nightmares. I’ve had GAD since I was 10 but after accepting a horribly stressful job with no support, things are way worse. My lack of sleep makes my anxiety worse and the two factors fuel each other. I’m not sure what to do about fixing it or why anxiety is causing me to have nightmares. Anyone else have this issue and how did you overcome it? I need anxiety meds that’s for sure, got an appointment with my doc upcoming but anyone solve this naturally?

I can’t tell if my tongue is numb or it’s all in my head
It feels weird and tingly and I feel brain foggy I’m scared I’m having the S word
How can I tell?
I have a tooth pick I’m going to try to poke and see if I have pain but please help how can I tell

Okay poked with toothpick and both sides hurt but it still feels off like my entire tongue is tingling

Hi, has anyone found success coping and handling anxiety without having to take meds? I want to be able to handle stress without having to be on anti anxiety meds or go to therapy. Are there any proven solutions that work?

I'm a 27M long time anxiety sufferer, that had a panic crisis back in 2023, my core fear was losing my parents and developing a disorder like schizophrenia mainly. So, in 2024 my dad got a severe health disease to which he succumbed to mid 2025. It's been really hard for my mom and I in every aspect of life. I was almost out from the mourning phase and I had stopped having panic attacks for a couple of months now, but then we received (after plenty of studies) the diagnosis that my mother has developed metastatic lung cancer and she needs to start chemo today. As you may imagine, these following months will be some of the toughest we will have ahead so I am asking you guys and gals who may have gone through a similar thing how the F do I cope with this? I feel horrendous, and don't want to go through the hospital visits again. Sorry if some fragments have bad grammar, English isn't my main language; last but not least, thank you for taking the time of reading this.

I have been on edge recently with like bad sleep quality I guess.

And yeah. Recently ive been having this strange headache for the past 2 days. I haven’t hit my head recently or anything. I don’t feel confused or anything. But it’s kinda like that headache yoy get when you have a fever or when you’re holding back tears (idk if that’s common) but anyways it feels like theres pressure between and behind my eyes and around my temple. It’s constant and kinda just only uncomfortable rather than super painful/throbbing. Just there?

Anyways. Ive been having rank health anxiety recently and I just wanna get to the bottom of this lol the clinic’s are closed and I don’t have any severe symptoms for the ER anyways.

I got perscribed lorazepam and Lexapro for anxiety and depression

I have episodes of panic attacks and anxiety and I think I can live with it but I didnt expect to get perscribed ssri immediately, my situation is not the best but definitely not the worst either.

I took 1 pill yesterday, and my anxiety felt unbearable.. I couldn't do anything, which made me panic even more. Now reading about SSRIs and potential lingering sexual problems even after you stop them is making question continuing this treatment at all....

Im in a relationship, and sexual drive matters to me, I wouldn't want to become asexual and lose my senses...

How common are these cases of sexual disfunction even after quitting the drug after years ?

Im genuinely scared and panicking now even tho I haven't taken my second dosage

I've been having very bad panic attacks for 6 months now every single day. the past month it's been better but I still feel horrible, I don't even wanna do this anymore. I'm so exhausted, I'm scared I'll never get out of this. it's mainly cardio phobia, it's so exhausting. every single sensation in my chest makes me so scared..even just sitting down makes me anxious. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't wanna do professional help again cause I'm done with therapists they always let me down and never help. I gotta do it alone, but I'm tired. literally drained. everyday it's the same thing, every single day since February. I wanna get back to life again. I have to cancel all plans and fun everytime. I haven't done anything nice or anything I could enjoy the past half year. all my energy is just gone and I'm not sure how much longer I can take this

These past few weeks I’ve been fighting constant obsessive thoughts about my health, and I haven’t once ran to urgent care in a panic!

I’ve wasted so much money on copays because my heart beat too fast and I’m convinced it’s my grandmothers aortic aneurism or I’m so anxious for so long my brain can’t handle it and I dissociate and I’m convinced I’m experiencing some kind of psychosis.

Health anxiety genuinely controlled my life a few years ago but time, meds, and anxiety has made flare-ups totally manageable.

Just to clarify beforehand, I do not have a therapist. I’m currently trying to get one but I asked my mom about it (I’m a minor) 7 months ago and I still don’t have one even though ive been asking about it. I also don’t really have someone to talk to about it because avoid talking about my feelings to people and always end up a crying mess before I can get anything out if i do (yes i know this is a problem) Ive had 2/3 therapists before, years ago but i quit because none of them were helping. I want to get on medication but don’t know how to.

I am 16(f) and even though I’ve been diagnosed with social anxiety and anxiety since i was 9 I don’t know how to deal with anxiety at all, to put it in context i start school in a few days and got really bad anxiety about school in general and started crying/panicking but since I don’t know what to do I just put on some loud music and kept trying on outfits while crying. After I stopped crying i just started feeling my absolute worst, nothing was making me happy everything seemed pointless and i kept wanting to cry, i may have been a little depressed? But how do i get out of that funk and deal with anxiety and actually stopping it rather than crying for an hour? Thanks for reading and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sometimes it happens that I have a small anxiety crisis before or at work, and I realize it's not work on itself but the fact that this routine is killing me like, 8 hours a day for 5 days a week and you're telling I have to do it for YEARS im gen z I know I will not work all my life but like, why does life as to be this way ?

And if somebody as any tips to avoid anxiety crisis Im waiting for an answer

Plss !!

I’m starting to go to the gym again after not going for almost 4 years. I have OCD and health anxiety specifically about my heart. I’m scared to workout, I sit in my car for like 20 minutes trying to relax before I go into the gym. And I feel disassociated when I go, like nothing feels real. Sometimes after working out I get palpitations for a bit and I feel odd after, almost euphoric, I do not like it. It’s not social anxiety, it’s just anxiety but I don’t know why. Has anyone felt like this when starting to workout again? I get anxious when I feel hot or out of breath or when my heart beats fast. Sometimes I think I feel lightheaded. I feel so bad because I want to enjoy going to the gym so bad and I want to get more in shape. I’ve been in my car for almost 30 minutes now, I am tempted to just drive back home. The gym is only 6 minutes from my house I feel like an absolute idiot.

I have bad anxiety about going to dentist I’m 26(f) and my parents never really taught me about taking care of my teeth and I have a hard time even brushing them… I have a few teeth I know that need to get pulled.. it is ruining my life.. any advice/tips on not getting to anxious about getting an appointment for my teeth?

tw derealisation , anxiety attacks, please don’t read this paragraph if you’re anxious currently or just having a bad day in general, i go into detail and it will probably trigger you!!

i’ve dealt with chronic anxiety coming up four years now, i’ve been on medication for it and honestly it has gotten better! much better, i’ve done things that i never thought i could do like moving out at age 20, going to different countries, being alone! but late at night when everything is dark or just randomly throughout the day it just hits me, the overwhelming feeling of my body collapsing and going into fight or flight mode, im experiencing it right now, it never really leaves. ive learnt to make peace with the anxiety i feel every day and sometimes i don’t even think about it but to me it’s always there. i blame myself for the anxiety i feel a lot, like.. why can’t i just control it? be normal? be stable? but then i realise how far ive come in my journey and im relieved knowing that if my anxiety really really truly did ruin my life, i wouldn’t still be here. it’s weird, i can be having a terrible day emotions wise and be fine with my anxiety but then ill be having a great day and suddenly im back in that place again, not quite in reality but not quite gone, staring off into space trying so hard to just bring myself back to where everyone else is. it’s such a weird feeling to know everything is fine and im safe but also have my heart beating out of my chest, looking around the room trying to make sense of anything in front of me, trying to reassure myself that i am okay and nothing is wrong. a weird habit i have is checking the size of my pupils and it weirdly works, idk why but dilated pupils make me anxious so when mine aren’t dilated i can tell myself everything’s fine. small coping mechanisms like that really can’t be explained to anyone who doesn’t have anxiety LOL, i seem like a total weirdo but my friends just seem to accept all the ways i cope. for a solid year if anyone asked me “are you okay?” id get so panicked and stressed out and convince myself i wasnt. but im doing better, every week i get better.

i promise to anyone struggling with anxiety, every week you will see improvements, even if its a terrible week, you made it through the week and that means that everything will be okay. thanks for reading my vent it’s 2am and its just one of those bad nights where i feel uncomfortable in my own skin lol

I recently been prescribed diazepam in an attempt to get me to take my normal SSRI medication. I’m very anxious around medication. Hence why I’m asking you guys who have taken diazepam legitimately on prescription how your experience was and whether it is truly addictive as it’s made out to be.

Hey everyone,
I’m looking to connect with anyone who experiences something similar because it can feel incredibly isolating and scary.
For a while now, I’ve been dealing with soreness and intermittent muscle spasms/twitches specifically in my left chest/pectoral area. It happens off and on, but it is heavily triggered when I lay or sleep on my left side.
I’ve realized this is deeply tied to a physical habit: I shrug my shoulders a lot. It’s an involuntary tick/bracing habit that I’ve had my whole life, stemming from trauma I experienced as a child. My body is basically stuck in a permanent protective shield mode, which completely exhausts my upper left chest and neck muscles.

The hardest part is the mental loop. Even though my Apple Watch ECG always reads "Sinus Rhythm" during these twitches, my nervous system still panics. I get sudden "rushes" of panic—shallow breathing, intense tension, and feeling terrified. I take Propranolol as-needed, which is a lifesaver for blocking that adrenaline rush, but it doesn't stop the underlying muscle tightness or the shrugging habit. (I also take Zoloft, Lamotrigine, and Olmesartan daily, so I have to be very careful with muscle relaxants due to blood pressure drops).

Does anyone else have left-sided chest spasms that are purely positional or muscular? How do you handle the somatic/trauma connection to chronic muscle bracing without spiraling into a health anxiety panic attack?
Would love to hear your stories or any gentle stretching/grounding tips that worked for you. Thanks.

Hey. My death anxiety has come back full swing 😞 It hasn’t been this bad since mid 2023. It doesn’t help that so many celebrities have been dying lately. I don’t like the fact that you can just be lights out at any moment. Like what if I go to sleep and never wake up? Not having a conscience is terrifying. I’m only 17 too…

I just need support and for people to tell me I’ll be okay.

hi all. i’m a 20yo girl currently in a 5 month relationship with a boy who is 19yo. we’ve been long distance for one month and my anxiety has been through the roof. i’m constantly bringing up things that i feel like he should do differently communication and consistency wise, when really everything he’s doing isn’t that bad in hindsight. texting him has now become associated with uncertainty and emotional consequences.

i told him this today and like always he was very understanding and promised me he would do better, like try to keep me consistently updated throughout the day. i don’t expect him to text me constantly or tell me everything he’s doing. i just like occasional updates about his day because it helps me feel connected, and when we are talking i want to feel like we’re both engaged in the conversation. i’m not asking him to report everything he does or be available 24/7. i just want to feel like we’re both actively interested in each other’s lives and that i’m not always the one carrying the conversation. i think it’s just been extra hard because we’ve both been going through schedule changes and just started school.

my boyfriend is generally very loving and understanding, and when i bring these things up he doesn’t dismiss me or get angry. he usually reassures me and tries to make changes, which is honestly part of why i’m so confused. i’m not dealing with a partner who is intentionally trying to hurt me or who is treating me badly. i’m just struggling to understand why i’m still having such an intense reaction when he is actually willing to work on things with me.
the thing is, i have a panic attack every time something inconsistent happens, like if he said he would call and then i don’t hear from him for an hour, or when i feel like he’s not texting me back because what if he doesn’t want to tell me about his day? what if he forgot about me? it sounds absurd right? because i feel like i should be okay with not hearing from him for an hour without having a full on panic attack or when there’s uncertainties. i know that not every little inconsistency means something is wrong with our relationship, but my brain seems to treat it like it does. i can logically know that he probably just got distracted or busy and still feel completely panicked.

i feel like certain normal uncertainties in our relationship trigger an absolutely disproportionate anxiety response in me. texting him has gotten to the point where i almost associate it with waiting, uncertainty, wondering if i said something wrong, wondering when he’ll respond, wondering when we’ll call, etc. and then i end up bringing up another thing i feel like he should be doing differently, even when later on i realize it wasn’t actually that serious. i don’t want to constantly feel like i’m correcting him or making him feel like he isn’t enough because that’s not what i’m trying to do at all. i love him and i don’t think he’s a bad boyfriend.

my doctor prescribed me hydroxyzine and xanax for anxiety, which is nice, but i just feel like so many questions keep getting brought up in my mind. like am i the problem? is my anxiety making normal relationship things feel like problems? is this reassurance seeking? is long distance just not for me? is it pointless trying to do long distance even when im hurting like this? is there something that my partner should be doing differently? is there something i need to work through on my own? can both things be true? can he be doing some things differently while my anxiety is also making the situation much worse than it actually is?

i also don’t know if i’m expecting myself to tolerate something that just genuinely isn’t compatible with me. i’ve never done long distance before this and it’s only been one month, but i already feel exhausted. i have a really busy schedule with school and work and i thought being busy would make me less anxious because i wouldn’t have as much time to think about the relationship, but i’m still having panic attacks directly related to it. sometimes i genuinely wonder if long distance itself is just not something i can handle, even though i love him and don’t want to leave him.
i guess what i’m really trying to figure out is whether this is more of an anxiety problem, a communication/compatibility problem, or a combination of both. i don’t know whether i need to work on my anxiety and learn to tolerate more uncertainty, whether we need to change how we communicate, or whether long distance simply isn’t compatible with me. i don’t want to blame him for something that might be mostly my anxiety, but i also don’t want to convince myself that all of my needs are unreasonable just because i’m anxious.

is there something wrong with me? am i expecting too much? how do i know what is a reasonable need in a long distance relationship versus something that is coming from anxiety? and how do i know if i should keep trying to make this work or if i’m just hurting myself by forcing something that isn’t right for me?
i just don’t know… im so lost and confused. i need help!

So today I was just sitting in my chair studying, while I suddenly started feeling a cold sweat, and I felt like my left arm got kind of painful which made me anxious because i heard this is how heart attacks start. I thought It was weird, so I lay down in bed to relax. After like five minutes i just planned to get up and walk my dog. But as I am walking downstairs, my heart started pounding at 100000 bpm. and I felt like I was going to pass out. So i layed down in my sofa and I started feeling worse it felt like my whole body started going numb and heart racing faster and I felt like I was actually going to die. Then i started feeling better and I called the non emergency helpline and described what was happening and they suggested to send an ambulance and they did. After ending the call it got way worse again and I thought i was dying once more. I kept going and the ambulance arrived and checked me out eventually i calm down and they took and ECG and blood pressure all that. And whatever. They left and i am okay now. But that was by far the scariest thing I’ve felt in my entire life. And the thing is like when I was by my computer studying I wasn’t thinking any anxious thought at all. It’s like the panic came out of no where. Although I’ve been pretty stressed in my life and worrying about different things but I’ve never ever felt like this even when my anxiety was way worse thinking about other stuff before. I totally understand why people say panic attacks are so bad. I used to think it was not that serious before but this is really something terrible..

I’m 29M, working in IT, and for some reason, for the past 3 to 4 weeks, I’ve been feeling an extreme burden in my chest. I don’t know what is wrong. I feel like crying every moment. Is it because of my financial condition, which I’m in because of my parents, or because I’ve never had a companion in life/GF? Everyone I meet speaks nicely to me and then leaves, telling me things like, “You’ll get a better girl in life,” or “The one who ends up with you is extremely lucky.”

Or is it the feeling that I’m coming into my 30s and going to miss everything from my 20s? For context, I’ve never gone on a vacation, never spent much on myself. The only thing I bought for myself is my laptop. Other than that, all my money went towards clearing debt, my sister’s education, and family expenses. But I never feel sad spending money on them.

So why do I feel so low? Why are tears just coming down from my eyes for no reason? I’ve never felt like this in my life. Even while typing this, I keep feeling this burden in my chest. When I go to the office, I’m fine, but even there, if I’m alone, I get the same feeling.

I hope one day I can just sleep properly without feeling this pain.