Severe anxiety and I just don't know what to do.

Hi Lynnie Pin.

You may want to try some herbal teas to help combat your anxious feeling. I was on prescription anti-anxiety pills and, for my own personal reasons, stopped them. I have found that herbal teas are great! Chamomile is common, but I don't enjoy it. I drink Passion Flower tea. It can be sedative if you are really tired, so be aware of that. I would talk to your doctor about the feelings since you started BC.

Anxiety can often hit even when nothing outwardly has changed. That's what people don't get. Have you noticed any changes in your sleeping habits? There could be some unconscious anxieties you're having right now that you're not even aware of.

Your BC could have definitely increased your anxiety.... However, something is triggering your anxiety. Once you know what it is, you can work towards resolving/avoiding that trigger.

Have you ever thought about seeing a therapist that can help you with your anxiety? Besides figuring out what the trigger is, they can help you rationalize your anxiety and help you deal with it better, ie. relaxation techniques, etc.

The occasional use of a big fat klonopin works wonders.

I'd like to add that I'm not trying to knock therapy by suggesting short-term fixes. Pretty much everyone I know who has sought therapy has benefited...

BUT I am not very emotional in my thinking. I rationalize my anxiety, which feeds it. The therapists I've spoken to weren't able to help me much because they couldn't show me that my worries were irrational.

So, therapy was more like paying for friendship in my case. I would love a long-term fix, but the closest I can get to one is through continual use of prescription drugs (in my case, daily doses of SSRI's and the occasional use of benzodiazepines).

I can't do things like that. My best friend passed away from doing those.. Even though she had an addiction. I have always been able to control things but lately it's spinning out of control. An idk if td from my birth control causing more anxiety on me. I have this constant worry I even worry about getting OFf my birth control of fear of getting pregnant and that ill have my period regularly again. Idk

Girl! Get off your pill... Seriously. I went off in June and I'm soooo glad! I was actually developing OCD! It would take me half an hour to leave the house because I had to triple check the windows and stove burners. One time we had to turn around on our road trip because I was freaking out about a stove burner being on.

Since getting off... I feel better! My OCD is practically gone. Try it!

Don't forget about the added wedding stress!! This could be a huge factor too.

I think you need to talk to you Dr. about what you are feeling. In the meantime, have you tried meditation, yoga regularly, nice walks outside? I know they sound so cliche, but they do work - at least they have work for me when i start to get that skin crawling feeling and my insides feel like they could be on the outside and I just start to get mentally lost in my fears.

@Miriam, I am glad that you found something that is helping you. I just wanted to clarify on one thing though: it is not the therapists job to show you that your worries were irrational. Their job is to only help/guide you in YOU figuring out if your worries are irrational or not. Not sure if that is what you meant or not but there is definitely a difference

PS... My period came back 30 days after stopping, right on time.

I had a big, fat panic attack a few days after getting engaged, the night before we went on a vacation. Turns out that anxiety/panic attacks can also be caused by GOOD things.

I did find that going off my BC helped, but it did take a little bit of time. Overall, I'm much happier now that I'm off it. I've also found that chamomile also helps, so I pretty much always have a bag with me, just in case.

I really feel for u! I too suffer from panic & anxiety plus depression and its horrible. U should definitely talk to ur Dr. Are u eating properly? I only ask cuz sometimes panic & anxiety can really affect how much or little u eat. If ur not eating enough, or the right foods, ur headaches and dizziness can be caused by low blood sugar. I had issues with my blood sugar before and it would cause those symptoms. Again, u really should see someone. Ur health is so important.

When I was on bc my anxiety was the worst its been in my life to thr point where I had to go off of it.

I also have anxiety. I had to go off of birth control and I feel a lot better. I also take valerian root (I get it from Walgreens). It just takes the edge off and makes me feel calmer. I understand what you're going thru! I think it's normal when we are planning a wedding and trying to go to school or work and take care of a house at the same time. It's stressful. I hope you feel better...

I had those shooting-pain migraines, dizziness to the point of being unable to function... a lot of your symptoms (including anxiety/panic attacks)... it wasn't until I figured out my triggers that I could figure out how to control them.

One of my main triggers is dehydration and/or exhaustion.

I had to go through about a week of panic attacks before I figured out how to calm myself down. Certain things worked, others didn't. I count backwards from 100 VERY slowly. After I was able to almost function again- I went to speak to a therapist. Turns out there were things that were bothering me that I wasn't even aware of.

I hope you find your triggers and that you feel better soon... I know anxiety is no fun at all

I threw my pills out yesterday, and I feel so great. The pill made me feel like I had no control and this made me stressed. I would strive to control things that didn't need controlling just to over-compensate for how I was feeling. Prescription drugs are a mess and If you are blessed to not have to take them for some life-threatening condition then don't put yourself in that risk. I know someone who HAS to take birth control because if she gets pregnant her heart wouldn't be able to stand childbirth.

Lynnie, it will get better. I had to wear a halter monitor a few years ago because my general practitioner heard my heart skip beats and asked if it happened a lot. It did. I had the monitor, also got hooked up to a treadmill while stuck with a bunch of wires and they did a sonogram of my heart. Turned out to be premature atrial contractions. Genetic and nothing serious. Could turn into a murmur someday but now I know!

I also suffer hugely from migraines. I take an anti-seizure medicine everyday to combat the migraines and have a backup med just in case.

My point is, you are already on the right path to get answers because you're obviously seeing your doc. So worry about one thing at a time and you'll resolve it all in due time.

You aren't alone, which am sure is a huge relief in itself. I struggle as well. I do take xanax if needed but have tried to find other ways to cope as well. A journal may help as you can keep a log of sorts of what is going on, how you are feeling, what helps, what doesn't, etc. I have also learned that sometimes I just need to ride it out vs fighting it. Sometimes fighting it makes it worse rather than just going with the flow of it. You are on the right path by getting checked out by your physician. Good luck!

I have the same thing. My doctor is homeopathic and had me take true botanica's clear & calm. It really helped. I think it also helped that she checked my blood out and figured out where i was deficient, so I am on the right vitamins for me. The Clear and Calm is very good though.

First of all I have had anxiety attacks my whole life. Even as a child.

They come in spurts. My 20's it was pretty bad, 30's were ok and they started up again in my 40's and these have been the worst they have ever been.

I am now on celexa daily and take Xanax as needed. Of course the meds help. I know it is mind over matter so I really try to help myself that way. I would love to not be on meds and just recently lowered my dosage. I will lower it more AFTER the wedding.

I'm sorry you are feeling so badly. I can totally relate. Remember to breathe, counting backwards does help too and positive self talk.