Will someone please help me? Anxiety or Something else?

Question

In sept ive been put on Celexa and ativan for Anxiety attacks like really bad ones everytime I went to class i had to come home with a feeling of anxiety. i was ok on the celexa but then found i felt better off of it my doctor is really busy so when i make an appt it takes like 4 weeks to get there and with my job i dont get tehre much, Anyway Since the last 2 weeks ive been leaving work early because i would ither feel sick and kind of dizzy which would lead to anxiety, i got a ct scan 2 mts ago came back fine , Lately sometimes i find it really hard to breathe like someones sitting on my chest I feel bad PRESSURE in my head sometimes in just my ears and since yesterday ive been getting a tight feeling in my jaw and today at work i got it and my tounge felt like it was swlelling for just a minute and ever since my cheeks feel swollen (Had gotten 2 back teeth pulled almost 2 years ago) Also sharp jabs in head.. PLEASE HELP ME!! Im so scared! and am driving myself insane. please...

why do my cheeks feel swollen u cant see it but i feel it when i smile or eveyr when im just sitting hereit feels like my whole jaw is strained..can anxiety actaully cause this as pathedic as this sounds i feel like im dying

Answer 1

Starsareblind, I understand what you are going through as I have had panic attacks and still suffer from anxiety. From what you say you may be having panic attacks also. If I were you, I would call my doctor and get an appointment immediately. All you need is the proper medication and you will be like you old self. This may be brought on by your stress over school and working. That is alot to handle. Whatever it is, you need to get to the bottom of it, so you won't be having these problems. Just make sure to get to see your doctor immediately. Don't wait around for an appointment. You do not want this to escalate.
Best of luck.

Answer 2

Well, I am not a physician, but I am a healthcare professional, but still its difficult to diagnose someone under these circumstances. But it is obvious that you are suffering from fairly severe anxiety problems.
I think most of what you described stems from your attacks, whether you realize it or not. You are most likely hyperventilating, meaning you are just breathing too much. When you do that you exhale too much carbon dioxide and it throws off the acid/base balance in your blood, which leads to most of the symptoms that you mentioned. Unfortunately, the more anxious you feel and the more that you feel like you can't breathe or the more you feel like your tongue is swelling, well, the more anxious you become. Its a vicious cycle that once started is difficult to control.

Certainly you need to speak to your primary physician again and under his/her supervision maybe consider increasing the dosage of Ativan or consider other alternatives.

Since you at least said you felt better off of the Celexa its hard to say. Potentially you could try a different anti-depressant. In addition you should seek counseling for your condition. A professional psychologist, certified counselor or psychiatrist would be a wise investment for you, in an attempt to understand what is causing you to feel the way that you do.

Best of luck

Answer 3

Panic attacks are very scary but are more common than you might think, but there are many to manage them with medicine, relaxation and support from friends and family.

This website might tell you some helpful things to tell yourself when you start to feel anxious: http://www.anxietypanic.com/articles/1002.html

You might want to consider changing doctors or looking for a specialist in addition to your doctor since 4 weeks is way too long to wait if it's interrupting your life this much.

Hope this helps!