anxiety or am i insane?

so i guess i will start with a backdrop, I have had sever issues in my life including watching my mom try to kill my dad with knifes and the atempted kidnapping of my sister all at a very young age, i have always been in perfect mental health though mental instability runs in my family (my mom has severe depression,axeity, personality disorder) and was in a mental hospital for multiple years. I am now 23 and up tell 2 years ago i have always felt "normal" two years ago i had the flue whent to the doctor and he scared me with a bunch of bullcrap, after a year of doctor visits i still have stomich problems that have caused me constant constipation issuse and stomich noises, i have learned to deal with these but over the past 6 months other issues have started to arrive. I keep feeling like there is a pressure in my chest above my heart, once this starts i feel my pulse and it starts to race and my vision starts to get really irradic and i start to panic feeling that im dying, i have gone to the hospital a few times because of this but no results from any tests. I am pretty sure its what they call a panic attack. and so far i have found atleast one trigger and that is anytime i try to smoke pot (used to be a everyday thing with no problems) but now even one hit will start a attack (needles to say i stopped smoking) but now (over 1 month sober from everything besides nicotine) i keep waking up feeling intoxicated, i feel like im constantly stoned and im really super tired all the time, put that together with the chest feelings and it starts up panic attacks all the time. I keep having thoughts in my head about "am i going insane? am i dieing? am i loosing controle of my mind?" I just want to feel "normal" again whats wrong with me? i have a doc apointment shedualed next week for anxeity but i feel like i may loose my mind before then.. whats causing me to feel intoxicated all the time its freaking me out. i know im slightly ranting sorry. any answers any at all would be a great help, i tried to talk to my mom about all of this but it definatly did not help since she just kept saying how my age is where mental illness hits and since she is "insane" i have a chance of beeing so also.. i have had such a hard life up tell now why does it have to just get worse oh sorry for any readers that had to deal with my terrible spelling I have dislexia and adhd so school did not really happen for me

Hey, skates222! Welcome to the forum. You can talk here and vent a little when you feel bad. It will help and you're not alone. Maybe you do have anxiety becouse of everything you've been through, but it doesn't mean that you can't controll it and have a good life.
If I'm feeling anxious, it helps me to talk to someone who is supportive or just relax and tell myself that everything will be ok. You could also try working out a few times a week.

had a apointment with the doctor about my panic attacks and constant anxiety, he desided to put me on meds to help, now i know there is alot of choices as to what meds to go with but he desided to put me on prozac.. was this the right choice? isnt there alot of anxiety based meds that are ment for anxiety only? isnt prozac designed for depression? just a lil confused

prozac is meant for depression but can also handle anxiety as well...although if you have a more extreme case they might put you anxiety specific things...but it's best to start with the minimum...I'm on prozac and klonopin for anxiety and depression and it took me months to find what worked...it just takes time...don't put down any med. before you've tried it though keep your head up.

Hi skates222
My first panic attack was when I smoked pot one night. I hadn't smoked it for about 10 years and just that one night did it. I had been under a tremendous amount of stress last year and I think just not being able to handle the feeling of being stoned threw me over the edge.

Anyway, I can relate to the druggy feeling. It took me a long time with the help of some Xanax to realize that I need to cope with these feelings instead of fighting them all of the time. So I really do know how scary it feels. Just keep telling yourself that you really are in no danger at all you are just reacting to your symptoms. You are just more sensitive to sensations and feelings because you had those panic attacks. So every little tick and pain will make you think something is wrong because it feels so scary. Just remember that you just need to look at it logically, if going to the docter to rule out anything helps, by all means do it so you can put your mind at ease. A lot of people with anxiety do that.

I took Zoloft for about a week and realized that I really don't need it. I figured out that if I keep taking it I will depend on it regularily and then when I want to come off of it, it will be harder to do. So I just decided I know I'm strong enough to cope with this without those meds. The only meds I did take were Xanax and that was very rare. A whole bottle of 60 lasted me about 7 months because I just kept it with me and that actually helped.

My suggestion is to get with a therapist, and ask about cognitive therapy.

Oh!! Also!! and this is for anyone, but I found this website with a guy,Jim Neidert (not a psychologist) who recorded his experience with anxiety and it's free to listen to. You can ask him to send you the cd's too but you will be charged, but he's got the right idea about putting it online for free to listen to. I would have done that. I just know how hard it is to figure this crap out alone. He obviously knows too. Here is the link. Just click on the thing that says free recovery...
http://www.controllinganxiety.com/

Everyone should at least hear what he has to say. If I were a therapist I would make my clients listen to it. Lol. (but then I'd be out of a job :/)

NOOO WAYYY!! I had my first panic attack while smoking pot too!! I feel anxious all the time. It's weird that word. It doesn't seem scary.. anxiety does a little but anxious just seems like hyper.. It's much more than that. My breathing doesn't change.. Nothing does really. Mostly my thoughts just race. I picture myself telling averyone how I feel and as soon as I turn my back they talk about how crazy I am. Maybe I am crazy who knows... but I've realized that no matter what happens I have to live with this. I did it to myself. I smoked when I shouldnt have and this is my life long punishment... when panic attacks come to me now I embrace them and treat the thoughts like a friend. It seems crazy I KNOW. but but by doing this it takes away the initial "OH $#%^ NOt again!!!!" and you drain its power by removing your fear. Anxiety is a natural feeling and cannot hurt you. As long as you know that. So by embracing this youre not hurting yourself... no one has ever died from anxiety. EVER! It's scary. about the blurred vision theres some technical term, but the basic jist of it is you feel disconnected. some sort of delayedness because of the anxiety. but once the anxiety is gone... everything goes away with it. Anyway... I describe the way I feel as I feel like I'm helplessly watching a movie of my life. like I'm screaming and no one cares. No one can tell. Depressionalization is common too. Thoughts of suicide or death. This is because you don't feel up to living with anxiety the rest of your life. Anyway... there was no real point to this post. lol Just some info I've managed to gather. And there is a book that helps! "PANIC AWAY" Its eliminated my anxiety completely, however I read on a paint can that it can cause brain damage and I had a panic atack. I'm a hypochondriac, so pay no mind to me. lol.

I don't understand what you're saying - are you saying that panic away can cause brain damage. I read a couple of reviews for panic away and I think that this is way off. (of course I might have misunderstood your comment). Could you please explain what you meant because I'm thinking about giving panic away a try.

Hello skates222,

I can understand what you are going through. I had gone through a similar period in my life as well. I then had my mom and dad and my friends to back me up. They gave me the mental strength and I finally came through my trauma. It seems that you do not have anybody to support you. If that is the case, you have to consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible. Tell him all your problems and whatever he advices to do, please stick with them sincerely. Believe that you can overcome your worries. If you do so you can surely get back to a normal state. You can know more from http://www.pillwatch.com/category/anxie ... tment.html. I have found this source to be particularly useful.

Hello.

What you are describing is typical panic disorder. You are not insane. I have had the same as you describe for 40 years and spent hundreds of hours in therapy and now I can pass on to you the solution. The good news is what you have is successfuly treated in over 90% of the cases. The treatment is CBT and you can do it on your own. There is a book called Mastery of your Anxiety and Panic by David Barlow and Michelle Craske. Amazon has it for about $20. I can bet reading the first few chapters and hearing what the problem is will improve your mood imediately. The rest is following what they say and reading it over and over and a load of determination. 800 hours of therapy and this is the answer, believe me I know. There are other books if you want to figure it out more in detail. Anxiety and it's Disorders by David Barlow (see chapter on Panic) and Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: Science and Practice by David A. Clark, Aaron T. Beck - (see chapter on panic). You can check out all the books by goiung to Google (or amazon) and hit books - all of them can be part read on line.

Good luck, your friend that's been through it all

what has happened in the past plays a big role on your character today. You are just anxious, you are not crazy!