GAD? Constant worry, chatter in my head

Hello all.

Just for a quick introduction, I've been in existential therapy for 2 years, and have visited 3 psychiatrists over the last year.

I've been diagnosed with a bipolar spectrum disorder and have been on Lamictal for about 3 months. It's helped me stabilize considerably. I've been also diagnosed with ADHD.

I'm realizing that I have some severe anxiety and will seek some sort of medication very soon with my psych. What I'm curious about is if anyone here has had a similar experience with what my head does all day. My therapist has detected some PTSD from previous relationships and work experiences (I'm extremely sensitive) and also believes there's a GAD going on.

Basically during every hour I'm awake my inner voice is constanly running, thinking of possibilities of what would happen if 'x'
happened, then the effect of 'y' etc. It goes on and on, never stops.

Another feature is the imagination of future conversations, like playing out words, or explaining my actions to others. These arent' 'voices' in schizophrenia, nobody is talking to me and I don't have any hallucinations, but just constant concern.

I also repeadtly play over fragments of a conversation I may have days, weeks, or months ago. When there's any frustration, stress, or anxiety (even the mildest confrontation) I keep playing it over. It's almost like some sort of PTSD.

The thoughts also constantly derail, going from subject to subject, frequently based on what I may be looking around me. Let's say I see a particular object like a car. I then pull some memory or conversation I have had with someone related to that car, then after the thoughts jump to something else.

I thought this may have been an ADHD issue and have been on Strattera for 3 weeks, but it hasn't stopped the thoughts or even kept them on one topic.

Initially I was on Zyprexa to treat the mood disorder since it had peaked pretty severly recently due to life stressors. I was on it for 6 weeks, then put on Lamictal. Even on the Zyprexa the thoughts didn't stop. I also tried Abilify to see if that would slow my mind down. It's not racing thoughts seen in hypomania/mania either. It's just always going. Like my inner voice is too loud and it gets worse when I have stressful situations going on at work for example.

I'm going to try and get some sort of anti-anxierty medication this week, and I have a good feeling that this may be a good fix.

Anyone have anything similar?
Thank you

Oh my gosh that sounds like me! Seriously, I have had almost the exact same thing. I constantly have dialogue going on in my head (no I am not suffering from dementia or schizophrenia or anything of the like) and I can't even sleep a lot of the time because I can't get my mind to "shut off". I constantly worry about what can happen, what will happen because of something happening, this and that, and it never slows down. I have an anxiety disorder, which has definitely given me OCD, and I believe this is what is causing my pattern of thinking. It is so extremely frustrating, and only adds to my stress. I think of explaining things to people as well, how I would react and what I would say if another person said something to me, and the list goes on. When I am angry or stressed I will repeat things in my head over and over and over (like what someone said and how I should have responded to it), and sometimes it takes me a moment to even realize what I am doing. It is so hard to turn it off. I wish you the best, and please let us know if the medication works for you.
(P.S., due to past events I am not on any anti-anxiety medication, so I am very curious as to how it will turn out with someone in such a similar situation as me).

This used to happen to me too and would heighten during times of stress, or abuse. However, now, it doesn't happen as much. I think it is because I work by myself all of the time and have extremely limited contact with others. Very few external stressors save for the other traffic on the road.
I am much more "action-oriented" than "thought-oriented" now. It actually keeps me mobile and energetic.

anyone else have any experience like this and had results with medication?

Xanax? Celexa? Buspirone? Wellbutrin?

What you posted is exactly what I deal with....I'm hopeful someone will post with some insight.

I am not a doctor so this just my view.

wellbutrin helps ALOT,it is one of the best meds for me.
xanax does not last long and is to addictive.
antipsychotics could work. There are several, ask your doc.
klonopin takes awhile to build up in your blood stream, but is solid.
Lexapro? Tranzadone?

Anxiety sucks and I am sorry you have to deal with it. I know what it is like. My insides would be quakeing and my outsides would be frozen and overwhelmed.

wishing you my best-peace
red

I wanted to say that in addition to the above, I also deal with getting stuck in tasks within tasks within tasks. Things that should take 5 minutes end up consuming me for hours, and they never get finished.
I get paralyzed by decision making. I also end up chain smoking, binge eating, playing games on my cell phone for hours; anything to keep me occupied and distracted. I'm overwhelmed and intimidated by doing just about anything.


At one point, I had a medication combo that freed me; it was like being let out of jail for the first time.I was on Lamictal 300 mg, Lexapro 50 mg and (generic Adderall) Amphetamine Salts 60 mg. It worked for about a year, but the benefits disappeared.

Wellbutrin never really worked for me, even at 400 mg. It just gave me migraines.

I'm back on starting doses of Lexapro and Lamictal, and still taking the amphetamines. Maybe it will all help again.

I go thru the same thing and have been on several meds. Lately I was put on Paxil, Xanax andTrazodone and it seems to be helping. Hope this helps.

LOL. Yeah, I know what you mean. Chatter, chatter, chatter, what if, what if, what if. In my case, on top of mood disorder spectrum and GAD, I have mild OCD and I think the what if, what if, what if is a part of that. I'm on Paxil and Clonazapan and have really been helped with them.

Whoa, everybody! I'm a little discouraged that so many folks are trying to treat this with meds alone. That never would have worked for me. Until recently, I have had this endless monologue going on in my head most of my life--worrying, analyzing, judging, playing the "what if" game, etc. I've been on a few meds--as well as drinking too much at times--but all these really do is take a little of the edge off. What is working for me is a combination of deep, traditional Jungian talk therapy regarding my childhood, along with a lot of spiritual work. I cannot speak highly enough of the work of Eckhard Tolle--a spiritual teacher who once suffered from these "voices in the head," understands them, and teaches very wisely. His books are widely available online and at stores-- I've even seen them at our local Target department store. I personally love his audiobooks, which he narrates himself and are available on ITunes. Meditation is also immensely valuable. The key technique (this also works for getting to sleep) is to focus ALL your attention on your breaths--count them, feel them, experience them. When you feel thoughts trying to intrude, simply label them "thinking" and dismiss them. Do not give them any validity or energy. I often picture myself putting these thoughts into the basket of a hot air balloon and then watching them drift away. Eastern teachings like Buddhism, Tai Chi, Zen, and of course meditation are also immensely valuable here. And if you like a high-tech crutch, as I do, the "Wii Fit" package for the Nintendo Wii video game system has both a meditation program and a deep breathing program.
...and then there is the talk therapy. It's so crucial to get a good therapist, one that challenges you and does deep work, not quick fixes, nor simply sitting and listening to you ramble on. I grew up emotionally caring for needy parents, and I had to let go of that (my mother is still alive, my father died in the last few years) before I could even begin doing the spiritual work I described above.
Finally, if you want to understand what is going on in your brain when this happens, check out Daniel Goleman's book "Emotional Intelligence." Essentially, your brain fires the "fight or flight" reflex and adrenal hormones fill your body before the rational part of your brain, which is connected to the body via the vagus nerve, has a chance to respond. If you KNOW that's what's happening to you, it's easier not to validate the stream of irrational thoughts that come flooding in and let them take over you!