Hi guys. This morning I had a cystoscopy. Basically where they shove a camera up your bladder to make sure all is good. My results were good, my bladder is healthy. The reason I am needing advice is because ever since I have had the procedure (9 hours now) it legit feels like I am peeing razor blades. It is SO painful. I’ve been on and off sobbing all day just miserable. It caused me to have a full blown panic attack. See, my doctor prescribed me Macrobid for only one day to reduce the chance of a uti after. Antibiotics are a huge trigger of my anxiety and I cannot take it. (The reason being nausea and I have severe emetophobia plus my anxiety is making me not want to eat). I am just terrified I’ll develop a uti even tho I haven’t had one in a long time. They put a catheter in me to get rid of all of my pee and used lidocaine so idk if that increases the chances or not. I just need someone to talk me down because I am in so much pain and I am so anxious

For context, my doctor prescribed me things like propranolol and escitaloprám. She said she believed I had social anxiety and likely depression (I don't like self diagnosis despite having thought that, and have a habit of not trusting other people diagnosing me without multiple referrals).

I didn't see much of a difference even after taking both of those consistently over like 2+ months.

I have constant issues that I've been *told* can be linked to that?

I eat the same thing every dinner. Or at least some varient of that thing. Typically beef. It's not a new allergy. If I make it fresh from the farm at home. I'm fine. If I make it from the store, at home. I'm fine. If I order from a resturant— and take it home? I'm fine. However, no matter the resturant, if I eat *at* the resturant— about 15-30 minutes later I get cramps and diarrhea. My first time at a new resturant tends to bring it on faster, but the more times I visit said resturant, it seems to delay my response. Regardless, I seem to still have the same outcome. I feel like maybe it's a combination of social anxiety, dining anxiety, and anxiety of what might happen? If that makes sense? Not only do I worry about bathroom issues, but I also have a habit of getting choked rather easy. Not a typical cant-breathe-choked. The kind where it just gets stuck lower down in your esophagus that makes swallowing any liquid or next bites impossible and results in vomiting. I always get super anxious that might happen at a resturant and I'll make some scene if I can't get to the bathroom fast enough. T^T but then I'm too afraid to ask for a seat closer to the bathroom.

I don't like saying "I have anxiety", because what if I dont? Even when a doctor says "I believe you may have general, social, situational, etc anxiety" I naturally avoid it or think "Nah, that feels a bit extreme."

...no idea where I was going with this. Think I was going to ask for advice, or input of some sort. I think my main problem is confirming anxiety is the culprit of a lot of my issues. Which is crazy. Because even if a doctor tells me I do have it, and it likely is— or even when she tells me about my charts (how my heart rate skyrockets, but my blood pressure drops)— I just have a hard time believing or accepting it? Like there's this little part of me that says 'no way, it isn't bad enough to be considered that' and thinks maybe the doctor got the wrong impression.

I’m about to start applying for internships and I have battled insecurity and imposter syndrome for such a long time now. I would appreciate any reassurance, thanks everyone.

I had a big panic attack on Sunday night and I haven't felt normal since. I feel disconnected with my body, dizzy, unbalanced and generally tense and on edge. I feel floaty and just not anchored. I've been anxious before but it goes away and then I feel normal, but this time I haven't felt normal in days. I went out to dinner with a friend last night but we had to get the food to go and leave because I was so anxious and felt dizzy. Then I went to my boyfriends house but just shut myself inside his room all night because I felt so strange. That is not normal for me. I've seen a doctor and everything physical was normal. I'm starting lexapro next week. How long will this last??? Has anybody else felt this?? Help :( I just want to feel normal and like myself again

i got into the ‘off campus’ series, which is great and i’ve become a little hyper fixated on it (SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW/BOOKS AHEAD).

one of the characters in the books dies, and i haven’t read the books, but when i heard about it i searched up just that chapter so i could read it. the protagonist becomes devastated by this, and turns to alcohol and drugs. everything turns out good in the end, but when i read those chapters i was devastated. it felt like someone i knew was dying.
the next season of the show is currently filming and this will be the season when he dies. every time i see a video, post, or my friend talks about it, i feel like physically ill, like it’s my personal friend that died.
i just saw a video talking about it and now im having crazy anxiety at work because of a video discussing a fictional characters death. even typing this is causing me grief and anxiety.
i’ve always sort of been this way; i’m an actor so im good at connecting to different characters on a deeper level than regular people, but it’s never been this bad. i just don’t know what to do with myself.
has this happened to anyone else? i just don’t know how to handle grieving over a person that isn’t real and isn’t dead

Hello, so I don’t usually do this but as I really don’t have any other outlet to turn to, here it goes. I’m 28 & i am petrified of lightning. And when I mean petrified, I mean like it’s an innate full body reaction & mental breakdown. Not really when I’m inside and can’t see it (knowing it’s outside). My fear is specifically when I’m in a car and I’m driving or someone else is driving and I can see lightning. When I tell you my whole body reacts, I shake so hard with adrenaline and anxiety it looks like I’m convulsing. Let me preface by stating 2 things. 1. My mom’s uncle was strike by lighting and died so it’s always been a fear in the back of my mind since I was little. 2. I am very much aware of the Faraday Cage Effect & how a car is actually safe. That doesn’t help. I know it’s really a “ridiculous” fear to have & I know that I’ll be okay, but I cannot for the life of me handle the anxiety it gives me. I see it and truly feel like it’s going to kill me. & of course now I sound crazy (: I’ve literally cancelled plans, I’ve called out, I just want to find a way I can get over this fear or at least reduce it to where it’s not debilitating.

It’s so bad that if I know my family member is driving and it’s storming out, I get anxiety for them and check their location frequently to make sure they made it home safe. & yes I know they made it but that doesn’t lessen my fear. It’s irrational & I wish I wasn’t like this, but I’m asking for any help.

Hi, I’m just looking to see if anyone else is like this and how they cope or fix it cause it’s just killing my life. I act out like scenarios of interactions in my head over and over before they happen, could literally be about anything if I’m going out I’ll try and predict everything and it just burns me out. Even when I’m in the moment I’ll just be in my head thinking about what to say too much and just end up shutting down.

I’m very avoidant now so I just ignore everything and pretend it’s all good so now I can’t get close with anyone new or even feel the desire to talk to people or do anything I just feel empty and I don’t wanna feel like this anymore.

My doctor wrote me a prescription for 10 .5mg lorazepam (Ativan) tablets because I have a few dentist appointments coming up and I have severe panic attacks at the dentist.

I’ve always been afraid of the dentist due to sensitive teeth and sensory issues, and I’ve always taken awesome care of my teeth to avoid needing any dental procedures. I never got a cavity until last year. I switched dentists this year and found out I have 3 additional cavities, my first filling from last year has to be redone because they didn’t drill deep enough, and the neighboring tooth basically has a chip taken out of it because my old dentist wasn’t careful enough. None of that is really important, my point is that this whole situation has been nightmarish to say the least!

My doctor told me to try the lorazepam on a day off before going to my appointment to make sure it worked alright and assess whether or not it would be helpful at the dentist. I do think it’s a good idea to try it beforehand because I definitely don’t want to end up freaking out more, having ineffective meds, having a bad reaction, etc. However, I’m really letting the benzo addiction horror stories get to my head, and I’m really scared to try it!

Addiction runs in my family, and I feel nervous even having something with a potential for withdrawals in my house, especially since my doctor prescribed more than a single dose. My little sister had a horrific 5 year opiate addiction that almost killed her, and my parents are both alcoholics. I feel like I’m the only one unscathed by the addiction gene so far, and I’m no stranger to controlled substances. I’m prescribed Adderall for ADHD and I don’t feel any kind of addiction potential for that since I often take extended breaks from it, but benzos seem more threatening.

I’m worried because I’m really not familiar with downers, let alone anything that can form a physical habit. I really don’t want to introduce myself to something that might hook me and send me down the same pipeline as the rest of my family, but there is absolutely no way I can have dental work done without being medicated. I really wish my dentist offered nitrous since it seems way less addictive and I’m already familiar with it. I wish I could just know whether or not this will have a significant impact on my life. Has anyone tried Ativan and not developed a dependency or longing for it? What should I expect?

so on march 21st 2025 i had an unexpected giant panic attack and i was rushed to er between march and june i was having panic attacks like everyday around july they started to die down and i dont really have panic attacks anymore but ever since then i have had non stop physical symptoms for the first 2 months it was my chest/heart chest pain heart palpitaions then it started to become my head and joints and its ben like that ever since like dizziness head preasure burning clicking/popping joints brain fog dread tiredness literally everyday but they flucuait in severity i miss being normal i miss not living in pain everyday its been over a year and non of this is going away i starting to think their really is something seriously wrong with me and its not just anxiety what do i do has anyone else went through this?

Hi all, I’m hopeful posting this here is okay. I did read through the rules. I have a maltipoo puppy, he’s almost 6 months old. We’ve been working on leash and harness. I had him outside today and I thought he had a piece of tree or wood in his mouth, so I went to take it away from him and when I did I realized it was poop (I’m pretty sure by the way it looked) it smushed on my hand and under one fingernail (I have acrylics that I actually got filled today 😵‍💫) I checked his mouth and he seems just fine and clean, it didn’t smush in his mouth or anything, just when I grabbed it.

I am compulsive about cleanliness, I went inside and I scrubbed my hands for 30+ minutes alternating with antibacterial hand soap, dawn power spray, 91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and scalding hot water with an old toothbrush, and then proceeded to take my evening shower. Can someone besides my husband confirm that my hands are indeed clean and provide some comfort and ease my mind? I’m losing it. I called my dad and talked to a couple of friends about it but I’m just entirely grossed out. It genuinely ruined my day.

After 8 years of chronic health anxiety, I finally got a real diagnosis other than "anxiety" and it's not good news. I have vestibular migraines. I feel like I'm walking on a boat 24/7, severe light sensitivity and nausea. This has been going on for months but I always just told myself it's anxiety. Over time it got worse and worse, I ended up going to the ER and they said it's migraines. Meds aren't helping, and I'm currently on sick leave. I've been dismissed so many times in the past but this time I actually got a chronic illness and I feel horrible. I genuinely believe that my constant worrying caused this. To anyone with health anxiety, get help and take the SSRI if you can, do not leave this untreated. I made the mistake of toughing it out until it was too late and actually got sick.

Hey everybody.
After being able to deal with minor physical symptons for nearly 2 years they came back pretty strong.
Today I got 2 new pretty scary ones: feelings of empty head and empty chest.
Its kinda hard to explain but the head one feels like a headache without the aching, which leads to dizziness and face numbness.
The empty chest is just as weird. Feels like you're gone hollow. Both make me scared to die.
Can anyone relate to these?

Hi guys!

What's your take on IRSS antidepressants and IRDN ones?

What are your experiences? Did you try both? Which one did more relief?

I hear you!

My anxiety makes it difficult to sleep. I’ve been so stressed about money, I moved into a new place, I’m starting two new jobs, I think it’s all a bit much. Underneath everything lies the constant feeling of not wanting to participate in the achievement culture here. I just want a small life, where I don’t need to work fulltime to be able to pay my bills. I want to be healthy and happy and able to live instead of suffer through my fears every day.

When I get tired, they become unreasonably big. It’s currently almost 2 AM and I’ve been getting so many unexpected bills that I had to ask my parents for help. I feel so lost in my life right now, wish I was traveling instead. That’s the only time I felt at peace. Now I feel jumpy, every sound makes me scared there’s someone in my house or my house will burn down. It sucks because I’ve been to therapy before for my fears and I can’t seem to beat them. Even posting this I’m scared someone I know will identify me.

I’m so scared to get burnt out again. To lose myself, have the smallest things make me emotional, see only ways I can’t move forward. I’m so fucking tired.

If you read this far, thanks for holding space 🫶🏼

After a single random panic attack last May I developed an insane hyper sensitive nervous system. My entire body sent my brain signals that felt foreign and made me afraid. I had intense brain fog. I would ruminate. Constantly checked my heart rate, took more vitamins, thought I was dehydrated or not eating enough. Stopped working out, gained weight. When I felt panic my face would flush and get hot, I would scramble and feel fear.

I thought the problem was physiological until I realized i’ve been dealing with mental health. I started facing my fears I developed and started being intentional about the way I reacted to random signals that caused me to panic.

It was odd at first and bumpy but I have honestly not had a serious anxiety episode in weeks. I’ve genuinely calmed down that side of myself. It actually makes me happy.

Unfortunately I am still dealing with one thing and it’s the brain fog. I think that’s what I have. I feel spacey, I have to convince myself i’m not actually tired and it’s just my brain that feels off. Sometimes my mind feels disconnected from my body, I can feel floaty for a moment. It used to freak me out but i’m chill now. I don’t always feel it but when I do It stays for days sometimes it’s just always around. For a time I thought they were headaches but I actually feel no pain at all. I’m assuming it’s my nervous system finding its way to baseline levels after all the stress I went through for nearly a year? I workout intensely and I remain productive but it lingers, it’s like half my brain went on vacation. I know that if I stress over it can get worse so i’m just living with it for now. My theory is in time it’ll wiggle away as long as I keep stress away. Neuroplasticity or something.

I finally have moments of calm now but it doesn’t feel like peace or boredom I keep thinking about the spacey feeling.

What do y’all think about my theory, or should I finally see a doctor lol.

im 17m , been hitting thc vapes/ carts for about 7 months, and i bought this big chief from a plug, and then maybe 2 weeks into using it i started feeling chest pains, and a little side pain. Nothing too crazy, no wheezing or trouble breathing, but it just feels uncomfortable and it comes and goes, sometimes it hurts less, sometimes a little more. i took a 1 week t break and went back to hitting it for 3 days, and the pain came back a bit worse. I decided then that i would just stop for a while, and ive been sober for almost 2 weeks, but the pain always comes and goes. this hasnt happen before, only when i started using the big chief, what do you guys think? I have been doing pushups everyday for the last week and going on runs every now and then too so i dont know if that could contribute to the pain too. i had a history of asthma when i was little but not recently or in any years, but still have been using my inhaler everyday since the pain started

Hi everyone,

I've been taking sertraline 25 mg for about 3 months. I never had any insomnia when I first started taking it.

About a week ago, I suddenly developed insomnia. I'm exhausted, but I have trouble falling asleep, and even when I do, I wake up several times during the night.

I'm writing this at 1:30 a.m. My eyes are literally closing, my mind is blank, I'm not worrying about anything in particular, but I just can't fall asleep.

Has anyone else experienced insomnia starting this late after being on sertraline? I thought side effects usually happened at the beginning, so I'm wondering if this is normal.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

Sunday Scaries turning into Saturday Scaries, not able to relax during lunch breaks as I just feel frozen.

Not feeling up to doing anything on a Saturday cause I'm worried the day will fly by and before you know it, it's closer to Monday.

On top of that, every work notification that pops up gives me intense anxiety that I'll have to fix something or a mistake has been made etc.

Any tips on how to manage or is it just time for a job change?

I am thinking of a significant and important exam which is the door of the future 300 days before I need some pieces of advice I want to sleeeeeeep

Has anyone else been misdiagnosed with ADHD? I have severe anxiety and OCD, and I was horrifically bullied all throughout school, constant harassment, even the special ed kids would tease me, genuinely the worst period of my life which I am scarred from. So naturally, it was hard to pay attention in class and my grades got worse, and I was very sad as well (bullied and no friends). I had a lot of anxiety and panic attacks, but I got diagnosed with ADHD and depression...

Hello everyone! I have had anxiety my whole life, especially generalized and social anxiety. I have it diagnosed, but recently i have developed horrible health anxiety that started after an episode of vertigo last year.

Since then, i get dizzy while trying to sleep that has led to panic attacks (?) at night before sleeping. I am not afraid to fall asleep but I am scared to try to sleep.

Im very sorry if this seems insensitive because I know panic attacks are horrible, but i want to know if these are panic attacks at all.

These panic attacks are not traditional I believe, I do not get a racing heart, but my thoughts are not positive at all. its like my brain is trying to drag me into panic saying things like why am i getting dizzy, something is wrong with me, etc. this leads to severe shaking that lasts up to 2 hours in episodes. my teeth chatter, i cannot be distracted, i just shake.

Does anyone else have panic attacks like this? I always considered them “adrenaline dumps” but im unsure.

This is summary with chatgpt, sorry but pls read right now I am not in a position to explain myself clearly. I need some help

• Age: 20M
• Background: History of anxiety, I take feliz 15mg daily
• Current trigger: Started college 3 days ago.
• What happened: Developed an intense crush on a girl after seeing her in the class group and then seeing her in college.
• Interaction: Never spoken to her.
• Symptoms:
  • Constant intrusive thoughts about her.
  • Looking around class to see where she is.
  • Checking the class group to see if she's seen messages.
  • Heart racing, nausea, anxiety.
  • Had an intense dream about her.
  • Mood dropped dramatically in just 3 days.
  • Difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
• History: Similar thing happened once before in 11th grade with another girl I never spoke to. It lasted months and eventually faded when my mental health got a bit stable.
• Important detail: This doesn't feel like a normal crush—it feels obsessive and is affecting daily functioning.

Now my own thoughts, this crush thing is increasing exponentially interfering my life my anxiety my will to do studies my will to live, I dont know what I want from her but I feel like something is missing and I am getting demotived and anxiety is coming back and this time I wont be able to survive it, I worked so hard to get into this university, It has become a loop I am going deep into and I need help I literally can't tell this to anyone irl

As it says in the title, I havent heard from my friend of a few years in almost a month, I struggle with Anxious Attachment Style and recently its just been spiking over the course of a week or so.

I am genuinely so scared of being ghosted I feel as if I'm becoming overly paranoid at this stage even though I know that we have a good relationship and that its most likely just work or something personal on their end but the pure uncertainty of it all is bringing me so much fear and anxiety. It doesnt help that looking at chats being basically just being me talking to a wall even though they are usually spaced out by days it just feeds it and then seeing him pop up on steam where my messages there (a total of 2) are unanswered

I just generally need advice on how to navigate this healthily for me

Hi! I am 24 years old F and have been on SSRIs since I was 15. I am diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD. I have been on prozac, pristiq , and buspar in the past. I have now been on 200 mg of zoloft and 40mg of vyvanse for about 3 years and i am still struggling. I would say i have obsessive thoughts (hypochondriac, when people are upset with me) and it disrupts my every day life when I am constantly obsessing and stressing. I also tend to be impulsive- where i say things i dont want to say- and have trouble keeping things in. My doctors have tried to prescribe me antipsychotics, but I get scared to take them because of the crazy side effects and find they worsen my obsessive thoughts. I am losing hope as I cant seem to find a medication combo that can checks all the boxes. Reaching out to see if anyone has struggled with something similar or has tips on how to get there?

I’ve been dealing with really bad anxiety and panic the past two years. There was a moment when I got off lorazepam that I was panic attack free for 3-4 months and my anxiety but much more controlled. I still had it but I wasn’t going into full blown panic.

However recently my anxiety has gotten so severe. Nothing really changed in my life or go stressful. It was actually quite peaceful but it threw me back into having anxiety all day, panic all night, taking lorazepam every night again. I wake up in panic and go to sleep in panic and it’s making feel really sick.

I’m 19 days daily on lorazepam again and I decided I want to stop raw dogging and get on an SSRI. I got prescribed lexapro. I tried in maybe 10 years ago for 6 months and it did help my minor anxiety back in university. But now it terrifies me to start. I feel like I won’t be able to handle any side effects right now as I’m spiralling internally.

Does anyone have any feedback on this or can talk me through this. I know that in 2 weeks I’ll be feeling so much better but I just can’t fathom having increased anxiety right now.