# is it anxiety, or is it just me



## 21820 (Jun 14, 2005)

i've had anxiety (i think its some sort of social anxiety) for about seven years now, and only recently went to a doctor about it. I now that sounds stupid but there were several reasons for it. For one thing at the beginning i thought that it was just me being a bit weird or something. And then there were my parents. And although i felt like something was not right with me, i thought it didn't affect my quality of life that much, until i got ibs.But now that i have gone to a doctor, and taken an appointment to see a psychiatrist, i've been wondering about how much my behaviour in the past seven years has actually been influenced by anxiety. And how much my behaviour will change if i have to take any medecines. I was wondering what sort of experiences/changes in behaviour you guys have had when taking anxiety meds. I now this depends on the nature of your anxiety but just wanted to hear your experiences.


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## 21918 (May 16, 2005)

Milo--I would have to say that my anxiety has dictated my life. I chose my schooling, career, relationships, and travel experiences according to what I felt my anxiety and IBS would permit. I have just started travelling in the last 5 years. Sometimes it's still scary for me, but now at least I have meds to help. If anxiety is limiting your life, I believe you should find a good doctor and get the help you need. When I travel, I take a tricyclic antidepressant and xanax. Both are very low doses and do not change my behavior. Instead, they relieve my anxiety so that I can think about whatever I am doing at the moment, not where the next bathroom is.A few years ago, I told my doctor that my husband was going to Europe, but that I had elected to stay home. She insisted that I should join him, but I was reluctant because of the anxiety and IBS. That's when she gave me the tricyclic antidepressant and the xanax. They worked great and I rode all over Germany in a car driven by a family friend and ate rich German food even though I usually do not eat when I travel. I am so thankful that she insisted I go. I might have missed the trip of a lifetime!


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## 16412 (Jul 4, 2005)

Sounds like GAD general anxiety disorder. I have it also IBS D. My Story:http://ibsgroup.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/51510173/m/19210786


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