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The question was submitted 03/06/2008

Subject: Anxiety Symptoms

Hi,

I was wondering as I have been diagnosed with anxiety, I have a symptom where it feels like the blood has gone from my body it is awful and another where I have flushes as well please help me, also while I am having this feeling I do not have a fast pulse rate. It is scary and is taking a lot out of me, I also have stomach problems but they say anxiety can cause many different things please can you reassure me.

Thanks
Donna

Answer from DepNet

Hello and welcome to DepNet,
It is quite true that anxiety can cause symptoms from head to toe. This understandably causes many people to fear that there may be something seriously wrong with them, and it is also why it is a good idea to see your doctor so that he or she can assess whether anxiety is the most likely cause of what you are experiencing. Your doctor is trained to consider all the possibilities, examine you, and order tests if necessary. If this has already been done, and your doctor has told you they feel the most likely diagnosis is anxiety, then it is most helpful to act on this, and follow whatever advice has been given for managing your anxiety. This may include cognitive behaviour therapy or antidepressant medication (even if you’re not depressed). It is also really helpful to stop monitoring your physical symptoms constantly. Many, in fact probably most, anxious people do this – it’s a way of feeling that you’re keeping an eye on something that could be dangerous for you, but if anxiety is the cause, all this monitoring does is make you more aware of your body and more anxious about it! So the best strategy is to try to stop monitoring yourself and follow your doctor’s advice 100% at least for a trial period – it takes at least 6-8 weeks for anxiety to improve, so it’s best to give it at least this long. Then, if things haven’t improved, it’s time for a review and reassessment.

The answer was published on DepNet 13/06/2008