I have derealization bad and it's not getting any better! Over 3 years of treatment and nothing no change!
I understand that anxiety is the underlying condition that causes derealization.
So I'm trying to understand what is going on inside my body to causes anxiety that creates this feeling of derealization, are the adrenals on overload due to Lyme/Babs/Bart?
This derealization feeling is unbearable to live with. What can I do to alleviate this sx?
Posted by derk diggler (Member # 31903) on :
im right there with you, same amount of time also, we need relief from this, anyone????????????????????????
Posted by lax mom (Member # 38743) on :
Gaba, Magnesium...for me, when it gets horrific, I need a benzodiazepine.
It's a scary, scary feeling, but it's a normal reaction when the brain is too overwhelmed by whatever...stress, inflammation, etc.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
i dont really know. i think it might be Bb or other bugs in the brain. you might get some answers if you read stuff by robert bransfield
he is a psychiatrist that believes much mental illness comes from microbes. he has a website and has published a lot on the subject
he is lyme literate as well.
for me (and my mom who had lyme before me) anxiety was an issue. she never got dx or tx and the anxiety was horrible. she would just shake. doctors finally really doped her up and what worked was huge doses of vistaril
when i started having early morning waking and i was just shaking and scared for no reason i started taking the same drug at low doses and it has kept me ok. i take between 25 and 75mg at night and it helps me sleep and keeps anxiety away.
i only had derealization for a short time while herxing from bart and i never had the feeling brain was burning or about to blow up like some describe
if you try the vistaril it has to be the real one-not generic. generic has one ingredient different. it s an old drug and many docs dont know about it but it is worth a try
I'm not sure about this, but I recall reading that the creation of nitric oxide in us by Lyme disease can cause anxiety.
Interestingly enough, it was a homeopathy remedy, pulsatilla 12x, that was the strongest antidepressant I ever tried!
Posted by philly78 (Member # 31069) on :
My depersonalization and derealization is back full force since treating babs. I absolutely hate it and I think bart and babs are the main culprits when dealing with anxiety or other psychiatric symptoms.
I can do breathing exercises, yoga etc and it does help some. I don't think we can pinpoint any one single cause. Part of it is from these darn bugs. Our nervous systems are inflamed. I've heard others suggest it is from neurotoxins.
What about a mineral imbalance? Had that checked out yet?
I also think another big part is the stress we deal with in trying to treat this awful illness.
I'm sorry. I do know what you are going through. It sucks.
Posted by koo (Member # 30462) on :
What is going on inside your body? It is in the central nervous system, enough said.
This was one of my worst symptoms and is all but gone with treatment. Another friend of mine had neuro Lyme as well and she said this was her worst symptom. Hers also went away with treatment.
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
I think you hit on something with the adrenals. Try upping your vitamin C, salt, more rest, and some adrenal supplementation. Gaba too. Keebler has great info on adrenals.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
KPU treatment helps anxiety
Posted by lax mom (Member # 38743) on :
Does Dr H in NY treat KPU?
Posted by been (Member # 23127) on :
Does ashwagandha have any abx interactions? I could find any.
I'm going to give that a try for adrenal support.
Posted by jlf2012 (Member # 36002) on :
How would you describe your derealization? I've suffered from terrible anxiety with this disease. At times it didn't feel like I could go on. I've had a little break 4-5 months into treatment but am soon changing meds so don't know if it will return. It's such a wonderful beyond words feeling when it lifts temporarily! I pray we all are free of this through treatment.
Posted by lax mom (Member # 38743) on :
been: ashwagandha is one ingredient in Adapten-All that my LLMD recommended. I take it with my other supplements, about an hour away from my antibiotics.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
quote:Originally posted by lax mom: Does Dr H in NY treat KPU?
He didn't four years ago when I was seeing him for treatment, but things change, so I don't know.
Posted by been (Member # 23127) on :
@jlf2012
It feels like I'm in a dream is the best I can describe it. My perception is some how affected so the world around me looks surreal.
People look strange and place look different even though I know the people and places very well.
It feels like I'm on auto-pilot just going through life w/o really living it. I feel like I'm watching my life as though it's a movie, not reality...
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Not to discount but, really, that is very common and just goes with lyme & the other tick-borne infections.
What causes anxiety for those with lyme?
Toxicity of the infection(s), heavy metals, parasites - and the system / organ stress or damage.
The toxicity of lyme can affect the coating around the nerves, too (myelin sheath). GREEN Veggies help, etc.
If any one is given toxins, they will feel ill and all kinds of things can spiral out of that. Lyme is one of THE most toxic infections on earth.
so, as we treat we also must support and protect the organs that help us move it all along.
What helps: Magnesium, Fish Oil (OmegaBrite), liver and adrenal support. GREEN veggies galore.
- explores the neurological and toxic ways that lyme and other tick-borne infections can affect emotions, thoughts and behavior - and psyche.
----------------
Each of the articles above help in our understanding of what's happening to us. Be sure to then go back to "what can help" with supplements and life style.
Ultimately, when the infection(s), parasites and heavy metals are adequately addressed, this really gets better.
"I feel like I'm watching my life as though it's a movie, not reality..."
The last time this happened to me was when I was hungry (my blood sugar was low, stomach gurgling). I was driving home from the pharmacy and I felt like I was watching myself drive (like I was watching a movie), but I didn't know where the person who looked like me was going.
Then, I started to freak out and flashed out of it (kind of like just blinking out of it) and didn't know where I was. It really freaked me out because I was driving and easily could have crashed.
Posted by lax mom (Member # 38743) on :
For me it's like the opposite of deja vu. Deja vu= unfamiliar situations feeling familiar, unreality/derealization= familiar situations (everyday living) feeling unfamiliar.
Posted by AuntyLynn (Member # 35938) on :
Dr. V S of PA has an excellent website about these neurological symptoms - she is a psychiatrist.
Please see the tab on the left hand side of the page entitled "Lyme and panic attacks."
This was the first symptom my Mom suffered, just a few months after she was bitten. It is a sign of neurological involvement. (And abx that will cross the blood-brain barrier are indicated as the best treatment.)
Posted by lax mom (Member # 38743) on :
Wow, AuntyLynn that was a great website.
Posted by AuntyLynn (Member # 35938) on :
Lax Mom - Glad you liked it - I sure did!
Apparently Dr. S had Lyme, so she is intimately acquainted with the problem!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Be very careful of supplements that promise to "boost mood" as they may be too stimulating for someone with lyme and trigger anxiety or panic attacks. "Support" is what we need, not "boosting" of anything.
The supplement L-Glutamine can cause anxiety, too. And be sure that you are not taking any supplement with added Phenylalanine. That's like rocket fuel to those with sensitive adrenals.
Caution: Aspartate; Glutamine; and Phenylalanine -
Posted by AuntyLynn (Member # 35938) on :
Good point Keebler -
Aspartame - as in DIET SODA! Not only is it an excitotoxin, it is also GMO!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Nothing will send me flying to the moon faster than a trace of aspartame. I just learned the hard way to never eat food others prepare because they often don't pay attention to what they put in it.
Also be aware that SEAWEED can trigger anxiety. It contains a natural MSG. Same with even gluten-free soy sauce: MSG. And MISO soup. -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- All the causes and helpers aside, sometimes we do need to just acknowledge that lyme has changed so much about our bodies & our lives. Who wouldn't be taken aback, really?
I think it's important to be able to be at some kind of (something) with that. I can't call it peace or acceptance and we have to move past shock and give our emotions and realizations some kind of voice.
. . . rendered by Munch as a poem, which he hand-painted onto the frame of the 1895 pastel version of the work:
I was walking along a path with two friends � the sun was setting � suddenly the sky turned blood red �
I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence � there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city � my friends walked on,
and I stood there trembling with anxiety � and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.[9] . . . -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :