Topic: Anxiety so bad, it feels like I'm going to have a seizure in my head, what is this ?
lymetwister
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19590
posted
Every single morning I wake up lately, I have this feeling. Not a headache, but I definitely feel something in the frontal part of my head.
And my neck / shoulders are so damn stiff. My head actually bobs around from the nervousness. Anxiety was one of my first symptoms, but it has only gotten worse since treating Babs and Bart. I only have a little shortness of breath with all of this, so it doesn't appear to be a panic attack. Am I don't get clammy with it either.
It takes me a good hour to come out of this in the morning with Xanax, Klonopin, and even some Benadryl. Also on the beta blocker Metoprolol, which is relatively new and it doesn't seem to do much at 50mg 2 x per day.
Yesterday, I actually made it out of the house to pick up my sons friend to sleep over and I got pulled over for speeding. I was shaking like a leaf over a simple speeding ticket.
I can't even handle dragging a cigarette anymore as any stimulation, sets off a fierce heart rate and anxiety. They say I have POTS now as I posted in one of my last posts, but I've the POTS symptoms all along, and only the diagnosis is new.
The anxiety is overproducing stomach acid and I'm having reflux too.
Need some help here as this is getting intolerable.
Any suggestions ?
Lymetwister
Posts: 1227 | From District of Columbia | Registered: Mar 2009
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blaze
Unregistered
posted
Maybe you have ES in addition to Lyme? That's what I'm dealing with...
I experience the same symptoms. I almost missed a stop sign yesterday, but didn't, and I was shaking like a leaf even though everything was okay. Then I got lost on a road I should know, and that too caused me to shake. Even the house creaking and cracking can cause me to tremble.
posted
Treating Bart will cause anxiety, depression, and fear.
I have experienced it and I have seen gown men cry and freak out, when starting rifampin or Levaquin for their bartonella.
I am willing to bet, that this is what is happening to you.
Ativan always helps me, I can feel my anxiety coming on and if I can take an ativan it will help ease it or stop it. I try not to take it consistently because it loses it's affect.
I am going to be trying a neurotransmitter replacement therapy very soon, it takes about 4-6 weeks to take affect. It is all natural too.
Posts: 458 | From Miss | Registered: Mar 2009
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lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
Buster seems about right in my book....!
I also have ativan on hand for the anxiety problems...
Ativan is addictive and only makes one need more of the same...also...less is more,
with this, and other mind masking medications, due to our lyme infected brains.
It seemed for me...say...
If I was in a stressful situation I could'nt extricate myself from....
the, "Fear/Fight", PTSD,
type of hormones go wild and it has a crummy affect on we lymies...
and more ativan seemed to have a reverse effect on me!
So be careful with that and like I said above, other mind masking medications.
Fortunately, while I was on IV abx for a time back in 03,
(if I remember correctly{I'm still not sure if I ever got any IV abx in between 03 and now],
I at least was able to get off of the ativan).
Unfortunately,
a few years ago, a real dumb guy decided he could kick my butt and tried!
The poor fellow was on oxycontin, for back pain, and he decided to drink some beer at our bowling banquet,
washing them both down with a few shots of his preferred alcohol, he kept in his back pocket!
Those combinations have a tendancy to make anyone on them to make them feel,
REAL TALL and PUGNACIOUS!
Fortunately, I defended myself and had ample witnesses to the fact that HE, attacked me.
Because he lives very close to me in my park. I had some anxiety because the incident,
which, exacerbated my PTSD, and I had to ask my, llmd, in training, for another script of ativan.
I'm kinda there now again and am having a difficult time convincing my doctor to get me on,
some type of IV or at least IM meds, because the orals aren't doing squat!
Kinda just, "kicking my chetes in the side" and junk like that!
Anyway, as to your stiff neck and shoulders!
This is how I know my chetes are at a higher load and active again!
The ensuing encephalitis symptoms(which can and often are, mistaken for meningitis symptoms,
in many ER's),
which could lead to your getting at least a cautionary dose of IV ABX.
However, as Buster remarks...some of the same stuff that helps us,
unfortunately give us some other symptoms.
Flagyl/metronidazole/tinidazole always has a lathargic/depressed affect on me.
If you just happen to be the same as me(depending on our DNA and the species of spirochete we're infected with).
Perhaps that anti-cyst type of antibiotic would do wonders for your anxiety.
It had that affect on me as well as calming a whole lot of pain,
(probably due to it's tendancy to cause temporary peripheral neurapathy),
which you may already have anyway!
The calming of the mind, I believe,is what may do you some good.
Of course, however, no telling if what worked on me, will work the same for you...so....
make sure you get the ok from your llmd!
Cuz a doctor, I AM NOT!
Good luck, zman
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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lymetwister
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19590
posted
Thanks so far for the replies everyone.
I have yet another question. I have no idea what my Magnesium levels are, but I just had some bloodwork done yesterday and I asked my Dr. if she would add a magnesium level to the labs, as this might sound crazy, but I took 500mg of Oral Magnesium about an hour ago, and it seems to be calming me down.
I have heard that Lyme likes to deplete your magnesium levels somehow.
Does anyone know the correct supplementation doses as this could explain alot of my symptoms.
Thanks again,
Lymetwister
Posts: 1227 | From District of Columbia | Registered: Mar 2009
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feelfit
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12770
posted
take magnesium to bowel tolerance. I can take boatloads of mag w/o a need to run to the restroom.
take it throughout the day, not in one big dose....that WILL send you running.
Mag is good for nerves, heart, many things....google for it's benefits.
Feelfit
Posts: 3975 | From usa | Registered: Aug 2007
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TadichGrill
Unregistered
posted
Bart can cause anxiety even when you are not treating it.
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Anxiety has been one of my biggest problems. It really sucks and for me it came on in strange situations and for no reason at all.
I recently started taking Tinidazole and this is really the only thing which has helped to improve it. It has made a huge difference.
After about 2-3 weeks of starting it I had a day where my head absoloutley ached like hell, but then after that I found the anxiety only comes out to play maybe once a week, which is much better than every day.
I know what you're going through and anxiety is one of the most terrible feelings. Good luck with getting rid of it.
Kelly
-------------------- Sx Start Jan 08 (test neg, but herxing)Susp Lyme, Bart + Babs??
ABX Doxy 400mg + Amox 1g Jun - Sep 08 Rifampin 600mg + Biaxin 1000mg Tinidazole 1000mg/day - Sep 08 to June 08
Currently taking Salt/C 15g (himalayan salt)
85-90% better Posts: 231 | From Australia | Registered: May 2008
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posted
When I had "panic attacks" my doctor set me up for a 24 hr. sleep deprived EEG. I showed petit mal seizure activity.
I have been treated with klonopin for this for almost 25 yrs. So many people use Klonopin for anti-anxiety they have not clue it's actually a seizure medicine first and they may actually be treating seizures.
With proper supervision, this drug is an effective form of seizure control. I've had people tell me it's addictive without realizing it's medically necessary.
My point is have the test for seizures. Seizures are so common in Lyme yet we only seem to focus on the grand mal seizure.
My life was TOTALLY disrupted by the petit mal seizures and they have only come to recognize them as a true form of seizure over the last 20+ years. My psychiatrist happened to be very forward thinking and saved me from a life of anguish. He also read everything I gave him on Lyme Disease (20 yrs later) and promptly started diagnosing patients.
Posts: 982 | From Florida | Registered: Feb 2002
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seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
Interesting Curley, I've always wondered if my attacks lately are seizure-related. I know little about seizures, but something seems wrong.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
I nearly went bananas when I was on Ceftin. And by 'bananas', I don't mean in a funny way.
I had anxiety like nothing I could have ever imagined. I felt like one of those people in a movie who start tearing their own body up. I started a low dose of zoloft (which I had long resisted, given all the 'you're just depressed' diagnoses I'd gotten).....and an occassional xanax.
My new lyme doc took me off of antibiotics for now, and I'm doing detox and focusing on babesia. I still have some anxiety, but nothing like the approaching a psychotic break feeling I had. It was way scary.
Posts: 322 | From Venice, CA | Registered: Sep 2008
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