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I've always struggled with ocd and anxiety. I found over the years whenever something goes away something else pops up to take its place. Heart disease, kidney disease, cancers, end of the world, fear of dying itself, etc. I'm only 27 years old yet I feel like I'm out of time to change, to enjoy life. I feel like my clock has run out. A lot of things are changing for me which doesn't help but I know losing my father at 40 to heart disease plays a factor. I don't believe I'll get old and that terrifies me. My father did drugs, ate terribly and made a lot of bad decisions that lead to his passing but for some reason an ending is all I see for myself. Please I'm desperate for any and all advice.

I've read a lot on this site in an effort to calm myself, so I figured I'd finally come and ask for advice. I'm a seventeen year-old girl (turning eighteen in two months) and I've had a really horrific past two weeks. I was in the ER 15 days ago for a migraine and concerns as to what could have been causing it. After diagnosing it as a complex migraine, the doctor seeing me gave me Compazine through an IV (with Benadryl) - and it was the most traumatizing experience of my life. I had a violent adverse reaction; heart pain, burning around my heart, excessive shaking and sweating, fear of death, immense panic. I've always been a shy and socially anxious person and I've been diagnosed with severe depression, but this is the first time I've ever experienced anxiety/panic attacks and their severe symptoms. Six hours after being sent home from the hospital following my Compazine experience, I suffered a panic attack immense enough to give me bodily tetany and make my arms, hands, legs, mouth, and hands seize up. I got the pins and needles sensation alongside that and feared the worst. My mom called an ambulance because we had no idea that kind of attack could occur and they calmed me down over the course of an hour. In the days following that incident, I had at least one severe and several-hour-long anxiety/panic attack per day to the point of it being debilitating and preventing me from focusing. I have had two periods of three days without attacks followed by another severe attack (the most recent being last night, I had chest tightness and really violent tremors for six hours, only calmed down and slept after taking Benadryl). I have been to the emergency room twice more; they once gave me Visatril through a pill and I had another adverse reaction, and one morning, they gave me Xanax to calm me down. To date, it is the only medically administered drug that has ever worked for me in this situation. I am at my wit's end. I have seen my parents' doctor and she prescribed me Zoloft/Sertraline at 25mg. I have not taken it yet because I have been on a myriad of medicines in the past couple of weeks and anxiety has brought out the full force of their side effects; I am scared to take it for that reason and I don't want to. My main issue is health anxiety. I have always had a slightly higher than normal pulse, so fear of a heart problem is massive. My symptoms brought on from anxiety/panic attacks have gradually ranged from chest tightness, excessive chest heaviness, chest pain on either the right or left side, neck tightness, left shoulderblade pain, pins and needles, shortness of breath, mid-back pressure, ear and head pressure, jaw and ear pain, excessive heart palpitations, violent tremors, paranoia, dizziness, hot breath, heartburn, acid reflux, disorientation, excessive weakness, cold sweats, flashes of heat on random patches of skin, fatigue, and insomnia. All of these things combined have made me terrified of heart trouble that could kill me. I've had two EKGs and a chest x-ray in my emergency room visits, and everything checked out normally, but I still am largely incapable of convincing myself that everything listed above is solely anxiety and not from a serious physical condition. Everyone on my dad's side suffers from a form of generalized anxiety, but I've never felt the side effects of it like I do now and I would do anything for it to stop. As a side note, I do take other medications (Loestrin, Curcumin, Benadryl, 5-htp, Magnesium) off and on for various reasons. The latter four are largely took for insomnia/anxiety related issues. I'm a night owl and it's impossible for me to go to bed before midnight. Is there any advice or help that can be offered to me in this situation? I want it to be over, and I don't know what to do with myself. I constantly fear something is wrong with me/that I am dying and I want it to end.

Hey. My name's Lola and I have a problem with anxiety. Like a big, life-altering issue. I've had anxiety since I was a kid and dealt with some family issues. My parents didn't always get on very well and once alcohol got into my stepdad things turned ugly. This coupled with the fact that he despised me, made for a very unhappy childhood. I didn't realize until I was in high school that the panic I was feeling was an actual disorder. I thought I was crazy and just emotional. I thought I was alone because no one could understand why I didn't trust going out to parties, why I couldn't breath if I thought I had caused a problem or failed a class. My mind automatically jumped to the worst scenario imaginable and it stuck in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about whatever was distressing me. It's still that way. Anxiety is a crippling thing. Quite literally. I have such high anxiety all the time, that it has caused numbness to spread throughout my body. It causes my muscles to be weak and tingly feeling. I can't trust anyone because when I see a situation that I'm uncomfortable with my mind fills in terrible things. I just need to know that I'm not alone and that there are people like me.

Hiya Guys, I'm not sure if this is the most appropriate place to post this but I struggled to "file" my issue. Two nights ago I had recurrent dreams where I imagined that I was having panic attacks. Normally my "episodes" are not what I would consider a panic attack because although I'm anxious and have embarrassing physical reactions I'm not actually scared?!?! However in my dreams I am terrified I have woken myself and my partner and couple of times screaming in my sleep. The issue is I'm worried that I'm actually having panic attacks in my sleep and prior to this I would occasionally wake up mid anxiety episode. So I'm now worried that if my anxiety can be this intense when I'm asleep that the level of intensity and fear I'm experiencing may also begin to manifest in real life. I've agreed a sleep strategy with my partner that I'll ask him if I'm okay or what he thinks is wrong with me and if.I can make him say sausages I'll know I'm dreaming because I'm struggling to establish the difference between dreams and real life especially when I'm tired,. If I ask him in real life there's a specific reply he will give to assure me I'm awake. I'm not sure this plan will work but it gives me hope. I'm just wondering if any of you have experienced panic dreams and whether you just dream them, or they have an effect on your physical body and also whether you experience any signs before your episodes intensify? I'm mostly confused and worried (go figure!) so sorry if this sounds a bit scattered. Stephanie