Feeling Constantly On Guard

[bright future28]

anyone else feel like their body is constantly in fight or flight mode? even the door going usually makes me jump out of my skin. Is really exhausting :( Also if im expecting to see someone i feel ok but say im out and about and bump into someone it literally frighhtens me and i feel embaressed whereas if i was expecting to see someone i would feel ok! Also feel so clastrophic in busy places im not as bad outdoors but indoors eg the supermarket makes me feel very panickly. Think its the feeling of being closed in. Any one else feel like this and if so do you have any coping stratagies?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I remember feeling that way when I was first diagnosed. The slightest startle would have me on edge for the next 24 hours+, I wasn't sleeping, and the anxiety was just surging through my body. When it was that bad, the only thing that helped was medication. I found something that helped me and was on it for the next year or so....by then my body had calmed down and I didn't return to that constant heightened state. I still have flare ups from time to time, but nothing that bad, at least not that prolonged.

Are there any sorts of self-care things that help you calm down? I do things to make myself comfortable physically. The anxiety would often make my heart race, and since I have an irregular heartbeat, too, it would become uncomfortable, even painful. I used to put ice packs over my heart to slow it down. I also wear tight clothing (at home) because its calming to me, much in the same way that dogs wear thunder jackets to alleviate their anxiety. Exercise can also be great for burning off the excess energy. When I exercise a lot, I sleep like a baby....I really need to start doing this again as my sleep has gone to pot again.

 

[bright future28]

i find exercise is a big help to i find just having a moment to myself helps sometimes also, if you dont mind me asking what meds worked for you? im starting paroxetine next week hoping it will work

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Geodon helped me the most in terms of squashing that hypervigilance/exaggerated startle response/electric anxiety feeling. I've tried many different drugs over the years, some pre-diagnosis, some post-diagnosis....and while all of the symptoms were PTSD related in one way or another, my body chemistry definitely changed when I went fully symptomatic about 7 years ago.

I also have a prescription for Ativan but I have to be SUPER careful about the dosing as if I take it too often, it brings out anger issues in me. I keep it on hand though because there are times when I truly do need it because I just can't calm down.

But, having said that, I am quite med sensitive and its been hard for me to find meds that help without a lot of unwanted side effects. Everyone is different so unfortunately, after hearing that a medication has helped other people, the only real thing that you can do is try it for yourself.

I was lucky in that there used to be this website called "carrot of hope" which recommended three medications for PTSD, Geodon, Vistaril, and Inderal, and I found it very soon after I was diagnosed when I was looking for meds recommended for PTSD. They called it the "PTSD Cocktail". I was desperate to find something that would give me relief, and Geodon was the drug that calmed me down in the first dose. I think I slept for 18 hours after the first dose! (A welcome relief after hardly sleeping in the previous 2 months.) I've been in and out of the hospital with doctors who have tried to switch up my meds in order to see if something else would work better, but nothing ever has. I have the Geodon on hand for when my symptoms get bad, but fortunately that happens only once or twice a year now. My current doc told me that the symptom relief that I get from the Geodon isn't one of those things where you need to let the drug build up in your system. I've met other people who have been given the drug PRN as well (even though that's a more unusual way to prescribe it).

Geodon is an antipsychotic and not without its share of serious side effects, some of which I have experienced. For this reason, I recommend that others try other classes of medications first such as antidepressants. And, its a huge reason why I don't take it regularly as I know it has a bad effect on my system. (Muscular issues) But, since its the only med that helps me, I sort of have to take that risk when I'm hitting rock bottom and need relief.

I tried Paxil about 20 years ago and it didn't help my depression. I didn't have a high anxiety level to deal with at that point so I can't comment on it helping anxiety. I remember that the dose was pushed higher until I was sleeping all the time and only awake to go to school from 7 to 4. After 2 weeks of that, my parents decided enough was enough and that I shouldn't be on it anymore as I was non-functional. But again, back then I was mainly dealing with depression, not full blown PTSD.

I think I've gone off on a bit of a tangent, but I hope what I've said helps!

 

[bright future28]

thanks alot for your reply and thanks for letting me know of the meds :)

 

[Deleted member 28942]

If you like the outdoors, your can do outdoors activities more often. Like go for a walk/bike, lay in the grass, bike, sit by a river or lake, wrote about the experience using your senses so you can relieve it later on. These are some of the things that help me.

 

[SabrinaB]

These types of symptoms have been the most bothersome for me for many months now. I don't feel nervous and my mind is calm, but my heart bounds, chest tightens, legs wobble and my body trembles on and off at home and most every time I leave the house.

Also if im expecting to see someone i feel ok but say im out and about and bump into someone it literally frighhtens me and i feel embaressed whereas if i was expecting to see someone i would feel ok!

Wow, this happens to me too, yet never correlated it to my PTSD! Just thought it was one of my odd querks. Unexpected intrusions throw me, even if it's just the phone ringing, so guess this is similar.

I'm still searching for remedies too. Think I have to accept this isn't preventable, though can be managed. Primarily use mindfulness, focusing on my breathing and staying grounded. Requires intense focus and energy to just get through a day and life outside my home is significantly curtailed.

As for medication I'm conservative so probably tolerate higher symptom level than I should. Have tried propranolol (Inderal) on and off but can't see that it makes a difference. Have Valium on hand, but either forget to take it when symptoms spike or come up with a reason not too.

I have found that the nature of my symptoms has evolved over the past 2 years. I think that's one of the reasons I'm med avoidant; not sure how I would even tell if their making a significant difference.

 

[Strongeras1]

Wish I could sit here and say their is a magic cure for these feelings but unfortunately there isn't... I'm always walking around with my head on a swivel, in a constant state of hypervigilence.. It gets very exhausting being that way 24/7..you see everyone else waking around smiling with no cares in the world and wish you could remember what that feels like even if just for one minute, your friends and family members are Always telling you to ease up stop being so tense but you don't ever say word cause you know they won't understand and your glad they never will. It becomes a very lonely feeling you feel isolated stuck in your own head. Wondering maybe everyone else is normal and your just The crazy paranoid guy.

 

[bright future28]

i feel you 100 per cent @Strongeras1 the only time i can say i truely relax is after one to many alcoholic beverages but then the next day its back to square one if not worse because i feel even more anxious after a heavy night so tend not to drink very often! Is there anything you like doing that helps you to relax? Thank for your reply also @SabrinaB. I have been practising mindfullness and breathing also. Im currently undergoing trauma therapy and my therapist has said mindfulness can be a great help. I talked with her abit about the feeling on guard when out and about and she thinks its where a part of me is stil frozen to the time when i was a young girl and had some awful things happen to me and im stil stuck in the mode of being constantly in fear of danger. Next week we are going to focus on putting that young girl somewhere safe in my mind and trying to think how my adult mind would react in the same situation. Will update on how it goes.