anxiety due to being out of work for so long

[jclape]

I live in central new york
hello every one iam comming up on a hearing the 13th of dec and since this past summer i have started having anxiety attacks where i dont even know what is causing them myself and the doctor have been trying prozac to get it under control but to no avail as of right now. I had a anxiety attack in front of a jiffy lube oil changing place for no reason what so ever just sitting in line waiting to get in i have never had this problem before. no the IC wants to cut my checks lower or completely take them away. I have a lawyer i hope he helps me out on this one but i would rather have pain in my back like i used to then deal with this because i dont know what is causing it.
the sad thing is that my faimly has to deal with me to and it is not even safe i have had to pull over to the side of the road and ask my wife to drive because all of a sudden i feel as if i am going to pass out. i also take xanax it is supposed to help so i tried taking it before i leave to go out but that was a bad idea to because it makes me feel like i have been drinking so there again the first time and last time i took the xanax i had to pull over and make my wife drive and i ended up sleeping in the back of my minivan while my wife took my son to his football game. has any one else experienced this to? the only good thing that is happening is my back pain is now subsiding after chiroprator apointment for 5-6 days were it is minimal if at all but around the time it is to go for another appointment i know .

[red1030]

hi jclape, anytime a person lives with a continual strain related to fear of the unknown such as our encounters with W/C system.... anxiety is a real possibility. I can't say for sure that that is why you are having anxiety but it is a possibility. For me, anxiety started when I was told I could not go to work and I was unsure of where our next income was going to come from for almost 5 months. The sad point for me is that once anxiety appears to introduce itself into your body as a coping mechanism for any situation it will continue thoughtout your life. Recently I have been very stressed and anxiety was an everyday situation. THe prozac can help wiht the long term affects of anxiety but it is an older antidepressant. The xanax may be to high a dosage for you and that is why you slept or appear drunk when you take it. I take an ativan 0.05mg...which is very low but it helps a lot. Ask your doctor about a lower dosage of the xanax and see what he says.... good luck to you. I know that anxiety is very painful and disturbing. It takes me days to really let it go once it has appeared.... good luck and welcome.. Red

[sparkey]

I also would suggest a low dose of Ativan. Are you on any anti-depressants? I take cymbalta 60mg. because i am still very depressed about my career i lost and cry whenever i speak of it still. I enjoy my new career, but like everyone else, you have to love what you do. I think if they try different meds for you, that it may regulate the symptoms of anxiety you have. Ativan is very good for that. My daughter had a friend that had to take Ativan regulary because of her anxiety. It works for her also. Maybe you want to suggest that to the doctor your next visit.

[backache]

Xanax They usually start you out on 0.25 to 0.5 mg 3 times a day . Max dose 4 mg in divided doses daily. You have to be very careful if on anything else, some of theses things are narcotics, barbiturates, alcohol, antidepressants, antihistamines there are more things that can give you side effects. Some adverse reactions are confusion, depression, drowsiness, lethargy, light headedness, headache, confusion, hostility, hang-over effect, dizziness, syncope, fatigue, slurred speech, tremors, vertigo, blurred vision and there are many more. Ativan has about the same side effects so be careful if you use it. You may be sensitive to these drugs or you may need the lowest dose ask your DR.

[WCisBS]

Ask you doctor about giving you Clonazepam. That is very good for anxiety.

[tony47]

.Hi jclape i am also from NY and i am sorry for what you are going thru. Dealing with this whole W/C system can for sure cause depression and Anxiety. Maybe you should have your doc recommend a mental heath professional to see if they can determine why you are having these attacks. I also have been very depressed due to being out of work and worries about the unknown. Worries about W/C hearings and decisions that effect our lives in a major way. Good Luck i hope you get to the bottom of this and you get the right meds and the right dosage. Also i am thinking of now claiming my depression along with my Back problems on my workers comp case. Something to think about ..... Tony

[Lilly]

Hi there...and welcome to the forum!
IMO...you are having a quite normal reaction to your situation. It's not a good situation to be in, and most likely you've never had to deal with anything like you are currently! So the panic attacks have started.
Possibly your MD can state if it's caused by your injury or stress from your injury, and WC can pay for your meds and treatment. Have you ever tried breaking your xanax in half and take it? It sounds to me like your dose is too high, or your body simply is not accustomed to having to take such stuff. Panic attacks are awful (to put it mildly) and can hang on & on....so please, make sure you keep treating it actively & aggressively with your MD's help.
I wish you the best, Lilly

[jclape]

Lilly Wrote:Hi there...and welcome to the forum!
IMO...you are having a quite normal reaction to your situation. It's not a good situation to be in, and most likely you've never had to deal with anything like you are currently! So the panic attacks have started.
Possibly your MD can state if it's caused by your injury or stress from your injury, and WC can pay for your meds and treatment. Have you ever tried breaking your xanax in half and take it? It sounds to me like your dose is too high, or your body simply is not accustomed to having to take such stuff. Panic attacks are awful (to put it mildly) and can hang on & on....so please, make sure you keep treating it actively & aggressively with your MD's help.
I wish you the best, Lilly

i was taking a half a xanax but did not seem to do anything so when i went back to the dr i explained that to her and she recomended taking the whole pill it works great as a sleep aid but still find myself not sleeping well and at last visit she uped my prozac to 40mg to see if that helped but 6 weeks later still having these problems its good to hear from everyone this is a good support system.

[collateraldamage5591]

Hello jclape, I too, along with many others here know how frustrating it is to be at the mercy of W/C. Rest assured you are not alone in the feelings of anxiety. You have taken a step in the right direction just by making a post on this site and sharing some of your anxiety with a lot of people that can offer good advice to help lighten your load a bit. Hang in there and post whenever you need to vent or just need acknowledgement that you are not alone.

[jayne]

I have a hard time sleeping...I worry and cant seem to shut my mind off...I have a CD of just piano music and I play it at nite...I take my meds,have comfy pjs on ..a cool room and turn on the CD and just listen...