Posted by jflange on February 28, 2003, at 13:15:35
In reply to anxiety attack and relaxation, posted by babak on February 28, 2003, at 5:05:03
babak:
I have experienced the same kind of muscle tension you describe in conjunction with my anxiety. The anxiety itself was causing me to tense up unconsciously and the muscles in my neck, back, chest, and stomach were strained, sore, and stiff. Naturally the pain and annoyance of this muscle tension, and the consequent inability to breathe deeply and fully acted as another contributing factor to my anxiety.
There could be several reasons why you are experiencing this tension and I think you should not have to live with it. Valium and other benzos are good for the short-term but like you said, they tend to produce rebound anxiety and tension if you only take them intermittently. Effexor and the SSRIs made this muscle tension worse for me. I have never tried ECT, so I cannot comment on that.
I found two things to be helpful: 1. magnesium and calcium, at a 2/1 ratio, to relieve the muscle tension. Taking them in a 1/2 ratio can be calming mentally, but will not really do much for your muscle tension. 2. taking an anti-anxiety drug like buspar that inhibits the firing rate of 5-HT-containing neurons, cutting down on the ssri/snri induced muscle tension (at least in my experience). Buspar works well with Remeron as an anti-anxiety combo, but I have no idea what these two will do with Effexor in the mix.
Good luck to you,
jflange
poster:jflange
thread:204584
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030224/msgs/204705.html