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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by KimStereo on June 7, 2009, at 9:28:56
For the last year, I seem to be getting worse with what I will tell you:
I wake up with crazy morning anxiety. The anxiety wakes me up out of my sleep. I get up and I'm all shaky and out of breath. It's not even 8 hours since I took my PM Klonopin 1mg, but I go right for another dose of 1mg and within 30 min. I settle down again. This is the worst part of my day.
Then about 12-1pm, I start getting the anxiety back again and I take just 0.25mg of Xanax, which holds me over for a few hourse, then I repeat that dose until evening. If anything is stressful in my day, I usually take more of the as needed Xanax.
I have been under medical care for 2 years now with all sorts of problems. They said I have sleep apnea, then CFS, then POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Anxiety has always played a role in this.
My newest thing is Vertigo. I've had it for about 4 weeks, and I don't believe this is from any infection. It comes and goes and mostly feels like I'm on a boat with crazy waves. Sometimes, I feel like I'm gonna fall out of my chair just sitting. The Vertigo comes and goes as it pleases.
I have been reading on DHEA and considering trying this. I have read that DHEA is low in CFS patients and I also have low undetectable Vit. D, so I am now on 50K IU/week.
Besides the anxiety, I get brain fog, disoriented at times, body aches and pains, low body temp and sometimes chills. Never have I run a fever.
So, I am considering trying DHEA and was wondering which product to buy. It comes in 5mg, 25mg, and 50mg.
If my levels are so low, than this would explain alot of what I'm going through. I have heard that this can be autoimmune and I do already have Vitiligo, which is autoimmune. The pieces seem to be coming together a little.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Posted by garnet71 on June 7, 2009, at 10:14:21
In reply to DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol, posted by KimStereo on June 7, 2009, at 9:28:56
Hi Kim,
Well there's a number of studies on how the HPA axis is affected by chronic stress--does this apply to you? It sounds like you need to get your hormones checked or go to a sleep specialist (have you?). Low body temperature is one symptom of hormonal problems...Have you had your thyroid checked? I'd think you would of with all your docs, but just in case...
Do you use one of those machines for sleep apnea? Is it central sleep apnea as opposed to obstructive?
I used to have anxiety just like that-I'd wake up with what felt like a huge burst of adrenline in my chest. Sometimes only being able to sleep for 1 or 2 hours a day for a week at a time--and the times I did sleep, it woke me up just as you described.
There are 2 types of anxiety I've had over the years-one that seems medically related - as yours may be - and one that is more panic attacks from thoughts. I wish I realized this years ago.
So I had a sleep study years ago--I quit breathing many times throughout the night--but they told me it could have been the xanax I was taking. I don't believe that though because now if I take a xanax right before I go to sleep, I always wake up feeling more refreshed than otherwise. I took the same dose-.25. I was on Effexor at the time, which the sleep study people ignored. Effexor eventually caused swollen joints, brain fog and more, some of the autommine symptoms-- but I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia by the rheumatologist who couldn't figure out what was causing it all. I read a book on fibromyalgia-the researcher basically said it may be caused by not getting the right "type" of sleep. Wish I followed up on that, but my PDoc ordered the sleep study, ignored the 10 page report, and I didn't even get to see the sleep doctor, which i should have pursued i guess. I quit effexor and those symptoms dissappeared shortly thereafter.
I used to have a lot of lucid dreams; I wonder how many of us with mental health issues really just don't get the right "type" of sleep each night. Sleep is so important, but very little is known about it. Maybe you could try melatonin too?
There's lots of papers how psychotropics can cause vertigo. Have you taken anything else besides benzodiazepines?
I never read any of these papers (not enough time), just glance through them. Use Google scholar and read the abstracts to find out more about your situation. Sorry I don't know about the DHEA, but I do know there has to be a cause for CFS and fibromyalgia.
BTW, the 50,000 vitamin E I think really helped me with mood; it's hard to say because I started buspirone at the time, but I've been thinking a lot about that lately. See if you get better after a month on it.
Well I'd imagine with your medical problems you'd be seeing several specialists? But I think if you're having all those issues, you should do a bit of your own research. I wish I had done that years ago...I've found doctors often miss the link between hormones and mental health issues, or know little about it, esp. endos who all seem to specialize in diabetes. A psychoneuroendocronologist may be helpful in your situation. I'm asking my PDoc next time if he knows of one. In any case, it sounds like you need a lot more than DHEA right now. Someone informed enough to diagnose your problem, for one.
There are also some studies that indicate Prozac is supposed to help w/the cortisol issues (and maybe the other SSRIs but in a different way). I came across lots of studies, but just skim through them. Sorry I couldn't be more informative. Oh, I've also glanced through a study or 2 that indicated PTSD anxiety may affect Cortisol the opposite way of other anxiety disorders. Does PTSD possibly apply to you? Just throwing that out there just in case...
Hope you get better soon : )
Posted by Phillipa on June 7, 2009, at 12:41:15
In reply to Re: DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol » KimStereo, posted by garnet71 on June 7, 2009, at 10:14:21
Low body temp and the vertigo remind me of when I first had thyroid disease and it's autoimmune a good per centage is and the high anxiety. Are you on synthroid? Get the thyroid panel done. Also if vertiligo stay out of the sun. Good luck see a rheumatologist for a rule out of other autoimmune diseases. Phillipa
Posted by jrbecker76 on June 10, 2009, at 0:21:24
In reply to Re: DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol » garnet71, posted by Phillipa on June 7, 2009, at 12:41:15
I tried both DHEA and pregnenolone for depression/anxiety a few years back. Although it helped my energy, it actually ended up making my depression and dysphoria worse.
Posted by desolationrower on June 10, 2009, at 4:55:10
In reply to DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol, posted by KimStereo on June 7, 2009, at 9:28:56
not really about your other symptoms, but have you tried something adrenergic for sleep, like trazadone or clonidine? those would be better at blocking physical arousal.
i'd have hormone level tested before taking it
-d/r
Posted by scienceguy on June 23, 2009, at 15:18:44
In reply to DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol, posted by KimStereo on June 7, 2009, at 9:28:56
If I understand correctly, you've been under medical care for 2 years now with all sorts of problems; and suffer from a diverse array of symptoms including: Anxiety, CFS, sleep disturbance, tachycardia/heart irregularities, vertigo, brain fog, disorientation, body aches and pains, low body temp/chills (and low Vitamin D).
IMO it is extremely likely you have LYME DISEASE. I strongly recommend you get yourself tested ASAP. Every single one of your symptoms is attributable Lyme Disease.
If you have Lyme Disease and it is left untreated your symptoms will increase in number and severity.
The problem with Lyme Disease is that most tests (e.g. Melissa, Elisa etc) in numerous cases yield false negative results (i.e. the test result come back negative even though you actually have the disease). Hence, large numbers of people suffer for years not knowing whats wrong with them. I have Lyme Disease and suffered with the condition for ten years, yes TEN YEARS, with all of your symptoms (plus more!!) before finally undergoing the right test that showed Lyme Disease was the cause of all my problems.
PLEASE NOTE: The only properly accurate test for Lyme Disease is the IgG and IgM Western Blot Test. See: http://igenex.com/.
For other information on Lyme Disease see:
-http://www.truthaboutlymedisease.com/
-http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/
-http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/SymptomList.doc
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0n532lA4oEPlease note that many people with Lyme Disease have low vitamin D levels; however, research has indicated that this is part of the bodys immune function in trying to combat the disease and that supplementing with vitamin D is a MAJOR NO-NO if you have Lyme Disease, as it has the effect of even further suppressing the bodys already lowered immune function, and will make you worse not better!
Please also note that Klonopin, Xanax (and DHEA) will only help treat your symptoms, not the cause of your symptoms of anxiety etc... If the cause is left untreated you may find your symptoms progressively worsen...
If you test positive and are diagnosed with Lyme Disease, feel free to get in contact and I can give you some tips on how to get well again and beat this horrible illness!!!
Posted by scienceguy on June 23, 2009, at 15:27:14
In reply to DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol, posted by KimStereo on June 7, 2009, at 9:28:56
I forgot to mention, since one of your symptoms is tachycardia, I do NOT recommend you supplement with DHEA, which can induce or worsen heart palpitations and/or irregularities. Furthermore, DHEA is typically supplemented at much too high a dosage. Research has shown anything above 5mg daily (and in some cases 1-2 mg daily) can cause unwanted side effects, including tachycardia and heart palpitations. So, since you already suffer from this you dont want to be taking something that can make your symptoms worse!!
For more info on why its important to be cautious about DHEA supplementation see: http://www.raysahelian.com/dhea.html
Posted by Phillipa on June 23, 2009, at 22:05:27
In reply to Re: DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol, posted by scienceguy on June 23, 2009, at 15:18:44
Well I tested positive on the Western Blot and was treated rocephin Iv for only a week via pic line but couldn't tolerate an Iv near my heart so it was pulled then biaxin xl for three months at a time for two years. My ANA went down from 1:2800 to l:60 and they were stopped. Tested positive again a couple years ago the rheumoid ologist said no more antibiotics. Said I will always test positive is this true? Thanks Phillipa
Posted by Hip on September 29, 2009, at 23:33:21
In reply to DHEA for Terrible Anxiety, high Cortisol, posted by KimStereo on June 7, 2009, at 9:28:56
This all sounds very much like symptoms from an enterovirus infection. Enterovirus is a very common causes of CFS, but also frequently causes vertigo, orthostatic intolerance, rapid heart beats, and many other symptoms.
I caught a nasty enterovirus (ccoxsackievirus B) and it caused me SEVERE anxiety, and a whole array of symptoms:
See here: http://chronicsorethroat.wordpress.com/
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