Teens and young adults with anxiety.... parents please read

[whitewave]

My 23 year old son has all the time anxiety and sometimes debilitating anxiety with panic attacks. He is on a cocktail of meds. A lot of meds, so DH had been keen on finding a psych in the New Orleans Area for him to see (all the psychs here don’t hold clinic any more, so here he sees a mental health nurse practitioner and they are trained to dispense meds basically).

After a while, I found a psych who is taking new patients. He had a telemedicine appt with her her and she agreed he was on too many drugs, and she would take him on as a patient, but he first had to get a sleep study. This might have been in June when he saw her.

So fast forward numerous months and about 2 weeks ago he finally did an at home sleep study.

He does indeed have mild sleep apnea. 7 episodes an hour and lowest blood oxygen level was 90 and so he is getting fitted for an APAP on Friday. (An apap is basically nearly the same thing as a cpap).

I wanted to throw this out there. I don’t know how this will affect his anxiety or not. I definitely feel it is an interesting turn of events. I’ll keep you all posted.

@Gussie @diamondseeker2006

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am glad you are making progress! Hopefully this doctor can help him! My son has always had irregular sleep, so I'll be interested to hear how this turns out. I will say that after years of meds, we have no confidence in them for long term use. It was hell, but our son slowly weaned off of all of his on his own. It hasn't fixed everything, of course, but I think his health prospects are better not taking the meds forever. There were serious negative health effects for continuing them, and I guess that was the impetus for him to decide to wean off very gradually. I wish I had the answers, but I do not. I just know some of those meds are physically addictive, as in they are VERY hard to go off of. But they stop helping over time even though he'd switch from one to another. Now he does take vitamins and tries to eat organic for the most part. He wants to go to a gym but this is definitely not the time to start.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

My 23 year old son has all the time anxiety and sometimes debilitating anxiety with panic attacks. He is on a cocktail of meds. A lot of meds, so DH had been keen on finding a psych in the New Orleans Area for him to see (all the psychs here don’t hold clinic any more, so here he sees a mental health nurse practitioner and they are trained to dispense meds basically).

After a while, I found a psych who is taking new patients. He had a telemedicine appt with her her and she agreed he was on too many drugs, and she would take him on as a patient, but he first had to get a sleep study. This might have been in June when he saw her.

So fast forward numerous months and about 2 weeks ago he finally did an at home sleep study.

He does indeed have mild sleep apnea. 7 episodes an hour and lowest blood oxygen level was 90 and so he is getting fitted for an APAP on Friday. (An apap is basically nearly the same thing as a cpap).

I wanted to throw this out there. I don’t know how this will affect his anxiety or not. I definitely feel it is an interesting turn of events. I’ll keep you all posted.

@Gussie @diamondseeker2006

My adult freind with terrible debilitating depression and anxiety has sleep apnea....
Its good your son is now being seen again my someone
....there seems to be just so many drugs these days

 

[Snowdrop13]

Do you have access to psychology therapy in the US. I.e. not a doctor, not a psychiatrist? I had a bout of severe anxiety earlier this year and found CBT with a psychologist very helpful indeed. Imho the meds just dampened down all my responses and made me not care about anything, I weaned them off after 6 months. Hope your son finds some peace, it is no fun having an agitated brain.

 

[whitewave]

I am glad you are making progress! Hopefully this doctor can help him! My son has always had irregular sleep, so I'll be interested to hear how this turns out. I will say that after years of meds, we have no confidence in them for long term use. It was hell, but our son slowly weaned off of all of his on his own. It hasn't fixed everything, of course, but I think his health prospects are better not taking the meds forever. There were serious negative health effects for continuing them, and I guess that was the impetus for him to decide to wean off very gradually. I wish I had the answers, but I do not. I just know some of those meds are physically addictive, as in they are VERY hard to go off of. But they stop helping over time even though he'd switch from one to another. Now he does take vitamins and tries to eat organic for the most part. He wants to go to a gym but this is definitely not the time to start.

Yes I would love it if my son would eat better. He has a sad.

 

[whitewave]

Do you have access to psychology therapy in the US. I.e. not a doctor, not a psychiatrist? I had a bout of severe anxiety earlier this year and found CBT with a psychologist very helpful indeed. Imho the meds just dampened down all my responses and made me not care about anything, I weaned them off after 6 months. Hope your son finds some peace, it is no fun having an agitated brain.

Sorry; I did neglect to mention he has telehealth therapy appointments 2x a week.

 

[Bron357]

I have anxiety and it’s been a life long battle.
I take Prozac, it works for me. Prozac is used carefully with younger patients as a disturbing side effect can be an increase in suicidal thoughts.
Living well with Anxiety requires medication, psychological support and learnt skills to minimise situations that exaggerate symptoms. Learnt skills can include breathing exercises and controlled exposure to anxiety producing activities.
Poor diet, no exercise and/ or sleep issues will all negatively impact upon anxiety.
The first thing to do with anxiety is to accept it.
it is there and it is an exaggerated internal brain response to stimulus. Anxiety is also so difficult because it runs on a negative feedback loop. It starts and then in an instant it has escalated beyond control causing a melt down.
Medication helps by “turning down” the reaction and therapy and learnt skills help by nipping the overt response “in the bud” and keeping it at a more manageable level.
note the word “manageable”, it never fully goes away. It has to be managed and lived with and it is doable.
Accept the limitations.
don’t beat yourself up over your limitations.
Anxiety response doesn’t make sense.
I can’t go to very crowded places, I feel literally suffocated so I simply avoid such environments.
Am I actually going to suffocate ? Of course not. Am I going to be trapped, never to escape? Of course not. But my internal brain response feels otherwise!
Due to dog attacks if I see a dog off leash I panic. I manage this by crossing the road or turning around if I see an off leash dog.
Is every off leash dog “out to get me” ? Of course not.
Is every off leash dog a killing machine? Of course not, but again, my internal brain response feels otherwise.
that is absolutely the hardest part of anxiety.
it makes no sense!
you can rationalise til the cows come home but if your internal response is contray, it’s contrary.
sending hugs. Tell your son he’s not alone. Find an excellent psychologist, be prepared for years of therapy, be prepared for a day at a time but understand it is manageabl.

 

[whitewave]

I have anxiety and it’s been a life long battle.
I take Prozac, it works for me. Prozac is used carefully with younger patients as a disturbing side effect can be an increase in suicidal thoughts.
Living well with Anxiety requires medication, psychological support and learnt skills to minimise situations that exaggerate symptoms. Learnt skills can include breathing exercises and controlled exposure to anxiety producing activities.
Poor diet, no exercise and/ or sleep issues will all negatively impact upon anxiety.
The first thing to do with anxiety is to accept it.
it is there and it is an exaggerated internal brain response to stimulus. Anxiety is also so difficult because it runs on a negative feedback loop. It starts and then in an instant it has escalated beyond control causing a melt down.
Medication helps by “turning down” the reaction and therapy and learnt skills help by nipping the overt response “in the bud” and keeping it at a more manageable level.
note the word “manageable”, it never fully goes away. It has to be managed and lived with and it is doable.
Accept the limitations.
don’t beat yourself up over your limitations.
Anxiety response doesn’t make sense.
I can’t go to very crowded places, I feel literally suffocated so I simply avoid such environments.
Am I actually going to suffocate ? Of course not. Am I going to be trapped, never to escape? Of course not. But my internal brain response feels otherwise!
Due to dog attacks if I see a dog off leash I panic. I manage this by crossing the road or turning around if I see an off leash dog.
Is every off leash dog “out to get me” ? Of course not.
Is every off leash dog a killing machine? Of course not, but again, my internal brain response feels otherwise.
that is absolutely the hardest part of anxiety.
it makes no sense!
you can rationalise til the cows come home but if your internal response is contray, it’s contrary.
sending hugs. Tell your son he’s not alone. Find an excellent psychologist, be prepared for years of therapy, be prepared for a day at a time but understand it is manageabl.

Thanks, Bron. That is all exactly what he describes.

 

[Bron357]

And here is a totally crazy one I have.
I have to have a gym membership, if I don’t I feel anxious about not losing weight, not getting fitter and stronger.
If I have a gym membership I find it incredibly difficult to actually go. I can get as far as being in my gym gear in the carpark for the gym but sometimes I will simply have to return back home.
so I’m anxious about not having a gym membership AND anxious about having a gym membership.
So either way I’m anxious about it - so I read a book, do colouring in, go for a walk to quell the anxiety. Some days it’s bad, mostly I have good or ok days when having or not having a gym membership.

 

[Gussie]

That's sounds very promising! I am praying for you and your son and every other parent/child who goes through this.

My daughter had a sleep study during her inpatient. She does not have apnea but has terrible insomnia. She wakes every 3 hours or so with disturbing nightmares and has trouble going back to sleep. She has a CBT-Insomnia therapist and I am hopeful they can get it under control.

This year has been too much for so many people. Big prayers for a better 2021!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hugs to you, @Bron357 !