Anxiety

[TroyS]

After I was diagnosed last January i find my self having higher levels of anxiety not like attacks but just general anxiety. Never really notice it before. I am courious if this is part of diabetes or maybe something else. Anyone else have this prob. or have any input.

[bryan42]

Troy, I thought it was just me also :( Maybe there IS a link, I noticed it more about a month after being diagnosed.

[TroyS]

It was probably about the same for me. I just kind of looked over it at first but I seem to notice it more now. I figured it was because of me being self conscious about my BS but now not so sure it does not have to do with diabetes, or a differnt problem.

[metamarty]

I don't think there is a real link, but working on diabetes, especially when you've just been diagnosed, is stressful. Stress makes you much more susceptible to anxiety. As the management of diabetes becomes more routines, some stress is lifted and the anxiety will go away. I didn't believe it at first myself, but the anxiety will go.

When I was diagnosed all **** broke loose. I'm a very anxious person (using paxil for 10 years now to control phobias and anxiety) and diabetes gave me so much stress and anxiety that I couldn't do much anymore. It took me a year to get the anxiety to a level that permitted me to work again.

I strongly believe it's all inside our heads. The anxiety is triggered by stress and the only way to deal with the stress is to be much more careful of your daily routine, build in more time for yourself and simply wait for the diabetes management routine to set in.

[peej07]

I've struggling with it for about 5 years now looking for that Zen like balance but have yet to fing it. I was fine untilsome complications started to come up and it kicked me into a panic mode. I'm actually going to see a counciler on Friday for
anxiety.

[Injecto]

Troy, I thought it was just me also :( Maybe there IS a link, I noticed it more about a month after being diagnosed.

There is a Huge link between being diagnosed with a cruel and chronic disease AND developing/worsening anxiety, sadly, but logically. Physically a link? Now that's a different question. Not very likely outside of some hypo reactions mimicing anxiety.

[Eri's mom]

Eri was dx'd w/ panic anxiety disorder...but that was a few yrs after she was dx'd w/ diabetes.
They have her on this "meditation" thing to try and calm her, but it doesn't really do the trick. As soon as we get insurance again, she will be seeing another doc to see what they suggest.

[BriOnH]

There is for sure a link.

I forgot where I saw this table, but when you have a chronic disease your chances of having an anxiety disorder are like one in ten. If you have two chronic diseases it's a 50/50 chance, three chronic diseases and you are most likely certain to have a panic disorder.

That being said though, some people are just better equipped to handle stress and anxiety easier then others. I have had super bad anxiety since I was 19. I am now 34(gasp) and its gotten easier to manager, specially with the help of the latest drugs. None of my friends that have diabetes, I have 3 very close friends with diabetes, handle it so much easier than I do and envy them.

[beau91]

I'm treated for anxiety ,But I had the anxiety problems well before my diabetes But I read that there 's a link because of the stress diabetes gives you Here 's an article in Web Md

by Timothy Gower


Everyone feels a bit nervous or on edge now and then, but people with anxiety disorders worry so much that their fretting interferes with daily life. Studies suggest that people with diabetes often struggle with anxiety; the condition is probably about as common among diabetes patients as depression. Patients may feel a general sense of anxiety about having the disease or cite specific concerns, such as fear of hypoglycemia, needles, sexual difficulties, or weight gain. Doctors say that diabetes patients who feel anxious and stressed out are less likely to carefully manage blood sugar, increasing the risk for complications. Like depression, anxiety disorders often go undiagnosed.
Bye Ricky

[grace girl]

When I switched over to lantus, my hypo sensations changed to something that resembles anxiety attacks. Since then I've had quite a number of moments when I've had that anxiety attack sensation, and I wasn't low at all. I find it interesting that you posted this...I just recently was reading through the post about lantus and depression and I've been wondering if what I'm experiencing is a result of the lantus. I never dealt with this sort of thing before I went on lantus, and I was on insulin for 4 years prior.

[Sheralyn]

Hi Troy S,

I had anxiety problems long before I became diabetic. I take a daily low dose of xanax, helps tremendously. Good luck to you.

[SueM]

Troy, have a read of this if you haven't already.
http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/diabetes/1212-all-lantus-users-please.html

[ant hill]

After I was diagnosed last January i find my self having higher levels of anxiety not like attacks but just general anxiety. Never really notice it before.
Troy, I bet that you are confused and alone and having alot of questions to ask as this is life changing and a big step in your life.
Diabetes is all about a balance between food and insulin and activity and we test a lot to see that we are OK and to act appropriately if needed.
Here at DF is a place that will help you in many ways from Beer to Movies and some Fun. :)
Don't be afraid to ask. :D

[azzkikr3d]

After I was diagnosed last January i find my self having higher levels of anxiety not like attacks but just general anxiety. Never really notice it before. I am courious if this is part of diabetes or maybe something else. Anyone else have this prob. or have any input.
You know guys and gals. Diabetes is not a joke. The anxiety is very natural. It is a natural human responce when faced with an life altering dissease or situation. I am however not completely discarding the notion that there is a link betwix the two. As Diabetes alters your immune system and your body starts adapting to the new sets of rules. Somewhere something must effect the other.

[anxiousgimp]

Hi Troy,

As you can tell by my screen name, I've developed a lot of anxiety around glucose control and my diabetes. The following are two conversations that I've been involved with about this issue on DF-- I think that they might help you.
AG



http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/type-1-diabetes/21532-panic-attacks-and-diabetes.html#post257086
http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/introductions-and-announcements/20862-i-m-anxious-gimp.html#post248233

[anxiousgimp]

I'd like to add a (kind of) funny story into the mix:

So, one of the things that I started avoiding because of anxiety is driving. After a few panic attacks when I was driving on roads that I couldn't pull over, I pretty much stopped driving altogether in 1997. (I live in a large city and have never owned a car, so this is not as much of a problem as you'd imagine-- many of my friends don't drive).

Now that I am feeling much less anxious due to my wonderful shrink and a small daily dose of an SSRI, I've added activities into my life that used to make me nervous. Driving is not one of them, but mostly because my husband's car is a stick shift, and I never learned how to drive them.

A few weeks ago, I got behind the wheel for the first time in years--I moved my dad's van from one side of the driveway to the other. Literally it took 30 seconds.

A week later, I find myself testing at 3AM in my bathroom. Foggy-headed, I try to remember why I was testing. OH, RIGHT! It turns out I dreamed I was driving, chatting with someone, windows down, happy, until I remembered (in the dream) that I was supposed to be nervous about driving, had a panic attack (in the dream,) that was severe enough to get out of bed at 3AM to test.

All this from moving my dad's car across the driveway. Isn't it weird how our brains work?

[miss_ok_ish]

I have heart palps pretty much everday at some point. i think i'm hypo but i check and i'm not.. I guess i'm still adjusting to the D and it will take time to chill out about it