Does anyone else find they are having bouts of anxiety, or like little panick attacks, since being affected with RSD/CRPS? I have had anxiety since getting RSD but I notice it is worse lately and I am frustrated by it - as if the pain, swelling, dystonia, etc. weren't enough to deal with. I have RSD in my left arm from two ulnar nerve surgeries.

What has happened to me in the last two weeks is that I had been on Premarin (lowest dose) for five years and had to stop taking it about 12 days ago. My doctor wanted me to do this because I have been having a lot of pain in my liver/gall bladder area and estrogen is known to aggravate this. Since I had my gall bladder removed four years ago, I did not think this would be a problem for me but since I got RSD in November 2006, the pain started in the upper right abdomin about the same time. I have noticed the pain is almost gone since stopping that med but the panicky stuff is nasty. I also was taking .5 mg of lorazapam for anxiety each night and I stopped it at the same time. Could stopping such a low dose at night make me feel anxious and like an elephant was sitting on my chest during the day?

I am going to take the lorazapam tonight just to see if it helps. It is weird, but the lorazapam seems to help the swelling just a little bit in my hand. I still struggle with swelling and extreme tightness in my hand, I wonder if it is permanent.

Thanks for any thoughts on this - I need some help. Oh, I also drink about 4-5 cups of coffee a day (I have for 20 years) could this make any difference with RSD?

This is indeed part of having RSD. RSD affects the portion of your brain that processes pain and also other emotions, including the "fight or flight" response. Your adrenalin regulator is starting to be damaged by the RSD.
If you search this forum for "adrenalin", you will pull up some good strings of discussion about this problem from other posters. There are some preventive steps you can take now to prevent the problem from getting worse, or at least slow it down (like meditation, beta blockers, anti-anxiety meds).

At different times I too fight anxiety. I am not currently taking anything for it tho etiher. And since I quit smoking last Nov 3rd, the attacks seem to have diminshed to almost nothing. I do not notice that caffeine bothers me, but nicotine sure did. LOL If I get woke up quickly, man I can feel that flight or fight response kick in like crazy............takes awhile for that feeling to dissipate entirely.

Anyway my PM Dr explained that RSD is what is most likely causing the anxiety attacks I had been having.

DebbyV

Thanks, it is nice to know I am not alone with these symptoms. It just gets really tiring sometimes.

The anxiety started for me in Oct, '04. It took a little while to turn into panic attacks, depression, and a little paranoia. I had three kinds of panic attacks initially but over time these have become more diverse, milder, and difficult to differentiate. While they tend to be mild enough so as not to cause great difficulty sometimes they will not be brief.

Deep breaths help with some.

Hi there!
I was having panic attacks all my life! When I went to see my doc. he put me on xanx. I too notice that it gets worse, especially when a flare is roaring it's ugly heat from this beast of RSD! I find that, like Debbie, that coffee does not bother me also. There is caffeine in it like aspirin. ~love, Desi

I took one of my lorazapam last night and it did seem to help. I guess going off of both Premarin and Lorazapam is just too much. I am also diabetic and the switch in hormones has raised up my blood sugars so this is also a factor in not feeling so good. I guess I will force myself to get 10 minutes in on the exercise bike; that usually helps me to start breathing deeper.

Thank goodness I don't have to give up coffee. That is my one and only vice. I have even cut out sugarless gum to get off the artificial sweetners. But coffee is about my only social, fun thing I can do with friends anymore (now that tennis is out).

Glad to have been of help................ Come to think of it since quitting smoking, coffee & cussing are my only vices......*LOL*

DebbyV

Coffee and cussing is one of my worst vices too. LOL

Ada

Who could live without coffee? Now that would be hell! Molly's got the right idea- your sympathetic nervous system coordinates your fight or flight reaction-> Increasing heart rate, shuting your salivary glands down, constricting your blood vessels. So having a disorder of the same system that does all of these things can make these functions go haywire. The way that the brain oversees all of these activities is by increasing norepinephrine (adrenalin) levels. And so you start getting an increased heart rate and feeling nervous and shaky. If your body feels like you're having a panic attack, your mind is likely to agree and put in the emotional 'panic' element. And then once you are emotionally panicked, the body will have a physical reaction too. This will increase the symptoms that are already there, that started randomly as a result of sympathetic dysfunction.

Have you ever looked into meditation? This was one of things that really helped me control my panic attacks. When you start learning to be able to control your breathing and heart rate through meditation you can learn to do so in other situations. It has really helped me. I rarely have panic attacks anymore, and when I do they aren't as bad as they used to be. And I don't take Ativan anymore. I used to make sure that I always had one in my purse, just in case, and now I don't even think about it. So check out the meditation thing- it can really make a difference. Hopefully it will help you too!

Linnie