[Spence93]

Hey everyone. I am a 22 year old male. I was hoping someone could give me some insight on what they think is going on with me. Especially someone who has or had PCS. Maybe one day this can help someone else improve. I’m new to anxiety and haven’t had any issues with it in the past.

On Feb 14 I went out and drank enough where I didn't remember most of the night. I do recall falling asleep on the toilet and eventually falling over. I was too out of it to recall if I landed on my head or not.

Feb 15 I woke up and felt disoriented. Similar to a past concussion in 2015. I called my friend and he told me I slipped and hit my head hard on car, plus I fell down multiple more times.

Feb 16 I felt normal. I had no problems all the way until March 1st. On that day I woke up with a migraine. I rarely get migraines, but this one was constant for a full week.

March 8th the migraine went away, but from then I had moderate dizzy spells. The night of Mar 22nd I was up late doing homework and having a couple friend issues. The computer screen seemed to really be messing with me this night. I felt way more light headed than I ever have. I lost track of time and finally laid down for bed around 5am. Within the minute after laying down I remember a bunch of symptoms hitting me. Then I started having what I believe was a panic attack.

During this panic attack I was shaking uncontrollably. It was extremely difficult to breathe, like something was sitting on my chest. I could feel my heart pounding through my chest. I felt extremely light headed, like I was about to faint. I also found it hard to form sentences. I was debilitated. This being new to me and out of nowhere, I figured I was going to die.

I went to the ER. They tested my blood and thyroid. They had an EKG on me for 3 hours. They did an x ray of my chest. Everything checked out good. I was released but didn’t want to leave. My light headedness was terrible and now I had a new list of symptoms (anxiety).

For the next two days I did nothing but lay on the couch. My anxiety symptoms felt so severe that I thought I would either have another panic attack, faint, or die if I tried to move. I didn't eat, shower, and barely managed to get to the bathroom.

My symptoms at the time were: Light headed/dizziness/vertigo/faint feeling, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest tightness, ringing or deafness in one or both ears, very sensitive to noise and light, lump in my throat, dry mouth, temperature sensitive, low/no energy, excessive burping, easily startled, and random twitching. These symptoms were daily.

I finally got into my GP. He prescribed Zoloft 25mg for 3 days, then to increase to 50mg after. The day I started the 50mg I was admitted to the hospital. My entire body felt like it was going to implode. Then two days after that I went the hospital again because the lump in my throat symptom got so severe that I was having trouble swallowing and breathing. Both hospital visits they found nothing wrong with me.

My GP took me off the Zoloft and put me on Ativan as needed. I had a CT scan a few days later and that came back normal. I was also referred to a psychiatrist. However the earliest I could get in was 3 weeks.

One night I took to the internet to figure out what I could do until then. Magnesium and amino acid supplements caught my eye so I ordered them. I met with the psychiatrist on Apr 11. He asked me to start Zoloft again. 25mg for two weeks, Ativan as needed, and we would meet back in 2.5 weeks. He also suggested there is a chance that I am suffering from Post-Concussion Syndrome.

I started my supplements instead of Zoloft. Today actually marks two full weeks of using the magnesium and amino acids. I occasionally use Melatonin at night too. I feel so much better than I did two weeks ago. I’m driving again, back in school, and hanging out with my friends. I’m am almost off Ativan.

As for my current symptoms. The most common is the light headedness. It’s not as bad, but it’s like every time I start moving I notice it. I also get the lump in my throat but not as bad. I have this constant tingly butterfly feeling in my chest most of the day. This sensation seems to bring on moderate or severe anxiety if I focus on it.

I still have is trouble sleeping. Especially when I sleep in my bed. The butterfly sensation tends to get worse laying down. I personally think the reason for this is because the panic attack originated in my bed. Long hours in front of the computer make me feel off. I continue to burp a lot. Sometimes it seems to relieve anxiety too. I’m going to try taking specific foods out of my diet to see if this is playing a role.

I see my psychiatrist again this Friday. I’m not sure if he will like that I didn’t start Zoloft, but he will be glad to know my symptoms have improved. If any of you made it this far into this post I appreciate you reading it. Regardless of this being anxiety or PCS I do believe the supplements are helping me treat the anxiety symptoms. However I am very curious of your opinions.

Do you think I am suffering from PCS and will gradually get better?

Or did I randomly start suffering from some sort of anxiety (disorder)?

Or could this be something else?

Should I start taking Zoloft again?

Any suggestions or tips are encouraged! Thank you.

[JBuckl]

Welcome to NT, Spence!

No one can predict how long it takes to recover, but it does sound like you're making good progress.

I've been dealing with brain injury symptoms for 2.5+ years. I recently started a high dose fish oil protocol and it has been miraculous. Just something to bring up to your doctor. I tried loads of supplements and tried about as many therapies you can try. None have worked as well as fish oil. And it's only about a $1 a day right now and will drop. http://www.brainhealtheducation.org/omega-3-protocol/


As far as anxiety, that is a common symptom that comes up with brain injury. This is not my forte, so I can't recommend or not recommend things.


Mark's Vitamin Regimen has been beneficial to many, including me.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread181974.html

[Spence93]

Thank you JBuckl!

I'm all for trying supplements. My symptoms were the most severe before and during Zoloft. The symptoms are clearing up, so I'd prefer not to go through any sort of increased anxiety side effects from Zoloft again if I can beat this naturally.

I will definitely mention fish oil to my psychiatrist. I'm sure he will approve.

I appreciate your suggestions and will read through Mark's vitamin regimen to see what other vitamins I can add in.

Thanks again and good luck to you!

[Mark in Idaho]

Anxiety is often a large part of PCS. The brain struggles to process the amount of stimulation after a concussion that was easy to process before the concussion.

Rest, vitamins and supplements, NO alcohol, and patience should help.

[Spence93]

I'm hoping that's all it takes for me to get past this. I haven't touched alcohol since the panic attack. In fact if I do overcome whatever this is I don't know if I could ever bring myself to drink again. There are no benefits.

I feel like anxiety should slowly come about in a person. I also feel like PCS should have shown symptoms closer to when I hit my head.

These two scenarios keep running through my head and I don't know why it bugs me so much to know the answer.

Did I hit my head, feel okay for two weeks, then anxiety symptoms start to emerge (PCS)

or did I randomly become an anxiety patient following the panic attack?

Either option just seems crazy unlikely to me. Life changed so much after the panic attack. I could see possible trauma following the panic attack because I thought for sure I was going to die that night.

What I need to realize is it's impossible to know for sure. I completely agree with you. The best thing I can do is take it easy and treat the symptoms with these supplements. I'll treat this situation as both PCS and Anxiety and will continue from there.

Thanks for your insight.

[Mark in Idaho]

An anxiety attack can manifest almost immediately. I've had them that went for 0 to full blown in mere seconds. Over-stimulation, getting caught in the wrong line of thinking, and many other triggers can be the cause. PCS can manifest weeks after a concussion, especially if the person lives a busy or even chaotic life.

Concussions are a process, not a single moment event. They can take days to weeks to develop to their worst level of symptoms.

But, my perspective is that you may have been an anxiety attack just waiting to happen. You appear focused on every minute detail with an introspective analysis of it all. This suggests a mind set that tends to be on the edge. I've been there. Done that. It alone can be the trigger. Add some PCS and critical mass is easy to achieve.

I again suggest you try to slow down and relax. Use a journal to keep track of everything in your mind so you do not need to juggle so much information in your mind. That juggling of every bit of a day or week including studies puts an extreme load on the brain.

So, stop trying to analyze all of this. Take each day as it come. Forget about the past. Simplify your life. In time, you will realize you are getting back to normal.

The best way to prolong PCS is to focus on each and every little symptom. We train our brains to respond. We can also train our brains to not respond.

My best to you.

[Spence93]

I don't disagree with you.

Before I bumped my head I over analyzed everything, just like now. People tell me this all the time. My parents call me a hypochondriac. My friends tell me I worry about everything. I need to make some serious adjustments to my life to help get over this and stay over it.

I have a good understanding of why I'm in the position now. I know what I have to do to get better. No more worrying. No more allowing symptoms to cloud the judgement of my healing progress.

I can actually get by most days without worrying about the anxiety, but I keep spending too much time online trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Worrying is what I'm doing wrong.

Time to let my mind take a break. Once I'm feeling better I'll hopefully remember to come back and give you all the good news. Thank you Mark.

And my best wishes to anyone who has to deal with this.

[MVTBI]

What Mark said.

I also had awful anxiety for a while.

I have had good results with zoloft but it did make me feel awfully crazy at first, might be worth riding it out, it took almost 2 months before I kind of realized all that it was doing.

Handle your anxiety dont worry about the rest, I had one of my doctors tell me that the anxiety can be related to autonomic nervous system problems and light aerobic, measured exercise can be a great tool if you can handle it.

Meditation, mindfulness, all that stuff is also hugely helpful for anxiety if you stick with it, it wont always feel like its working but stick to it,

There is apps for it, Calm is the one I started out with, now I kind of browse youtube or just meditate on my own, it has a cost, but youtube has some quality guided meditations that may help you.


Dont worry about your worry. Its not you, and its not anything you can repress or face straight on, use the tools you have available and trust the process. The little things you do to manage it are what helps take it away.

Good luck with it all

[Spence93]

Anxiety sucks. It was hell at first, but it's becoming manageable.

I met with my Psych today. He suggested continuing Ativan as needed and a follow up in 2 months to make sure I am progressing.

By then if I'm the same or somehow worse I'd be open to Zoloft. I just had a really wacky reaction to it the first time and think I'm doing well without so far.

Strangely enough I've noticed walking tends to really help with my situation. More of a set schedule would really benefit me. Now that this weather is breaking would be a perfect time to start.

I've been using the app called headspace for meditation. You get 10 free sessions. Once it runs out I will try out Calm.

Thank you for the suggestions.

[Mark in Idaho]

Meds are only a band aid. It sounds like you need to get to the core of your anxiety. The psych should be able to refer you to somebody who can work with you with CBT or such.