Posted by jeff glickman on April 14, 1999 at 12:36:16:
In Reply to: 11 Weeks and worn out. posted by Clint on April 13, 1999 at 20:31:05:
Hi. I have no experience with 'anxiety attack' as an
entity unto itself; I only know I am capable of
bringing anxiety on to myself. I've wondered often
during this cycle about how anxiety and stress affect
CH pain, the pattern of the cycle, or act as a possible
trigger for a CH (can it even trigger the cycle itself?)
I was on prednisone in January to try and abort the
cycle. As I tapered, the CHs increased. I was put back
up to 80mg of pred per day. This caused me to pull some
allnighters: I would try and sleep between the CHs and
would find my heart feeling like it wanted to pull an
Alien on me and burst from my chest. I think the pred
can create the feeling of anxiety. I had to begin taking
a tranquilizer (temazepam) in order to get any sleep. Of
course, the CHs easily broke through and I'd have to
drag my medicated body out of bed to deal with the
CH.
Then I more or less fell through the cracks between
HMO and specialist, for I remained at 80mg for week
after week until I finally went back to the HMO after
another allnighter. The doc said I shouldn't be on
pred if it wasn't working. Well, one more source of
anxiety: don't these people ever talk to each other?
The meds and the specialists?
I'm now down to 10mg per day and certainly feeling
less anxiety and my heart feels calmer. I hope for
you that calm will rule your day.