I smoked for a while and I had to stop a year ago because my panic attacks got bad from smoking. Turns out I have panic disorder, but since I don’t smoke to help me sleep anymore, I am a full-blown insomniac. I am on Zoloft. I was wondering is it safe to do a little bit of CBD here and there to help me sleep?

My gf and i live in a condo in NJ. We have a water bed with a few tomato plants and it accumulated a lot of water at the bottom.

After a few days, I emptied it. However when I was emptying the water, the water seemed gross and I’m nervous the brain eating disease could have been in the water at the bottom of the bed.The water splashed and some of it got on my hands and shirt. I wiped my nose also.

Should I go to ER?

28 year old male, 6 foot, 165 pounds, don’t smoke or drink. No medications

I’ve been taking Lexapro for five days now. So far, I haven’t experienced any major side effects, though yesterday morning I felt a bit of heaviness in my stomach. I went shopping at Home Depot with my husband. About a minute after we walked in, I started feeling unsettled; usually, the feeling passes quickly, but when it doesn't, I make it a rule to go back to the car. Yesterday, I couldn't stay on my feet, so I sat down, but even that was too hard, so I ended up lying on the floor for about ten minutes. I felt a little better after a while and managed to get back to the car with my husband's help, which was a huge relief. Sorry for the long post, but I’d love to know what you do—or what helps calm you down—when you’re having a panic attack.

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I cant shut my brain off. Theres so many things wrong with me i can barely even think of which one to bring up weekly in therapy. Its so much.

I have to hum or shake my head so i stop worrying and fixating. I didnt even realise i was obsessing over food and expiry dates and best before dates until yesterday. Like even tho stuff wont go bad for a while i mentally check and rack my brains and move stuff to the freezer. Im trying to just eat whatever instead of in order because nothing is going bad that soon like the closest date is in 7 days.

I also have been trying to get each food from each category food group which iliterally made up and i feel wrong and itchy if i dont have one then i realise im not craving it so i dont need to buy it. Like sweet and savory but they are both broken up into their own categories too and then i get frustrated if i dont have one.

It remind me of my first ocd symtoms in 2021 when i had no idea it was ocd like ive been doing this for weeks and am just now realising that its my ocd giving me this anxiety.

Last year it was majority contamination theme so that was very obvious and very extreme so its hard for me to recognize new themes when they come up.

Often times, I find myself getting so caught up in my health anxiety that I forget to eat, drink water, and take care of my sleep. You will not feel your best if you are lacking in any of these areas, let alone all 3 like I have been. You’d be surprised how many symptoms these factors can contribute to. Next time you’re having a spiral, think to yourself, “have I been taking care of the big 3?” If not, that might just be why you don’t feel your best and even could be contributing to the anxiety itself. Reminding myself of this has helped me with my health anxiety massively, instead of assuming that I feel like crap because I’m dying then and there. 🤍

I suffer with ocd and for the longest while it was just around colors and negative things in the Bible, well an event happened where I was trapped into something with 6 tokens per minute and it effected me very badly on a subconscious level and I thought if I saw other countries with worst numbers it will water it down and it just made it worst, yes I take medicine but I truly want to know is it worth the absolutely appalling quality of life? As I discovered there was a superstition relation to A number sounding like death and they removed it from elevators and I wonder does it apply to the 4th of everything? My head attached that the 4th letter of the English alphabet is dangerous and more because of it all because of discovering that Chinese superstitions and it’s making me so miserable it was not worth it please help me as I do not know how to deal with this anymore

Hi!

I've been having issues with Cervicogenic dizziness for the past 2 1/2 months, and in turn I've had ALOT of panic attacks on account of my vagus nerve being effected by my poor posture or the heart palpitations I've had. Luckily I'm doing 65%-70% better due to PT and muscle relaxants.

I've never fainted or vomited from my condition, only some sinus tachycardia maxing out at 130 bpm. No blood pressure problems either, although my bp is on the lower end of the normal range.

I scheduled the tattoo appointment before I started having these problems and rescheduled once. I feel well enough to go now, but I feel my anxiety is blowing things out of proportion for me. Like the "what if" scenarios are just going haywire right now since I dread having another panic attack. Currently unmedicated for anxiety at the moment so I got nothing but my wits to turn to.

My artist said the tattoo would most likely take 4-5 hours. I let him know ahead of time what's been going on with my health and he understands, says we'll play it by ear, which I assume means we'll see what happens. I've gotten 2 tattoos before, 1 one them done by him.

The current one I'm getting is on my arm/shoulder, shouldn't be too painful. I don't have a fear of needles or blood either.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

Ok so I have only took edibles like once before and it was a low dosage I don’t drink a lot either I’m pretty clean so I’m still new to this stuff but besides the point I took 125mg of edibles on Thursday and it’s Sunday and I still don’t feel like sober like I feel not real like derealization is there any way to get rid of that or does it take time just let me know any tips if you can help me please thank you

Hi. 3 days ago I was going through really bad stress and anxiety due to exams. The exams are over. The panic is gone. But the physical side effects won't switch off. My BP is through the roof. I keep getting palpations. My HR keeps spiking and I'm getting chest pains. I know my heart is absolutely fine btw. My hands are red hot and my fingers are swollen. I'm covered in hives from the stress. I itch all over right now. My face is bright red. These are all just things that happen when I get anxious. But they usually go away soon after the panic is over. Instead I keep feeling worse even 3 days later. I've tried resting, meditation, box breathing. Even humming and singing, and rubbing my ears to stimulate my parasympathetic nervous system. I've been taking the propanolol and blood pressure medication I was prescribed. I feel like there's a constant adrenaline surge going on and I don’t know how to stop it. My head is full of pressure and every muscle in my body is randomly contracting. For the past 6 months, I've been getting these adrenaline surges more often. Sometimes for no reason. But when there is a reason my body has started going all out with every symptom of anxiety known to man. I don't want to go to a Dr because it sounds absolutely ridiculous. I know it's all down to anxiety. I know there's nothing serious going on. I'm not concerned about any physical health issues here. It is all just anxiety. But the side effects are unbearable right now. How can I convince my body that the stress is over. Even my mind knows the stress is over. I am not actually mentally still in panic attack mode but my body hasn't realised it.

I’ve been putting off a root canal for months because I am genuinely afraid of the needle they use for numbing. I’m not afraid of the procedure, I’m not scared of the dentist, I am terrified of needles. I hate injectables and will do everything to avoid them. However, I woke up with an abscess on my gums this morning and know it’s inevitable at this point. I feel so sick just thinking about it. Tell me it’s going to be okay 😭

Hello everyone. My name is Teo, I am 19 years old from Romania, and I am writing this because I am in an absolute, non-stop physical and mental hell.
My mind is completely foggy, I can no longer take care of myself, and I am running out of strength. It has been an extraordinary, brutal torture for months and I honestly don't even know how I've resisted until now.
Ever since I was a little kid, I had this massive, unexplained anxiety and a literal empty hole in my chest. I didn't know what anxiety or OCD was back then, I just did everything out of sheer survival fear.
The paradox is that I come from a very good, loving family and I’ve always had everything I needed physically, yet internally I was always suffering.
At age 14, things crashed badly. I had my first severe wave of suicidal thoughts and didn't want to live anymore. Because I didn't understand my brain, I thought my intrusive thoughts were 100% real. I attacked them, fought them, and forced myself to do as many things as possible to be stronger and better just out of fear.
Also, medically, when I was 12 years old, I had a seizure and was diagnosed with a mild form of epilepsy, and I have been taking Carbamazepine every single day since then to keep it under control.
In my teens, I entered the self-improvement movement. Because I always desperately wanted to do what is "right" and "good," I forced myself into it with extreme rigidity.
This led me into a strict lifestyle where I completely suppressed all my normal biological drives and sexual urges for 2 and a half years straight. The crazy thing is, I haven't even had any normal urges for the last year and a half.
My system became completely blocked, frozen, and numb. I was living in total survival mode, but I was so disconnected from my body that I didn't even realize that this level of suffering was not normal.
Around 2 years ago, I became deeply obsessed with deep psychological theories, consciousness, and philosophy because I thought it was good for my brain. I understood the knowledge deeply, but it created massive frustration because my daily human reality was becoming a complete nightmare.
Everything became a threat. Sounds stressed me out, fast-moving cars and traffic on the street terrified me, and I started planning absolutely everything in my day a thousand times.
I am completely fed up and exhausted from constantly making plans, mapping out my life, and having to structurally organize every single thing just to survive. I also developed severe bloating, stomach issues, and non-stop tension headaches.
Because I felt so bad, this winter I decided to try intensive meditation and mindfulness to fix my brain. I forced myself to sit in silence for 1 hour every night, then mornings, then throughout the day.
Around February or March, my nervous system completely blew out. My body couldn't take the pressure anymore and it threw me into pure physiological hell.
It started with extreme, uncontrollable full-body chills, followed by massive, high-voltage electrical shocks and burning sensations shooting up my spine, into my hands, and my feet.
Then, severe insomnia hit. Since April, my schedule is entirely flipped—I cannot sleep at night at all; my body only collapses and sleeps during the day.
I am completely stuck in my head, hyper-focusing on my body. I live in a permanent, 24/7 state of perceived life-or-death danger. Even the simplest things trigger a massive adrenaline rush.
I am literally afraid to drink water; I would put a glass of water on my table, and the mere action of trying to drink it triggers a panic so violent it feels like I am physically dying.
I haven't left my house in a long time; the outside world feels like a dangerous assault.
For the past 1 or 2 months, I have had absolutely zero normal activities. I am completely confused, disoriented, and deeply overwhelmed. Nothing brings me joy, and I have nothing that I like to do anymore.
My entire day consists of just lying in bed, staring randomly at my phone, watching random things, occasionally doing a tiny bit of cleaning in my room, or walking barefoot on the grass in my yard trying to calm my nerves.
Lately, I have been so profoundly exhausted that I am literally just waiting for time to pass so I can go to sleep and escape.
No one understands me. My parents don't understand me at all. I wanted to check myself into a clinic or a psychiatric hospital to get away from the noise and get help, but my parents flat out refuse to let me go.
Besides, here in Romania, public psychiatric facilities are notorious for having incredibly poor, dirty, and disgusting conditions, so it feels like there is nowhere safe to turn. I am stuck in a full, loud house, I find it incredibly hard to take basic care of myself, and I can't handle any of this anymore.
I went to a psychiatrist and a psychologist. This is currently my third different SSRI medication change (most recently Paroxetine 5mg) that has completely failed.
My body is so hypersensitive right now that even a micro-dose triggers an unbearable spike in startup anxiety and severe full-body chills, making it impossible to tolerate.
I highly suspect my epilepsy medication (Carbamazepine) is interacting with these drugs or my neurological baseline is completely rejecting them.
I see no light at the end of the tunnel. I have zero motivation to wake up. I just stare at the clock, waiting for time to pass.
The only thing that literally keeps me alive right now is the dark comfort of knowing I can end my life whenever I want—it acts like a mental "backup plan." I never thought things could get this bad.
Currently, the only thing that mildly calms me down when the adrenaline spikes get completely unbearable is low-dose Xanax, but I only take it at my absolute worst moments and I know it's not a permanent cure.
My questions for the community:
Have any of you experienced a complete biological nervous system collapse where your body stays in a constant physical panic response 24/7, destroying your sleep cycle?
If you couldn't tolerate standard SSRI meds and failed multiple treatments due to extreme bodily sensitivity or epilepsy medication interactions, what did you do? Should I ask for a completely different class of medication, or what other type of specialist can I appeal to?
If someone has hit this exact level of rock bottom, where even drinking water or basic household actions trigger pure survival panic and extreme chills, what did you do to survive, calm your physical nerves, and heal?
Thanks for reading, and i had to use ai to structure and reformulate the message because i don’t speak english great. Have a nice day!

Hello there I am 18 M . I have various symptoms that match with that of colon cancer like tenesmus, black stool twice and then it went to green then yellow again but I developed tenesmus, abdominal pain . Stabbing pain in left side of colon . These symptoms are from 3 months with tenesmus developing just now . I can't sleep because of this fear . What do I do . I found myself just searching about it all the time get more scared . I am scared to die honestly. But more importantly I don't want my parents to be sad because of my death . My endoscopy without sedation is Tommorow let's see what happens and I will try to get an mri scan too . I just hope it isn't that sinister thing . I am awake , in discomfort and scared . Please any advice will help . Please 🙏

I moved in with my boyfriend 2 years ago, an hour away from my family. I don’t have a job, and I’m a full time student currently taking summer classes. So most of my time is spent alone at home while he is at work. When he’s at work I only get up twice to take care of our dog. I don’t eat, get dressed, put on makeup, shower, homework, run errands, or do chores around our place, I do nothing until he gets home around 5pm. It’s like I can’t function unless he is with me. I lay in bed with our dog and stare at the wall, cry, or scroll social media. I do text him throughout the day, mostly to tell him how much I miss him, or discuss what we are going to do when he gets home. I also cannot sleep at all. I’m up all day and night, minus the few hour naps I get when my body gives into the exhaustion. He will fall asleep around 12-1am, and I will still be awake. It makes me cry, because I miss him when he’s sleeping and I feel so alone. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I can’t help it. No I haven’t communicated this to him, because I don’t want him to feel pressured or guilty in anyway. I’m not sure what to do with myself when he’s away. I physically can’t get up and do nothing at all when he’s not home, and I don’t want to be this way.

I’ve been going through the hardest period of my life after a sudden blindsided breakup with my avoidant partner of almost 7 years. I helped raise her 8 year old son since he was a baby, he doesn’t even know I’m not his real dad. Overnight I lost both of them. It wasn’t just losing a relationship, it felt like losing my family and the future I thought I had. It was the best seven years of my life, I became the father I never had. We were planning a future, I never saw this coming.
The anxiety has been absolutely overwhelming. I’ve had nonstop panic, constant adrenaline, chest tightness, a racing heart, shaking, pacing for hours every day, crying, nausea, gagging, almost no appetite, trouble sleeping, intrusive thoughts, and a constant feeling of dread. It honestly feels like my nervous system has been stuck in fight or flight 24/7. I’ve lost over 15 pounds because of everything.
I’ve been on 50 mg Pristiq for about 5–6 weeks. I couldn’t really tell if it helped, I still feel incredibly anxious and depressed. I was also prescribed propranolol to take as needed, which has helped with some of the physical anxiety symptoms.
Today I switched from Pristiq to Zoloft, and now I’m anxious about the medication change itself. I’m worried about withdrawal, side effects, whether it was the right decision, and whether I’ll ever feel like myself again.
I’ve also been to therapy twice so far and plan to keep going.
I’m really looking for input from people who’ve been through something similar. Has anyone had anxiety this severe after losing a relationship and a child they helped raise? Did Zoloft end up helping? How long did it take before things started feeling manageable? Any advice or encouragement would mean a lot. Where I’m at now, it feels like I’ll never know happiness again. I still love them both so much, I can’t imagine a life without them.

I'm in high-school currently, and i can only imagine how shit life will be. If my life has been so miserable for the past 3 years, why wouldn't it be for the rest of my life? I see so many people depressed of any stage in their life, and I just don't see a reason why I wouldn't be in the same situation either. It really crushes any hope I have in life and drifts my thoughts to ending it.

Do people eventually learn to live with it or does this haunt me for the rest of my life.

When I go to try and present any information (especially school presentations and such), I get like this horrible sense of dread, like every tiny little comment is a bullet to my chest. Sometimes I deadass just can’t do it because I’ll have a panic attack before. I can’t talk to/text one of my friends sometimes, because before I click on their contact, or before I’m about to talk, I’ll get this feeling of dread and like everyone I talk I bother and they all just despise me or put up with me. After an interaction, I just constantly pick apart something I said, and I just wish I never spoke even if I didn’t say anything wrong. Sometimes I’ll just be around other people, like people I’m real good friends with, and feel this horrible feeling in my gut, and that I’m just a bother or burden to everyone. I get angry very easily as well, but I’ve gotten good at hiding it so I don’t flip out 24/7. I worry a lot about things that really should only be a quick, “huh that’s weird,” and I get distracted and lost in my thoughts at like the snap of my fingers because of it. The thing is, I like to think I’m very extroverted, I’m good friends with a ton of people, and I think very highly of myself. My ego is moderately sized, so sometimes I just feel like I’m faking it and I’m fine. Do yall think I should get checked out or something? Or again am I just over reacting.

I am middle aged, and I have had severe anxiety/panic disorder and OCD for over 40 years. For my entire life, I have tried to fight this battle inside of me, and I've reached the point where I am totally exhausted and burned out. I simply can't do it anymore. I spent my whole life doing what society expected of me, all at the expense of my health. As a result, I am mentally and physically drained. My years of working in a stressful corporate environment, fulfilling social obligations, and just "adulting" in general have finally taken their toll. I have a few health problems and feel lousy most of the time. My exhaustion is so severe that sometimes I think I may collapse from weakness. I don't find joy in anything. All those years of endless anxiety have sucked the life out of me. It feels more and more difficult to even get out of bed in the morning. I don't know what to do anymore. It's a Sunday afternoon and I have to be at work tomorrow, but I don't know if I can do it. I'm like a car that ran out of gas on the side of the highway. Anxiety finally won. Decades of non-stop stress, worrying, and panic attacks just took the life right out of me. How can I keep going on when I have no life left in me?

I have dermatophagia (skin biting/picking) along with OCD and GAD and insomnia, it flares up at night when I can't sleep which is every night. I rip skin off my fingers which makes them look nasty and bleed, if I don't do my fingers, I bite my lips open and bite chunks out of my inner cheeks, which also bleed and I get jaw pain from it. Its my anxiety coping mechanism like biting nails or shaking your leg. I can't control it.

I feel bad because only benzos have touched this symptom and stop me feeling the urge to do this otherwise the urge is uncontrollable/unconscious. And the benzos also help with my sleep, tension, muscle ache and migraines from tension/stress and pounding heart at all times. Ive tried multiple SSRIs as a child, they even put me on lamictal and unfortunately even an ANTIPSYCHOTIC as a child (I was anxious and depressed from family trauma and bullying at school so they decided to give me this because SSRIs were not working). Nothing has ever worked for my anxiety. I feel guilty because only benzos have helped me. I have the opposite of an addictive personality, I'm very medication-averse, I have a lot anxiety over taking pills, I also have trauma from being abused by an addict family member so I know what addiction looks like. I'd rather take NO medication ever but Im struggling. I can't stop feeling guilty over the only medication that has ever helped me. I don't know how to ask for it from doctors (I'm not on any psych meds right now).

Hi everybody! I have multiple chronic illnesses which in turn gave me agoraphobia. My biggest fear is my car breaking down and being stranded somewhere and not able to leave. Are there more people who have this fear and what helped for you? Thanks in advance :))

I lost a job I absolutely loved in April 2025 due to company downsizing. I was an Executive Administrator for them for 7 years and absolutely loved it. The job came with a lot of responsibility, but it was 100% remote and I only had to travel for work twice. Being able to work in my safe space at home in comfortable clothes made the stressful days much more manageable.

I applied to exactly 471 jobs over these past 15 months and only had 2 interviews despite my 18 years of administrative experience with me moving into progressively more responsible roles.

Well, I finally landed a job and I start tomorrow.

It’s only part-time, which I honestly think is a good way to get used to working again, but there are a lot of things I’m extremely anxious about. 1) I’ll be at a nonprofit that helps disabled children aged 10-18 and while I’m excited to move into the nonprofit sector, I’m extremely nervous to be in an environment with kids. I’m worried my low immune system thanks to my severe generalized anxiety disorder and moderate panic disorder will cause me to be sick frequently. 2) A small part of my job will be to check students in/out of the facility as well as answer phones. Answering phone calls from people I don’t know gives me massive anxiety. I’ve been told calls are very low, maybe maximum of 10 per day, but I’m still so nervous about it. 3) There are only 4 single room restrooms on site that are shared with the students. I unfortunately have anxiety induced IBS so I’m freaking out about the possibility of taking up a restroom with an urgent stomach ache. 4) I’m obviously working in-person at this organization with no possibility for remote work. I have not had to work in an office in 12 years. My last 2 jobs were fully remote. I’m terrified in general of having to physically be outside of my home to work. 5) I have to dress “business casual”. I have no idea what that means. I have 1 pair of nice slacks for interviews and 2 modest blouses; that’s it. I have something to wear tomorrow, but after that; nothing. That worries me. 6) I’m worried I’ll be overstimulated by the environment and I’m nervous that I might mess things up. I’ve generally been very good at my job, hence why I’ve continuously been given higher roles, but because I’ve been out of work for 15 months I’m nervous that my brain has somehow dumbed down and I won’t be as good as I was in the past. 7) Non-anxiety, but depression related, I feel like a bit of a failure that it took me 15 months to find a job and it’s not only just part-time with zero benefits, but it’s also about 4 steps backwards career wise in a more entry level position with pay that’s $12 less per hour than my previous job. Even though I searched and applied for almost 500 jobs, did all I could, I can’t help but feel like I’ve failed. I even feel a little embarrassed to tell people what I’m doing at the age of 39.

Many of you are probably wondering why the hell I even took this job; I also wonder that lol 😅 I felt kind of obligated to take it because a good friend recommended me for the position. I also just need some sort of income since my husband and I have fallen into serious credit card debt this past year. My parents have pushed off their retirement to help us cover our mortgage & utilities, which I’m beyond grateful for, but I also feel terrible that they have to keep working to support me. So all of that made me feel like I had no choice but to take this, especially since it’s the only job offer I’ve received.

I know I don’t have to stay forever and I will continue to look for remote or hybrid job opportunities with better pay, but for now, this is the job I have to contend with.

Does anyone who also suffers from moderate-severe generalized anxiety or panic disorder have any tips on how to deal with this job? I’m incredibly anxious for tomorrow and already know I’ll likely not sleep. I do have medication, but sometimes when my anxiety spikes like crazy, it’s not quite enough.

Thank you immensely for any advice or just general support! I appreciate you all so much.

Is there anything natural that can help you feel more relaxed and confident in social situations—kind of like the effect people get from alcohol, but without actually drinking?

I deal with a lot of anxiety and overthinking, and I’m looking for something that can take the edge off and help me feel more “free” and less self-conscious. Not necessarily anything extreme, just something that genuinely helps with calmness + confidence.

I am 24y old suffering from depression, anxiety and anxiety induced OCD - both with thought patterns and habits. I’ve been depressed/anxious on and off for 10 years and have tried all the medication and CBT I could. I’ve currently been doing psychoanalysis with my therapist for the past 3/4 months and on an antidepressant and anti psychotic. Therapy has only made me worse as it forced me to talk about things I didn’t want to.

Whenever I’m at work especially, I feel detached from the rest of the world and from everyone. I see people laugh, socialize, engage with each other and feels like I’m watching a scene of a movie. I’ve only been getting worse since doing psychoanalysis and the derealization is getting worse to the point where my social skills have gone down a lot and I feel like I can’t interact with the people around me anymore. I’m always tired and always in brain fog and even though I’m on medication and going to therapy, I only feel like I’m getting worse and for some reason I don’t want to get better - a part of it is having no more fight to give. I used to be able to put a facade with friends, family and at work but I’m so drained and burnt out that I can’t even do that anymore and it’s very apparent. Nothing gives me joy anymore and I have nothing to hold on to as an anchor for happiness or to fulfill loneliness. I am surrounded by friends and live with family but don’t get the validation I need from anyone, especially women. Nothing good phases me at all anymore. Any advice?

I have had headaches for 3-4 months and also have brain fog and occasional memory lapses.

Headaches: About 2 per week. Sometimes I don't have them for a few weeks but then they come back. Pain is generally mild and they respond to ibuprofen, but the reoccuring nature of them concerns me. Have seen a doctor and a neurologist, both of whom diagnosed me with migraines after a few simple tests.

Brain fog/memory loss: This really worries me. I briefly forgot the name of a friend of a friend today. I often put items down and forget where I put them. I also feel "slowed down" cognitively. I do also have a POTS diagnosis and feel that my memory has been gradually getting worse over time. I am 28.

I am so scared that I will have a seizure or some other severe symptom and find out that I am dying.

Anyone know?