Posts by Kevin Hayes83

Look, everyone’s dealing with stress and anxiety these days. It just hits some people harder than others—it turns into full-blown panic if you aren't careful. Honestly, my advice? Go talk to someone. Just a few sessions might stop things from spiraling into some massive phobia, you know?

I’ve been fighting this myself for over a year and a half now. I finally started seeing a therapist, and man, it actually helps. They’re trained to show you a different perspective on things, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to actually take that advice to heart..

For me, it started as general anxiety, then turned into panic attacks, then agoraphobia kicked in, and then social phobia... It's a mess. What I'm doing is basically forcing myself into the situations I'm terrified of. It isn't easy, not by a long shot, but I guess it works..

Laura Castillo6 said:Spending way too much time glued to a computer screen or scrolling through the internet can really take a toll on your body. It’s one of those things where everyone reacts differently—some people might feel the burnout almost immediately, while others don't notice the physical strain until much later down the road. Honestly, just spending most of your life staring at a monitor isn't great for your health in the long run.

It sounds stupid, I know, but it's true—you really need to step away from all this electronic crap for at least an hour or two...👍

Look, don't go experimenting with beta blockers. Seriously, don't even touch them unless a doctor actually put them on your prescription. I’m saying this from my own experience here. If you really need some kind of meds to chill out, maybe try something like Xanax, Musa, or Lexapro... though honestly, it's probably best to just stay far away from all that chemical stuff altogether.

And also, if you're pushing yourself that hard, you can't really expect some massive calming effect. The whole point of a beta blocker is just to bring down your heart rate. At the dose you're talking about, you wouldn't even feel much of anything. For actual relaxation, you'd probably need one of those things I mentioned above.

I've dealt with this myself—gastritis, taking Pepcid constantly, and even the lowest dose of Propranolol because my heart rate spikes whenever I get worked up. Plus some calming meds...

Honestly, what you’re going through sounds like panic attacks. You really need to;

- go see a private doctor (I'd suggest an internist)

- get an EKG, an echocardiogram, an abdominal ultrasound, full blood work, and a thyroid ultrasound plus hormone levels

- those are just the basics to rule out anything actually physical. Once that's done, you'll either get a prescription or they'll tell you if you need more testing..

I had almost the exact same symptoms last year. Ended up in the ER twice, then on heart meds, then on a million different things until I finally found a solid private specialist who ran all the tests properly..

I know it sucks, though. That feeling where you're just totally wiped out is awful. Try to relax when it hits—just breathe slow and deep. And maybe keep some anti-anxiety meds on hand so you aren't constantly running to the emergency room..

You can get all these tests done at a private clinic in a day or two, whereas if you use the public healthcare system, expect to wait like 3 or 4 months..

neontiger4 said:So, here’s that little bedtime wind-down routine I promised one of you guys earlier.
I basically mix some relaxation techniques I picked up from a yoga class with a bit of visualization from a book I read ages ago. Usually, I go for the "lite" version, but if I’m really struggling, I dive into the full routine. Since we’re here, I might as well write out the long one.

First, I lie on my back and get super comfy. You can try to imagine putting all your worries into a box and tucking them away safely—though personally, I don't do that, because then I just end up thinking about the worries themselves... instead, I just imagine a door opening and stepping right into this perfect, peaceful landscape I’ve dreamed up. You really have to let your imagination run wild here. Picture somewhere you actually love being, something that makes you feel genuinely excited. Like, you’re actually looking forward to lying down because you know you get to hang out in this mental paradise for a while. 🙂 You try to catch the sounds, the temperature, the scents of the place. Visualize the colors and everything. Then, in this perfect little spot, you settle onto your favorite lounge chair—could be a bed, a hammock, a cloud, an air mattress... honestly, whatever weirdly comfortable thing you want. Now comes the yoga part:
Slowly, part by part, you relax your body while breathing deeply—inhaling and exhaling, no rushing allowed. So, you breathe in, focus on your left toes, exhale, and let them go limp. Then move to the feet up to the knees, then the knees to the waist, then the stomach, lower back, upper back, hands, forearms, shoulders, neck, jaw, ears, forehead, eyes, eyebrows, and finally the top of your head. Just steady breathing, no rushing, just letting each part of you drift off. And then, hopefully, you drift right into sleep.

One big tip: you have to accept upfront that annoying thoughts *will* pop up while you’re trying to relax. Your brain is going to wander back to your stresses. The trick isn't fighting them; it's how you handle it when they show up. Just acknowledge the thought exists and then let it go immediately. Don't dwell on why it popped into your head—just release it. Imagine it’s a helium balloon drifting high into the sky, or maybe it just evaporates... whatever works. Then, gently bring your focus back to wherever you left off in the exercise. It gets easier to ignore the noise over time, though at first, it feels like a constant battle. Personally, I’ve designed my mental getaway to be so vivid and cozy that I actually look forward to bedtime.

Also, I remember reading some solid advice once: don't obsess over the idea that sleeping through the night without waking up is some mandatory, holy requirement. If you stress about not sleeping in one continuous stretch, you won't sleep at all. When I wake up in the middle of the night because my brain won't shut up, I just start the body relaxation process all over again. If that fails, I’ll turn on a dim lamp and pick up a book. That always does the trick, as long as it’s something light without a heavy plot. I actually really liked that bit in *What I Talk About When I Talk About Running* regarding the way Ernest Hemingway writes. I don't get mad at myself for waking up, and I don't wonder why it happened; I just accept it, especially during those rougher periods where sleep is harder to come by.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it. I should probably mention that this isn't a magic bullet for everyone, but it can be a helpful tool before you reach for sleeping pills, or even alongside them.

I just remembered one other "quick fix": try with every fiber of your being to stay awake. Lie there in the dark, turn off the lights, and tell yourself, "There is absolutely no way I am allowed to fall asleep right now. I must keep my eyes open at all costs." Try your absolute hardest to stay awake. The second your eyelids start drooping, force them open and think, "No, no, I cannot sleep..."

Thanks for the post👍

silentmarlin76 said:@silentmarlin76, look, nobody’s actually forcing your hand here... I mean, just start with a conversation first, and then you can figure out the rest of the details with your psychiatrist as you go... good luck with everything!

Seriously though, those meds can really mess with your blood pressure... a close friend of mine was dealing with this just four days ago where her BP finally leveled out from the medication, but then she just straight up passed out, thank god the paramedics got to her in time... so yeah, this isn't something you want to play around with.

Fine, thanks..

Regarding Misar, man, it really does take the edge off. As far as addiction goes, I know a coworker who’s been on it for maybe 10 years now—just a tiny 0.25 dose once a day—and she hasn't had any real issues with it. She deals with blood pressure stuff, but honestly, I think it’s just her nerves driving her pressure up more than anything...

@Niks thanks for the tip, but I’m not trying to play doctor here since my primary care physician already prescribed this stuff. If things start going south, I’ll probably just go see a private psychiatrist—there's a clinic near me in Columbus that's pretty easy to get to..

Just asking you personally, based on all the symptoms I might expect from seeing a shrink, would they just swap my meds for something else? Look, no lies here, I'm not actually scared of psychiatrists, but I have a gut feeling they're gonna try to pull some medical stunt on me and leave me stuck on these damn pills for the next few years, and I really want to avoid that..

So, over the last two years, I've had maybe 5 or 6 panic attacks. I actually managed to power through 2 or 3 of them without any meds—they just kind of passed on their own. Most of them happened when I was out in public, like at a church or in a shopping mall..

Anyway, I feel pretty stable right now. I'm not dealing with dark thoughts or anything, and I'm getting my daily stuff done just fine, so honestly, I don't even feel like seeing a therapist..

@First, I actually rearranged my bedroom. Got a new bed, a Tempur-Pedic mattress, a new pillow... I've been keeping my phone and the TV away from me before and during sleep, and I think I've actually felt some benefits from that..

I'm sitting here reading through the instructions for Seroxat—which, from what I can tell, is prescribed all the time for panic disorder and anxiety—and holy crap, there are like three whole pages just dedicated to side effects. The one that jumps out at me most is this:

It's not entirely clear how Seroxat and
other drugs in the SSRI class actually work,

I mean, personally, I don't think these antidepressants are exactly harmless. For me, at least, the actual panic attacks are pretty rare, so I'm gonna try to power through this therapy. Since my previous treatment actually worked for me, I figured I’d write this down, maybe it helps someone else...

- Always keep something in your pocket for calming down, just in case God forbid a panic attack hits you while you're out

- Don't go down the rabbit hole reading too much stuff online or on forums..

- Keep your brain busy

Personally, I feel like way too many people dealing with early-stage anxiety end up getting hooked on medication because they start obsessively researching everything and overanalyzing it. I know I do it myself.😁

Alright, thanks for the input. I'll check back in after my checkup if I actually need anything..👍

@silentmarlin76, I’d probably head to a shrink, but there isn't a single private practice around here. The closest one is in New York City, so honestly, just to avoid making a whole thing out of it, I'll wait until after my appointment to see what my doctor thinks..

It seems like most of you are die-hard SSRI fans, but I trust her. Plus, since I felt totally fine on an increased dose of Concora—didn't have any of that jittery anxiety stuff—I'm leaning toward sticking with my current plan for now..

I'm pretty sure if I went to a shrink right now, they'd just shove me straight onto an SSRI. But if any of you actually bother reading the literature, you'd see we should probably try other options before just dumping everyone on those pills. And like I said, reading through these forums, this whole idea that anxiolytics cause addiction while SSRIs don't? I think you guys might be overcomplicating things, mostly because
once people start taking SSRIs, they stay on them for years. And don't even try to lecture me—I know people who took SSRIs for six months or a year, stopped, and were completely cured..

Thanks for the input. I’ve got a follow-up appointment in about twenty days, so I’ll just see how things shake out then. Honestly, I feel okay right now, so I'm not going to obsess over it too much or stress myself out.

Does anyone know of a decent substitute for an anxiolytic that isn't some kind of antidepressant?

Basically, I can fall asleep, but then I'm wide awake at 4 or 6 in the morning, and once that happens, getting back to sleep is a nightmare... I'm totally wired.

Don't get me wrong, I’m just asking for your takes here, but unless you've actually taken them yourself, saying Xanax and Mister are the same thing is just plain stupid. I mean, sure, they share a basic substance, but the way they actually hit you? Totally different.

Xanax; hits me in like 10 minutes, makes me sleepy, and lasts maybe 3-4 hours on a 0.25 dose.

Mister; takes way longer to kick in, like 45 minutes to an hour, doesn't really make me sleepy, but it sticks around for 5-7 hours.

That’s just how it works for me, anyway. I tried Helex once too, but I ended up breaking out in some weird rash from it...

neontiger4 said:Go see a real doctor.
This one clearly doesn't know what they're doing.
Xanax and Misar are essentially the same thing—there's no point in prescribing both. Also, as far as I know, you shouldn't be using them for sleep. And you really shouldn't be on them for longer than a month. Ideally, you should only take them when things are actually hitting the fan—like right before a panic attack. Not as a permanent fix.

Switching doctors is definitely on the table, though from what I understand, for an anxiolytic to actually work properly, you're supposed to take it for at least a month or two to pull yourself out of that extreme anxiety state. Then you're meant to taper off slowly and get off it entirely... Correct me if I'm wrong here, especially if any of you guys are actual MDs, because I don't want us all just guessing based on stuff we read on random forums.

Jason Vaughn482 said:I’m a bit confused by the logic here—Xanax and Misar are essentially the same type of medication, so I don't quite grasp why one is taken during the day and the other at night.
And regarding the Concor, you mentioned you weren't nervous on the 2.5mg dose? I take 5mg for blood pressure, and while lower doses are typically prescribed for tachycardia, I certainly haven't seen any evidence suggesting it has an impact on nervousness.

She explained to me that xanax makes you more drowsy, which is true, whereas misar just calms you down... which is also true, at least that's how it hits me..

First they gave me a total placebo, but I couldn't stand it. Then, after a mountain of tests, my cardiologist put me on Concor 2.5 and Ativan as needed. For six months on that regimen, I felt great. I maybe took Ativan twice when I could sense a panic attack coming on. But after that period, I started getting this tightness in my throat, trouble breathing, constant chest pains—especially on the left side—and my arm would go numb at night. I asked to change my meds, and right after switching off the Concor, I felt this intense nervousness, like nothing I had while on the 2.5 dose. My morning pulse was hitting 100, my blood pressure went haywire... honestly, just terrible experiences trying to taper off a beta-blocker, at least that's how it worked for me..

After that, they gave me xanax, like I said, 0.25 twice a day, but it made me sleepy during the day, so she added misar to settle those nerves..

I guess if I knew then what I know now, that in my case it was just panic attacks and nothing to do with my heart, I never would've let them put me on beta-blockers.. But man, I didn't know. And since I paid for all those tests myself, I figured out pretty quickly that my organs are actually fine..

I assume because of all the side effects from antidepressants, my doctor didn't jump straight to them, especially since she emphasized that I'm physically okay and just need to get my head right..

Anyway, I'm stable for now and the meds are fine, though that Concor 1.25 is basically just there so my heart rate doesn't hit the ceiling when I get excited. Usually, my BP is around 130-140 over 80-90 and my resting pulse is about 65-70.. I'm 225 lbs at 5'11" (was 249 lbs) when the first panic attack hit..

I'll be on this therapy for another month or so, then I'll see how it goes and decide with the doctor whether to taper off the anxiolytics or try something else..

Basically, I did all my testing privately, mostly in New York City. If my private shrink were closer, I'd probably go to him for advice, but I feel like he'd just toss me straight onto antidepressants. The public health clinics near me... well, people say they don't really listen, they just brush you off, especially if you're young..

The doctor I see always listens to me and gives advice, which means a lot, so I try not to doubt the treatment since she's been in the field for 30 years..

@vegga, I don't know how long you've been on Concor, but it's not exactly harmless, especially when you're coming off it. You can find plenty online about people having a rough time tapering off blockers. Everyone is different, though; it was a mess for me, but that doesn't mean it will be for everyone..

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:You should definitely talk to your doctor first. It really all comes down to what your specific panic attacks actually feel like...

Thanks for the advice. I'm staying on this antidepressant for about another month anyway, so I'll just wait to hear her take on things then. My doctor is an internist with thirty years under her belt—private practice—so I actually feel more comfortable talking to her than anyone else..

I guess these are pretty low doses, right? Like 0.5mg of Misar once a day and 0.25mg of Xanax at night... so I shouldn't be worried about getting hooked if I'm only using them for two or three months, or am I totally wrong?

At first, she had me on 0.25mg of Xanax in the morning and 0.25mg at night, but I was feeling way too drowsy the day before, so she switched me over to Misar.

Her take is that I'm just hypersensitive—like, I'm constantly monitoring my own body and I'm just constantly on edge..

God, I know. I used to check my blood pressure ten times a day and keep poking at my pulse. Now I'm trying to force myself not to do that, especially since all my test results came back perfectly fine..

I mean, honestly, it’s not even a big deal to drive over to Washington, D.C. to see a psychiatrist, but I really don't want to get hooked on those antidepressants (AT&T) that I might end up needing for the rest of my life..

Anyway, I'll post back here after my follow-up with her, so we'll see..

Has anyone else here used antidepressants and managed to successfully get off them and still function normally?

And would it maybe be better if I insisted on something else to calm down, like Norvasc or something? Lexapro isn't working for me—it gives me massive headaches, tried taking 1.5mg and it just wasn't my thing..

Actually, in the year or two after my first attack, I had a seven-month stretch where I completely forgot about it all. I managed it by staying super busy with work and hobbies, but then winter hit and the anxiety started creeping back in..

Thanks for reaching out. My primary care doctor already put me on some meds, but the only psychiatrist available to me is through the public health system. There isn't a single private specialist in my area, specifically around Columbus... anyone have a recommendation? I mean, I feel mostly okay right now, I guess, but I’m planning to touch base with my doctor in a week or two to go over the treatment plan.

It looks like everyone here is basically a PhD in psychopharmacology or something. I’m curious what you guys think, though. I’ve been dealing with these occasional panic attacks lately. We thought maybe it was my heart or my thyroid, but after doing every single test under the sun, everything organic is fine—well, except for an irritated stomach...

So, over the last two years, I’ve had about five attacks. They’re starting to get pretty unsettling. My heart starts racing, I feel like I can’t breathe... at first, I used to just take some Ativan, but now my doctor has me on this regimen: 11mg Concor 1.25, then one Misar 0.5 during the day, and one Xanax 0.25 at night because I keep waking up and can't sleep...

Given how often these attacks happen, should I actually talk to my doctor about maybe starting an antidepressant? Or should I just try to tough it out with this current setup? She basically told me I'm just being paranoid and need to chill out on my own...

The thing is, I see all the side effects and bullshit associated with SSRIs, so that’s why I’m asking...

Anyway, when I was on the 2.5 dose of Concor, I didn't have any anxiety issues, but it was causing other problems, so they dropped me down to 1.5. Now I don't have those complications, but the nerves are back...

I've been on this combo of Misar and Xanax for about a month now...

swiftfalcon89 I can't even begin to process this... I mean, seriously? It’s just... wow.
So, what's the actual breakdown of this rig? What kind of CPU are we talking about? Motherboard? How much RAM is in there? And please tell me you aren't running on some cheap junk power supply.
Look, if you aren't using some bottom-of-the-barrel junk power supply and you actually have a decent processor, then you're looking at something like this:

GTX 560? I mean, maybe? Honestly, who knows. It’s just one of those cards that sits there. I guess if you're desperate, sure, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I saw this listing on Craigslist for an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430. Honestly, I don't know. It looks okay, I guess, if you just need something to display a picture on your monitor or play some really old games from back in the day. But for anything modern? Forget about it. Maybe it's worth a few bucks if you find someone desperate, but I wouldn't touch it if I were you. Just seems like a waste of time.

I saw this listing online for a graphics card. Honestly, I don't know if it's even worth looking at. It's just one of those random posts you stumble across when you're browsing through used tech listings. Might be a decent deal, might be a total waste of time—I guess we'll see.

I'm looking at this listing for a graphics card on a local marketplace site. Just checking to see if anyone has thoughts on it.

Wait, did someone say HD6870? I mean, I guess if you're really digging for old tech, sure. But honestly, why even bother? It’s pretty much ancient history at this point. Just feels like a waste of time to me.

I found this listing on Craigslist for a graphics card. It looks like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti. I don't know, maybe it's worth it? Hard to say. Seems okay, I guess.

I saw this listing online for a graphics card. Looks like someone's trying to offload an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti. I don't know, maybe it's a decent deal if you're on a tight budget, but I guess you have to look closely at the condition first. Hard to tell from just one photo, honestly. Just seems like another random person selling old tech on a marketplace.

I mean, maybe this is Best Buy or something, I guess. $133 Honestly, it's a seriously solid card.

I saw this listing for a graphics card online. It’s an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430. I don't know, maybe it's worth looking at if you're on a super tight budget, but honestly? I guess it's pretty old news. Just thought I'd drop the link here in case anyone actually needs a low-end card like this.

I don't even know where to start with this mess. Honestly, I guess it’s just one of those things where everything feels like a total disaster. It’s frustrating, really. I mean, maybe I'm being too harsh, but I can't help it. Everything is just... off. It’s annoying. Just incredibly annoying. kaže:
That CPU is way too weak to handle even a single R9 card. Honestly, if you're pushing it, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti is probably the absolute limit before you hit a massive bottleneck. And even then, you'd basically be redlining the thing just to get any decent performance out of it. Just keep in mind that you're working with a prehistoric platform here—DDR2 RAM and all that. You’re going to have to swap the whole setup out pretty damn fast if you actually want to run anything serious or demanding. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to just grab an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 now? That way, if you really love that card, you can just toss it into your next build whenever you finally upgrade.

Thanks for all the comments and advice!

I’m thinking about grabbing an SSD and a new GPU, maybe then this rig will actually stay decent for a while longer. I guess... should I really push it and go for an R9, or are the R7 cards still enough to get by? And honestly, what would be the Nvidia equivalents for those?

Man, I don't know off the top of my head. I probably should just crack it open and check, but I think it's a Seasonic or something similar. I picked it up because my GTX card was acting up and wouldn't run on my weaker power supplies..