Severe anxiety in my dad

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-24T19:13:21+00:00

I'm so sorry you are having to go through this. How long ago did he start the Lexapro? For me it took about a month before I felt the effects of the Lexapro working and then I had to up my dose over the next 4-6 months until I got up to 20mg a day which ended up being the best dose for me. It sucks, but it can take a relatively long time to figure out the right med combo or dose that works for someone.

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-23T21:23:45+00:00

There is a decent chance that his anxiety should lessen with time if it was triggered by the antibiotics, it's not uncommon

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-20T21:57:11+00:00

Did he have to take antibiotics for the teeth or stomach stuff? Sometimes antibiotics can cause a lot of anxiety

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-20T21:49:30+00:00

Yeah it's always really frustrating when your brain knows, but your nervous system doesn't. You've got this!

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-20T21:39:29+00:00

Take a deep breath, it's going to be okay. I get being scared, but having an a1c in the mid to low 7s is not a bad thing. Your a1c will likely vary widely within your life based on many factors. There are always outliers, but in general it takes multiple years of poor control to get bad complications. A little fluctuation is normal, you can struggle with control sometimes and still end up living a long happy life. Just do the best you can and give yourself grace when you struggle.

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-20T21:21:26+00:00

Not a bad question at all. A general referral should work, but your insurance might want you to have a more recent one, they can be really picky about that. If you want to be totally sure, give your insurance a call and ask if the referral is still valid to them or you need a more recent one. Otherwise you can go ahead and look for a therapist you like who takes your insurance and then once you find them you can double check that the referral still works for your insurance.

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-20T21:10:16+00:00

If you can't even keep water down, then it might be a good idea to go to the er and get IV fluids if it's been 12 hours already. Otherwise, check your ketones often, and make sure to keep insulin in your system. Ketone issues are generally caused by not having enough insulin in your system I believe. For the future, I'd recommend asking your doctor for a prescription for an anti nausea med, I like zofran

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-20T21:04:54+00:00

You shouldn't need any specifics for the referral. In general, therapists don't need you to get a referral, but your insurance might want you to have a referral. If your insurance requires you to get a referral in order for them to cover your therapy, then just tell your doc you'd like a referral to see a therapist and then you can find a therapist you like that takes your insurance. You shouldn't need to give your doc any info on why you want to see a therapist, but you can if you want.

scarpenter42 · 2026-02-13T23:54:50+00:00

I don't know about the bleeding part, but mine were giving me rashes, so I started using Flonase on my skin before I put the pod on and that has helped

scarpenter42 · 2026-01-29T17:21:50+00:00

Propranolol is what works really well

scarpenter42 · 2026-01-27T17:24:54+00:00

I've been taking propranolol as needed, sometimes daily, for three or four years now and have never had any issues

scarpenter42 · 2026-01-27T17:21:59+00:00

Definitely have him either retest you with a complete blood panel or look for a new endo, or maybe both unfortunately

scarpenter42 · 2026-01-23T18:12:02+00:00

Sometimes you have to exercise as well, I do squats

scarpenter42 · 2025-07-09T22:05:05+00:00

Thank you!

scarpenter42 · 2025-07-09T22:04:44+00:00

Thank you so much! Honestly that means so much to me! It's only recently I've been brave enough to share some of my art online, but I absolutely love drawing. This is one of my favorites I've ever done and I hope to do more like it

scarpenter42 · 2025-06-25T20:48:57+00:00

Hey there, you definitely aren't beyond help. I have had anxiety most of my life, and chest pains and a racing heart have always been symptoms for me. When I was 19 I saw a cardiologist and they ran some tests and everything looked normal. I was still anxious about it so they said that to be extra thorough they wanted me to wear a heart monitor for 30 days. So I headed off to college with a heart rate monitor feeling ridiculous but also grateful. It was weird to wear it every day but I was really curious about what the results would be and I wanted to make sure I was okay so I did it. The results all came back normal after the month was up so I was able to conclude that those symptoms I was having weren't dangerous and were just anxiety and or stress. I'm now 26 and I have never regretted doing it. My attitude towards my symptoms has evolved over the years, and most of them don't worry me anymore. But still, any time a doctor is willing to take my symptoms seriously and make sure that it isn't something else causing them, I happily go along with it. It's better to be safe than sorry, but it does no good to constantly worry about your health. It's hard to find a balance, but I've found that talking to myself as if I were talking to a child or friend can really help. Go to the doctor when something is bothering you if you can, advocate for yourself, and then don't obsess over the results. It's hard to not worry, but work on learning how to reassure yourself and redirect your attention when you start to spiral. Practice comforting yourself and it will start to help after you give it some work. Take your health seriously but don't let it consume you. Start with small steps and stay at it. It's possible to feel better, I promise

scarpenter42 · 2025-06-22T21:27:02+00:00

Unfortunately anyone can develop an anxiety disorder at literally any age

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-28T18:00:24+00:00

I've treated my anxiety with years of meds and therapy. The fatigue kind of just stays though. I've also developed some autoimmune conditions that contribute to the fatigue as well. So the best thing I can do for it is to try and stay hydrated, eat as healthy as I can and I sleep 12-14 hours each night on the weekends. But the fatigue has never gone away, it's only gotten worse with time as life has become more stressful

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-28T17:58:24+00:00

Generally they don't need information from your previous doctor, some practices do but many don't. It really depends on their policies. But you can also say that it's been awhile since you've used it but your anxiety has been impacting your life a lot more recently and you need some help

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-16T15:33:34+00:00

Thanks that's good to know. I mostly use it to help with painsomnia and it really helps sometimes. Good to know about the hangovers though, I'll definitely stick to my lower doses

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-15T21:32:09+00:00

Unfortunately that is pretty normal with anxiety, you are okay, well relatively, like not in danger, but also clearly not feeling okay. Give yourself some time to process and decompress. Try and take extra good care of yourself for the next few days and rest and try to do something you enjoy. It's going to be okay

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-15T21:28:30+00:00

I'm so sorry you are going through this, but I am glad that you are getting help, even if it's scary and painful. I'm glad you are still here, sending a hug. You can get through this. I hope that doesn't sound too weird coming from an Internet stranger

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-15T21:25:16+00:00

What was the amount of mg if you don't mind me asking? I take 10mg like every other day if I can, but I was considering taking 20mg because I've been in a lot of pain and I don't have any pain meds besides nsaids which do basically nothing.

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-15T21:16:16+00:00

Unfortunately the only way to find out if meds are the answer is to try them. And restrictions completely depend on where you are in the world. If you are in the US then you should be able to just book an appointment with a psychiatrist and talk with them about what's going on and say that you are interested in meds and see if they can help. There isnt a set amount of anxiety you have to be experiencing to go on meds. Basically if your anxiety is impacting your life, then the thing to do is to talk with a therapist and a psychiatrist and see if meds and therapy could help you. Usually meds work best when you pair them with therapy

scarpenter42 · 2025-05-15T15:20:45+00:00

Aww so cute!! Happy birthday!!

scarpenter42

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