GAD - General Anxiety Disorder

[grafxmkr]

Anyone diagnosed with GAD? I'm just curious. I am still trying to figure out the odd itching on my head since it is alternating between itch and tingle and I ran across a symptom list for GAD. I was amazed at the correlations between SS and GAD. Then again, they do seem to drop anything they don't have an explanation for into a mental disorder or autoimmune illness, LOL!

Physical problems include but are not limited to: http://www.easternanxietyandstress.com/anxiety.htm

My own personal list:
   ?   Burning scalp or hair roots
   ?   Tingling anywhere on the face, neck or head
   ?   Numbness on the face neck or head (scalp)
   ?   Flushing of the face
   ?   Redness of of the Face
   ?   Teeth Grinding
   ?   Teeth Clenching
   ?   Dry Mouth
   ?   Floaters in the Eyes (spots that are dark in the eyes)
   ?   Eyes that try hard to focus all the time (you catch yourself squinting hard even though you don't need to
    ?   Persistent muscle aches and pains
   ?   Muscles that won't let go or stay tight all the time
   ?   Sleep Disorders
   ?   Impending fear or Impending feeling of doom
   ?   Mind or thoughts that won't slow down
   ?   Constantly remembering things to do (interrupts your daily schedule)
   ?   Thinking you have  a serious disease
   ?   A lot of deja vu feelings
   ?   Feeling separated or disconnected
   ?   Obsessions about your health
   ?   "Over and Over" type thinking - not letting go of situations
   ?   Feeling like the caretaker of everybody
   ?   Feeling like the weight of the world is on you
   ?   Feeling out of place in social situations
    ?   Tingling in the extremities or along the back or in the arms and yes even in the trunk of the body
   ?   Muscle fatigue that can result in not doing physical activity
   ?   Headaches
   ?   IBS
   ?   Skin Rashes
   ?   Eczema
   ?   Severe Itching
   ?   Mild Itching
   ?   Very Sensitive Skin
   ?   Flushed body or face
   ?   Hard to heal scars
   ?   Numbness and Tingling
   ?   Tingling and pain when touched
   ?   Pain and tingling in fingers and toes, feet and hands especially when touched (like when you are typing)

[irish]

I have depression diagnosis plus was diagnosed with GAD many, many years ago. The anxiety was terrible and it trickled over into my worrying about everything.

Many of the issues that are listed under symptoms of anxiety can sometimes be associated with depression also. These 2 diagnoses are very inter-related and hard to sort out. Sort of reminds me of SS and Lupus symptoms.

I guess that I have never even considered that my symptoms of sjogrens are the same as the anxiety because for me it isn't. I have very few things with the anxiety other than the acute discomfort that makes you think you will die from the stress of the anxiety plus the palpitation/sweating, etc that I have never considered to be related to sjogrens.

When I have anxiety, I have anxiety, and I know it, recognize it and have survived it. Has been a huge problem for me. Also, be aware that acute anxiety can short term diminished cognitive disorder. When really stressed the brain just doesn't operate the GABA gates like normal.

The chemicals are involved with the anxiety/depression and hard to separate where one ends and the other starts. Irish

[Maria3667]

Yep, here another one... And I do recognize about 80% of your mentioned symptoms. And OMG - sleep disorder! For this reason I have to take Seroquel each night. Social unease: YES !

I was diagnosed with GAD way before Sjogren's came looking round the corner... I heard it's something to do with messed up GABA-synthethis which is more prevalent in us Sjoggies...

In case of emergency I always have a benzo on hand... Sometimes need it a couple of times a week - sometimes not necessary for a month or longer.

Didn't know dry itchy/sensitive skin is associated with GAD?.. Sooner with Sjogren's I would think, because skin becoming too dry. You could try taking daily dose of Fish Oil, Evening Primrose Oil and maybe also some Vit. E.

Good luck!
Maria

[LizPetillo]

Many on that list of symptoms fits me.
But then again ... with Sjogrens and neuropathy it would.
I'm sure that there is cross over .... seems to happen a lot.

[amberjolie1]

I was diagnosed with GAD as post-partum depression after my second child was born, but I'm sure I must still have it, based on a lot of my anxiety/worry/etc.  I match a lot on that list, which could be SS, GAD, both, or something else in the mix, by the sounds of it!

[gold55]

Hi grafxmker,
I can so relate to your list.  I have GAD without depression.  Don't know which is worse but your list sure covers a lot of my issues.  Now, can you repeat that list with remedies to all the problems !!!
GAD can hold a person back from accomplishing so many things.....it's as bad as some of the most awful diseases and only those that have it can attest to the problems it brings.  It seems like they just all snowball, one after the other, until a person is almost crippled!  Please write and tell us what success you've had in combating this problem and how you've done it!  thanks! Jill

[mshistory]

Another one here with GAD, and a lot of those symptoms fit me too. That tingling scalp thing...drives me NUTS especially since I'm losing my hair...just makes me even MORE aware of it and paranoid about it! I take Zoloft and Klonopin for depression and anxiety and they do help quite a bit.

[Rachel F.]

From what I understand, anxiety can actually be a significant symptom associated with Lupus, so why not SJS? Maybe it hasn't been researched much.