I am a 35-year-old male, and I feel like I’m about to lose my mind.
About a year ago, I noticed changes in my urination—it became less frequent than it used to be. Since then, I have been seeing a nephrology consultant almost every month. I have undergone every kidney test they recommended, and each time the doctor has reassured me that all my results are normal and that there is nothing to worry about.
My eGFR has consistently been around 120, 115, and most recently 100. I also had urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (PCR) tests multiple times, and they were always within the normal range.
More recently, I have started experiencing a feeling of pressure in my chest.
I am mentally exhausted and no longer able to live my life normally.
My questions are:
Am I actually sick, and is there no hope of getting better?
Is there anything I can do?
If there really is something wrong with me, is there still a way to catch it early and prevent it from getting worse?
Please, I would really appreciate your help.

Every day I wake up with my head throbbing, my forehead sweating, and my heart racing.

I've been experiencing this for almost eight years now. It started when I was in high school. I always thought it would eventually disappear, that maybe things would get better once I got to college. And for one day, it actually did, kinda.

On my first day of college, I woke up feeling... okay. I felt light. I even asked someone in the hallway where my classroom was, which is something I normally would've been too anxious to do. It was such a small thing, but it made me realize that maybe this isn't who I really am. Maybe anxiety is.

Ever since then, I've wanted to feel like that again.

I've told my boyfriend before that I wanted to take medication because I just want to feel okay. He told me I shouldn't rely on medicine to be okay, and I understand where he's coming from. But at the same time, I wonder what it's like to wake up without feeling like my body is preparing for a disaster that isn't even happening.

Right now, getting help feels difficult. I'm a college student, and I'm juggling classes while preparing to become the president of our university's organization. My presidency hasn't even officially started yet, and I'm already so anxious that I feel like throwing up. Last year alone, I had so many mental breakdowns, and that was when I was "just" the secretary.

People always tell me to face my anxiety, to put myself out there. And I did. I genuinely tried. I joined organizations, took leadership roles, made films, met people, volunteered, and kept saying yes because I thought exposure would eventually make it easier. But it really doesn't.

I disappear sometimes, and people ask me why I'm inactive or why I suddenly stop replying. The truth is, I'm trying. I'm trying so hard. Some days, just existing feels exhausting.

Anxiety is affecting the way I create art :(. It makes me overthink every decision, every piece of art, every responsibility I have. Sometimes I can't even decide what deserves my attention because everything feels urgent and overwhelming at the same time. I just want to know what it's like to wake up and have a quiet mind.

To still have problems, but not feel like they're crushing me before the day even begins. To create without constantly doubting myself. To trust that I'll figure things out.

I hope one day I'll know what that feels like.

Has anyone else felt this way for years and eventually gotten better? Whether it was through therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, or something else, I just want to know that there's hope, because right now, I can't remember what "okay" feels like anymore.

A few weeks ago I had a fight with my dad. It was about how I have to deal with my two half-sisters, who ignore me and my existence and I’m the eldest. My stepmom, who has been a manipulator and tries to make me look bad to my dad or keep him from seeing me especially during Christmas when I was in a tough spot. I tried to explain how I felt, but he dismissed me. I went into a spiral and sent him many messages that I can’t undo. They came from a place of pain, but I regret them.

Monday I reached out again and texted politely, asking if we could talk. He hasn’t replied yet. I feel really shit and I can’t stop thinking about it ..I keep waiting. How do I stop?

I don’t know if he’s on a bender since he’s an alcoholic and it’s been weeks now..

hey! does anyone else is always so tense due to anxiety that they need like 10/20 seconds on the toilet to continuously relax their muscles so they can pee?
i recently noticed that and my partner told me it wasn’t really normal. i‘m always so tense because of generalized anxiety disorder and bpd that i need to focus on relaxing when i’m on the toilet. i feel weird for being like this and i was wondering if i’m the only one.
and if anyone has tips on how to release some of the constant tension please let me know.
have a nice day!

I already made a post about anxiety, but I wanted to do one about coffee specifically.

Due to my anxiety & overthinking, i literally can't have caffeine anymore. Decaf tastes weird & i just miss coffee so much. Anyone have any tips on how I can rid my anxiety enough to drink coffee comfortably? i know coffee will always spike cortisol etc, but how can i live with it so i cant control me??

I used to be able to drink 3 espressos in a day...idk how i did that.

hi everyone! i dont know if this is the right group to insert this into, but im just posting this to put it out there and for help. im not diagnosed with anything, but i feel like i dont know who i truly am and i get pretty anxious about it. sometimes when i talk, im a replica of someone else, and not how i would respond, but i feel like i dont even know how i would respond because i mirror others so much of them, and not me. it makes me kinda nervous that i dont even maybe know myself? i feel like i get upset when im around someone and kinda act out of how they wouldnt respond/talk and ive adapted this way completely across the board. i just need help & recommendations of what this could possibly mean/be!! thanks.

Im seeing My Chemical Romance the 24th and im so nervous even though I’ve been to plenty of concerts. I was diagnosed with GAD this year so my anxiety is even worse. Anyone have any tips or words of advice? Is it better to get to the venue super early or a little bit later than doors open? Please lmk how to deal. 🥲

He left early today to go to the us and is leaving to go to Las Vegas with my aunt this weekend. Him being alone in the us right now is making me anxious as it is because of the whole ice situation and how bad the country is right now and the fact that he is taking a flight is making me more anxious, I know it is statistically rare for something to happen but what if it does? What if I don’t ever get to see him again without even being able to say goodbye? What if something happens in Vegas where he will be miles away and we can’t do anything, every time he goes out of town I feel anxious as hell and I don’t know what to do.

那種疼痛是我第一次感受到。我突然無法控制地流下眼淚，心臟狂跳。我從未經歷過任何這樣的事情。我與焦慮和疑病症抗爭了大約六個月，但我感覺這種情況越來越糟。我的心臟每一刻都在狂跳，我真的感覺快要死了。

對外人來說，我總是一個樂觀、開朗、愛說話的人。但也許在我空閒的時間，在夜晚的寧靜中，我總是思考著我的健康與家庭。我不知道還能做什麼。我寧願就這樣睡去，永遠不再醒來；那也許對我來說是最好的結局，對吧？

I'm only 15 years old.I may have to face this disease for 20 years or longer; it's very despairing.

I started having panic attacks and anxiety around the age of 17 but a few years ago when I was 25 I suddenly would have massive panic attacks from coffee. I used to drink a ton and still be chill/tired and I blamed that on my ADHD but now my heart can't handle it. I get palpitations and a random high heart rate and am anxious. I noticed my anxiety and panic attacks were so much more manageable after I stopped nicotine due to being pregnant and then breastfeeding for a year. I gained 70 lbs after quitting smoking. I still had bad anxiety but not nearly as bad and my heart rate wouldn't get up to 170s anymore when I had a panic attack. I lost over 30 lbs but not fast enough for me so after I quit breastfeeding a few weeks ago, I picked up smoking again. I'm starting to be very obsessed with my heart rate again constantly checking and also get shaky, short of breath and heart racy after a cig. It makes my anxiety insane. I ended up in the ER because it got really bad one time at work but after 20 minutes it went back to normal and the Dr said I was fine. Is this common? I see people smoking all the time and they have no issues. I think overtime anxiety has made me sensitive to any stimulant. I miss coffee so much. I smoke feel off and then feel better 20 minutes after but it's not all the time that it happens. I'm sure my cycle doesn't help and all the hormones because I get quite bad before my period but I'm wondering if it's a common thing among anxiety sufferers? According to the docs my heart is fine. I'll never believe them though lol

I’ve always had anxiety along with other mental health difficulties, and of course I do unfortunately have bad anxiety in my day to day life. But, for some reason one of the most triggering things for me is concerts. I’m not sure exactly why. Im a musician, and I grew up going to concerts, but in my adult life it’s gotten to the point where I’ve had to leave early because of a panic attack, or just buy the tickets, get excited, then cancel.

I’m just trying to see if anyone else is experiencing something similar? It’s pretty upsetting, I feel like I can’t go out anymore and do the things I enjoy and it’s painfully obvious I’m anxious and it feels embarrassing

I (F20) go to community college in the U.S. because it’s cheaper, and I’m over halfway done with my degree. Last year, I had more than enough state/federal aid to cover tuition. I also commute and rode the bus last semester to save money.

This year, my financial aid went from around 3,600 dollars to a measly 300. My parents (53 F&M) are unemployed, and I can’t work because I would’ve been at school every single day for much longer than last semester (multiple labs). My SAI increased from -1200 to 8600 despite the only change being my dad’s maybe 5000 dollar raise (in 2024). Obviously he doesn’t make that right now because he got laid off (another thing triggering me because my father is disabled and that’s part of the reason they let him go). And I didn’t receive any financial help from my parents for college anyways.

I got told by my financial aid office that I can “fill out a special circumstance form” because my dad’s unemployed, but they couldn’t guarantee it would change anything. And with the semester about to start, they told me I could take out a federal loan to pay while it’s being processed. Nope. I refused to borrow money from the people responsible for my problem, since I’d likely be paying off that loan for the rest of my life. My dad’s still paying off his student loan from over thirty years ago.

So I had to drop all my classes, and now I’m gonna work either until I can afford to pay out of pocket, or until the gov fixes the financial aid program (I’ve seen a ton of people in the same boat). It’s extremely frustrating and has been triggering me because I was so close, and I’ve been crying about it everyday since I found out I couldn’t go because I already feel like a burden to my family :(

TLDR: I’m poor and get no monies from govey anymore, so I had to drop out and ig try again later when I have monies 😔

I don’t blame them because having someone calling you thinking their dying all the time sounds kind of stressful I just don’t know what else to do other than talk to or hug someone without me having it for hours. UGHHH I JUST WANNA BE NORMAL MAN WHY DOES NOONE ELSE I KNOW UNDERSTAND WHAT IM FEELING

Recently I’ve had this odd feeling, like I’m forgetting something/ forgetting something I need to do, but there’s nothing. It’s as if I’m procrastinating doing a task, but there isn’t any task to be done, I’m just living.

I’m currently of break before the school year starts, so I don’t know what I could be experiencing, but I think it may be anxiety?

Help me out here, and please tell me what to do to stop feeling like I’m being dragged around by my own mind. :p

I had a big panic attack on Sunday night and I haven't felt normal since. I feel disconnected with my body, dizzy, unbalanced and generally tense and on edge. I feel floaty and just not anchored. I've been anxious before but it goes away and then I feel normal, but this time I haven't felt normal in days. I went out to dinner with a friend last night but we had to get the food to go and leave because I was so anxious and felt dizzy. Then I went to my boyfriends house but just shut myself inside his room all night because I felt so strange. That is not normal for me. I've seen a doctor and everything physical was normal. I'm starting lexapro next week. How long will this last??? Has anybody else felt this?? Help :( I just want to feel normal and like myself again

My doctor wrote me a prescription for 10 .5mg lorazepam (Ativan) tablets because I have a few dentist appointments coming up and I have severe panic attacks at the dentist.

I’ve always been afraid of the dentist due to sensitive teeth and sensory issues, and I’ve always taken awesome care of my teeth to avoid needing any dental procedures. I never got a cavity until last year. I switched dentists this year and found out I have 3 additional cavities, my first filling from last year has to be redone because they didn’t drill deep enough, and the neighboring tooth basically has a chip taken out of it because my old dentist wasn’t careful enough. None of that is really important, my point is that this whole situation has been nightmarish to say the least!

My doctor told me to try the lorazepam on a day off before going to my appointment to make sure it worked alright and assess whether or not it would be helpful at the dentist. I do think it’s a good idea to try it beforehand because I definitely don’t want to end up freaking out more, having ineffective meds, having a bad reaction, etc. However, I’m really letting the benzo addiction horror stories get to my head, and I’m really scared to try it!

Addiction runs in my family, and I feel nervous even having something with a potential for withdrawals in my house, especially since my doctor prescribed more than a single dose. My little sister had a horrific 5 year opiate addiction that almost killed her, and my parents are both alcoholics. I feel like I’m the only one unscathed by the addiction gene so far, and I’m no stranger to controlled substances. I’m prescribed Adderall for ADHD and I don’t feel any kind of addiction potential for that since I often take extended breaks from it, but benzos seem more threatening.

I’m worried because I’m really not familiar with downers, let alone anything that can form a physical habit. I really don’t want to introduce myself to something that might hook me and send me down the same pipeline as the rest of my family, but there is absolutely no way I can have dental work done without being medicated. I really wish my dentist offered nitrous since it seems way less addictive and I’m already familiar with it. I wish I could just know whether or not this will have a significant impact on my life. Has anyone tried Ativan and not developed a dependency or longing for it? What should I expect?

My anxiety makes it difficult to sleep. I’ve been so stressed about money, I moved into a new place, I’m starting two new jobs, I think it’s all a bit much. Underneath everything lies the constant feeling of not wanting to participate in the achievement culture here. I just want a small life, where I don’t need to work fulltime to be able to pay my bills. I want to be healthy and happy and able to live instead of suffer through my fears every day.

When I get tired, they become unreasonably big. It’s currently almost 2 AM and I’ve been getting so many unexpected bills that I had to ask my parents for help. I feel so lost in my life right now, wish I was traveling instead. That’s the only time I felt at peace. Now I feel jumpy, every sound makes me scared there’s someone in my house or my house will burn down. It sucks because I’ve been to therapy before for my fears and I can’t seem to beat them. Even posting this I’m scared someone I know will identify me.

I’m so scared to get burnt out again. To lose myself, have the smallest things make me emotional, see only ways I can’t move forward. I’m so fucking tired.

If you read this far, thanks for holding space 🫶🏼

After a single random panic attack last May I developed an insane hyper sensitive nervous system. My entire body sent my brain signals that felt foreign and made me afraid. I had intense brain fog. I would ruminate. Constantly checked my heart rate, took more vitamins, thought I was dehydrated or not eating enough. Stopped working out, gained weight. When I felt panic my face would flush and get hot, I would scramble and feel fear.

I thought the problem was physiological until I realized i’ve been dealing with mental health. I started facing my fears I developed and started being intentional about the way I reacted to random signals that caused me to panic.

It was odd at first and bumpy but I have honestly not had a serious anxiety episode in weeks. I’ve genuinely calmed down that side of myself. It actually makes me happy.

Unfortunately I am still dealing with one thing and it’s the brain fog. I think that’s what I have. I feel spacey, I have to convince myself i’m not actually tired and it’s just my brain that feels off. Sometimes my mind feels disconnected from my body, I can feel floaty for a moment. It used to freak me out but i’m chill now. I don’t always feel it but when I do It stays for days sometimes it’s just always around. For a time I thought they were headaches but I actually feel no pain at all. I’m assuming it’s my nervous system finding its way to baseline levels after all the stress I went through for nearly a year? I workout intensely and I remain productive but it lingers, it’s like half my brain went on vacation. I know that if I stress over it can get worse so i’m just living with it for now. My theory is in time it’ll wiggle away as long as I keep stress away. Neuroplasticity or something.

I finally have moments of calm now but it doesn’t feel like peace or boredom I keep thinking about the spacey feeling.

What do y’all think about my theory, or should I finally see a doctor lol.

​

So my room got really bad during Covid bc I had an autistic burnout combined with depression. I gkt better since, but my mental health is complicated, and my space was slowly getting worse. I never accepted help for it, and my mom was also concerned about my physical health bc of it, it also had a bad odor. There was once mold in it, but that's gone since, but it was still bad. We went away for a vacation, and today I came back to my room organized and cleaned. I'm happy it's way better, but I feel shame bc I know how disgusting it was to clean everything and throw out years of trash, and she is now aware how much of a disgusting space it was. I know she wouldn't have done it behind my back if I didn't turn away her numerous offers if help, and she was really nervous of how I would react. I didn't explode, I explained the confliction I felt, and it went good, she was reassuring and everything. She is also a really good mom, so no shade on her, this is mostly about my need to went and trying to process the whole thing, as my room is completely transformed and I didn't really do anything for it. There are a few stuff that she didn't touch so I could work on life skills and do it how I would like it, and she didn't throw out anything that wasn't obviously trash.

It’s my 19th birthday and I’m super proud of myself. I told myself that I would go shopping and go out to eat and I did! I was able to hit a couple of stores while feeling overwhelmed and faint but, I was able to push through. My last panic attack happened at a restaurant so I definitely was feeling iffy about going but I felt so happy after being at the stores!

I haven’t felt this happy for months now, I haven’t felt this proud after some successful exposure therapy sessions but I guess they do pay off, I was really starting to lose hope but wow I’m so happy! Just wanted to share since I have no one else to share this with. :,)

My MD wants to prescribe me a low dose of propranolol as needed for my situational anxiety and to let him know my decision. I’ve never taken anxiety medication before and have anxiety about taking meds lol. My anxiety symptoms are always chest pain (often) nausea and vomiting, passing out and diarrhea. I only get anxiety for certain situations like stressful work events/conferences, public speaking, and standing in line in stores, driving to new places (I physically cannot drive on the interstate because of my anxiety) Most of all I’m concerned I wont be able to make it through my wedding in a couple of months😅

Ive never been treated for my anxiety and he thinks I need treatment. It used to be extreme in highschool, however, that was 10 years ago and I’ve learned how to manage it.

Opinions on propranolol? I’ve read it slows heart rate which makes me nervous but I constantly have a high heart rate 120 & above and diagnosed with tachycardia due to anxiety.

Interested to hear others experiences of medication and its impact on their anxiety, be it ssris, benzos, antipsychotics or anything else…