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Getting Wired Smell From Everything. Had Anxiety Disorder. Treatment?

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Posted on Fri, 4 Oct 2013
Question: Dear dr,

I recently had a weird problem .. Everything I brush or smell something real bad. I would self induced gag. Like making myself wanna vomit... I will suck in alot of air from my nose n try to gag n force the air out from my throat. Sometimes when I feel the "ball" of air come out I feel relived .. Otherwise I will be In a worried state that something is hanging around my lower throat. I will then wait for awhile n try to self induced gag again later..
This is something real wrong I know .. N everytime after gagging my heartbeat pound fast n I get nervous .. Even during the day when im busy , will always remind myself to gag the air out at night when I brushed .
I know that's crazy but i can't control this. I know my mind is causing this ...
Can u tell me how damaging this is n wat are the ways I can get rid of this habit!
I had anxiety disorder n is doing acupunture in hope to get some relieve. Had been on medications few years ago..
doctor
Answered by Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi (41 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Hello

Detailed Answer:
Welcome to Health Care Magic

I have read your problem and I can understand your concern. You are a 34 year old male with history of anxiety disorder and currently on no allopathic treatment.

You are having problem of something hanging in your lower throat, this causes severe worried state and in order to get relieved of that worried state you have to suck a lot of air and then compelled to gag to blow air out of throat, when air ball comes out you would get relief.

Anxiety is a non specific fear and anxiety disorder includes a number of other disorders. The symptoms you are having are nothing but part of anxiety disorder only. The feeling of something in throat appears to be Obsession and throat clearing or gag after that is Compulsion. In simple terms it may be due to OCD or stress, in order to get rid of the thoughts individual is compelled to do some ritualized acts which are called compulsions. Compulsive throat clearing is a common symptom seen in OCD. Occurrence of this disorder with anxiety itself cause severe distress and loss of functioning.

I would advise you to visit a psychiatrist for expert evaluation and treatment. Acupuncture is a nice modality for relaxation but it is not a definitive treatment. Medicines like SSRI as Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine etc are used for this disorder. Non medicinal treatment like Behavior therapy is needed for quick response.

Before all of that I would also request you to visit an ENT doctor to rule out any throat problem.

Hope this helps you, if you have more questions you can ask again.

Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi (16 minutes later)
Dear dr
Thks for your prompt reply. I had been on medications few years ago , lexapro , seroxat n some others I can't rember . Honestly the had not helped much. I only waste time to visit drs only to pay high cost for the medications after taking to the dr for like 10 mins. And I really felt that there is no cure to anxiety .

There is always symptom after symptom . It was first panic disorder, slowly manifesting to anxiety disorder , the social disorder , hypocobdria Etc. it jux keep manifesting to different things everytime . I really feel that AD has no cure!! After one problem goes away another one come.. Acupunture is the latest method I'm trying now ..
I know this is somewhat inborn.. After this gagging problem goes away, another new issue with my health comes ..

I'm very very sensitive to body sensations . N I can't get my mind of some "areas" that are having done sort of sensations . Example , like if I felt some sort of burning feel when I pee, it will manifest into urine infections, prostatitis , kidney stones to cancer ... Then I will keep feeling the "burning " sensation "there" . Of cos, this is jux one of the many similar issues I had over the years.
I read n googled so much that I can even give medical advice to my friends. N more than often I'm pretty accurate cos I read do much on health issues ..

I XXXXXXX expect to be "cured" by jux sending an email here... But I jux felt the need to tell someone my situation .. Honestly dr before I even send out my first email , I know wat kinda answer I gonna get .
But I still choose to send anyway, because at least to me , at this moment , hopefully I can get rid of the current problem issue first ...
doctor
Answered by Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi (18 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Hello

Detailed Answer:
See the spectrum of anxiety disorder is broad and you have been through panic disorder, phobic disorder to generalised anxiety disorder to OCD. OCD is very difficult to treat and a combination of medicines ( in high doses) and Behavior Therapy gives best results.

You have taken escitalopram and paroxetine with no response. I would like to tell you that this is not the end. A lot of individuals who take these drugs stop taking medicine without any specific reason because of a number of factors. Anxiety and anxious traits in personality are important factors which compell individual to stop drug due to poor response. So I would advise you to please have faith in treatment and don't think negative. I have seen a lot of patients with such spectrum and although difficult to treat, but we can control the symptoms easily.

If you failed to respond to escitalopram or paroxetine then you have other drugs as option like fluoxetine or fluvoxsmine.
Combination of clomopramine with fluoxetine give best result.

If symptoms don't remit addition of other drugs as resperidone can be one option.

Acupuncture will help in relaxation but I would like to tell you about relaxation exercises, breathing exercises to keep yourself relaxed.


if you have more questions you can ask again.

Thanks
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi (18 hours later)
Dear dr ,

Thks again for ur reply.
I had tried several medications . N the side effects of lexapro n zactin was dizziness n nausea including occasional palpitations. I took seroxat for 2 years n gained 12kg. That made me even more depressed. It took me a long time n determination to kick off seroxat.

Can u tell me how these Medicines actually worked in the human system? Like wats the content n how these contents alter the mind n behavior of ppl like "us". I wil again take sometime for the medi to work. And honestly I think there is some " addiction" or reliance on them . They either slow u down .. Make ur thoughts "float" so that our nervous system doesn't get work up so easily . In other words, "made a overactive person " become less active.
After depending on these medi for years . I XXXXXXX think I can easily return to my normal self.
Pls correct me if I'm wrong , but pls be direct honest to me. Even if its true to tell me that ppl with these illness basically can't be cured.
My psychiatrist for 7 yrs told be that in fact to be honest " cure" is impossible jux control , with means medi n medi. I was recommended by my psychiatrist to try tcm. Therefore currently acupunture.
Of cos I'm not giving up. I jux felt living in uncontrolled agony everyday
doctor
Answered by Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi (3 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Hello again

Detailed Answer:
I will answer your queries one by one

- These medicines increase levels of neurotransmitters in brain. Mainly levels of Serotonin and Nor adrenalin are increased. In short I can tell you that in patients of depression and anxiety the levels are decreased in brain and these drugs help to increase the levels. The medicines take some time to show effect because they cause molecular level changes in brain.

- Most of SSRI and SNRI drugs which are mainstay of treatment for anxiety and depression carry no addiction potential. The reliance seen is just psychological, there is no slowness of thought with these drugs. Although they have some sedation as side effect but this sedation dont lead to dependence.

- You can return to your normal life, just have faith in treatment. We have a lot of patients with severe anxiety and depression that are lading absolutely normal life.

- Yes to some extent we can say the disorder is not curable, but it is treatable. These disorders run with waxing and waning course and intermittent exacerbations are seen in symptoms, if an individual take proper medicines then he can remain symptom free for longer durations of time.

- So please dont think in negative, just have faith in treatment and you will become absolutely normal.

Thanks
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2007

Answered : 5193 Questions

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Getting Wired Smell From Everything. Had Anxiety Disorder. Treatment?

Brief Answer:
Hello

Detailed Answer:
Welcome to Health Care Magic

I have read your problem and I can understand your concern. You are a 34 year old male with history of anxiety disorder and currently on no allopathic treatment.

You are having problem of something hanging in your lower throat, this causes severe worried state and in order to get relieved of that worried state you have to suck a lot of air and then compelled to gag to blow air out of throat, when air ball comes out you would get relief.

Anxiety is a non specific fear and anxiety disorder includes a number of other disorders. The symptoms you are having are nothing but part of anxiety disorder only. The feeling of something in throat appears to be Obsession and throat clearing or gag after that is Compulsion. In simple terms it may be due to OCD or stress, in order to get rid of the thoughts individual is compelled to do some ritualized acts which are called compulsions. Compulsive throat clearing is a common symptom seen in OCD. Occurrence of this disorder with anxiety itself cause severe distress and loss of functioning.

I would advise you to visit a psychiatrist for expert evaluation and treatment. Acupuncture is a nice modality for relaxation but it is not a definitive treatment. Medicines like SSRI as Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine etc are used for this disorder. Non medicinal treatment like Behavior therapy is needed for quick response.

Before all of that I would also request you to visit an ENT doctor to rule out any throat problem.

Hope this helps you, if you have more questions you can ask again.

Thanks