For Women Over 40 With Anxiety Disorders
Everyone worries about things like health, money, or family problems at one time or another. But people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) are extremely worried about a multitude of things, even when there is little or no reason to worry about them. They can be very anxious about just getting through the day. They think things will always go badly. Terry’s mom would jokingly tease her even as a child that she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she didn’t have something to worry about. Her mom had no idea how problematic and long-term this would be for Terry. As an adult, Terry noticed she was unable to control her constant worries, couldn’t relax, concentrate or sleep well. She was easily startled, irritable, felt tired all the time and had frequent headaches. Sometimes she had muscle tension, aches, trembling, twitching and difficulty swallowing as if her throat was closing up. She felt nausea, lightheaded and hot flashes at times. She had frequent urination and sweating. Poor Terry. Can you imagine what her life must be like? GAD develops slowly. It often starts between childhood and middle age. Symptoms may get better or worse at different times, but during stressful periods, nearly debilitating. An over 40 woman may visit a doctor many times before finding out she had this disorder. She’ll ask her doctor for help with the signs of GAD, such as headaches or trouble falling asleep, but won't always get the help she needs right away. It may take doctors some time to be sure that she has GAD instead of something else. There is help for people with anxiety disorders. The first step is to go to a doctor or health clinic to talk about symptoms. The doctor will do an exam to make sure that another physical problem isn't causing the symptoms. The doctor may make a referral to a mental health specialist. Doctors may prescribe medication to help relieve GAD. It's important to know that some of these medicines may take a few weeks to start working. In most states only a medical doctor (a family doctor or psychiatrist) can prescribe medications. The types of medicines used to treat GAD are listed below. Some are used to treat other problems, such as depression, but also are helpful for GAD:
There is no cure for Generalized Anxiety Disorders as yet, but treatments can give relief to people who have it and help them live a more normal life. Back to top of For Women Over 40 With Anxiety Disorders
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