Anxiety is a common symptom for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). It's also one of the most common mental health conditions for Australians, with or without MS, with up to one-third of women and one-fifth of men experiencing anxiety.
MS can cause significant anxiety, distress, anger, and frustration from the moment of its very first symptoms. The uncertainty and unpredictability associated with MS is one of its most distressing aspects. In fact, anxiety is at least as common in MS as depression.
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at increased risk for depression and anxiety. The symptoms of MS are often similar to the somatic or physical symptoms of depression and anxiety (fatigue, trouble concentrating).
It is common for people with MS to experience symptoms of anxiety or anxiety disorders. This may be due to neuroinflammation as a result of MS, or the psychological stress that comes with being diagnosed with a chronic condition.
While many with MS will experience depression or anxiety at some point, more rarely, some people experience changes to their emotions or behaviour that don't seem to make sense, or that they aren't able to control.
Tremors can be a symptom of MS - a trembling or shaking movement you can't control. This could appear as shaking hands, or tremors in other parts of the body. Some kinds of MS tremors can be called 'ataxia'. Like other MS symptoms tremors can come and go, or they could be longer lasting.
Studies have found that continuous emotional stress, rather than short-term stress, can trigger an MS relapse in people with RRMS. Long-term, continuous stress keeps the immune system on hyper-alert, is very pro-inflammatory and creates a lot of wear and tear in the body, otherwise known as allostatic load.
These include fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency, muscular dystrophy (MD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), migraine, hypo-thyroidism, hypertension, Beçhets, Arnold-Chiari deformity, and mitochondrial disorders, although your neurologist can usually rule them out quite easily.
Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions in these patients. Today, lifetime prevalence of major depression in MS patients is estimated to be around approximately 25–50%, a number two to five times greater than in general population [9].
People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.
Sometimes you may need to look for professional help to help you cope with your anxious thoughts. A psychologist, counsellor or MS nurse can help with these problems. They can encourage you to develop self-help strategies such as relaxation exercises, discussing fears or distraction techniques.
Commonly cited MS personality changes include social inappropriateness, disinhibition, apathy, emotional lability, and impulsivity.
Selective Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors
The two main SSNRIs that are prescribed for people with MS-related anxiety are: Venlafaxine (Effexor) — Also treats hot flashes in postmenopausal women. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) — Also treats neuropathic pain.
MS dizziness and vertigo is likely to make you feel nauseous. Many people with MS experience symptoms related to digestion, including dyspepsia, which causes an uncomfortable feeling of fullness and bloating along with pain. Digestive problems can also lead to nausea. MS bowel problems can leave you feeling queasy.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Common symptoms include fatigue, bladder and bowel problems, sexual problems, pain, cognitive and mood changes such as depression, muscular changes and visual changes.
Early MS symptoms may include blurred vision, numbness, dizziness, muscle weakness, and coordination issues. MS is progressive and can worsen over time. Eventually, the disease can do damage directly to the nerves, causing permanent disability.
Disease Course of MS Is Unpredictable
A person with benign MS will have few symptoms or loss of ability after having MS for about 15 years, while most people with MS would be expected to have some degree of disability after that amount of time, particularly if their MS went untreated.
Multiple sclerosis usually affects people between the ages of 20 and 50 years, and the average age of onset is approximately 34 years. Multiple sclerosis can affect children and teens (pediatric MS). It has been estimated that 2%-5% of people with MS develop symptoms prior to age 18.
While there are no definitive blood tests for diagnosing MS, they can rule out other conditions that may mimic MS symptoms, including Lyme disease, collagen-vascular diseases, rare hereditary disorders, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
True flares gradually worsen over the course of hours, consist of new "negative symptoms" or loss of function (weakness, vision loss, gait impairment, numbness), and will typically last multiple days. Symptoms that are brief and transient (lasting less than 24 hours) are not consistent with a flare.