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Excessive fear of dying & major illness.
I have been struggling with health anxiety for the past four years. Over this period, I’ve undergone several medical tests, including ECG and 2D Echo, and all results have come back normal. Despite this, I often feel like something is seriously wrong with my health and live with a constant fear that something bad is going to happen. Negative thoughts occupy my mind almost all the time.
I’ve been on various anxiety medications during these years, including Stalopam Plus, Clonafit 0.25 MD, Clonafit Beta, and a few others. However, I stopped taking all anxiety medication about a month ago. Since then, I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to manage my daily life. I feel constantly worried, overwhelmed, and anxious, particularly with the persistent thought that something terrible is going to happen.
I’m reaching out for guidance or consultation on how to manage these thoughts and emotions effectively.
I want to find a structured path toward recovery so I return to normal life.
Thanks
Answers (9)
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Thank you for sharing so openly.
Health anxiety can be incredibly overwhelming, especially when it persists despite normal medical results. What you’re describing - persistent worry about health, repeated checking, difficulty trusting medical reassurance - aligns with health anxiety (also known as illness anxiety disorder or hypochondriasis).
It's important to know you're not alone, and this condition is treatable. Anxiety can worsen after stopping medications abruptly, so it's good that you're reaching out. A structured approach using CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) tailored specifically for health anxiety has shown very positive results. It helps address the "what if" thoughts, safety behaviours (like frequent checking), and teaches how to sit with uncertainty.
Next Steps
a. Please consult a psychiatrist to evaluate if restarting or adjusting medication is needed, especially since symptoms worsened after stopping.
b. Consider working with a clinical psychologist experienced in health-focused CBT.
c. You can also explore mindfulness-based interventions, which help manage intrusive thoughts and bring emotional balance.
d. Keep a daily journal of your thoughts and triggers - this can help both you and your therapist understand patterns.
Health Tips
a. Avoid googling symptoms or doing frequent health checks - these reinforce the anxiety cycle.
b..Recovery takes time and practice, so be gentle with yourself.
c. With the right help, people with health anxiety do recover and return to living full, meaningful lives. You're already taking the right step by seeking support.
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Hello, thank you for sharing your experience so openly.
What you're describing aligns with health anxiety, a form of anxiety where physical sensations or harmless symptoms can trigger intense fear of serious illness â even after repeated medical reassurance. This can feel exhausting and very real, as youâve described.
Stopping medication suddenly can also lead to a rebound of anxiety symptoms, which might explain the recent intensification.
Hereâs how we can move forward:
Psychotherapy Support to help manage health anxiety by addressing the thought patterns and emotional responses that keep fear alive.
Medication Review: Consulting a psychiatrist to safely reassess the need for medication can be helpful â especially if symptoms are disrupting daily functioning.
Structured Recovery Plan: A combination of psychotherapy, routine structuring, guided relaxation or mindfulness exercises, and gradual exposure to health-related triggers can be very effective.
Please consider reaching out to a psychologist for a personalized therapy plan.
Next Steps
Psychologist and Psychiatrist
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Heyy
I can help you better with further treatment course needed. U can connect me via whatsapp on seven zero eight two zero two two zero six two.
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Sorry to hear that youve been struggling. Health anxiety can have underlying maladaptive thoughts or conflicted feelings, that can present as bodily sensations which are then misinterpreted as being dangerous. Suddenly discontinuing medication can also lead to rebound worsening of original symptoms. Therapy to manage these feelings and thoughts along with medication usually is most helpful.
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Hi
You’ve been dealing with health anxiety for 4 years, and even after normal tests, your mind is stuck in a fear loop — “What if something’s wrong?” This is a common cycle where anxiety tricks your brain into misreading normal sensations as danger.
To break this loop, start with:
• Thought tracking: Write scary thoughts and challenge them with facts.
• Grounding: 3 things you see, 3 sounds you hear, 3 deep breaths when anxiety hits.
• Avoid Googling symptoms and checking your body repeatedly.
• Since you’ve stopped medication recently, your anxiety might feel worse — consider consulting your doctor to review options.
Take therapy, and you can connect with me on nine two six six seven two six zero six five.
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Dr. Kuldeep Singh
General Practitioner
3 yrs exp
Kota
It's psychiatric problem and advise to consult psychiatrist
Next Steps
psychiatrist
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Dr. Vinya Konijeti
Psychiatrist
6 yrs exp
Hyderabad
I'm sorry to hear what you are going through this - what you are experiencing sounds incredibly distressing and exhausting.
From what you've described, it seems you maybe dealing with illness anxiety disorder, where persistent worries about health persist despite normal medical evaluations.
It's more common than many realise, and you're not alone in this.
It's important to know that help is available and recovery is much possible.
A comprehensive Psychiatric assessment would be first step - not just to confirm the diagnosis but to explore underlying patterns, triggers and how this anxiety is affecting your daily functioning.
While medications can be helpful in stabilizing symptoms a holistic approach that includes Cognitive Behavioural therapy, neuromodulation options like rTMS which are showing promise in treatment resistant anxiety can be explored if required.
Illness anxiety could be a possible diagnosis.
However, through assesment will help us identify the root cause of the problem,
while medication does help a holistic approach of ,medication and therapy by using various cognitive behavioural techniques can help.
There are some advancement treatment options like neuromodulation that also help in providing a better outcome.
Next Steps
book a detailed consultation with a Psychiatrist
maintain a symptoms diary for one week
avoid self diagnosing through the internet- it often worsens the anxiety
restarting or adjusting medications along with looking at other modalities might be necessary based on evaluation
Health Tips
you are already doing something brave by seeking help.
recovery can take time.
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Dr. Sunil Nagar
General Physician
17 yrs exp
Rewa
Kindly connect
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Dr. Mohd Ahsan
Psychiatrist
10 yrs exp
Lucknow
Differential diagnosis include
1. Illness anxiety disorder
2. Somatoform disorder
3. Hypochondiasis
Other factors to be considered
Comorbid depressive symptoms
Any substance use
Underlying medical comorbidity
Hence a detailed and extensive workout to be done to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis and then to start treatment accordingly
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