I was recently diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder along with ADHD. I was expecting the ADHD, but was surprised by the Anxiety Disorder. For one, I didn't know there was such a thing. But it shouldn't surprise me that much, since my husband has often accused me of worrying for the sake of worrying. I worry constantly about things that are either extremely improbable or so far into the future that they really should not be the most urgent thing on my mind.

But anyway, I have a problem in that I am always cold. My hands and feet are like ice all the time. I have to take a sweater every where. Air conditioning in stores, restaurants, my office, can be miserable on me. I even sought a medical explanation about a year ago, before this diagnosis, to no avail.

I am also always tired. My counselor told me anxiety will cause fatigue. Can it also cause cold?

Thanks for your insight!

I don't really know, but one thing I noticed when I started Wellbutrin was that my cold tolerance really improved, along with decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms.

I'm exactly the same way myself-I cannot tolerate air conditioning, for instance. I take a sweater everywhere I go now, when everyone else has shorts and tank tops on. Drives me crazy. Have you had your thyroid checked? How about iron-as in anemia? I don't know your age, but hormonal fluctuations would probably cause it too, even though in my case it hasn't helped me a bit-I had a complete hysterectomy last year, and I was so excited, thinking about hot flashes....I've only had maybe 2 since my surgery though, and they didn't last long enough for me to get excited over at all. lol

I don't really know, but one thing I noticed when I started Wellbutrin was that my cold tolerance really improved, along with decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms.
Same here. Since starting first Lexipro then switching to Effexor, I'm much more cold and less heat tolerant. Of course, accompanied with all that has been about a 25-lb weight gain. Now I sweat like the devil.

i have a good cold tolerence. I can feel the cold but it doesnt bother me much, i can handle it well. I have noticed that i am strugleing to keep warm more though and am suffering from anxiaty stuff. also been loosing weight due to bad appetite, not sure if thats related though or if its all just coincidental.

Have you had your thyroid checked? How about iron-as in anemia? I don't know your age, but hormonal fluctuations would probably cause it too
Yes, I have had thyroid checked and checked for anemia. Nothing physical is wrong. I have low normal blood pressure, but my Dr. insisted that had nothing to do with it.

I am 39, but I have had cold hands, feet, goosebumps for years so I don't think it is hormonal....

Darn, I was hoping for a solution!

I hate to advocate paranoia... BUT

mercury poisioning can cause ADD-like symptoms . It also causes cold hands and feet as just one of many symptoms.

I just thought I'd bring it up, because once in a while someone with metal poisioning gets misdiagnosed as ADD. And a mistake like that can be tragic...

Me


I was recently diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder along with ADHD. I was expecting the ADHD, but was surprised by the Anxiety Disorder. For one, I didn't know there was such a thing. But it shouldn't surprise me that much, since my husband has often accused me of worrying for the sake of worrying. I worry constantly about things that are either extremely improbable or so far into the future that they really should not be the most urgent thing on my mind.

But anyway, I have a problem in that I am always cold. My hands and feet are like ice all the time. I have to take a sweater every where. Air conditioning in stores, restaurants, my office, can be miserable on me. I even sought a medical explanation about a year ago, before this diagnosis, to no avail.

I am also always tired. My counselor told me anxiety will cause fatigue. Can it also cause cold?

Thanks for your insight!

I hate to advocate paranoia... BUT

mercury poisioning can cause ADD-like symptoms . It also causes cold hands and feet as just one of many symptoms.

I just thought I'd bring it up, because once in a while someone with metal poisioning gets misdiagnosed as ADD. And a mistake like that can be tragic...

Me

Another illness that you should take into serious consideration and look into is diabetes. My mother was tested every year after her 30th birthday for diabetes due to our family history. Even though she was tested every year she still went an estimated 5 years undiagnosed due to mixed signals. Diabetes will definatly affect the way your body regulates tempeture and how you react to air conditioning, etc.

Going undiagnosed can be extremely dangerous as well. My mother has permanant pancreas, kidney and heart damage not to mention a massive loss in eye sight.

Let us not forget lead posisoning and the possibility of thyroid problems. All of these are easily and cheaply tested for.

If you have not been tested for heavy metals , for thyroid and for hypoglycemia (diabetes), ask your doctor for these tests. These are trreatable and you may discover that your ADD is "curable".

Also, these conditions can be life threatening if untreatd, so testing for them is a good idea if you have add-like symptoms.


go see your doctor.

Me

OlDadd-sudden body temperature changes after starting an antidepressant type medicine usually means that it has affected your thryoid function, which is why so many people gain a lot of weight when taking them.

Ask your doctor for a thyroid screening test, or if you are already on thyroid meds, to see if the doctor will increase the dosage to ward off more weight gain.

There are lots of alternative things that help your thryoid too, like L-Tyrosine and Iodine/Kelp. Believe it or not, you can put a few drops of that liquid medicinal iodine on your stomach and if it disappears in less than 24 hours, then your thyroid is underactive.

I read about that little home test years ago, and both me and my husand tried it...his thyroid is normal, so I wanted to see what it would do on his skin compared to mine,which is underactive. His was still on 2 days later, and mine disappeared in less than an hour!! It's a neat test to tell how well your thryoid is functioning.

K, semi irelivent but hypoglycimia and diabeties are seperat things. See hypoglycimic is what happens when a diabetic person has blod sugar decreases but its also a seperat thing in its own right, called hypoglycimia. This is kind of like the *** end of diabeties, where your sugar level droppes but doesnt rise. I learned this because my mom is hypoglycimic and a friend i had is diabetic (insulin dependent). Hypoglycimia can lead to diabeties if untreated. I would expect that the diabeties test can pick up both but i never botherd looking into it.

Hmm, interesting information. I have had a thyroid test which came back normal, but that's it.

I googled "cold hands symptoms" (why haven't I done that before, I google everything else?) and found several things that could cause it. Anxiety was one, which was my original question. Another was excessive caffeine use (oops) and carpal tunnel syndrom (uh oh).

Still, you all have given me some things to discuss with my doctor at my next check up!

I've had hyper thyroid issues so I know about anxiety and I would get the sweats and very hot along with insomnia.

In 2003 I had radio active iodine which completely burned my thyroid requiring synthroid hormone replacement treatment.

Everyone should get their thyroid checked as many ppl have thyroid conditions that they are unaware of.

It took almost a year to find the right dosage so I had changes in my physique and temperature.

The last few months the funny thing is my thyroid has been relatively 100% normal. But I at times would become very cold for no reason at all.

I'd also get panic attacks, and a lot of anxiety.

I've recently started treatment with Celexa and since my treatment, I rarely become cold now.

39 is not too young to be experiencing pre-menopause symptoms, or to have the beginnings of osteoporosis. I was through menopause while still in my 40's. And the porous bone structure leaves lots of surface area to be chilled -- think of the phrases, "The wind went right through me," and it was a "bone chilling wind." There are simple tests for both of these possible causes.
But you only mentioned your hands & feet. If the coldness is confined to your extremities, it would seem a circulatory system disorder could be manifesting.

HAHA you guys are funny :D

Lot's of things can cause a general feeling of cold, or cold extremities. ;)

To answer your main question about cold and anxiety: Yes, anxiety can release chemicals that constrict peripheral blood vessels, thus taking blood away from the skin and diverting it to the core and large muscle groups. This makes you feel cold. Anxiety also can cause sweatiness, the classic cold, clammy hands and/or feet. Lovely!

Naturally, people prone to chronic anxiety are generally super-sensitive to the physical effects of stress, and many can be chronically cold, sweaty, and have problems with palpitations, flushing, bowel disturbances, nausea, and other common symptoms of anxiety.

I do not know about being cold as a symptom of anxiety disorder, but I do know it IS a symptom of metal poisioning (mercury, in particular). If you have add-like symptoms and have cold hands all the time, you need to see your doctor and get tested for metal poisoning.


Me :D




Me :D
I was recently diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder along with ADHD. I was expecting the ADHD, but was surprised by the Anxiety Disorder. For one, I didn't know there was such a thing. But it shouldn't surprise me that much, since my husband has often accused me of worrying for the sake of worrying. I worry constantly about things that are either extremely improbable or so far into the future that they really should not be the most urgent thing on my mind.

But anyway, I have a problem in that I am always cold. My hands and feet are like ice all the time. I have to take a sweater every where. Air conditioning in stores, restaurants, my office, can be miserable on me. I even sought a medical explanation about a year ago, before this diagnosis, to no avail.

I am also always tired. My counselor told me anxiety will cause fatigue. Can it also cause cold?

Thanks for your insight!

This sounds eerily familiar. I'm 24, was diagnosed with ADD shortly before my 18th birthday but was never followed. I was talking with my mother who is a mental health worker and she believes I may have general anxiety disorder. I'm constantly worried, and I freeze up (in both ways of the term). I can't move I'm so overcome with fear, fear of not pleasing others, pleasing myself, not doing something right, the list goes on & on. but I've notice I'm always cold. right now my hands feel as though I've been outside playing in the snow, although I've been in the house all night. It's really frusterating...

solei11

HI,


My anxiety has kicked up in the last month and I also notice that my fingers are cold now. I saw another post about Ritalin doing the same thing. I started Rit a few months ago and never felt the cold fingers. Bu tnow that my Anx has kicked up I feel the cold.

I do believe that the Rit has initiated the Anxiety, but the cold fingers came after the Anxiety started.

BTW, moving my fingers doesn't seem to warm them up. I can play my guitar for an hour and they're still be cold.

One time I may have had a Panic attack. The one thing I remember was that my fingers and lips got numb, maybe it's related.

Al

I have the cold extremity thing too..

However, I ONLY get them after taking my MetaDate CD.

You dont mention when you have those symptoms, but I've only ever felt that during medicated hours... and they are made far worse if I start a caffeine run. (I've since quit caffeine (as much as I can)).

But was Googling those symptoms and found this thread because I was just wondering if that was normal.

As an aside, I've recently had a heavy metal exposure test, requested it from my doc because I grew up in a Chicago Public Housing Project.

He didn't give me any grief about requesting it and it came out negative. AND, though I personally know I've had these cold hands off and on since I began the medication (3 years ago) family-history-related thyroid and diabetes tests have (thankfully) always come back clean.

So - I'm thinking it is stimulant related side-effect?

Being Cold is usually a symptom of (a) not exercising/inactivity, OR, (b) low thyroid.

NB. Caffeine, stimulants, etc close up blood vessels. This could make you feel colder.

Honestly? Get exercising!! <G>

Unless you have MVP (mitral valve prolapse), or an extra heart nerve that give you heart palpitations (something medical) causing your Anxiety Symptoms... the BEST treatment for ANXIETY and DEPRESSION is Good Hard Heart-Pumping Exercise for 30 minutes each day.

It gets rid of the Anxiety and Stress Hormones (eg cortisol; adrenaline; re-sets the HPA AXIS).

Being Cold is usually a symptom of (a) not exercising/inactivity, OR, (b) low thyroid.

NB. Caffeine, stimulants, etc close up blood vessels. This could make you feel colder.

Honestly? Get exercising!! <g>
</g>Wow that makes so much sense, I've wondered why I get cold hands and feet when I stay in my room to work.

I'm a huge caffeine fan and take dexamphetamine for the ADD...

Thanks for sharing! :D

yea i used to have cold hands almost all my life but just recently i got anxiety medication and now they arent cold any more :D. some chemical must of triggered more circulation in my hands? idk but it worked

First, I was going to say: I think some people are just cold. My wife is like that. I don't know if it's like ice quite, and she's gotten better over the years. Most likely (in her case) due to some weight gain, at her lowest she weight 115, and these days is a healthy 130-140 or so. I've known a million skinny to non-underweight thin folks with chronic coldness. Me, I'm very overweight, and usually am fine, but at various times (especially before I started working out 3 years ago) have been feeling warmer than her, sometimes a little too warm, though not sweating.

Anyway, downer drugs like benzos (anxiety meds) and opiates tend to make one warmer. That said, so do stimulants, like those used for ADHD treatment.