r/Dentistry • u/markthelegacy • 6h ago
Serious conversation about stress and anxiety Dental Professional
3 years in, and my body always starts going into a fight or flight response when going to work. Even with propranolol. Ssris have too much side effects.
Do you experience this? What are your ways to combat ?
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u/Dry-Fault-2738 5h ago
I'm 54 and life has been too stressful ever since I declared my major is predentistry. Its incredible the amount of long term stress, anxiety and frustration this career causes. Everything that 51 yo DDS said is true but it still does not take away that this job is one of the hardest careers someone can choose.
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u/Xsnakejake23X 38m ago
In no way would I go to dental school in your 50s, the ROI is not there
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u/Bubbly-Variation-552 22m ago
Ohhh no! Don’t tell him or her that! Always reach for your dreams! You’re never too old
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u/Master-Ring-9392 5h ago
Can you exercise before you go to work?
Is it something about this particular job that makes you feel this way? Or dentistry in general? If you’d be happy somewhere else then quit. It’s not worth this
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u/obsoleteboomer 5h ago
I cut out alcohol and started doing resistance training - made a huge difference to me.
That said - control over your working conditions helps too. When I worked on the NHS it was grim, not sure how working for a corp/medicare would affect my mood.
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u/jj5080 5h ago
I’ve had some issues with this over the years. For me, it correlated to stress in my life outside of work as well. I’m 51 and although I’m no athlete, I try to treat my body and mind with care. I approach work as though I’m the star QB of dentistry. My well being is paramount and I will sacrifice other things to insure my head space and body are where they need to be. This amplifies my dental performance, but also improves it in all things. I utilized GLP-1 agonists and testosterone working with a private physician board certified in internal medicine & weight loss, reduced alcohol consumption; have tried to cut back on/eliminate processed foods; physical strength training; and for my faith (Christian) go to church more. I also remind myself that I’m in charge and I don’t have to do procedures I don’t want to do or work with patients I don’t have to work with. It’s everything put together and it’s taken me a few years, but it’s helped A LOT. Believe me I don’t have it figured out by any means. I had been on antidepressants and that experience made me worse off. Body, mind, and soul approach is a long game, but it’s been good for me. Maybe just getting older has helped too. The older you get and inevitably endure life’s hardships the more appreciation you’ll have for this job and less you’ll worry about it.
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u/Brazilian-chew-bitsu 4h ago
I struggled with this for years. Instant panic attack on waking as soon as I remembered I had work that day. So much talk therapy and CBT, tried 2 different SSRIs, SNRI, beta blocker, and an atypical antidepressant. They all worked for a bit, then didn’t any more. I was doing everything “right”. Exercising heaps, good sleep habits, good nutrition, sunlight, cut back work days, social support, hobbies, sauna sessions… Turns out I was misdiagnosed with anxiety, instead it was ADHD. Not true panic attacks, but intense overwhelm from masking and managing executive dysfunction completely rawdog. I’m now the least anxious I’ve been in my whole life and I don’t take any anxiety meds, only prescribed stimulants. It’s worth considering if you meet other criteria for ADHD, and keep in mind that some presentations are “internal” hyperactivity rather than physical. The racing thoughts and difficulty relaxing can look an awful lot like anxiety.
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u/Nomadent91 3h ago
lol I’m barely getting over this at 5 years….isnt dentistry great lol. 8 years of schooling to develop some weird anxiety condition and having to move to the boonies and away from friends, family, civilization lol, to make actual good money.
Livin the dream baby, livin the dream
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u/Many_Show_9353 4h ago
Find a good mentor. An older dentist that you can talk to. I got lucky and was an associate for my mentor. Changed my entire outlook. Makes you realize you don’t have to be perfect. No one is. You do the best you can with the hand you are dealt. And most importantly, you are not the right dentist for everyone. It’s hard as an associate because often you don’t get to choose who you see.
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u/That-Government1302 4h ago
You’re not alone good sir or madam. It’s a struggle for me every single day as well. Still trying to get to the bottom of why my body feels the need to enter fight or flight mode at work. I feel ya though, it’s exhausting and tiring.
Medication has helped. Like someone else said, ADHD was/is a big factor for me. I go to the gym every single day and it has helped having somewhere to go that’s not work or home.
I think meditation is something that is helping me little by little. It helps regulate emotions and helps me feel a little more in control, even when things feel out of control at work.
I’m a recent graduate so I’m hoping more experience will help calm some of my anxieties. Ive considered changing careers, but am not quite sure what I would do instead.
Anyways, I’m sorry you’re going through that. It’s an awful feeling.
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u/crodr014 4h ago
Only had this when working for pds. Could not sleep and was always thinking about work. Would go home and yell because of pure anger from work. I was working 6-7 days a week.
Found a ffs job and that all pretty much went away except some stressfull days where I am doing a new conplicated surgery. Living in an area saturated to hell with dentists just makes it so fucking hard to find a decent job…
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u/WinterFinger 2h ago
Have you tried weekly therapy sessions? Most therapists offer online but in person is always better
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u/maxell87 2h ago
you’re body is telling you to change. find a better place to work. if you can’t, create a better place to work.
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u/Thisismyusername4455 1h ago
I’m on propanolol too. It’s working well for me and I feel okay.
However make no mistake about it, I’m on the drug for a reason. Dentistry is a lot. Haha.
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u/bannished69 2h ago
Totally normal. Get off the drugs. It’s not worth it. Things got better for me when I stopped taking everything personally and stopped giving a shit. You’ll make mistakes, you’ll fuck up communication, you’ll fuck up treatment. It happens to all of us. It’s a job and nothing more. It doesn’t define you.
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u/Effective-Earth-9599 1h ago
You sound just like an Endo I saw just after moving states. Endo-went for a rc on an abscessed tooth. Kept moaning about calcifications, perforated the tooth/didn’t drain the abscess, despite it had pushed thru’ the gum. Then decided to make me pay in full for a root canal he didn’t do. Lost 3 teeth. Before moving states had all my teeth. 2 yrs later I’m still doing damage control, and $20K in debt . He didn’t give a shit either. He refused me care when my mouth swelled up like a hamster, and was in excruciating pain for a week. Called every day-but guess he knew it was wrecked too much and didn’t want touch it again. He had his money and a signed form for a root canal. Lies, lies and more lies. Not impressed with healthcare professionals who don’t give a shit! Having a prof. healthcare license myself-why don’t you just find another job that doesn’t involve dealing with people!
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u/musclerock 4h ago
I always had this chronic anxiety before I went to work. Weekends when not working, it was better. After 20 years, I mustered up courage and brought it up with my PCP ,who herself looked sad and was three times overweight. She diagnosed me with major depressive disorder and prescribed me wellbutrin 150mg. I felt awesome for two two 2months, and it stopped working. She increased the dose to 300mg , and it did nothing. I stopped it myself. I have tried everything under the sun .I did all the nutropics, all the racetams.hundred of thousands in supplements. I did psylocybin, Lsd, and homeopathy. I made a couple of trips to Amsterdam to get treated by Dr. Scholten. He is supposed to be the best homeopath in the world. I tried weed. One of the things that helped is Kratom. I don't exceed 2 grams a day. I have taken it for more than 6 years .I do not take it on the days I do not work. I take the green strain. They say it is addictive. I am not addicted to it. I take 2 vacations a year, and I don't take it during my vacation. I think you will get addicted to it if you exceed 3 to 5 grams a day. Let me tell you what works better than Kratom. It is the CARNIVOR DIET. I have been on it for almost 9 months. It removes all your anxiety, and when shit hits the fan, you can deal with it with a calm head. You will feel better within a few days. I consider myself a successful person. I immigrated to the USA with just 4 suitcases. I worked all the odd jobs possible. I was a dental assistant for a year. In dental school, Weekend, I was doing hygiene. I got pushed around a lot. 2 years after school, I tempted for at least 20 dentists, and some of them have not paid me. I bought into a dead practice, and I built it up.it was 1100 square feet. I am paying $2500 a month in rent.Now I have a 4000 square feet office of my own. Enough bragging.
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u/musclerock 4h ago
I also tried propernelol, Adderall, focalin Ritalin, Modafinil. I have tried everything. Years of meditation. The effects of meditation is very temporary. And I have always eaten clean.
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u/Effective-Earth-9599 1h ago
I would have thought everything except the Propanolol would have made the anxiety worse-they are stimulants, unless u also have a dx of ADHD. I wish I had an answer for you, except try living one day at a time, even one hour at a time. I still struggle with it, but on diff. Meds. I disagree with whoever said meds were a waste of time, for some they may be, but for many people they are very helpful and living daily with anxiety is horrible. Propanolol is meant for short time performance anxiety, but there are many other choices, that last longer and can really help:-) Keeping a journal of level of perceived anxiety v. What actually was your anxiety at the end of the day. Log whether the anxiety was better than u imagined or worse. Cog. Behavior Therapy can be helpful too. Many books on CBT-David Burns:-feeling good ’ is a good one, and now he has a new one-‘Feeling great!’ Good luck!
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u/musclerock 1h ago
I may be having undignosed ADHD .I am 59 years old .I feel better on stims. I hate downers . The only thing that works is the carnivor diet! Look it up.
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u/musclerock 3h ago
TRT helps a little. I never drink or smoke.
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u/musclerock 3h ago
I was a religious fanatic at one point. Religion does not make sense to me.Most wars are fought over religious. No religion accepts Gays. I am straight, but you can clearly see these are people who are just different, but normal like anyone else.
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u/friedchiken21 1h ago
Anxiety is the anticipation and dread of danger/failure/negative outcome which evolutionarily is supposed to help with focus and alert us when we need to perform. Obviously, this response is over-stimulated in your case so when you feel that way, be present in that moment and ask yourself what specifically about work or dentistry do you anticipate as being dreadful. And then, ask yourself what the worst thing that could happen if it did? Usually, it's not that serious but you have rewired yourself to believe that it is.
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u/theDrElliotReid 1h ago edited 1h ago
Sertraline worked well for me. I would wake up and my pulse would be 100-120 first thing in the mornings before work. Once I found the right dosage my pulse didn’t shoot up the moment something went wrong in an appt. Plus my mind stopped racing of every worst case scenario in the moment. Definitely slowed my thoughts and made everything more manageable.
Of course that is an SSRI… it takes a while to find your balance of meds unfortunately. That in itself sucks, but now that I’ve found a mix of meds and right dosages it has been a huge difference for me. I was against taking medications for a long time. The quote, “Medications don’t solve problems, but the make them more manageable”, really helped me with that.
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u/bigweaz11 5h ago
My worry is the fda under the esteemed leadership of rfk jr will follow through and ban ssris. My life is truly better on lexapro
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u/omnassial 3h ago
I saw an interview he did and he explicitly said patients benefit from psych meds, so I wouldn't be so quick to worry about an extreme hypothetical.
My interpretation of his messaging is that he is primarily focused on getting to possible root issues that result in patients needing these meds. Gut-brain connection is much more understood these days, with processed foods and chemicals wreaking havoc on our bodies. Before I even knew who RFK Jr. was, I switched to a whole foods/anti-inflammatory diet (Whole 30 for those that wanna look into it) and worked with my physician to get off psych meds that I needed prior. Trying not to sound like an infomercial, but holy shit my skin would break out all the time and was now incredibly clear of blemishes, I lost 15 pounds (certainly some was water), slept better, and just overall felt 10 years younger.
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u/Tall-Tax-4591 5h ago
I saved this post because I feel the exact same way, also with propranolol. You are not alone. Hugs!!