Medication Induced RIA - Navoko introduction

[Navoko]

Heyo everyone, I'm Nav, 20 years old from Belgium.

I came to this formum because i have CPTSD and a form of RIA, but i've never heard of anyone else with my variation of it.

For the last 20 years (i stopped 2 weeks ago) i've taken bronchodilators such as ventolin and a whole range of different short acting variants. As well as my fair share of extended duration ones.

Due to my mental health and allergies i took 30+ doses of medications per day for most of my life.
The most impactful of which was either Montelukast or Ventolin depending on who you ask.

I had a very rough childhood and slept for less than 2 hours a night as an infant which undoubtedly had a play in my mental state now.

I also have a very severe form of RIA where if i even take a deep breath once i immediately have a multi-day panick attack with heart palpitations and tremors.

I've had this condition my entire life and its never gotten worse or gotten better. Its just part of who i am.

I faintly remember being able to feel happiness for the last time around 5 years old but since i barely remember how that felt i genuinely dont mind it.
I can still experience emotions, i just cant feel them. As in, i know when i'm happy because i'll be more cognitive and awake, but i wont *feel* any different.

Anyways, i'd love to meet you all online and get to know this community. As well as find more people that have my condition. Thanks for letting me join this wonderful forum and hopefully we'll chat one day ^^.

[NarcKiddo]

Welcome, Nav. I've had many happy visits to Belgium.

I have respiratory issues myself but I don't know what RIA is and AI has not been helpful. It sounds very difficult not being able to take a deep breath, but it sounds like you have learned to manage the condition. You say that you stopped taking bronchodilators two weeks ago - I hope that was under medical advice and that you have some medication to hand if the cessation does not go according to plan.

I'm very sorry to hear you had such a rough childhood and hope things are safer and happier for you now.

[Navoko]

Hi NarcKiddo,

I've been told RIA stands for Relaxation Induced Anxiety.

It basically means i cannot ever relax or i trigger my traumas with severe panic attacks as an effect.

I did not really stop taking bronchodilators but merely swapped to ones without any acute working substances in them when my doctor told me i could.
I still have my emergency inhaler with me for whenever i'd really need them. but i try to avoid those as much as possible.

Last time i took them my heart bpm was more than double my usual.

I'm really looking forward to finding out if i'm the only one with this condition or if there's anyone else like me.

[Kizzie]

I had not heard of RIA either Navoko which really surprizes me as so many of us are hypervigilant. I can't think of any member ever talking about this before but if you are going to find someone it will be here I suspect. That said, are there any F2F or online groups for people with RIA do you know? It seems like there are groups for everything these days so may do a search?

I just want to add a word of caution about the fact that some of what you read here may be triggering for you because we are a group who talks about complex relational trauma (abuse and neglect). Most people add a trigger warning at the beginning of any post they think might be triggering but that's not always the case. I just would hate for you to feel worse by being here.