Hello! I Am 24 Years Old, 6'1 180lbs And Pretty

Posted on Thu, 7 May 2020

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 7 May 2020 Answered on

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Question : Hello! I am 24 years old, 6'1 180lbs and pretty healthy. I recently went to urgent care for my shortness of breath. i ended up getting a COVID-19 test and it came back negative. That is great, im glad, but now I still have the shortness of breath and dont know what to do. The doctor said it was most likely anxiety, but I havent felt anxious really at all and dont have much to be anxious about. I have been having heartburn latley, and my sister has acid reflux problems so it is maybe that, bit all of this started monday and I didnt have this problem before this. I should note, I do occasionally smoke marijuana, I use a vaporizer with dry herb so I dont do as much damage. I had a chest xray done and they didnt find anything. The shortness of breath is pretty much all day. Sometimes i dont notice it as much when i am deistracted but it is still there. I just want it to go away. Any help is much appreciated, i cant spend much more money going to the doctor.

Answered by Dr. Olgeta Xhufka (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
It can really be anxiety.

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear, welcome to Ask a doctor's service.
I read your query and here is my advice.

It is good that the covid19 test and the x-ray of the lungs were normal. This means that most probably the problem is not related to pulmonary issues.
I agree with your doctor that the issue may be related to anxiety. Anxiety is much common nowadays because of the situation created by covid19 and isolation.
You are saying that you don't have much reasons for anxiety but isolation and covid19 may be enough for it.
You may continue to take the treatment with benzonatate given by your doctor. Also stoping vaporizer will be helpful. Marijuana may also interact with benzonatate causing drowsiness.
Also being inactive and staying indoors can make you feel difficulty breathing.
I don't believe that reflux can cause the difficulty breathing.

Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad