How does medication help with agoraphobia??

Im struggling with agoraphobia so was wondering what medication people take for the agora and what does it do?? how does it help?? Up till now ive never taken any meds for panic disorder and agora except rescue remedys.

Hello belle. I think i'm right to say that meds don't do anything think for agoraphobia but they obviously do help with the anxiety of going out. Unfortunately there are no magic pills for agoraphobia but there is a magic person and that is you. Just try getting outside the door everyday and the more you do so the more it will become easier and the further you will want to go and the more you will wanna do it. Small steps everyday even when you don't really feel up to it. That is the best time to go out is when you don't feel like it because when you get home you'll feel you have achieved more than when you do feel like it. You might get tearful even cry but them tears will turn to happy tears when you achieve your gradual goals. Hope this helps you. Good luck

Darren :)

Thanks for your reply, I don't have a problem going out the door, I can go outside. My problem is I can only travel so far then I hit a brick wall. Im wanting to go somewhere that is about 2hrs away, 1 hr im ok and on saturday I got halfway through the 2nd hr so I was 3 quarters of the way to a place im wanting to go and I had to turn back. My aim yesterday was to go halfway of the the 2nd leg of my journey which i did but was unable to park up in the town and go for a walk about, I just turned back cos I started to panic. Practising doing baby steps to reach my goal is difficult cos I can only do this when im not it work as it takes a full day plus petrol is so expensive. I also have the added worry that my car will break down even though im in the AA.

Hello belle. Do you think it may not be nothing to do with the journey but the expectation of what is going to happen when you get there? ie have a panic attack. What would you be like if you walked somewhere and was about half hour away from home. Or what if you went to a somewhere in your car that is only a hour away. What is your anxiety like then?

Darren :)

Hi Belle

Good for you hun for trying to go further, it's so easy to stay in your comfort zone as obviously noone wants to experience anxiety / panic.

Next time you go somewhere, let me know you're going and if you get there and feel panicky you can ring and I'll talk you through it. It may help to know you've got someone who can understand and who'll be there to listen to you so you're not alone. Where was it you went? If it's somewhere south of Manc then I could poss meet you if that'd help, or even just be a backup so you knew I could come to you or meet you halfway back if needs be. It helps me hugely to know I have backups in place, so might help you too.

Maybe don't plan too much - drive for an hour and if you feel okay then go for another 15 mins. Then if still ok, another 15. That way you're not seeing it as trying to do a 2 hour journey, just a one hour (which you can do) and then anything extra is a bonus.

I've had citalopram on and off over the years and when I last went on it I was possibly the worst I've ever been (for various reasons). Everything had suddenly hit me, and I was at the point where I couldn't go half an hour from home on my own. I'd never been that bad before. I went on the citalopram and it really did even my anxiety out. It obviously didn't take it all away, but I felt calmer and more able to put myself in difficult situations.

I used to be against meds as I saw them as almost a sign of failure, but since being on citalopram this time I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. They made me feel so much better, it was worth it. I know people feel differently about them and it's up to the individual, but I personally think anything is worth a try. If you had a physical illness you wouldn't hesitate to take them, which is what I've now realised.

Obviously it's up to you but just wanted to let you know my experiences more.

Looking forward to seeing you next weekend! xxx

Wow Belle, if you can get yourself over an hour away from home, you are already doing really well. Did you manage that alone? If not maybe have a trusted person with you next time and you just might achieve your goal. I can barely manage a couple of miles, still need to feel close to my safe place....what you managed would be so far out of my comfort zone, I just couldn't do it. As Darren says, there is no magic pill to cure this but you should be so proud of how far you can manage to go!! Have you spoken to your doc about this or had any CBT? Might be worth looking into.
Good luck :) Kitti x

Thanks for all the replies, I hav had cbt, I don't think I got that much out of it but attended every appointment for about a year. I did go on my own on Saturday, I went the week before with a work mate who is a driver so it was reasurring to know that he could take over the driving if needs be. I have satnav and it took me a route I wouldn't of taken if I had just gone by my map. Think if I had gone the way I wanted to go it was a more straight forward route I may of been able to park up and gone for a coffee, now that I would of be proud off. It was about half hr/16miles from the town I was happy being in which is about an hr from my house. I'll try again at some time, just thought if I went from town im happy being in to the one half hr away regularly so Im familiar with it then that town may be the town im happy being in then I need to do about the same distance again to reach my goal. I get fedup as its always so long winded and such a performance to go some where that most people would just go for a day out. One technique I have is that I keep telling myself that im only a few hrs away from home its not as though im in Tailand or some where abroad (my cousin has just had a 2 wk trip in Tailand) this to an extent has a calming effect on me.

Hi Lizzie, yes looking forward to next week, must remember that the clocks go forward an hr. My destination is Lincoln so not really going to the West but yes I will ring you next time - thanks.