Medication for agraphobia

[Wilburis]

Hi

Is there any medication for agraphobia?

x

[ana]

Agoraphobia as such can be treated with medication aimed at treating anxiety/panic disorders. As soon as the panic levels are lower, the agoraphobia becomes less of a bother. I've found this myself, being on anti-depressants. No anxiety makes me feel more confident and therefore more likely to go out and push myself to do more things and expand my radius of movement.

[Wilburis]

Hello

Yes,you are absolutely correct.

Ive tried countless medications over the 10 years and nothing works.

My anxiety is getting worse and Im becoming agoraphobic again. I can barely get my kids to school, which is a 1 minute walk each way.

Ive tried CBT, it didnt work and now Im at a loss.

I dont know what to do - I just want to be in bed all day.

I go to bed at night thinking tomorrow will be different. It never is.....

[dally]

Hi ana
I've struggled with agoraphobia for over 30 years.
I took valium as required, which was extremely rarely as I was acutely aware of how addictive it was. And I did eventually develops a tolerance withdrawal.

Valium did help me, when I HAD to go somewhere. A few years ago I was helped by doing exposure therapy. I used valium to reduce the panic. It took the edge of, but eventually tolerance built up.
More recently I was given beta blockers which again I felt helped a little, but have now developed asthma as a side effect! But if you don't have asyhma it would be worth considering.
My doctors are constantly suggesting ADs, but I cannot tolerate the start up side effects. Being/feeling sick starts a major panic in me. Though I am considering them.

So. Exposure therapy is the one thing that has helped me

[Wilburis]

Hi

My main problem is intense dizziness.

x

[dally]

Dizziness could be because you are hyperventilating. Try calming your breathing rate down. And perhaps carry a golf umbrella for support (that doesn't look as bad as a walking stick!) Lol

[Wilburis]

Hi

Thank you for the good advice!

You may well be right - I used the pram as an aid when the kids were small and I always push the supermarket trolley to keep me stable!

Might just get a zimmer, at least Id be able to go out!!

[ana]

I've been on sedatives and anti-depressants before, but the medication I was on at the time, Zoloft, didn't work for me, and benzos can only be so effective long-term, so I've found myself slipping backwards. I know and understand what you're going through. I've started Escitalopram now, and I'm crossing my fingers they work.

[Bonnibelle]

Hi

Sorry to hear you're struggling. I too have agoraphobia and have beaten it before. Mine started after i was attacked and I had panic disorder. I overcame it but then recently due to chronic ill health it returned.

I have children so I have to go out, it isn't bad enough that I can't take my children to school and I can go out with my hubby and children but still find social events and shops tough alot of the time. Recently though after the summer holidays I was terrified facing the school drive daily, I would have panic attacks driving that I had to hide from my children as I drove. I pulled over once or twice to begin with and made an excuse I just felt a little dizzy. Now 4 weeks in they are getting easier again so exposure therapy is the answer. Also I can't do appointments so my GP has done home visits if need be this last year, but that's mainly due to my ill health but appointments are the main thing I have avoided this time round as I had a huge panic attack during a blood test last autumn when unwell.

I am sorry to say that medication can calm anxiety but for it helping agoraphobia there is little chance that it will so I wouldn't rely on any meds to help. The thing for agoraphobia is exposure therapy. You have to face what you fear to ever desensitize to it. It's called habituation. Think of a horror movie, if you had to watch that every single day for 10 days do you think your reaction would be fear as intense as the first time, by the tenth time? It wouldn't be, you'd end up getting an bit bored of it and the fear would subside or at least be less intense.

You have to make a fear hierarchy of the things you fear doing, hardest being at the top of the list and you mark the distress feeling out of 10. Whatever is at the bottom of the list is what you work on first. You don't rush it, if you have to do the easier thing for weeks until you find it easier then move onto the next thing, then that is ok. The easiest thing could still be very hard for you and again that's ok. The lowest on mine was a 6/10 and that's the one I worked on first. I am not at the top of the list yet as they are the 10/10, but it's about starting small and building confidence. Once you see you can do things you will gain confidence and keep going.

It's the best way to face agoraphobia, avoidance creates more fear so naturally not avoiding will decrease the fear. Expect to feel a lot of fear at the beginning that''s natural after avoiding things for so long. Who wouldn't but it's about feeling those sensations and letting them be there and not stop you. You just have to start with the easier things first otherwise you will go too fast into a tough situation and make yourself worse and set back even further. Noone expects any of us to jump into the hardest challenges first, that's not realistic.

Claire Weekes has a book about agoraphobia which you can buy on Amazon, just search her name and agoraphobia. It's an old book but it's great. Also Robin has CBT for panic which is free online. 2 other great books which helped me and are helping me again are Paul Davids 'At Last a Life' and Barry McDonogue 'Dare'. Both excellent reads, I prefer Pauls book out of the two.

Good luck.

B
_

[Wilburis]

Hi Bonnibelle

Im sorry to hear you were attacked. How awful.

Im now having to wait for someone I know to walk past my house and walk down to school with them and I live less than a minute away.

Ive just been to the doctors and he had upped my Mirtazipine. I asked to be referred to a psychiatrist but he said a lot of the time they refuse to see people and that they can be managed in general practice!

I do agree with the exposure therapy. Maybe Ive got bad again because Im by myself all day. I hate being alone.

xx