Hello - need help [Archive]

louise19

09-10-11, 16:00

I'm Louise, and for the past few weeks i have been suffering from terrible anxiety and panic attacks. About three weeks ago i had to go to London with work and had a terrible panic attack when i was there, I came back still not feeling myself, felt like I was in a dream world and the feeling just seemed to get worse. I went to my GP and he said I was suffering from panic attacks and gave me anti-dep medication. This has not worked. In the past few days I have felt nervous all the time, my heart is pounding and I have had several big panic attacks. It got so bad on saturday i nearly went to A&E. I feel like Iam going out of my mind. The more I try to fight the panic the worse it gets, but I can no longer distract myself. I feel nervy and strange all day, then I have a big panic attack, this makes me shake like mad, and I feel as though Iam going mad. after I have had the panic attack i feel better, almost normal for a few hours and then the fear and anxiety start all over again. I cant escape it. Does anyone know how I help myself overcome this anxiety. I know it's in my mind, but I cant stop it and iam terrified i will end up being sectioned if it doesn't stop. I have taken time of work, telling them i have the flu, but if this doesn't stop i dont think i can go back. Does anyone else feel like this?

Thanks

nomorepanic

09-10-11, 16:02

Hi louise19

A huge warm welcome to nmp.

You'll get loads of advice and support here and make some lovely friends along the way.

Best wishes

bonney

10-10-11, 08:42

hi sorry to hear you are having panic attacks i had my first one 10 years ago while going to the shops it came from nowhere i was half way there did not know weather to turn around go home or carry on ..i decided to carry on despite all the frightening symptoms i was having i finally got home called the doctor he came round to see me told me i had a panic attack that feeling never went away every time i had to make the same journey i finished up having councelling and antidepressants i began to read books on panic attacks and the symptoms it causes its realy scarey to think you could possibly feel like that but there are thousands of people out there with the same problem anxiety is a terrible thing to suffer from you just have to understand what these symptoms are when they come over you for no reason that is what anxiety does there does not have to be a reason you have to try and focus on different things to take your mind away from it and try to relax it does pass iv learnt now to distract myself away from the thought you get it does help but it takes time once you understand panic it will get easier just let it pass take care

nicola1980

10-10-11, 08:51

Hi what meds r u taking and how long have u been on them? as majority of them heighten ur anxiety for a couple of weeks b4 they get into ur system.
Nicola xx

louise19

11-10-11, 11:02

Thanks for your comments bonney and nicola. Iam taking cipralex 5mg, i wonder if it's too small a dose to make me feel better. I went to see my doctor yesterday and he said just give them time to work, but he didn't seem to understand the torment Iam going through. My anxiety seems to be much worse on a morning, as soon as i wake up its there. I feel like i need to talk to a councillor or something, but my doctor just said the waiting list was at least 16 weeks long and there was no chance of getting any CBT. I really dont like taking mind altering drugs and I feel like i need somehing to control my heart rate. I heard beta blockers are good for panic attacks, but when I suggested them to my doctor he dismissed them.

nicola1980

11-10-11, 12:18

hii, im not sure about cipralex?? im just going into wk 5 of citalopram and have been upping my dose from 10mg to now 25mg gradually getting to 30mg, ive had awful side effects with them, heightened anxiety, restless, heart palps and nausea so it could be ur meds getting into ur system?? my doc did prescribe me some diazepam to help with the side effects which have been a godsend!! mornings are my worse, they r awful but slowly getting better now (touch wood) i must say 5mg doesn't sound a strong dose??
Nicola xx

debs71

11-10-11, 13:10

Hi Louise,

I can sympathise with everything you say, every experience you are having/feeling. I have suffered panic attacks/anxiety/depression for the past 8 years on and off and the first thing you have to believe is you ARE NOT going out of your mind and you WILL NOT go crazy from what you are feeling.

Your mind is super anxious right now, and the dream world/spaced out feeling is your mind trying to protect itself from the anxiety. Depersonalisation and derealistation are two terms that describe this feeling. I know it is horrible. I have had it on a few occasions and I think it is one of the most scary things about anxiety.

This WILL get better, and whilst it feels like it will last forever it won't. Once your meds kick in, and more crucially, you are at the CORRECT dose for you to manage on, this will settle, I promise.

At the moment you are in the eye of the storm with the anxiety hun. The main thing is that you have started cipralex (I took cipralex too)

First things first - yes, you are on a low dose. Now some doctors do this to minimise the side effects and gradually increase the dose (as my estimation is that the dose is far too low for you if your less-than-helpful sounding GP intends to keep you on that dose). Did he want you to come back for a review of how you are? The meds take a couple of weeks to a month to kick in fully. You will have some heightening of your anxiety when you first start them, but this will get better. It is like going through the hurricane to reach the blue skies on the other side, and I know it feels awful but do believe you WILL get there. So many of us here have experienced exactly what you are feeling hun.

If your GP did not mention returning (and if he didn't that is outrageous) then after a few weeks, and if you find the meds not having effect, DO go back and tell him it is not effective and he SHOULD increase it. I started on 10mg and thankfully stayed on 10mg. Different doses work for different people and it is purely subjective.

The other thing is DO NOT be fobbed off your GP, firstly about the meds which can ease your transition onto Cipralex (he can prescribe those for you) and secondly the counselling/therapy thing. It is terrible that he said the waiting list is too long!!!!!! If he was worth his salt he would immediately refer you for that no matter how long the wait is. When I became ill, like you, I really didn't want mind-altering drugs as I was worried that it would change me in some way and my way of thinking. My GP was excellent - she said she would not refer me for counselling unless I agreed to take the meds first, and vice versa, as I wasn't keen on therapy either. The theory was that the meds would take the edge of the panic and anxiety by which time I could see a counsellor to address the root causes and explain my thoughts and feelings to someone. I did have to wait a long time too - I think it was about 3 months or so, but it is DEFINITELY worth it Louise.

Make another appointment with your GP and insist that he refer you, regardless of the wait. Your GP is working FOR YOU as his patient and he has a duty of care to you.

Ok....there are other methods of coping with how you are feeling. Distraction is a brilliant way of taking your mind away from the panic sensations and thoughts. Anything that keeps you busy basically is helpful, so housework, watching a good film, playing internet games where you have to concentrate, like word games for example, going out for a long walk, listening to music...ANYTHING that detracts your mind. This works because our minds cannot focus on two things at once, so it pulls our minds away from the panic. Distraction can also be used when in public if you feel the panic coming. My attacks tend to come when I am shopping and standing in a queue these days for some reason, so I distract myself by things like looking for 5 pink items around me, or singing a song in my head, etc. It takes practice, but it does work.

IT IS HARD, I know, but it does work.

The second thing that helps is breathing techniques, which will help reduce your heart rate and that 'out of control' sensation. Taking several long, deep breaths in - holding it for a few seconds - and then breathing slowly out. You can do this for as long as you need to, until you feel more relaxed. Another thing that helps is tensing and relaxing your muscles, so tensing and squeezing up all of your limbs and body and then slowly releasing again.

Along with this, I find it useful at the same time to use postive thoughts. This does sound a bit airy/fairy and bonkers, but it really does help. Keep repeating in your mind ' this is only anxiety, this will pass, I am safe, nothing bad is going to happen, and any other postive statement that you can think of'. This sound weird, but it honestly helps alter that negative way of thinking that makes our symptoms worse, things like 'I can't breathe, I'm going to die, I'm really scared'...that kind of thing which just exacerabates the panic.

Louise, I know it feels like you won't get through this. I know it feels like you will not get better from this.

YOU WILL.

At the moment this is all new to you, and it is very overwhelming and hard to believe that you are not losing your sanity, but this is purely your overanxious mind talking and creating all of those horrendous thoughts and feelings.

*See how you get on with the meds. If you do not find any relief, return to the doctor abour increasing the dose.

*Insist on the support of counselling/therapy. Do not be fobbed off about the waiting list.

*Discuss again the possibilty of meds to help you through. I personally didn't have any, and they were not offered, but many people do take them (diazepam/propanolol)
Be a nuisance if you have to with your GP. You have every right to correct treatment and the addressing of your condition.

* Do try out things to help with all of your feelings in the meantime as mentioned. There are also great websites that advise about dealing with anxiety and panic, this being one of them!

THIS WILL PASS!!!! YOU WILL FEEL BETTER.

It may take some time, some strength and effort, and it is hard, but you will not be like this forever hun.

Anytime you need to offload or need extra support, this site is great as there are always folk around who can respond to you and give your seven a little bit of support.

Lots of love.xxxx:hugs:

louise19

11-10-11, 16:07

Thanks for your brilliant response Debs. I was feeling really terrible this morning. I read your reponse and made an emergency appointment with a different GP today, I went in to see her and literally broke down, I said I needed more help to get through this and I wasn't happy with my previous GP's reponse. She agreed the tablets I had been given were not enough and upped my dose to 10mg. She also gave me some diazepam and said she would refer me to a councillor. She told me to come back in a week to see her again. I am so happy I saw a different doctor, I feel a bit better already knowing something is getting done.

nicola1980

11-10-11, 18:51

So pleased u went back to ur gp and theyve upped ur dose, the diazepam will really help u aswell with any side effects so please use them if needed............i was paranoid about using them and getting addicted but my doc was very reassuring that i wouldn't in the short term and i NEEDED them to help me thro, good luck and keep us posted
Nicola xx

debs71

11-10-11, 22:33

AK Bun

14-10-11, 08:25

Hi louise

How are you doing? Glad you found a good GP - you have a plan to deal with this, which is brilliant.

I've had Diazepam for the very worst moments and find that simply carrying one in my pocket reassures me that if I have an attack I will be okay - they work pretty quickly, as I'm sure you've found out. Often, it's the fear of having an attack that creates the attack itself.

Once the anti-deps start working you might not need the Diazepam at all.

Good that you're getting councelling - I had bad attacks in my late 20's and never got any such help, but now (after 25 years trouble free) I'm having a 'blip' and will get CBT and am going to try a Gestalt therapist too.

I know loads of people of all ages who've had councelling of different types and for different reasons (health, family problems, self esteem, work issues) and say it's the best thing they've ever done. There's no stigma to it any more.

louise19

15-10-11, 13:20

Thanks everyone for your advice, i have been keeping up with the anit-deps, I keep feeling quite spaced out and nervous, not sure if these are the meds side effects or if its just my anxiety. I have found the diazepam to be brilliant and iam able to eat a bit now too. Iam trying to only take one diazepam a day and it's only 2mg, so hopefully i wont get too dependant on them. This has been the worst few weeks of my life, i am very grateful to everyone who has given me advice as I really didnt understand what was happening to me. My family are supportive, but they really have no idea what iam going through,and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I guess the only people who know what it's like, are the ones who have been through this.