Hi Im new

[sickandtired]

Hello
Im a 40 year old mother of 3 and have been suffering several panic attacks,very sporadic for 3 years now.Ive tried self help books,CD's relaxation techniques,deep breathing but was in such a state last week,im now wondering wether I should get some medication....Xmas is coming and I dont want feel miserable,sad and in fear.
I know I cant demand anything from the doctor,but I have had anti depressants before for PND so have a good idea of what I need to 'get better'.can anyone tell me their experiences of medication & how they have dealt with their fears.thanks for reading.

[nomorepanic]

Hi sickandtired

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

[sickandtired]

Hi Nicola
thanks for the nice welcome x

[diane07]

Hi sickandtired.

A huge warm :welcome: to NMP.

I don't do meds myself but there are plenty of people here that do who can give you some advice, check out the medication forum as that may help you out.

di xx

[sickandtired]

Hi Di
Thank you very much,I will have a look in a bit.I cant stop these irrational worries in my head.Deep down I know Im being silly but I just cant help saying those words,'what if?" My daughter is going on a school trip to France in a few weeks and my Mum had a seizure in front of me some weeks ago,I keep thinking Im going to lose someone.I also have a back problem and am not sleeping well at all,everything is getting on top of me and Ive started to become agrophobic and lose interest in things I used to enjoy. :weep:

[margrtking]

Oh yes that is me all over. Im always walking on egg shells waiting for the next thing to happen i cannot be positive at all. Im always analising and reanalising everything and always think of the worse senario so then i won't get hurt or be disappointed. HELLO and WELCOME!!!!

[sickandtired]

Hi Margrtking
thanks for the welcome!
I feel like crying,but Im not going to as,it will give me headache! I couldnt get in at the doctors last week and ended up crying in front of the receptionist and running out,coz of fear of an attack building.I had a big attack last week and Ive spent days analising it and trying to understand whats going on.I thought I,d conquered them as I havent had one for a few years,so this one really knocked me for six.Its the thought of having another one thats making me ill,rather than the attack itself!!!

[margrtking]

yes i know how you feel it always happens in the worse places too. x

---------- Post added at 14:19 ---------- Previous post was at 14:16 ----------

I think thats half my problem i jut dont cry enough i keep it all in and in my head going round and round. x

[sickandtired]

do you avoid places/people where attacks happen? im afraid if i give in and cry,i may just fall apart completely.have you ever had cognitive therapy? does it work?

[margrtking]

I don't really get panic attacks minds more mental in me head. They tried to give me cognitive theraphy but she said she could not help me,my doctor was horrified with her response.

[sickandtired]

mm my friend lent me a self help book and a relaxation disc a few years ago,i felt it helped a little....ive heard about this cognitive therapy...talking about childhood etc and that it can sometimes trigger memories and make the attacks even worse,the thought of that fills me with dread.like i said,ive only had 3 massive attacks,but many smaller ones where...well,i must have controlled them to some degree or they would have turned into big attack.those thoughts in your head are very soul destroying arent they?......do you have relaxation techniques? my friend is also suffering with anxiety and sent me a few videos via facebook,they did give me immediate relief,albeit temporary......and yes,some 'health professionals' are absolutely dire with their attitude......very upsetting to get such a negative response

[louis]

Hello
Im a 40 year old mother of 3 and have been suffering several panic attacks,very sporadic for 3 years now.Ive tried self help books,CD's relaxation techniques,deep breathing but was in such a state last week,im now wondering wether I should get some medication....Xmas is coming and I dont want feel miserable,sad and in fear.
I know I cant demand anything from the doctor,but I have had anti depressants before for PND so have a good idea of what I need to 'get better'.can anyone tell me their experiences of medication & how they have dealt with their fears.thanks for reading.
Hello maam,
I have tried meds before an they do help for a while. but you cant just count on a chemical fix alone. At least that was it for me. i still deal with anxiety but now i deal wth anxiety not have it deal with me. so get a medication that you know helps. Prozac or paxil or valium buspar combo. I dont like xanax it is addictive. but tsomeone to talk to and learn the techniques for dealing with the panic. ow that dvice and around a buch 50 will get you an over priced cup of coffee at a starbucks. :D

[GW1981]

Hi Sick and Tired,

I am with you on how you feel, i too suffer from terrible negative thoughts that mainly revolve around my relationship with my wife who is my world. The whole 'what if?" is a massive problem for me also, i occasionally suffer mild physical symptoms but nothing as bad as some on here, although for me the mental torture is sole destroying, i find it extremely difficult to have empty thoughts, they just flood with negatives....

I tried medication albeit for a short period and i found it heightened my awareness of my anxiety and therefor made me think about it more, as a result the 'what if?" process continued, i also appreciate that meds are not a short term solution and things do get worse before better but i just felt these were not for me but i am not discounting going back to them if i cannot resolve the internal worry myself, although i have seen some light recently.

I have done CBT over the past 6 months and have found it helped alot, i have a 5/6 week period where my mindset changed and i was in a far far better place, although for the past week i have returned into an anxious cycle, that is exactly what happens with your thoughts, we are anxious, so we think negatively, and the ball keeps rolling, i actually do not know what i am anxious about half the time, my CBT showed me ways of breaking the cycle and thinking of things from a more rationale perspective, the negative thoughts get put in place and we feel better, unfortunately it does take alot of work and i have alot to do as re-programming our thoughts is not an overnight solution, although i was seeing a counsellor for my CBT i have decided to go it alone with the help of some Hypnotherapy, i chose to try Hypno as i agree to a degree with an earlier post that CBT on a regular basis does dig into your past and does not let your emotional attachment to passed events to settle, yes you see them in a different light but you are constantly digging them from your subconciense which has to have a negative affect on our general mood, i think Hypno is a more progressive way of inputing new thought patterns and in conjunction with some home CBT i am hopeful l can fully overcome this horrible mindset. I have bought a book which i have not used yet but intend to for all my CBT from now on, its called 'overcoming worry' and by all accounts its very good and the title sums up everything i want to achieve, I have seen what can be done and hope to get back there sometime soon, hope this helps.

Take Care
GW

[sickandtired]

mmm i dont like the sound of keep digging into my past,it makes me ANGRY as well as sad that things couldnt have been different.....i want that period of my life to remain buried.....just give me the happy pills and let me forget! :wacko:

---------- Post added at 14:44 ---------- Previous post was at 14:34 ----------

Im also going to make myself go for a walk every day.since i damaged my back after a fall,i havent been able to exercise,ive become lazy and that definitely doesnt help with your mood.Im also going to look at my diet a bit.....are there any feel good foods? im sure ive read somewhere that turkey and bananas are good for mood.....is it the potassium or something,or ive i dreamt the whole thing up???? :unsure:

[sickandtired]

Thanks GW
I am going to give CBT a try.....it might help....I do like to talk and maybe if i get it all out,i might feel like ive unloaded it all,or it may make it worse,who knows? .Its sleep im struggling with too.
my negative thoughts are around my kids mainly....im always worried my teenage son might get stabbed in town.My daughters are approaching their teenage years and the worry is just tenfold,my eldest daughter is going on a school trip next week....the tension and stress is reaching boiling point,im imagining allsorts of scenarios.She is my main worry as she was severely bullied...my youngest as asthma and i constantly worry she might have an attack.I feel nauseous alot and worn out with all these thoughts.
my mum had a seizure last month,and im sure that triggered off the big panic attack i had last week.

[Sarahjosephine]

Cognitive therapy is amazing! It helped me a lot, anxiety is a battle but you can overcome it. My mOther and I are on anti depressants and have been for Years. They seem to help us but you need to do other things along with that instead of just relying on them like meditation, exercise, positive self talk, breathing and eating right. Hope you feel better soon :-) x

[sickandtired]

Hi Sarah
thanks for the encouragement,its good to know there,s light at the end of the tunnel
I have been listening to relaxation videos and practising breathing correctly.Ive also been to the doctors again as the beta blockers werent working at all and the panic attacks were escalating....really thought i was going mental the other day.I really must sort out some form of exercise.I injured my back last year playing netball.I have had to give it up after 30 years.I keep saying i will join a pilates class or yoga,but have no motivation at the moment.perhaps these AD's will give me that push? god i just want my life back

[Jackspratt51]

Hi all - I'm a newbie.

Not new to Panic Attacks though!

Been having them off and on for over 6 years!

The docs have tried 3 SSRI's and I was on Cit for about 2 years - up to 40mg.

New doc just changed me to ESCitalopram - just 5mg - seems to be working with only a couple of days side effects.

Get medications if you need them. Life is sooooo much better without the attacks!

J