Can anyone help me please, I really need some advice.

[hannah26]

Hello,

Ok so I dont know whether you read me previous post, its in the health anxiety threads, but last night iI had to cal an ambulance because I could not control my anxiety.
Right now I feel bad, really really bad, cold, tingly, on the edge, fear of losing control, depersonalisation the works. I am so scared I just dont know what to do. I have this feeling about the world, Im scared that Im going to fall off of it or that its to big, I keep thinking about whats underneath me and how the sky is so big. Everything feels wrong, scary, unfamilier. I am so close to losing it for real, I cant do anything but think of it. Please has anyone ever felt like this before. I know they are obsessive thoughts but I cant get rid of them. My chest feels tight and Im trying to fight it so much. But im realy scared like I am going to go crazy, out of control. Is this normal will I go mad?
I have started citalopram and propranolol within the last 7 days and I have been given a 7 2mg of diazapam to calm me down. But they are not working at all. Im so scared. Is this somehing that anyone else has ever felt like before?
Im holding it in but Im scared its gonna pour out in a bad way soon/
Please help any advice would be great.
Hannah X X

[Annie0904]

Sorry you are feeling so bad Hannah. My dad used to teach astronomy so I guess I am more interested in the things that you find scary but I do know what it is like to have real fears about things. One thing I can tell you though is that you cannot fall off the earth. Don't try to fight the panic, instead try to distract yourself from it. Sometimes when I start to get panicky I just say "go on then have a panic attack it can't harm you anyway" That sometimes makes it stop or not seem so bad. Sending you lots of :hugs::hugs:

[Tufty]

Hannah I just read your post from this morning but hoped you'd had a better day.
It does sound like the Citalopram is heightening your anxiety and 2mg Diazepam isn't much, have you tried taking 2 x 2mg whilst you're feeling like this?
I have fleeting moments of thinking about how the world isn't flat and therefore we're on a slant and turning :blush:, this increases my anxiety so I force myself not to think about it. Try to focus on something, anything other than the world/universe and the physical things you're feeling. Do some slow, deep breathing, go for a walk, try to watch some TV, read or go in the chat room, talk to your mum - anything.
What do you think will happen if you loose it? Thousands of people phone an ambulance every year suffering a panic attack and many more attend a and e - it's OK, you haven't done anything wrong or bad and you are definately not mad or going mad, you are experiencing a bad episode of anxiety and it will pass
Sam x:hugs:

[grace37]

hang on in there girl was given all the same meds two weeks a go 2mg of diazapam was not enough for me had to go up to five but was very spaced out and had not much control of my body which i didn't like. i ran mind in the end and have a meeting with them this week the citalopram and propranolol will take at least another week to kick in hun. I even ended up in A and E last week i got so bad have you got any friends or family that can be just there for you and help you to calm down. it so easy to say it will get better just last week i was screaming and crying at my mum that i hated being me hated the feeling i was having but she stood by me like any mum would you get there hun just give it time xxxx

[starlight78]

Hi Hannah,

I have totally had those intrusive/obsessive thoughts! Almost the exact same ones actually. I'd forgotten about these thoughts until I read through some of my old posts. The fact that I had forgotten shows you how much all that stuff doesn't bother me now, yet at the time I was terrified, obsessed and felt as if I had stumbled into this weird place and couldn't work out why everyone else wasn't as freaked out as me!

This was a symptom of my depression and anxiety and as I recovered my obsessive thoughts lessened and then went away. I found grounding myself in my 'safe place' helped. This was the sofa for me, with a duvet and endless episodes of Fraiser and Friends! You need to try not to concern yourself with the 'big questions' right now, just keep yourself occupied with the small stuff until you are recovered.

Keep up with the medication, read up about anxiety and depression, think about getting some CBT, watch lots of crap tele, read trashy magazines and I promise you this will pass... You are going to be totally fine. X

[Anxious_gal]

Is your temperture normal?
Feeling cold could be anxiety, I often get shivers and can go from feeling too hot to too cold.

I had a bad few weeks if anxuety, what made it worse was not sleeping!
I felt so weird, constant fear, terrified I was going crazy, racing thoughts, everything felt so wrong :( spent most of my time here and the people here kept me sane x
The reasured me it was just anxiety.

Also not eating/low blood sugar can increase anxuety.
I couldn't eat and threw up a lot. I was that nervous lol


The worst part for me was I was afraid or would never end.
But eventually I started to feel better and you will too x

I'll be honest thinking about space, the fact the world is a floating ball with nothing under it freaks out most people :)
If you focus on anything too much it can become scary.

[hannah26]

Hello,
Thank you to all whom replied. Your kind words and advice helped me a lot. But I still feel really scared. It just wont go away.
Hannah x x

[Annie0904]

Hi Hannah Unfortunately these feelings don't go away quickly but it will get easier. I think you should do what Starlight suggested and ask your doctor if you can be referred for CBT as I think this will really help you :hugs::hugs:

[jackie13]

Hi Hannah

Sorry to hear you are feeling like this:( Just starting meds will highten your anxiety. I have been on citalopram for about 4 years and I was exactly the same, stick with it you will come through.

Jackie x

[radoel]

I too have rung an ambulance in the past so dont feel embarassed about that and loads on here have gone to a & e. I have experienced everything you are going through and it does pass. My advice to you is to take everything they will give you -the propranalol and diazepam will relax your body enough to let the citalopram work.
I have just gone back on cit for the 3rd time and it is really tough but I know that its temporary and keep reminding myself of that. I am taking lorazepam to help with my side effects which i dont like to do but it helps so thats what i have to do to get well again

[Anxious_gal]

Does anything help?
Try some dark chocolate it lifts your mood ;)
Things like video games, Sudoko anything that you need to focus on helps.
Taking a bath.
Lavender.
Going for a walk.
The problem is you focus too much on yourself and your thoughts.
Getting out, meeting people or having friends over helped me a lot.
Heck even cleaning the house from top to bottom can help :p
I know it's scary but it WILL pass you can only be anxious for so long.

[starlight78]

Anxious Girl makes a really good point, you can only be anxious for so long.. After a while this type of anxiety burns itself out as you can really avoid it.. You are facing it by thinking about it. Remember this will pass, try and do as others have suggested and occupy yourself to give yourself a break from your thoughts and take medication as prescribed.
You will get better! X

---------- Post added at 18:06 ---------- Previous post was at 18:05 ----------

Apologies I meant you can't avoid - not can.. Avoidance fuels anxiety, when you face the fear is slowly goes. X

[hannah26]

Hello, thank you all so much for your replies!! I will admit that I have taken comfort from them, although I still feel terrible. I have woken up this morning with extreme derealization and I feel so scared. I have had this before so I know that its not real but I can't calm down, my breathings wrong and laboured, I feel sick, can't eat can't sleep and have a burning knot of anxiety in my chest. I feel like I'm off balance and everythings wrong! Its getting me down so much I just want to cry all the time. I'm sorry for going on about it but it feels better when I write it down.
I've gone back to bed to try and sleep I hope it helps but I'm finding it hard to get to sleep.
I just don't seem to be coping!, my Dr referred me for cbt and to a phsyciatrist so hopefully that will help to!
Thanks again you really are all very kind to take the time and reply to me.
Hannah x x

[Annie0904]

This will get better Hannah, I have been where you are now and thought it would never end. If you are finding it hard to go to sleep you will be better getting up and doing some activity to distract you. I used to try to sleep and the more I tried and couldn't the more anxious I got. Sometimes I would get up during the night make myself a cup of chamomile tea then go back to bed and sleep. I know you can see no end to this at the moment but it will get better. :hugs::hugs:

[hannah26]

Hello Annie0904 thank you for your messages, I managed to have a little sleep and I feel a bt better. It is scary I feel like I will be like this forever and will be sectioned or something. I know that really the only person who can help me is me and I need to stop dwelling on these thoughts.
I just wondered if anyone had heard of the stop or swap method? Apparently its supposed to be good but I cant find a lot of info about it so if anyone has any I would be very grateful.
Thanks again
Hannah x x

[hannah26]

Hello Thanks again for all the kind and supportive messages. I will admit to being a bit of a bad-weather freind to this site, when things go wrong I come on here and people are so kind and make me feel better. This site is amazing.
I have a telephone appointment with a psychiatrist next week and then we will see how it goes from there.
Im still anxious, even looking out the window makes me feel panicky. Its not so much the thoughts but what will happen if I let them take over. Does that make sense? Im scared of losing control and freaking out, but the more I think of it the more it makes me think, well what will happen.
Im scared of these irrational thoughts, because I cant stop thinking about them, which makes me feel worse. But at the end of the day they are just thoughts, they are not real. They are just in my mind but they can be stopped I just need to think of a way to stop them. Any ideas from anyone? What do you do when you have these kind of thoughts or intrusive thoughts?
Thanks again guys, it really is very appreciated.
Hannah x x

[Annie0904]

The only way is distracting yourself by doing something else and I know that isn't always easy. I find writing helps and I have even written my Christmas cards out already trying to distract myself from my anxious thoughts! :)

[loopylu86]

I am having a day like this too. I find getting into my bed the only comfort. I just had a cup of chamomile (thanks Annie) and I definitely feel calmer! I have had the impending doom creeping in today. It's nice to know that you aren't alone..even though you feel it.

[potato11]

Hi Hannah

Have you tried cbt4panic yet?? It will help you whilst waiting for your appointments :)

All those thoughts are anxiety-related. People who genuinely "go crazy" don't worry about it.

It all seems so serious and real to you due to the brain being in fight-or-flight mode - It picks out the worst case scenarios (just as it does when you see red liquid on the floor - ?!?!BLOOD?? or a shadow on the wall - SPIDER?!?!) it does this all thinking it is helping you.

And because you don't fully understand anxiety/panic yet, you keep 'telling' your brain through your thoughts/responses (oh no, this is bad, avoidance etc) that it is right to activate fight/flight.

Being in this state does tire you out so you will feel strange. But you will get through it, I promise :) deffo check cbt4panic out