I'm new to NMP

[quietly]

I'm new to NMP, I am married to a sufferer and although I try to support him the last few days have been a real struggle. I try to understand how he feels when he gets down but I'm finding it hard to deal with and need to find help for myself and ways to support him.:weep:

Thanx in advance for any advice given.

[nomorepanic]

Hi quietly

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[eternally optimistic]

Morning...

Glad you found the site, it has loads of great advice, support etc etc.

Not knowing exactly what your partner is suffering with, it is hard to give advice but, I guess, the more you can fill your head with how they might be feeling inside is good.

With anxiety sufferers, I think is always important to remember that we are pretty good, at times, in covering up what we are feeling inside and the symptoms that go with it, are invisible.

Sometimes, "we" as partners can be unreasonable, it seems, snappy, reclusive, uninterested in life, dull and darn right unreadable - lol.
This doesnt mean we care any less about our love ones, it is just our way of coping when things arent good.

jackie

[SamanthaAU]

Hi quietly, welcome!

By joining it shows how supportive you are and I hope you can get an insight as to how he feels.

[vitabelle]

you will find lots of advice on here that should help you a bit to understand what your partner is feeling. I think its good you have come on here if you have any questions just ask away xx

[hanshan]

Hi Quietly,

You're not alone.

Can you give any information about your partner's condition, such as doctor's diagnoses or medications prescribed?

Are there any situations or events concerning your partner which you have found particularly difficult?

Sharing this information will help posters to this board give advice.

Don't be afraid. You're with friends.

[Mark13]

Hi quietly

You've done a good thing for your partner by coming here.

I'm sure you find a wealth of support here.

[Sparkle1984]

Welcome to the forums. It is good that you are trying to support your husband in this way. Is he aware of these forums? I'm sure he would find it useful as a place to get support from other sufferers.

[quietly]

Thanx for the replies already

He suffers with both anxiety and panic attacks, he is currently on pregabalin 3 times a day. It is hard for him to cope somedays as well because he is a stay at home dad whilst I work shift work. We have 2 children who can make life very stressful at times. He has been to A & E twice thinking he has been having a heart attack but it has just been panic attacks

[hanshan]

Hi Quietly,

Pregabalin is good for general anxiety, but may not be sufficient for panic attacks. If your partner continues to have panic attacks, he may want to consider talking to the doctor about adding an antidepressant to the pregabalin. Pregabalin is often prescribed in combination with an AD.

Being at home with the children might lead to anxiety building up - if so, please encourage your partner to post to NMP.

Good luck to you - asking for help is the right thing to do.

[bethanyjay]

Hi

:welcome: to NMP Im new here, but I have found the posts very informative, hope you enjoy your stay.

Beth

[quietly]

We have a drs app this week and they have been talking about changing his medication to include anti depressants not sure how we feel about this.

[hanshan]

Hi Quietly,

Hope things are going okay.

The term antidepressant is a bit of a misnomer - they've been found to be useful for a range of mood disturbances, including panic attacks. The worst that can happen is that they don't work or have side effects that don't go away and are intolerable, in which case you can stop taking them or try another type. Against that is the chance that they may make a noticeable difference.

In my case, I tried one which didn't work, then found one that did.

[Mark13]

Fully agree with hanshan

I've not had clinical depression for 17 years, but I've been prescribed several ADs in that time to combat anxiety disorder.

In fact I take an AD, Mirtazapine at the lowest dose, just for insomnia, and Pregabalin, which is licensed for use in anxiety but was initially designed as an anti-epileptic drug.

So don't read too much into their original function. If it helps, it helps, regardless of it's description.

[Brunette]

Panic attacks are a completely different thing to depression - personally I would be wary of any doctor who wanted to prescribe their use for that reason :huh:

[hanshan]

The following ADs are licensed by the UK MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) for the treatment of panic disorder: Escitalopram, Citalopram, Venlafaxine, Sertraline, Paroxetine. People with panic disorder should not be wary of a doctor prescribing one of them.

http://www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pages/MedicineForCondition.aspx?condition=Panic%20disord er

[quietly]

Thanx to everyone for the comments and advice, my husband has seen the dr in the last few days and has been told that she doesn't think putting him on AD is a good idea. Been really stressful for him the last few days as i have worked 2 full days no let up from kids and tomorrow hospital apps.