Hello! Newbie to this site

[Gemsi84]

Hi,

My name is Gemma and I'm 31. I've been suffering panic attacks out the blue for the last month, in the car, at traffic lights, in shops, basically anywhere I feel trapped or can't get out the situation easily.
My GP started me on 25mg sertraline and I'm now on day 20. Things have been really good this week after the initial side effects, have been driving and back at work etc.
However today I walked into town and had a series of 3 really had panic attacks, worse than before i even went on the medication 😔.
Considering upping to 50mg as GP said this is the therapeutic dose, but I'm worried about going through the side effects and being off work again!
Have some CBT booked for next week so hoping that will help too

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Gemsi84 and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[fduop]

Good morning Gemsi84. First let me say being proactive and looking for a solution is a first great step in dealing with panic. Second let me say, I am not a doctor or therapist but someone who has worked a mile it your shoes. I feel medication is a good band-aid and can be a good first line of attack. But using cognitive therapy I believe is the real solution to the situation. If I read your post correctly you have that set-up so good.

Over the years that I've been up and down with panic/anxiety sometimes you never figure out what triggers the things. For me personally I had a minor attack a few nights ago while sleeping. I don't know what really brought it on, the thing is to not over-obsess about it. Here is a link to a fellow who's book on panic really helped me a few years ago Geert Verschaeve (http://www.ilovepanicattacks.com/index.html). Like you and I he's no professional but a sufferer his book is available on Amazon Kindle.

Best to you Gemsi84, the fact that your seeking help is a great first step and checking out NMP is a good move too.