so down i cant take much more

[susie]

my anxiety is very bad im so close to self harm again ,last time resulted in having to have brain surgry it almost cost me my life .my anxiety is very bad in the day im a nervous wreck i cant go out alone ,i cant sleep even though i take nytol one a night every night i keep wakeing up terrified .im 63 my husband and son are my rocks .i get no support from my gp ifeel so affraid and alone its pushing me over the edge but what can i do please help

[Carnation]

Hi Susie,

I had a little browse through your posts and noticed that you drink coffee.
I assume that you have been told that coffee can fuel anxiety.
I had my first major panic attack after consuming coffee.
If you can make it weaker or cut it down or if you are able to cut it out for a while, it will help the chemical balance.

Any processed foods can also add to the problem and try to avoid red meat for a while. The stomach plays an important role with anxiety. If you can treat the stomach with plenty of veg and regular meals and lots of fluids, you can control some of the other symptoms. x

[SLA]

Sorry to hear you are not in a good place susie.




I had my first major panic attack after consuming coffee.

I have a very similar story. The worst panic attack I ever had, that triggered months of depression, came after I had consumed multiple cans of red bull, and played football for two hours in the evening.

Caffeine is a double edged sword. I find it accelerates whatever mood I am in. So if I am happy and excited, it fuels that. If I am anxious or angry, it fuels that!!!

If you are taking nytol, and still not sleeping, I would highly recommend cutting it out.

Shortly after my separation, I stopped completely, and it REALLY helped me gain mental clarity. Now that i feel better, I can drink it again.

[Carnation]

Ah yes, the famous' Red Bull'. Think it may be banned in the USA. :shrug:

My OH used to drink it excessively when he was landlord of a pub.
Helped with his 8 hour shift, but then slept for 15 hours.
He now sticks to 'Lucozade Sport', which is much better. :)

---------- Post added at 11:21 ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 ----------

Also be aware of chocolate. Although we love it, the stomach can reject it in many ways, if you get my drift. :ohmy:

[Bigboyuk]

Hi Susie Iam sorry to hear this did know that coffee is a stimulant but didn't know it can fuel your moods
so worth looking in to! If you feel your current gp is not very supportive do you have another gp in the same practice you could see? The charity Mind is also a good place to seek help Hey hang on in there susie X

[Beckybecks]

Hi Susie, I'm just a few years younger than you. It seems as we get older our anxiety issues increase. I battle constantly too.

Do you know what you're anxious about? It sometimes helps to look at the root cause.

Have you had any therapy, like CBT maybe?
Do you have any medication for your anxiety?

I understand your wanting to go back to self harm, we all develop these little bad habits that we believe bring relief from our anxiety. Mine was self induced vomiting until I damaged myself and got a huge fright which stopped that bad habit.

I'm sure if you think about it rationally you'll realise it can only do you more harm than good.

What I did was try to replace my bad habits with good ones and convince my mind that they'll bring some relief. One is walking, another is arts and crafts. They both take my mind off my anxiety and help to calm me down.

As the others mentioned, have a look at your diet and cut out any stimulants.
Try a bedtime routine, a warm bath, an easy to read book, avoid tv and computer for an hour before bedtime.

There's lots of help and support on this forum so don't feel alone.

[dale12345]

No we have Red Bull, lol but cutting out caffeine can help reduce anxiety a lot, I quit all caffeine and it helped a lot. But thats just me.

[susie]

thank you all so much ,i have changed to de caff now and i only have 2 cups in the morning ,i dont have sugar because im type 2 diabetic on insulin ,i have to be very carefull what i eat because my pancrous dosnt produce enough encynes for me to get the goodness from my food i take creon for that .i have started doing colouring that helps .im going to see my gp friday my husband is coming with me .they told me its stererline or nothing but antidepressants started me to self harm and as im so close to hurting myself again i dont want to go there .i have been up since 3 again thank you for your support xxx

[NoraB]

Any processed foods can also add to the problem and try to avoid red meat for a while. The stomach plays an important role with anxiety. If you can treat the stomach with plenty of veg and regular meals and lots of fluids, you can control some of the other symptoms. x

I totally agree with this because I've found that there is a definite connection between certain foods and drinks which make the symptoms worse. It helps to keep a diary of what you eat & drink and how it affects you.

[Bigboyuk]

It's knowing what food/drinks that make you worse and it seems you have taken steps already to make changes so well done :) Hang on in there and make it clear to your Gp that the anti depressants are making you want to self harm we are all behind you take care XX