Shezza
06-08-18, 05:43
Hi All. i'm new to NMP and apologies the lengthy message. I've suffered with Panic Disorder and Anxiety on and off for over 30 years. I say on and off, because i might go through several months of being quite bad, then i won't have anything for years. I was 18 years Panic and relatively Anxiety free, until March this year it started again but in the form of Health Anxiety and panic. I immediately reverted back to techniques of old, and booked myself in for CBT, which didn't do much to help. I also managed to get sleep every night by listening to anxiety help on youtube and some old clips of Dr Claire Weekes. after a couple of months i got through it, and felt well and it had all become just a distant memory gain. However, after having a fantastic week holidaying abroad, I came back and developed a stinking cold. One morning, i woke in the early hours with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, congested and choking for air with a nasty sore throat. This turned into a fair sized panic attack. My bedroom was also stifling from all the hot weather we've been having which didn't help. Since then, the Panic and Anxiety feels relentless. I have good and bad days, but it mainly affects me quite badly at night when i'm trying to sleep, usually just as i'm dropping off, 10 minutes into sleep and i'm awake again out of bed panicky with the sensation of my throat closing. I've just started seeing therapist who said that the whole experience of me waking up with the bad throat/cold/choking is locked in my brain. I've resorted to sleeping on the sofa most nights, where occasionally i can get some sleep. Occasionally, but rarely i can also get sleep in my bed but it's more of a trial. Sometimes the sleep is limited, and i'm awake again 2 1/2 hours later with a dry mouth, neck and tongue all tight. The whole thing is wearing me down and some days i'm absolutely exhausted and anxious at work trying to get through the day. I went to my GP hoping to get some sleeping pills, which i had 18 years ago. They helped me enormously then, and i only ever took a quarter or half of one when i was feeling really bad but i worked on myself mentally at the same time to get through it and eventually did resulting in many many years being free of anxiety and panic. The GP said they no longer offered sleeping pills and would only prescribe anti-depressants. I have never taken these (although offered on various occasions over the 30 years) as i don't want to take all the side effects associated with them. I am just so exhausted and really don't know where to turn now, even the therapist said i needed sleeping pills just to break the cycle, as the therapy alone isn't enough. My brain is completely locked in on problem I can't necessarily resolve, i.e health. Can anyone offer any advice?