Been told it's anxiety n not to worry??

[Rattlehead]

Hi all,
I've always suffered from anxiety tingly,large pupils,upset stomach but nothing major then recently out of no-where I had this "Anxiety attack" I say that cos I wasn't panicking but all my hands started tingling then my lips then arms.
Then my jaw started to lock up and then my hands and fore arms, my jaw was so bad I couldn't even force it open.
I then started to vomit which was HORRIBLE it started coming out my nose cos I could barely open my mouth.
Anyway I put my TV on to take my mind of it and lied down, eventually it went away leaving me still a bit tingly.
So I went to my doctors and explained all this to him and he said "yeah it's just a panic attack" "what do you think we should do about it"???
I couldn't believe it he was asking me what I wanted to do about it.. I'm not the doctor??
Anyway he said "all I can give you is beta blockers half-inderal and nothing stronger"
Anyway I told him if he checked his records I'd been on them for YEARS and stopped taking them cos they kept me calm but didn't stop attacks.
Can anyone give me some advise please??
Thanks.

[Captain America]

your doctor sounds unsympathetic to say the least. i did vomit during an attack for the first time last weekend but it's not that common for me.

beta blockers only stop the heart from racing, don't do much for the rest of the symptoms. there are lots of medications that can help, both short term and long term.

i've gone off meds and trying therapy only. i'm finding i'm improving more without the meds, but i think that's because when i was on them i didn't do any cbt or anything because i didn't have to.

i say see if you can get another dr. is that do-able on the nhs?

[Rattlehead]

Thanks :)

Getting a new doctor is tricky as in my small town if you switch from one doctors surgery to another they actually want to know why? and they just treat you as a nutter skipping from one doc to another because you haven't got what you want or got what you want to hear :)
Does anyone have any suggestions for meds, apparently benzodiazepines are totally out of the question according to my doctor?
Also has anyone else had these jaw and hands locking up as I know alot of ppl with anxiety/panic attacks but never heard of these before.
P.S I'm not paranoid! I know I've nothing physically wrong with me apart from being bone idol :)

[LeeBee]

Hey there rattlehead - sounds like you've had a scary time, hope you're feeling better now :hugs:

I agree with the Captain, CBT or therapy sounds like a good idea. Personally I don't think that meds by themselves help in the long term, they just suppress your anxiety symptoms without dealing with the source of the anxiety. Maybe see if your doctor will refer you for some CBT or psychotherapy, if he won't give you different medication? Good luck, let us know how you get on.

[Captain America]

benzos have been used for anxiety for years, but doctors are starting to shy away from them because they're addictive. they're not totally out of the question, but if you're giong to use them only use them for really bad attacks and no more than like once a week. daily use for even a couple of weeks can lead to rebound anxiety and withdrawal so i got off them (which was not easy).

as for the jaw locking up, i don't think it's all that common but i've had my share of symptoms that had my dr.s looking at me like i was from another planet. i've come to realize that anxiety can do anything. it's like the freddy krueger of mental illness. hm...maybe not freddy but anyway it can be anything and even get you in your sleep. anything muscular can be a target due to tension so yeah the jaw, hands, etc, can be affected.

of course i'm not a dr. i just play one on nmp

[Oceanblue]

You have been told you have Anxiety and not to worry !?:scared15: