Aljamo78
19-12-08, 20:47
Hi all, my name is Alex, I'm 30 from the West Midlands. I suffer with anxiety and panic attacks.
Was told about this site sometime ago but as I thought I had my problem under control, I hadn't looked at it... Until today when I had my first full attack in some months...
I started having panic attacks 2 years ago around Christmas time. There is a definite link to lack of sleep and alcohol that triggers my anxiety the following day, as I work Saturday nights as a DJ this is a real problem for me. I was at my 3rd consecutive night of Xmas parties at a hotel in Leicester and got to bed at around 4am very much the worse for wear.
During the drive home the following day, I frequently began to lose confidence in my driving ability and felt incredibly claustraphobic forcing me to stop and pull over with increasing frequency, much to the annoyance of my girlfriend. I realised I couldn't cope with the motorway any more and so we left it, still miles from home to try and pick our way home through back roads. This enabled us to stop as and when I needed to get out of the car which became every few hundred yards.
I had no idea what was happening to me, I was very scared and was convinced if I didn't get out of the car, something awful was going to happen. I was pretty sure I was having a stroke or a heart-attack or something. I was getting pins and needles in my head, palpitations, nausea, I kept needing the loo, I kept burping (sorry I know this is horrible but its what happened). It was horrible.
Just a couple of miles from my parents house, my mother is a nurse and her neighbour a doctor, I could no longer get back into the car. My poor girlfriend was at her wits end and was on the phone to my parents trying to explain what was wrong with me. I distinctly remember all of the dark thoughts in my head overwhelming me and I wished I would pass out. I was sure I was dying. My father came out and met us and he managed to get me in his car, he then refused to stop at my request, saying we would be home sooner if we didn't stop. Again, the horrible feeling overwhelmed me, I couldn't keep still and could not get out of the car quick enough. I spent the rest of the night pacing around at my parents house, running baths, trying my best to relax. I was so tired but couldn't sleep.
The doctor very quickly diagnosed it as a panic attack. Subsequently, I've never had one as bad as that first one since, though my understanding of the condition probably helped to alleviate the symptoms subsequently.
I have lost a lot of confidence as a result of this conditon, it is completely debilitating and I no longer do many of the things I used to enjoy.
My girlfriend says I don't get excited about anything anymore, which is probably true as I look at every situation in terms of how much anxiety it will cause me. Holidays; traffic, airports, airplanes, crowds, noise etc. Nights out and trips to see friends in London; crowds, noise, possibility of violence, safety etc. It has put a lot of pressure on our relatioship and I very much hope she will take some time to read accounts from other sufferers. In many ways, she is the last person I want around during an episode as she just doesn't know how to cope, often just making the situation worse.
I have been prescribed propanolol, diazepam and zopiclone. All of which I will only take as a last resort as my anxiety is often further fuelled by the possibility of accidentally killing myself with a prescription overdose. (Thanks Heath Ledger.)
I have also had hypnotherapy which was beneficial but too expensive.
I want my life back! I am tired of being unable to spontaneously enjoy my life the way I used to. The DJing which I used to love is now just a necessary means of earning money and a precursor to the anxiety I have every Sunday as a result of the late night and alcohol on the Saturday night. Without the alcohol, I wouldn't be able to do the job at all and would certainly be unable to sleep at the end of it. I know I am in a rut.
Anyway, typing this has been pretty therapeutic in itself. I look forward to hearing from people with similar experiences and am SO looking forward to hearing of people's successes at overcoming these types of conditions.
Be nice to meet some new friends and I was bored of Facebook now anyway. Cheers for reading.
:huh:
Was told about this site sometime ago but as I thought I had my problem under control, I hadn't looked at it... Until today when I had my first full attack in some months...
I started having panic attacks 2 years ago around Christmas time. There is a definite link to lack of sleep and alcohol that triggers my anxiety the following day, as I work Saturday nights as a DJ this is a real problem for me. I was at my 3rd consecutive night of Xmas parties at a hotel in Leicester and got to bed at around 4am very much the worse for wear.
During the drive home the following day, I frequently began to lose confidence in my driving ability and felt incredibly claustraphobic forcing me to stop and pull over with increasing frequency, much to the annoyance of my girlfriend. I realised I couldn't cope with the motorway any more and so we left it, still miles from home to try and pick our way home through back roads. This enabled us to stop as and when I needed to get out of the car which became every few hundred yards.
I had no idea what was happening to me, I was very scared and was convinced if I didn't get out of the car, something awful was going to happen. I was pretty sure I was having a stroke or a heart-attack or something. I was getting pins and needles in my head, palpitations, nausea, I kept needing the loo, I kept burping (sorry I know this is horrible but its what happened). It was horrible.
Just a couple of miles from my parents house, my mother is a nurse and her neighbour a doctor, I could no longer get back into the car. My poor girlfriend was at her wits end and was on the phone to my parents trying to explain what was wrong with me. I distinctly remember all of the dark thoughts in my head overwhelming me and I wished I would pass out. I was sure I was dying. My father came out and met us and he managed to get me in his car, he then refused to stop at my request, saying we would be home sooner if we didn't stop. Again, the horrible feeling overwhelmed me, I couldn't keep still and could not get out of the car quick enough. I spent the rest of the night pacing around at my parents house, running baths, trying my best to relax. I was so tired but couldn't sleep.
The doctor very quickly diagnosed it as a panic attack. Subsequently, I've never had one as bad as that first one since, though my understanding of the condition probably helped to alleviate the symptoms subsequently.
I have lost a lot of confidence as a result of this conditon, it is completely debilitating and I no longer do many of the things I used to enjoy.
My girlfriend says I don't get excited about anything anymore, which is probably true as I look at every situation in terms of how much anxiety it will cause me. Holidays; traffic, airports, airplanes, crowds, noise etc. Nights out and trips to see friends in London; crowds, noise, possibility of violence, safety etc. It has put a lot of pressure on our relatioship and I very much hope she will take some time to read accounts from other sufferers. In many ways, she is the last person I want around during an episode as she just doesn't know how to cope, often just making the situation worse.
I have been prescribed propanolol, diazepam and zopiclone. All of which I will only take as a last resort as my anxiety is often further fuelled by the possibility of accidentally killing myself with a prescription overdose. (Thanks Heath Ledger.)
I have also had hypnotherapy which was beneficial but too expensive.
I want my life back! I am tired of being unable to spontaneously enjoy my life the way I used to. The DJing which I used to love is now just a necessary means of earning money and a precursor to the anxiety I have every Sunday as a result of the late night and alcohol on the Saturday night. Without the alcohol, I wouldn't be able to do the job at all and would certainly be unable to sleep at the end of it. I know I am in a rut.
Anyway, typing this has been pretty therapeutic in itself. I look forward to hearing from people with similar experiences and am SO looking forward to hearing of people's successes at overcoming these types of conditions.
Be nice to meet some new friends and I was bored of Facebook now anyway. Cheers for reading.
:huh: