Hi there I am 18 years old and cannot leave my house HELP!!

[Lweb10290]

Anxiety has completely taken over my life. i used to be a social butterfly and i loved going out and having a good time. the panic attacks started to occur when i was about 16, because i had tried pot. now honestly i thought that was nothing to worry about because i simply would not smoke ever again. then a couple of years later i was at a show and i had another episode just like the one i had when i smoked, just as before i brushed it off...i thought i was claustrophobic. Now this year on Oct 2nd (my birthday) i was sitting in my community college when the tingling feeling had overcome me and i could not keep my head up or prevent my self from sweating the way that i was. i could hear my heart beat in my ears, then i finally accepted i have panic disorder. When i got home instead of going out on my birthday i laid in bed ...for the next 2 weeks. I went to my doctor she put me on lexapro.. it somewhat works for me but the panic attacks are still constant and very violent to my body. after there over i feel i've been hit by a car. I do not leave my house and have not since october, i do not talk to any of my friends anymore...and i am starting to think this is how its always going to be... if anyone has any suggestions PLEASE help me out... i am missing out on life.

[Veronica H]

:welcome: to NMP.There is a brilliant book by Dr Claire Weekes called 'Self help for your nerves' published by Thorsons ISBN 978-0-7225-3155-6. This is available from the NMP Shop. I cannot recommend this enough as it really explains what is happening to us, and how we can recover. Her recordings can be downloaded free to your MP3 from the NMP Shop too. Glad that you have found us. You will find comfort and support here.
Veronica

[maxine]

Hello,

I'm not around here much anymore but i used to be a regular, I too like you was in major panic mode at the same age as you, I didn't leave my home for four years in the end.

However, life does and will get better , I promise! I'm 25 now and although I'm not panic free ( i have the odd joys of panic attacks ) but my life is the same if not better than it was before the attacks started happening.

The thing that worked for me ( and no the medication didn't really help me much in the end) was just doing the most s**tty* panicy thing i could do and stick with it, It does go eventually I promise. yes you'll feel like you're going to die and all the rest of it, you won't!!

You WILL get better but at the end of the day it's going to be down to you, you have the power to stop this from happening , it is easier said than done but i've been there and done than, it works.

Panic is purely a state of mind, it's crap yes ( i'm not saying it's not!) but you can just keep doing the stuff that makes you anxious and eventually you'll be more confident in doing them then one day you'll realise " i didn't panic there at all".

Keep your chin up , you'll get there in the end.

Maxine x

[Ad]

Hello,

This is a very familiar to most on here I imagine, so don't think you're on your own for a start.

I suffered with Panic attacks for many years, however this was only because they were undiagnosed. Once diagnosed I was able to eradicate them completely, within a matter of weeks.

First thing to bear in mind with panic attacks is that it is impossible for an attack to cause you any harm. The fear that the panic is causing you harm just makes the panic worse and adds fuel to the fire. In my experience this is the main problem with panic attacks. Once I had managed to not be afraid of them (which admittedly takes some determination) the attacks just dissappeared on their own. Never had an attack since.

Secondly, I know that the symptoms can be quite scary at the time and there are many ways to drastically reduce the impact of these.

When you start to panic, your heart beats faster and you tend to try and suck in more oxygen. This in itself fuels the panic. If you control your breathing, this reduces the effects of the panic considerably. Learn diaphragmatic breathing, I found this hugely helpful (you can probably google it) it's pretty easy to do it. Try conciously taking less breath's when you're panicking. Another sure fire method of reducing the panic, is breathing into a paper bag or putting your hand close to your mouth when you breath. This has the effect of of not having a load of oxygen being sucked into your lungs and whipping up your heart rate. The air in the bag has a higher concentration of carbon dioxide.

Lastly, don't think you're weird or strange for having these episodes. They are brought on by excessive worrying, simple as that. They are a perfectly natural reaction to being anxious about alot of things at once. I found that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is very good for tackling your anxious thoughts.

Anyway, hope this helps (I'm 100% sure it will). Please feel free to PM me or get back in touch if you have any other questions.

Don't get down about it, look on it as a challenge!

[sunshine-lady]

Hi

:welcome: to NMP, I'm sure you will like it here as there is so much advice and support.

chat is fun too:biggrin:

[LUKEborn1983]

Hi,
I don't have any advice for you because i'm also housebound just like you. It had been 5 years since i don't going out from my house. I'm just so scare going out, i always think i will die if i going out. I'm only dare going out to see my doctor with my mum.

But good luck to you.
I hope you getting better soon..bye