racing heart, panic, shaking help me control this please

[reallyfedup]

I wake everyday very early and the adrenaline rushes straight away , my heart races and I shake and feel sick. I know its anxiety and panic, I take meds but I can't stop it it carries on and on. Its totally debilitating its so bad. How can I control this? Its ruining my life ?

[Wibble]

Sara,

You have made a lot of posts and as a newbie to the site, I am concerned that after 300+ posts you are still in the same place. Without going into every one of your posts to find out about you... can you say whether you have sought help...??

When I say help I mean proper help, not just five minutes with your GP who gives you meds and sends you on your way....

M

[Ddcoo]

Hi Sara, I know how you feel as I wake up each morning feeling the same as you. I find that by lying in bed worrying about it makes me feel worse. The best advice I can give you it to get up, have a wash or shower and make yourself a drink. I think the answer is "distraction". Do you go to work? When I worked I found that the feel disappeared once I got busy at work.
I know it is difficult but try and ignore the symptoms. When I wake up, I say to myself I am not going to give these feeling any significance, it is only stress, so GO AWAY - sometimes that actually works. We know what it is so dismiss it.

Hope you feel better soon.

[faith]

We often feel bad in the mornings because we have been dreaming about anxious and upsetting things, it still happens to me but I have learned that it does not mean I will feel like that the whole day. Sometimes I can have a really good day following waking up feeling bad . I listen to lbc radio on waking and the chat stops me having too many negative thoughts. I echo prev ious person what help are you getting \I have a counsellor and I would not have coped without her.

[reallyfedup]

I have had depression and anxiety and panic for 15 years but have taken variety of meds prescribed by gp throughout. Have had counselling and cbt throughout too. My recent episode started in October and I have been off sick from work since December. I had a meds review in dec and changed to citalopram.
After 3 months I started to pick up but a fortnight ago I crashed lower than ever. Now I wake in a state of panic and can't control it.!?!?!
distraction and self talk are not helping me as symptoms are too severe. I am so tired too as when I wake its about 4 in morning.I do get up and gave a drink but don't want to disturb hubby and kids at that hour. I then lie awake with these feelings and I can't bear it any longer. I have tranquiliser too but still I can't break this vicious circle?!? :weep:

[reallyfedup]

Just to add to the above I take 40 mg cital, 75mg amitriptyline in day and zopiclone at night. I am trying not to take the tranqs.
What help or therapy might I ask for in place or in addition to what I am being offered

[Wibble]

Hi Sara,

I am sorry that you are in such a bad place. I joined this site last night and I just found and read you post - it seemed to apply to me and as I am new to this, I thought I'd ask for some more detail as your thread starter was a bit vague.

You have certainly taken the vagueness away with your updates!!

I have just had my first attack in about two weeks and am feeling sh*t at the moment and have a glass of whiskey in my hand to try and stop me shaking and sweating. The elephant is back standing on my chest and I have just spent the last hour trying to work out what caused it. The noise in my head is back and all logic has gone.... damn and I was doing so well.

I have been undergoing EMDR treatment and it has moved me from the bottom of the darkest pit I ever found myself in and I thought I was stepping away from the edge of the big black hole. Today, after a nice day with my son, I slipped / slid into one of my old dark corners and ended up with a full attack.

I have had this for four years now and sick of it, gawd only knows how you are coping with 15 years of it.

I don't know whether I am the right person to be conversing with on the subject as I am no expert, but I have found talking helps and this site is about an anonymous as it gets. I am currently off work and have been for almost a month after having told my boss that I was close to topping myself.

I am finding the time slipping away and the thoughts of returning to work are creeping back into my psyche.

Anyway, sorry if I offended you with my probing question - if you think I could help let me know.

Regards

M:blush:

[NoPoet]

Hi Sara, I'm sorry to hear you are struggling so badly. Your morning anxiety sounds very much like side effects to your medication. As you are taking high doses, you will suffer the side effects more powerfully. That's the crap logic of antidepressants/anxti-anxiety drugs.

The good news is you genuinely recognise your anxiety for what it is. Good show.

Why do you feel the counselling and CBT are not working? If you are receiving a combination of treatments and they are not having enough of an effect, I would strongly recommend you have a gentle, emotion-free look at what you could do to improve the situation. Counselling, CBT and medication are only truly effective when you work with them. You need to put a lot of mental effort into fighting back against anxiety and depression.

Positive thinking, believing you will recover, realising that millions of people can and do make full recoveries from depression and anxiety, are major weapons which you must work to develop and will benefit you endlessly. You have a wonderful family, you are a member of No More Panic, you are speaking to people who care about you and who will be here for you. We have been where you are now. You are not alone!

You can recover from your problems. It doesn't matter if you don't believe that yet. You can do it!

[reallyfedup]

Thank you. I try to be positive but its impossible for me when my symptoms are too distressing. Yesterday I had to phone my hubby to come home from work at lunchtime- I was collapsing and everything keeps' draining from my head.' feels the same today. Awful, heart pounding racing and shaking out of control. Had to come back to bed- 16 days now like this. Another 6 days till see doc again!?! Thank you for caring because being alone and feeling like this is very terrifying.:bighug1: