newbie

[bolton78]

First of all I'd lke to say Hi to everyone and let them know im here lol

Anyway back to my story,I had my !st panic attack after a came home from a stag do in prague,then I've had afew every now and then,but the last month I must of had 1 at least once a day.

I honestly dont feel depressed in anyway,infact life is excellent at the moment moving in with my new stunning girlfirend at the end of august,but I've googled panic attacks and I am having all the claasic symptoms - Rapid heart beat, pounding heart or palpitations,Sweating,Shaking visibly or inside,Choking sensations,Dizziness,left arm has a funny feeling.

I cant put my finger on way they haapen,they come on at random times - train,bus,pub,bed.First I thought it was my job but i changed that 2 months ago and they still happen.I aint been to docs yet cause i dont want the prescribed drugs I've seen on forums i.e anti depressants etc,So I was thinking of going down the herbal route and want to ask people have they tried St johns wart,did it work?

[kafebrown]

Ive been suffering with anxiety for the last 3 months. Like you it came completely out of the blue. I had a panic attack during the night, I didn't know that at the time, and called 999 cos I really thought I was dying! After being kept in hospital for the day it was suggested Id had a panic attack. This has happened once more about 3 weeks ago. The initial panic attack has caused me anxiety, I havent been sleeping well cos Im scared it will happen again.

I think you should speak to your Doctor just to rule anything physical out,( I think a Thyroid problem can cause similar symptons) and maybe ask for an ecg just to check your rapid heart rate is due to anxiety. I take a beta blocker, propranolol, at a low dose to control my heart rate cos I too am reluctant to take anything more. Ive bought a couple of books by Claire Weekes to help understand anxiety and its symptoms and to help myself overcome this. Rescue Remedy is supposedly a really good natural product, although I haven't tried it myself yet. Sorry to waffle on! Good luck, let me know if you find anything that works and is natural. Angela xx

[Veronica H]

:welcome: to NMP. It would be a good idea to see your GP for a diagnosis. There is a brilliant book by Dr Claire Weekes called 'self help for your nerves', published by Thorsons. This is available from the NMP Shop. Her work can also be downloaded free to your MP3 from the shop. I can't recommend this enough, as it really explains what is happening to us, and how we can recover. This is a friendly place with great support.

Veronica