Newbie says "Hi!" *waves*

[aquarian]

Hello, everybody! Please allow me to introduce myself...

I'm a mid-forties male in the London (UK) area. I've been an independent professional for many years, so I'm bewildered by the recent onset of anxiety attacks which have made even simple tasks seem impossibly daunting.

I'm sure that my pattern will be familiar to many. I wake up with feelings of trepidation which quickly grow into anxiety and borderline panic lasting for the whole morning, but fade away gradually in the afternoon. I've tried gritting my teeth and forcing my way through it, but this doesn't seem to relieve the symptoms as I had hoped it might.

I've been attending weekly counselling sessions for the last three months, but I haven't noticed any improvement -- indeed, my anxiety seems more pronounced now than it was when I started. I trust the counsellor and she seems to be doing the right things, but the sessions don't seem to be getting through to the problem. I'm starting to wonder whether I'm somehow blocking my own progress.

In desperation at the New Year, I visited my GP who suggested starting me on Citalopram (20mg per day). I've been taking that for two weeks now and getting side-effects (tiredness, headaches, nausea) but no clear signs of improvement yet (hopefully soon!).

My wife has been incredibly supportive of me, and I'm really grateful to her for that, but I can see that it's difficult for her to try to deal with a condition that I'm unable to explain to her properly because I don't understand it myself.

I'm hoping on this forum to get in contact with people who have been having similar experiences. I'm also very keen to hear from those who have found some effective coping strategies, or who have managed to emerge triumphantly from this sort of tough patch. At the moment, it's difficult for me to believe that there can be light at the end of the tunnel.

I look forward to swapping posts with you in due course. If anyone has any thoughts on what I've written so far, then I'll appreciate receiving them.

Thanks for reading this far! :)

[diane07]

Hi aquarian

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[kym_888]

Hiya,

Welcome no NMP, im sure theres loads of people on here who are going through what your going through! I am the same, suffer with anxiety and panic attacks, ive had one since half 9 tonight!!
Hope you start to feel better soon
Kym x

[aquarian]

Many thanks for those warm words of welcome.

It's good to know that I'm amongst others with similar experiences. :)

[Lauz]

Hey there!
I am very new to anxiety & panic, only just been going through it the past month or so.

As for the meds, hang in there, I have been on Pristiq now for just up to a month and am only now starting to feel the full extent of how it is helping me.
I found that I got worse before I got better, to the point that it was worse than when I started on the meds. All I can say is stick it out and if you really don't find any help from it then speak with your GP further about other medications?

I too am seeing someone, which is helpful, helpful in a sense that I am learning techniques on how to help myself when I feel my body going into panic mode. I doesn't wash the feelings away completely but has helped me be able to deal and accept what is going on.

I wish you all the best, I understand how difficult it all can be and how it can take a toll on your partner but it sounds like you have a good support around you and don't feel bad to lean on that support!

:)

[Just.A.Girl.x]

Welcome Aquarian :)

You will meet loads of lovely people and get lots of support on here :)

I have written a long response on your councelling thread so wont say too much now just Welcome hehe

Candy xx

[Brunette]

Hi Aquarian,

I am of a similar age and my panic attacks also seemed to come "out of the blue". I didn't think I was particularly stressed or anxious until I sat down and really thought about it, so probably the first thing you need to do is get to the bottom of what's behind it so you can start sorting it out. The medication won't solve the underlying problem - it will only ease the symptoms while you get to the root cause.

Like you, I would feel dreadful in the morning and much better at night. I found lots of things useful including keeping a diary, listening to relaxation tapes and reading self-help books.

I won't go through all the details but feel free to have a look at my original post on the "introduce yourself" thread entitled "newbie de-lurking". If you want to ask more, let me know.

Hope you feel better soon

B

[lindor]

Sometimes anxiety and panic attacks can be brought on with things that have happened, not just in the present, but way back in the past that you may have forgotten about.
I know I get irrational thoughts which bring on my panic attacks and if I can control those thoughts and stop them coming it helps.
The 'fear of the fear' is the worse thing, it is such a horrible overwhelming feeling that you feel you will lose control (but you wont)
Keep taking the medication, I've heard they take a while to work. I was put on Citrolax (I never spell it right) a week before Christmas. They do help but I still get the odd 'wobble'

[aquarian]

Many thanks for those additional replies. I can see that this forum is a very friendly and supportive place!

Lauz -- Thanks for your encouragement. I certainly intend to stick with the medication. I gather that the suggestion in the accompanying leaflet that the benefits show up in 1-2 weeks may be very optimistic. I'm glad to hear that it's working for you.

Candy -- Thanks for your welcoming words here and also your response to my other posting in the "Therapy" section (which I've just replied to).

Brunette -- Thanks for your helpful suggestions. I've just read your introductory posting and I was struck by your positive attitude to your difficulties which is clearly helping you through them. I'm hoping that some of that positivity has rubbed off on me!

lindor -- I completely agree with you about "fear of the fear". I currently have a bad habit of over-thinking, in which I brood anxiously about a seemingly endless stream of possible future problems, and then I panic as I try feverishly to work out ways of avoiding each of them so that I don't have to face those fears.

I've come to realise that the level of anxiety that my brooding puts me through is similar to that of the problems themselves if they were to materialise (possibly worse!), but I put myself through this many times in anticipation of events which may never happen. I recall a quote from Shakespeare (which I had to look up!): "Cowards die a thousand deaths. The valiant taste of death but once". I think that says it all.

Cheers and all the best.

[Brunette]

Hi Aquarian,

You sound as though you are on the right track.

I think the trick is to get out of the "habit" of anxiety before it becomes ingrained. You may notice that often the worst sufferers on this forum are the ones who have suffered for many years without knowing what was happening to them and without help.

I was lucky that, in a sense, I was able to nip mine in the bud. I got hold of a lot of information very early and therefore started deaing with the problem quickly - that's not to say I was never remotely anxious before, I always had a tendency to worry and "catastrophise" but my panic attacks gave me the opportunity to finally deal with that mindset as well as my extreme impatience/irritability.

I also had the knowledge that both my aunt and grandmother developed agoraphopia in later life and didn't want to go down the same path.

You sound like a reading man so self-help books might be your thing. There are loads on Amazon but I think most of us agree that Claire Weekes' "Self Help for you Nerves" is the best. As a bonus it is also the shortest and simplest to understand!

Best wishes

B

[Typer]

Hi Aquarian,

Like you I am a professional but suddenly started getting heart palpitations.

These made me panic and I began having anxiety attacks. Although I have learned about the palpitations and am less afraid of them, I am now in the vicious circle of being afraid of fear itself, and then experiencing fear which brings on more. A sort of paradox really, or at least a chicken and the egg conundrum.

I know I have to break into the cycle of fear and this is not easy. I am embarking on the Claire Weeks method.

For more info on this read the Claire Weeks thread - I'll just find it for you


http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=67803

[magpie girl]

hi and welcome to the forum,the support and advice is fantastic on here its like being a memeber of one big family :yesyes::yesyes::yesyes:

[aquarian]

Wow! Even more replies! :)


You sound as though you are on the right track.
Thanks! I probably sound more assured here than I really am, though.



I think the trick is to get out of the "habit" of anxiety before it becomes ingrained. You may notice that often the worst sufferers on this forum are the ones who have suffered for many years without knowing what was happening to them and without help.

OK. I've been an anxious sort of person for as long as I can remember, but until the last few years it has been restricted to specific situations (e.g. shyness at parties) which it hasn't been too limiting for me to avoid. More recently, my anxiety has spread to other areas of my life which I can't escape from, so it's become much more of a problem to me. My "fear of fear" has also become correspondingly much stronger, presumably because I feel trapped, unlike before.

Ironically, over the same period, my shyness has diminished to the point where I'm likely to seek out new social situations and regard them as a bit of a challenge. In these scenarios, at least, I think I've finally accepted that I'm always going to feel nervous, and my acceptance has drawn the sting to the extent that I'll dismiss "butterflies in the stomach" as excitement.


I always had a tendency to worry and "catastrophise" ...

That sounds just like me... :blush:


You sound like a reading man so self-help books might be your thing. There are loads on Amazon but I think most of us agree that Claire Weekes' "Self Help for you Nerves" is the best. As a bonus it is also the shortest and simplest to understand!

I have that book! I bought it a year or so ago and started to read it, but didn't finish. It sounds as if I ought to revisit it. As I recall, I had difficulty putting into practice the concept of "fully accepting" the anxiety attacks, even though I grasp the reasoning behind it.


... I am now in the vicious circle of being afraid of fear itself, and then experiencing fear which brings on more. A sort of paradox really, or at least a chicken and the egg conundrum.

I certainly recognise that! In my case, I tend to brood and fret about possible future setbacks, with my dominant worry being about the intensity of anxiety that I might feel, rather than the impact of the setback itself. That's definitely a "fear of fear" reaction, or even a "fear of fear of fear".


I know I have to break into the cycle of fear and this is not easy. I am embarking on the Claire Weeks method.

For more info on this read the Claire Weeks thread - I'll just find it for you

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=67803
Many thanks for that. I'd better read the thread and the book. :)


hi and welcome to the forum,the support and advice is fantastic on here its like being a memeber of one big family :yesyes::yesyes::yesyes:
Thanks! Even in just a couple of days here, I've been amazed at how much support I've seen from people on this forum. :hugs:

[rozie]

Welcome welcome.

I too am a fairly recent newcomer but have already found comfort and enormous reassurance from the lovely people on this site.

This is just to say an ititial hello and look forward to corresponding as and when. I would urge you to read the many articles and information pieces on here. Combined with the many previous posts, they offer a wealth of information.

With all good wishes

Rozie

[aquarian]

Hi Rozie! Thanks for your welcome.

Sorry that it's taken me a while to reply. As I've just mentioned in another thread, I've been feeling a great deal better over the last few days (perhaps due to the Citalopram kicking in at last). I've been a lot less wrapped up in myself and I've been getting on with stuff -- to the extent that I had forgotten to check out this forum!

I'll make sure that I take a longer look at the articles on this site. I'm glad to be feeling better now but I know that I need to make some lasting improvements, and I can't rely on medication to do that for me.

Cheers!

[Veronica H]

:welcome:Aquarian. It is amazing how many Aquarians we have on here with anxiety issues....me included. You are right in that this is an illness of how we think. There is a brilliant book by Dr Claire Weekes;SELF HELP FOR YOUR NERVES ISBN 0-7225-3155-9.This is available from the NMP shop. Dr Weekes was a physician and scientist. She was a fellow sufferer (nominated for the nobel prize for medicine) and really understood this illness. She took the mystery out of it, and devised a simple programme for recovery. I can't recommend this enough. This will get better.

Here is a link to her site;

http://www.drclaireweekes.co.uk/


Veronicax