Military and Panic/Anxiety issues and medication

[JAYQ]

Hello everyone! As i have stated before i am serving in the USAF and have been for 8 years and now suffer from panic/anxiety symptoms. The common ones are uneasyness of body, feeling weak, clammy feet, numb left arm especially at night when sleeping, dry mouth, and a few others.

Mainly this affects me day to day because a lot of it is trapped in my daily thinking and just makes it worse when feeling these symptoms. Some days i am fine of course and feel great then others are horrible and can last days, weeks.

I am seeing a psychiatrists on the 27th of this month that my GP referred me to for having an overactive nervous system. I have not asked anyone else this in my chain of command because in case i get kicked out for it, but i am worried that this is going to happen. Does anyone here know if you can be on anxiety/panic meds and still serve? I really do not want to have to be on meds if all possible but if they really help putting your mind at ease and rid of the constant bad feelings then i want to. At the same time thou i do not want to get discharged. I wouldnt know what to do then if that happend or where to go.

[gtrgrl3369]

Not sure if you could get discharged for something like this, but I got better wothout meds. I know that your doctor can not repeat anything you say to them to anyone without your permission. Try and not worry about it until you have to so you dont add to your anxiety

[JAYQ]

Not sure if you could get discharged for something like this, but I got better wothout meds. I know that your doctor can not repeat anything you say to them to anyone without your permission. Try and not worry about it until you have to so you dont add to your anxiety


I really hope not and i try not to think about it, but hard not to when your career could be on the line ya know. I am hoping that the doctor i see on the 27th can really help me out to where i wont have to go on meds. Its good to hear you were able to do it, that gives me hope!

[JaneC]

Don't know about the US Jay but I know a serving soldier in the UK who is on Prozac. Hope things go ok for you.

PS, found an article online which says that at least 17 per cent of active duty personnel in the US military are on antidepressants, so even if you do need to go on meds hopefully there will not be a problem

[JAYQ]

Don't know about the US Jay but I know a serving soldier in the UK who is on Prozac. Hope things go ok for you.

PS, found an article online which says that at least 17 per cent of active duty personnel in the US military are on antidepressants, so even if you do need to go on meds hopefully there will not be a problem

But is that what panic/anxiety medication is? An antidepressant?

[JaneC]

It can be. Some antidepressants are recognised as effective for that - Prozac (fluoxetine) has stopped my PAs for example. There are other meds but I have no experience of any of them. There's also therapy - cognitive behavioural therapy can be very helpful for some people.