hope this makes sense

[olderfella]

Hi guys n gals i have been having panic attacks for the last 3yrs just like many of you i find myself in the depths of dispair,i am currently on 140mg perday of amitryptolene with a few diazipam prescribed for when needed.I wish i could see an end to this horrible illness.I have read so many different things that are said to cause anxiety and wonder why our doctors dont look for the causes of our illness instead of just prescribing anti d,s etc.I have read that when the amount of dhea drops below the level of prolactin this is when panic strikes,i asked my doctor about this and she said it is right to some extent but gave no further insight,i asked if it was advisable to use a prolactin blocker to which she answered please dont do that without givin me a reason,would this not be better for us would blockin prolactin work?I have also been told that in men panic and anxiety are often caused by low androgen levels also mentioned this to my doctor but she didnt want to discuss the subject,instead she upped my amitryptolene.Am i wrong to think that gp,s are more interested in giving out treatments as apposed to find a cure?All in all to be fair to my doctor she has always returned my calls if i am unable to get an appointment and she has tried to reassure me unlike her collegue who told me i need to snap out of this nonsense in my head,does he think we enjoy being like this.Sorry if im boring you but i cannot figure out why they just dish out medicines without tests to see if we are lacking things in the chemistry of our blood :unsure:

[Maj]

Hi, sorry you are feeling so bad. I think some gp's don't try and find out why you are suffering because they just don't have the time. I'm not defending them - you'll never get me defending many doctors!! It's easier for them to prescribe something. A really good doctor might take the time, or refer you to someone else. I agree that they should even at least take a blood test just to put your mind at ease if nothing else. You could always ask if you could be referred to someone although you'll probably be put on a waiting list. I can understand that when you feel so low then you want someone to just listen to you and try and help you to understand why you feel like you do. This is when sites like this are invaluable because there are definitely people here who know exactly what you are talking about. I hope you feel better soon. You are not alone.:hugs:

[Jaco45er]

Hi Fella

Yip I agree with Maj, it's a question of time (in my experience) and resourses. Initially anxiety can be difficult to pinpoint, as anxiety can be caused by circumstances deep rooted, chemical imbalance, secondary to a physical aliment (like thyroid), and from the GP's perspective, I don't think they have the time or skills (as in mental health training apart from the basics).

They can refer you for therapy, but that can take months, so meds is the "quick fix".

In my humble opinion, in an ideal world, after a GP has ruled out a physical problem, referal to a specialist should take days rather than months, then leave it for the trained mental health professional to either organise therapy, or request that a GP administer meds.

This will never happen sadly, as there will never be the funding to have a network of therapists to deal with the massive amount of people who see a GP with mental health problems (1 in every 4 visits to a GP are mental health issues).

On the whole I think GP's do a sterling job, I think this is an issue at Goverment level that needs addressing.

The World Health Org has indicated that by 2012, mental health will account for lost time at work only behind the common cold and bad backs (I read once, somewhere lol)

Jaco

[olderfella]

Thanks Maj it does give comfort to know im not alone and finding this forum has given me a lift,i know that there are a lot of people suffering from the same thing as my doc did tell me that panic & anxiety are very common in all walks of life it was when she told me this that i thought why dont they look harde at whats causing it.I hope to find some answers an helpful tips what shocks me is how long some of you people have been suffering this illness and how you find the strength to keep going:unsure:

[olderfella]

I agree with you jaco there needs to be more specialized help,i had one lot of therapy which helped but was only allowed 7 one hour sessions which realy helped, but once i had used my 7 hrs that was that therapy was stopped,it is now 1yr on and i have started a different type of therapy but this time they just listen and i dont seem to be making progress this time,they think i may have underlying problems from my childhood .im now in my 50,s and think if they were right wouldnt my problems have started way back?:doh::doh::doh: