i cant live like this anymore

[katexxxx]

hello..

i dont know what to do anymore.i cant work because i had to leave my job due to anxiety,i can sometimes not be able to concentrate and its always a struggle to leave the house.i feel like im going to go mad as when im at home i feel isolated and the world just scares me....my anxiety goes from one thing to another,at the moment its i think if i go out il need to use the toilet and if theres none around i will panick like hell and feel like im gonna faint....i cant live like this anymore ive tried everything,am taking 20mg anti depressnts,reading helpful books but i still feel the same...
its like im just a dead person with no feelings:huh:

[oldtime]

I was like this a year ago. You need to slowly reduce the anxiety a step at a time until you can get back under control.

My tips to start this off are:

1. Distraction - this is essential, you must stop the continual inner voices and anxiety. I started doing soduko, crosswords, mind games on the Nintendo DS, making models. Anything that requires abit of concentration.

2. Relaxation - Deep breathing, meditation and yoga type exercises, this is good in the evening as it starts to get dark.

It has been a slow process but you need to take it bit by bit to get better and you will.

[snowgoose]

hello Kate:)

your post will resonate with so many of us on here ............it is horrible and believe me Kate .......you are not going mad .
I dont have the wise words that others have ...............just want you to know that you are not alone at all .............you can overcome this ....and you will.
Already by recognising this fear and finding this forum is a step forward .
others will be along soon with help ..... Sip cold water and watch your breathing .....abdomen rising .........xxx

[Patsta]

Hi Kate,
You are definately not alone, as you will most probably already have read on this site. What you are feeling is something that so many of us have gone through or are going through at the moment, but you need to know that you will be ok. You mention that you are taking anti-depressants....what are you taking and howlong have you been on them? As we all know, they all take time to work, so if you've only just started taking them, just remember, that there are some horibble side effects of increased anxiety etc....but they will go...and you will start to feel better. If you have been on them for a while, and you find they are not helping you, then maybe you need to increase your dose or even change them....you need to talk to your doctor. I started taking sertraline 19 days ago, and am just starting to feel the effects of them now. I'm still not 100%, but am getting there, and my anxiety levels over the last 2 days have decreased significantly!
Good luck Kate...and just remember we are all here for you!
Patty

[Scrubmuncher]

If you are using drugs to help and they are not having the correct effect then go back to the doc and ask them to try something else. If you have just recently started on them, give them a feww weeks to begin to smoothen you out, in an ideal world you won't even notice the change, others will, so don't expect to all of a ssudden feel great one morning, the change is very slight over a period of time.
If you are on your last legs of effort, try and get yourself into a mental health unit, they are difficult to get into but you might be lucky. I spent a stint inside one and it deffinately put things into perspective for me, I realised that for real it was very common, and also, my problems are very small compared to others living with far greater mental health troubles than anxiety, self harm and panic. A very humbling experience and really put me back into society as a human being equal to others, not my quivering self I had become in my own head.
Good luck!

[katexxxx]

thanks for all yoyr advice....im taking citalopram 20mg and have been ont them for 2 years,i increased the dose but it made me feel worse so i went back down.