pnjet
16-06-11, 08:12
Hey everybody,
I'm a 20 year old male and I've been having something that I guess can be described as panic attacks since I was 13.
It all started suddenly with my first romantic relations with girls and five years passed before I tried to seek any help. I went to a psychologist for 2 years and he did help a bit but I really didn't see a lot of progress. Nowadays the attacks happen in situations where I'm alone with a girl that I see in a romantic way or sometimes in a situation from which it is difficult to escape(e.g. when I'm traveling in a car/bus etc).
The main symptoms are very strong nausea, stomach pain and pounding heart. If I end up having a full fledged panic attack I have about a 50% chance of vomiting, even if I leave the situation and try to calm myself down. I believe that this is due to the fact that after some point, even if the situation is not the problem anymore, the automatic vomiting procedure has kicked in and it's almost impossible to stop it.
I'm a social person and unfortunately this means that I get these panic attacks a lot when I'm going in situations I don't consider secure enough (e.g. when I'm in a place where I have the chance to go to the bathroom whenever I want I feel safer than when I'm in a car). Sometimes when I'm preparing for a very difficult situation such as a date I may have the panic attack symptoms with reduced strength for hours or even days.
The problem gets worse because the only somewhat effective "solution" I have found in all these years is not eating before going out. This habit, along with the fact that I spend many hours of the day outside the house leads to me being almost underweight. Keeping a healthy weight is a constant battle for me. Note that this "solution" doesn't really solve the problem, it just makes it less likely that I will have a panic attack and if I have one it is less likely that I will vomit.
Some weeks ago I went to a psychiatrist (who was covered by my insurance) due to the fact that I can't afford another psychologist right now. He listened to me for five minutes and the prescribed citalopram and told me to come back in 6 months.
I don't have anything against drugs in general but I'm afraid of starting the treatment mainly because I won't have a therapist to help me completely get rid of the panic while I'm on the drug and at the same time the side effects include many of the symptoms I'm trying to escape from such as nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. I also ordered a book on CBT but I don't know how much it can really help.
Any comments, suggestions or thoughts will be greatly appreciated because I'm feeling pretty lost. :D
I'm a 20 year old male and I've been having something that I guess can be described as panic attacks since I was 13.
It all started suddenly with my first romantic relations with girls and five years passed before I tried to seek any help. I went to a psychologist for 2 years and he did help a bit but I really didn't see a lot of progress. Nowadays the attacks happen in situations where I'm alone with a girl that I see in a romantic way or sometimes in a situation from which it is difficult to escape(e.g. when I'm traveling in a car/bus etc).
The main symptoms are very strong nausea, stomach pain and pounding heart. If I end up having a full fledged panic attack I have about a 50% chance of vomiting, even if I leave the situation and try to calm myself down. I believe that this is due to the fact that after some point, even if the situation is not the problem anymore, the automatic vomiting procedure has kicked in and it's almost impossible to stop it.
I'm a social person and unfortunately this means that I get these panic attacks a lot when I'm going in situations I don't consider secure enough (e.g. when I'm in a place where I have the chance to go to the bathroom whenever I want I feel safer than when I'm in a car). Sometimes when I'm preparing for a very difficult situation such as a date I may have the panic attack symptoms with reduced strength for hours or even days.
The problem gets worse because the only somewhat effective "solution" I have found in all these years is not eating before going out. This habit, along with the fact that I spend many hours of the day outside the house leads to me being almost underweight. Keeping a healthy weight is a constant battle for me. Note that this "solution" doesn't really solve the problem, it just makes it less likely that I will have a panic attack and if I have one it is less likely that I will vomit.
Some weeks ago I went to a psychiatrist (who was covered by my insurance) due to the fact that I can't afford another psychologist right now. He listened to me for five minutes and the prescribed citalopram and told me to come back in 6 months.
I don't have anything against drugs in general but I'm afraid of starting the treatment mainly because I won't have a therapist to help me completely get rid of the panic while I'm on the drug and at the same time the side effects include many of the symptoms I'm trying to escape from such as nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. I also ordered a book on CBT but I don't know how much it can really help.
Any comments, suggestions or thoughts will be greatly appreciated because I'm feeling pretty lost. :D