hope

[louise29]

i have suffered panic attacks for a long time. they intensified when i had a baby and became depressed. i believed i was going to kill my baby and myself without realising i was going to which led to severe panic. i couldnt go out i couldnt go to see my friends i couldnt even have friends come visit me. i wanted to be alone, to deal with it, to get over it. but the problem was the more time i spent alone the worse it got to the point if the phone rang i would panic and feel ill for hours. i was having upwards of 20 panic attacks a day. all with a new born baby that had constipation and colic and needed my help. i wanted to die. i then read about panic attacks, and realised this is what i was having. i wasnt going mad as i first believed. i went to the doctor who prescribed me anti d's i had a severe reaction to citalapram and started contorting on myself and i really thought i was dying, which actually cured my panic for 4 weeks as i thought i cant ever feel this bad!!! then i had fluoxetine which made my panic worse-i was in a state of constant panic. i then realised i had to take action, i stopped the meds, i bought books about panic, one being cbt for dummies, i went to counselling and i read alot on the internet. i slowly began to realise i wasnt alone and my will to feel better made me push for more information and the more i had the better i felt. i then became pregnant again, i sank back scared and thought i would surely get so bad next time and end up in hospital. WRONG. i coped, i bought a hypnosis book and cd and listened to it every night and it helped immensely. i had a nice birth i felt in control and i was on a high after, so far my baby is 12 weeks and i havent had 1 panic episode. i look after myself physically, if i dont eat regular i have a panic attack, if i eat rubbish i have one and if i have a hangover i have one so i avoid or prepare for these eventualities. the result is i plan to go places i am planning a weekend trip away, and a mass gathering at my own house tomorrow which in itself is a mass achievement. it can be over come. what the mind creates-it can take away. believe you can do it and you will. it worked for me. be pro active and take charge, dont sit around waiting for it to go away. make it go away and live life-you can do it

[haz]

Good for you. Well done!Thanks for sharing your story and giving me some hope, cos I could really use it right now. Take care. :flowers:

[Anxious_gal]

I had a bad reaction too to citalapram, scared the life out of me!
Aw I 100% believe that CBT and therapy and support are a must for getting better.
Antidepressants can help but them alone will not cure you.
I am waiting on CBT and therapy at the moment. But have been doing CBT on my own too.
I have learned that lesson too, that i can actually cope, much to my own surprise.
Well done on taking control over your life and improving your anxiety :)

[louise29]

Good for you. Well done!Thanks for sharing your story and giving me some hope, cos I could really use it right now. Take care. :flowers:

hang on in there, it does get better but i found i had to be pro active for it to get better. its hard to make yourself get out there, especially when the fear of a panic attack is crippling but i just used to tell myself that i had had many panic attacks and nothing bad happened to me, i survived and if i had another one i would be fine again, whilst it feel hurrendous at the time its not dangerous or damaging and i used to tell myself this over and over. all the little techniques we pick up in the hope of stopping ourselves having one actually make them worse as your concentrating on not having one, i found that giving it to it and saying to myself 'go on then do your worst, im not scared of you' actually made it go away, it was my fear of feeling it building that turned it into a bad one, once i gave in and accepted the way i was feeling they started to stop. its hard and takes practice but it is the only way. try cbt for dummies, it really helped me alot and you realise all the thoughts that your having are common which helps immensely