Sorry to say Im back after 4 years!

[nicotine]

I used to use this forum regularly about 4 years ago, I can say I was virtually panic-attack free for most of that time until now...

FORTUNATELY though, I know how wonderful this forum is to be a member of when you suffer from anxiety! It really is a god send and tremendously positive and put my mind at rest so much which I am hoping it will once again

My anxiety has been building again for the last 6 months. In january I agreed with my doctor to lower my citalopram dosage to 10mg every other day.

Ive been getting severe panic attacks again more and more regularly recently and my mind-set has reversed back to worrying about having a heart attack, and Im finding hard once again to convince myself I am not dying when I get these attacks.

Its not been helped by recent media coverage on sudden death syndrome in the young and fabrice muamba and various other high profile sudden deaths. I can't stop thinking that I have an underlying heart condition.

Greetings to everyone!

I look forward to beating my panic again!!!

[diane07]

Hi nicotine

A huge warm welcome to nmp.

You'll get loads of advice and support here and make some lovely friends along the way.

Best wishes

[nicotine]

Thank you diane

[Deepest Blue]

Hi nicotine, welcome back to the forum even if it's not under the best of circumstances however it is really nice see that past members can come back here to seek help, advice, support and it's a credit to NMP for being such an effective forum for this.

I've always worried about having a heart attack especially during the times when I was getting very regular panic attacks that felt so strong together with chest pains, difficulty in breathing to the point where it felt I was going to collapse, during these moments each time I was convinced this was it Im going to die... thankfully the Propranolo (on 40mg) has helped at least tame the attacks to a bare minimum, I wished it helped my anxiety though as thats something that I really do still need to work on and stuggling to do so.

I hope you feel better soon and it's lovely to see you again,
Take care

[kittikat]

Hi &

I too joined here a few years back suffering from bad panic attacks....took meds, had CBT and began to feel I was making a good recovery....No such luck!! The anxiety and panics are back with a vengence and have developed into agoraphobia

It's funny how you forget all that you learned a few years back and all the fears come back to haunt you again. But as you say, this site really helps and all the lovely people here are always ready to support you.

I have recently started a new course of CBT and I am hoping this will help me to overcome my fears and give me the tools to combat this once again.

I wish you good luck in your journey and welcome back!!

Kitti

[nicotine]

Thank you for the very sweet re-welcome guys!

Relapse certainly is no fun!

I can relate to your symptoms deepest blue! I think I have had every symptom under the sun previous to my relapse, but like kittikat said, It's bonkers how you quickly forget how to control your attacks, and forget the positive thought patterns you taught yourself to help you through the day!

I am more determined then ever to recover again though! In the past I could never hold down a job because my anxiety made it so so hard to get through a shift! I couldn't stick to education because I constantly thought I was dying! Now I have a job I desperately don't want to loose!

I am on quite a low dose of citalopram right now, 10 mg every other day, but citalopram really helped me get better when I was on a higher dose and I know that is always an option, but I would love more to stick to my current dose and get better without resorting to this!

I am doing my research, looking very closely into my diet, thought patterns, relationships and perspectives. Yoga is interesting me a lot and I am also starting to take magnesium supplements as I have heard this can be useful for people with panic disorder (google magnesium and panic disorder)

Thank you all for your kind responses! I wish you all the best, peace and love