Advice required

[Ryanc]

Hi there. I'm a 30 year old guy that suffers from extreme anxiety. This ranges from worrying about nothing to having involuntary movements ie tremors etc when even doing the simplist things like going to get my hair cut. Seems to happen a lot in social situations. I have finally booked appointment with doctor , this has taken me a while to do . Problem is I feel embarrassed by it all and am already getting worked up about going to seek help.
Can anyone give advice on things I should be doing or any medication I can get that may help me.
Thanks

[nomorepanic]

Hi Ryanc

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[Arnie365]

hi and welcome.

[Mark13]

Welcome to the forum.

Propranolol is popularly prescribed by Doctors for anxiety. It slows your heart rate which can be of help.

[Pipkin]

Hi Ryan and

The best thing to do is just be totally honest with your GP and tell him how you feel. I find it helps to write down what I want to say before I go in as I often forget when I'm there.

Your GP should talk you through different options which may include medication and therapy, and advise you but ultimately the decision about how to go forward is yours. The NICE guidance on anxiety should also help you so give it a read:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG113

Good luck

Pip

[missjones2910]

Hi Ryan,

I can totally understand why you would feel embarrassed as you have the issue of society portraying the "men should be tough and masculine" image and anxiety and worry is seen as more of a womanly thing. This is not the case at all and GP's are very understanding as they have seen everything and heard lots more.

From my experience symptoms like this do not just arise from no where and you never worry over nothing as clearly at the time it was important and concerning you what you were thinking about.

Try and take time out to maybe write down all your concerns and worries and see if any feel like they are your main concern or cause the symptoms to arise again and/or go worse and you then have made a start at finding the root cause of your issues.

As for the tremors that's your bodies reaction to you being on edge and up tight for long periods of time. It is similar to sighing a lot or being short of breath as you have in a sense become like a tight elastic band, its your body trying to relieve itself of the prolonged tension your feeling.

Propranolol was equally prescribed to me and will help with the tremors but not the underlying causes of your anxiety so maybe try and start thinking of each of the different things you worry about and try and shred them down. No matter how trival or "about nothing" as they may seem.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

Cathy