Time to ask for medication?

[nhf]

Hi

Sorry for such a long post but i just dont know what to do anymore - i want the old me back.

I have posted a few times on the site since joining. I have suffered with panic attacks and anxiety since Jan/Feb. It started with a PA in my second job.

After visiting the DR (didnt know it was a PA) he sent me to hospital. All tests fine (ecg, bloods, urine, echocardiagram). Clean bill of health given yet two weeks later i had another attack. Back to hospital. All clear given again. Another attack a few weeks later that was so intence i called 999 and ended up at hospital again. They advised me to speak to my GP about anxiety.

I have been seeing a counsellor through my GP on a fortnightly basis. My GP has said no to medication and keeps suggesting i meditate.

I have just had a weeks stay in the hospital due to vertigo (had all clear MRI). (had this before so not really contributing to the PA/A). During my stay i had another panic attack. The ward sister thinks i may be suffering from spontaneous panic attacks however my GP insists there MUST be a reason. I dont see it as all the situations they have happened have been totally random. (work, home, hospital, out walking, evening class)

This has been going on for six nearly seven months (i know this isnt long compared to alot of the members on here) and i feel i am not getting any better.

I avoid things i used to love! I used to love to drive and would think nothing of getting in the car and disappearing for the day on my own with my camera (i love photography) now i'm too scared to travel very far from home. I used to love to drive and visit my family 165 miles away in dorset by the beach - a journey i loved - its so pretty across country - now im afraid to go! Some days i struggle to just walk into the local supermarket.

My friends, family and work collegues all say i am not myself and i agree! I was a pretty self confident person before this - very little scared me, i loved to try new things and travel, go to concerts and music festivals etc... now the thought of any of that terrifies me as i'm so frieghtend i will have a PA.

My question is - can medication help take away the physical sensations of anxiety? and would it help me get past this?

I feel if i could get past focusing on the physical senstations of anxiety i could finally start to get my life back. I am so fed up of being terrfied all the time

I hope to hear some thoughts - thanks in advance!!!! xxxxxx

This website is a godsend and i am so glad i found it! xxxxx

PS - I have relaxation CDs and the book by DR Claire Weekes

[nhf]

Sorry forgot to say - alot of my anxiety is the thought of having another panic attack or passing out (i'm afraid of fainting!! - silly i know ) xxx

[Anxious_gal]

I suggest you speak to another GP,.your GP refused you treatment, he works for you,

[Anxious_gal]

Also have you been referee to the mental health team? You need a psychiatrist for a proper evaluation, they also like giving meds, ask for therapy too such as CBT

[nhf]

Thanks for the replies mishel - the counsellor i am seeing through my GP is a CBT counsellor....... i havent been refered any further than this.... xxx

Also - my surgery only has the one GP

[nhf]

Also just wanted to say - its not that i want to take meds but at this point i will try anything to help me get past this - prior to the last attack i have always said i did not want to take medication to get past this.

Now i will try anything as i just want my life back! I've tried Kalms and Bach remedy too.....

xxx

[Nataliex]

Hiya i found that after i started taking medication it calmed me down a lot but i wouldn't say it was a quick fix for the sensations/feelings, it took a lot of work with the CBT and myself to stop having them as much. I have been doing well for 2 years until recently when something triggered it all off again and i have been on meds for about 3 to 4 years now. One thing from my own personal experience is that when i first started taking meds it was very difficult to cope with the side effects such as shaking and feeling sick, it lasted for about 3 weeks and it seemed like it was never going to end, but it did. I tried my hardest not to go on meds but in the end i just couldn't cope with it. Hope this helps you xx

[nhf]

Hiya i found that after i started taking medication it calmed me down a lot but i wouldn't say it was a quick fix for the sensations/feelings, it took a lot of work with the CBT and myself to stop having them as much. I have been doing well for 2 years until recently when something triggered it all off again and i have been on meds for about 3 to 4 years now. One thing from my own personal experience is that when i first started taking meds it was very difficult to cope with the side effects such as shaking and feeling sick, it lasted for about 3 weeks and it seemed like it was never going to end, but it did. I tried my hardest not to go on meds but in the end i just couldn't cope with it. Hope this helps you xx

Thankyou for the reply Nataliex - your reply does help - i have also been trying my hardest - i''m just so terrified at the thought of another panic attack it has to be one of the worst feelings in the world!! I wake up everyday feeling sick to my stomach - worried that today will be the day another one will happen

Hope things calm down for you soon too!!

[Nataliex]

I know it is very hard, one minute your loving life and then the next out of nowhere PA hits you and everything you used to know isn't the same anymore. The first time round i couldn't leave my house for months, i would just watch people walking by having fun and over the last 2 years i have managed to get most of that back, i even went on holiday last year, so this time around i am fighting it the hardest i can because i don't want to be that person again that couldn't do anything. You will get through this, even though it doesn't feel like it now and you have probably got a lot of hard work ahead but trust me it does get better xxxx

[cb77]

Hi nhf
Why don't you ask your doctor about propranolol? It's a beta blocker used to control your heart rate and so takes away a lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety. I take it but it does have side effects, very tired and loss of appetite. Hope your feeling better soon