Amazing post thank u
Amazing post thank u
great post and thanks - have made it a sticky now
Nicola
“Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.” - Natalie Babbitt
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Aw! Thank you guys I'm glad you all like it and find it a good read! Hope it's been helpful to you x
Don't lose your way with each passing day, you've come so far, don't throw it away - Land Before Time
Hi pokerface....i loved reading your post as it hits the nail right on the head,..i just would like to know if medication helped you tackle your anxiety and panic attacks or if its possible to overcome it better without. ive tried citalopram that didnt help, fluoxetine that helped abit but didnt get rid of the fog in my head and now im on venlafaxine and seroquel, im 5 days in and had two of my worst ever panic attacks last night, i was so scared i was dying. i went super hot and sweaty which has never happened before along with dizzyness, legs about to collapse beneath me, nearly sick, needing toilet, shaking uncontrollably and a horrible hot surge running through my body. also had palpitations and feeling like i cant get enough air. Can anyone relate to this? i ended up being so scared i took a diazepam. this all came about because i felt sick....i know its normal to sometimes feel abit sick and i tell myself over and over that im fine but my brain wont listen and goes into meltdown. my attacks started 5 months ago after having my little boy and i hemorrhaged after labor and nearly died. now i cant convince myself im well.
everytime i have an attack its a little bit different like you said and therefore leads me to believe this is it im going to die....im really scared its never going to stop and side effects may make me worse. i just want to be normal, i have 4 gorgeous boys who dont detect a thing i hope and an amazing husband who tries to always help bring me out of an attack...i hate that word attack...i just hate it all. any help would be great....and i love the caption.."when i am asleep i am free" as i can never wait to get to bed its the only time i feel "normal". Sorry for my punctuation but im holding my little boy while he sleeps. xx
Hi babydutch. I'm so sorry for the late reply, I hope you're feeling better
Everyone is different in how they tackle and manage their anxiety, personally, medication wasn't for me. I was prescribed Propranolol (a beta blocker) to help with some of the symptoms of anxiety but I was only on them for a month. My GP never offered me any other medication or counselling so unfortunately I have little to no experience of medication for anxiety.
I have read on here sometimes medication can make your anxiety worse before it gets better and a lot of people suggest taking a course of medication whilst seeking counselling.
I can definitely relate to the panic attack you described. One of my worst panic attacks I ever had was exactly like that, I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe, got up to go splash cold water on my face and both my legs buckled underneath me and I fell into the wall, needed the toilet couldn't breathe, was so dizzy my chest hurt and was tight. I was so scared I was crying and begging my boyfriend to call me an ambulance because I was so convinced I was dying and this couldn't be a panic attack. Luckily, my boyfriend saw it for what it was and refused to call me an ambulance and helped calm me down after a few terrifying hours.
5 months is such a short time. This is all so new and terrifying for you I can completely understand how agonising and terrifying this all is for you. The first year and a half was the worst time in my life and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I thought there was no way out, convinced I was going to experience anxiety on such a high level for the rest of my life, but trust me, with hard work it can get better.
I used to count the hours until bed time too, it was the only time I had any relief. A lot of people with extreme anxiety and panic attacks feel the same. You're definitely not alone in any of these thoughts and feelings.
What you have is extreme anxiety, the doctor has checked you over and found no underlying cause for it I presume so it really is your brain doing all this to you. Everybody in the whole entire world experiences anxiety in there lives, ours is just so confused and out of whack, our brain perceives danger absoloutely everywhere with various diseases and ailments so we get panic attacks. A panic attack is your bodys first defense against danger, it tells you something is wrong so you either get ready to fight, or get ready to get the hell out of this "dangerous" situation your mind has created.
I always wondered why my body would choose to do this to me if it was a reaction against danger, like, if I was faced with a man eating tiger...why would my brain make me not able to breathe and my legs stop working? Surely I'd get eaten? But if I think about it, I assume if there was a tiger my brain would be so focused on the tiger I wouldn't notice the effects the extra adrenaline had on my body, I'd be focused on getting away so the extra adrenaline would help me sprint faster than ever before. But because there is no tiger and no danger, just me, myself and my body, I get scared of what the adrenaline is doing to me and why it's come which is bloody awful which leads to panic attacks of epic proportions if you like!
Sorry if you found the tiger theory hard to follow, to try and explain myself better, Health Anxiety sufferers are scared of their own bodies. What could be unseen inside of them, that's the danger. But of course we can't run from ourselves so the panic attack doesn't help us at all. It just leaves us feeling horrible and even more convinced we're dying when in reality, we're perfectly fine.
I hope the meds start to work for you, don't be scared to go back to your GP if they don't agree with you or get too much. Ask for counselling or if there's any other options and try to learn as much about anxiety and how your mind works as you can. Once you start to learn about what your body and mind is doing, it becomes a bit more manageable.
Feel better soon xx
Don't lose your way with each passing day, you've come so far, don't throw it away - Land Before Time
Great post thank you.
Read it for the 1st time today. Really good post and makes sense. The bit about trusting your doctor is the important one for me.
Try to start conquering your fears, and to let go of your "safety behaviors"
Thank you. What a helpful, sensible, reassuring post! Some fab wisdom here! Much better than dr google
thanks for this helpful reading....
1st step for me docs on friday- 3rd time lucky i hope xx
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