discocole
04-22-2013, 07:48 PM
Hi everyone!
Will try to keep this short. About two years ago, I had a horrible allergic reaction to Benadryl(yes, Benadryl) while on vacation. I had hives all over my body, extreme agitation/restlessness, nausea/dry heaves, and experienced an awful panic attack while on the subway. Prior to this, I had never had a problem with panic attacks. Ever since this experience, I've had problems with persistent anxiety and occasional panic attacks. It's been very upsetting to deal with, because prior to this, I had fantastic life with not much stress. I was socially active, had a lot of friends, great marriage, and travelled a lot. One of the biggest parts of my anxiety is being afraid of throwing up in front of people, and mild nausea. I tend to get most of my panic attacks in restaurants, which is frustrating because going out to eat and trying new restaurants was one of my favorite things to do. Initially, I was able to get over the first anxiety episode in a few months. It never completely went away, but I wasn't having panic attacks and that was good enough for me. Then, last winter, I got another panic attack in a restaurant(I was hungover, which is probably why this happened), which led to an extreme exacerbation in anxiety and a deep depression. I wanted to be dead and didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. I eventually realized I couldn't let myself live like that, so I used CBT methods on myself and pulled myself out of the slump(I work in psych, so I'd like to think I'm pretty knowledgeable about certain behavioral techniques). I didn't have a panic attack for 7 months, but continued to have mild anxiety. I then made the mistake of having a caffeinated coffee..then had another horrible panic attack and went downhill again, but was able to pull myself out of it relatively quickly. Since December, I've been having a few very mild panic attacks, which I believe are limited symptom attacks. They still exacerbate my anxiety just the same, and cause me to feel depressed and frustrated. I seem to be able to pull myself out of the anxiety, but always go downhill again once something seemingly small happens. I have eliminated all caffeine from my diet, and have for the past 8 months. I'm just tired of being afraid of things that I used to enjoy.
Here is my question. I've wanted to get through all of this naturally...but is there really any hope for me without taking meds? I seem to get myself to a really good place, then go downhill again easily...even if I have just one panic attack. I'll even walk into a restaurant not feeling any anxiety at all, and then all of a sudden it's like I get an adrenaline surge that I can't control, which is leading me to believe that this is truly a chemical imbalance. My OB/GYN prescribed Fluoxetine for me...which I haven't taken yet because I'm scared of having a reaction. I'm afraid it will make me worse and put me in the psych ward. Also, in my research I've learned the Fluoxetine was derived from Benadryl...which scares me because now I'm worried I'll be allergic due to my past experience with Benadryl. What does everyone think? And do I have Panic Disorder, PTSD, GAD...what? My insurance sucks and I would prefer not to see a psychiatrist if I can help it.
Will try to keep this short. About two years ago, I had a horrible allergic reaction to Benadryl(yes, Benadryl) while on vacation. I had hives all over my body, extreme agitation/restlessness, nausea/dry heaves, and experienced an awful panic attack while on the subway. Prior to this, I had never had a problem with panic attacks. Ever since this experience, I've had problems with persistent anxiety and occasional panic attacks. It's been very upsetting to deal with, because prior to this, I had fantastic life with not much stress. I was socially active, had a lot of friends, great marriage, and travelled a lot. One of the biggest parts of my anxiety is being afraid of throwing up in front of people, and mild nausea. I tend to get most of my panic attacks in restaurants, which is frustrating because going out to eat and trying new restaurants was one of my favorite things to do. Initially, I was able to get over the first anxiety episode in a few months. It never completely went away, but I wasn't having panic attacks and that was good enough for me. Then, last winter, I got another panic attack in a restaurant(I was hungover, which is probably why this happened), which led to an extreme exacerbation in anxiety and a deep depression. I wanted to be dead and didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. I eventually realized I couldn't let myself live like that, so I used CBT methods on myself and pulled myself out of the slump(I work in psych, so I'd like to think I'm pretty knowledgeable about certain behavioral techniques). I didn't have a panic attack for 7 months, but continued to have mild anxiety. I then made the mistake of having a caffeinated coffee..then had another horrible panic attack and went downhill again, but was able to pull myself out of it relatively quickly. Since December, I've been having a few very mild panic attacks, which I believe are limited symptom attacks. They still exacerbate my anxiety just the same, and cause me to feel depressed and frustrated. I seem to be able to pull myself out of the anxiety, but always go downhill again once something seemingly small happens. I have eliminated all caffeine from my diet, and have for the past 8 months. I'm just tired of being afraid of things that I used to enjoy.
Here is my question. I've wanted to get through all of this naturally...but is there really any hope for me without taking meds? I seem to get myself to a really good place, then go downhill again easily...even if I have just one panic attack. I'll even walk into a restaurant not feeling any anxiety at all, and then all of a sudden it's like I get an adrenaline surge that I can't control, which is leading me to believe that this is truly a chemical imbalance. My OB/GYN prescribed Fluoxetine for me...which I haven't taken yet because I'm scared of having a reaction. I'm afraid it will make me worse and put me in the psych ward. Also, in my research I've learned the Fluoxetine was derived from Benadryl...which scares me because now I'm worried I'll be allergic due to my past experience with Benadryl. What does everyone think? And do I have Panic Disorder, PTSD, GAD...what? My insurance sucks and I would prefer not to see a psychiatrist if I can help it.