newbie!

[joneze21]

hey my name is kristian im 27 from wales (uk) just a quick question, ive been suffering with anxiety/panic attacks since 2010. until november of last year i managed pretty well up until then, but now im having anxiety every single day which usually leads to a panic attack when it comes to bed time, im anxious of getting an anxiety/panic attack, everyday im caught up in a vicious cycle now and cant get out of it. im phoning my local gp tomorrow morning to seek medical help because its got so unbearable i have even at 1 point considered taking my own life i cant function and think straight! its horrible as your all aware. me and my fiance are expecting our first child in march and the last thing i want to be doing is thinking of silly thoughts like that!! my question is what medication would you say no too? because ive heard of side effects like showing no emotion,insomnia etc

[temperancebrennan]

Hi, welcome!

It's difficult to say which meds will have worse side effects than others I think. Personally, Sertraline made me feel horrendous. I couldn't function for the few weeks that I was on it & I felt 10 time worse than before I started taking it. Yet lots of people have had success with it & they feel tonnes better.

It's probably worth to discuss the types of medication with your GP. It can be trial and error, but try not to be discouraged. There are a lot of commercial medications & they can help a lot.

Best of luck!

[joneze21]

suppose they would discuss it with me when i go there i guess aint it.
i suffered a horrible panic attack around 11 pm lasted till 2 am tonight really struggling with it

[temperancebrennan]

That sucks :( sorry to hear that. It's awful when they last so long. I really feel for you. Are you feeling any better now?

Have you tried any type of therapy or counselling before?

[jessed03]

1. Hey kristian!
2. I read your whole post in a Welsh accent. Quality.
3. Congrats on the baby! Hope it all goes smoothly.
4. Good to see you getting help. No point suffering silently, right?
5. Learn how to cope with anxiety attacks. Sounds like fear of the fear is a problem. Once you can calm them, and stop being so afraid of them, they reduce in amount and severity. The link below is good:
http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?9512-The-Quick-Guide-to-Stopping-Panic-Attacks

6. Purchase the book 'The anxiety and phobia workbook' from amazon if you haven't got it. It's around £10.
7. Ask your doctor for a referral to CBT. It has good success rates.
8. You'll be offered the drugs Citalopram or Fluoxetine, I'm virtually certain. Both are mild. Emotional numbness is usually from the condition or too high a drug dose, no need to worry about that.
9. If you're a weak sleeper, Citalopram will probably be better.
10. Good luck :)

[joneze21]

indeed it is :( feel a bit better ive got on top of my breathing again and feeling a lot calmer than half hour ago, slowly pushing through

the only thing ive tried in a bid of desperation is buy a bottle of kalms 2 weeks ago

[temperancebrennan]

That's good to hear. I've heard calms can work quite well. I like to have the Bachs rescue remedy pastilles on hand. Not sure if they're a placebo or if they work, but for me I definitely feel a lot calmer after a couple of them.

Jesse is right with his list there. You should listen, he seems wise :)

It's a good step forward to be looking for help!

& yes, congratulations on the baby! That's exciting news!

[joneze21]

haha jesse boyo!
yeah no point suffering mate im phoning them first thing!
ill have to look into that book cheers for that, im usually a very good sleeper but last month ive found it pretty hard 2 drop off
also out of curiosity if you dont mind me asking how long have you been living with it? and what brought it on if you know?

[joneze21]

thank you :)

the kalms worked for a day or 2 thats about it

[jessed03]

Jesse is right with his list there. You should listen, he seems wise :)

It just seems that way, as sadly the people I give bad advice to are no longer with us ;)

I had panic attacks for 3 years kristian. Anxiety most of my life. It's been in remission for almost 2 years now. It was brought on by a combo of relationship stress, and health stress. One day I felt ill, went to the bathroom in confusion, thought I was dying, and called someone to help. It began an episode an hell!

Lol temperance... I eat the Pastilles as sweets. My gfs a nervous driver sometimes, keeps them around, I eat them. I like the spray. Tastes like cherry. I remember it calming me a little.

[joneze21]

same here i had a tough relationship break up and my ignorance led me to believe that partying 4 times a week was a good idea to get it off my mind
until one night i 2 felt confused and the feeling of death fast approaching ended up in a&e for 3 days with exhaustion and now here i am lol

these pastilles where can i purchase them from? or is it not a good idea to combine them with meds?

[temperancebrennan]

The pastilles are sold in Boots & Superdrug, probably in supermarkets too. They're natural, so shouldn't affect any medication. They just have flower extracts in that are meant to help calm you down. They're tasty too, which is nice :)

[joneze21]

sorry didnt know the last reply had posted lol

[joneze21]

think ill invest in them tomorrow and see whats what then :)

[temperancebrennan]

They're about £4 I think, so not too much.

Fingers crossed for you at the doctors. Let us know what they say! :)

[joneze21]

yeah i will do :)

[jessed03]

Don't sweat it. Your story sounds familiar to many people reading, I'm sure.

I feel good about you though. Nothing I'm seeing suggests you can't put this behind you real soon.

I second miss Brennan. Good luck, and let us know how it goes, I'll keep my eyes on this thread :)

[joneze21]

thanks for the input guys means a lot! i should have signed up on here a long long time ago

talking really does help

[joneze21]

thank you :)

[joneze21]

doctor recommended me to take venlafaxine 37.5 mg

anyone else on these?

[joneze21]

ive taken 1 pill today and i feel high as a kite at times then feel sick is this normal?

[joneze21]

haha the joys! they seem to work for me my anxiety is still there but i dont feel bothered by it because i am/was high as a kite off the meds

[Enduronman]

Yes friend, I have 11 meds. The Doc said to stay on it, because I will quickly exhaust my options to help me with neuropathic pains (nerve pains) so I will give it another shot here veru shortly..and yes, it made me feel "high" too...Yee haw!!! Stay strong and stay with it...:)

[joneze21]

11!!
christ thats a lot

[Enduronman]

Yup,..but...I feel fine friend! LOL!!!.....(except with 1 of them, Lyrica..may donate it)... :)

[tigerloz]

What are you on Lyrica for??? I've also been started on it , I have degenerative disc and also nerve pain from sciatica. What do you think about Lyrica?

[Enduronman]

They put me on it for constant nerve pain in all of my joints, and supposedly 3 herniated discs in my neck.. Essentially, that medication is only one of a few that they can try on me because I'm allergic to sulfonamides and gabapentin caused serious issues, along with carbamazepine.

BUT, our member Frankie takes it and it helps her greatly.

Welcome Tiger!

E-Man..:)