Panic Attacks

[r7Ant]

Hi guys just thought id post here for some advice.

About 8 weeks ago i was at the hairdressers getting my hair cut and all of a sudden i had this overwhelming sense of fear, I felt really hot, light headed like i just needed to get out of there, not nice. It shook me up a bit but i seemed to move on ok. For the following week i was fine but i kept thinking to myself what if that happens again? what caused it?

It did happen again but this time when i was at work :cry: i was doing a valuation on a womens house (Im an estate agent) and halfway through giving the presentation it came on i felt like i didnt know what i was doing there and that nothing i was saying was making sense as a result this hot panicky feeling came on again and i had to ask for a glass of water very embarassing and didnt look at all good. From then on the anxiety took control, im now living in the constant fear that its going to happen again at work.

Ive been to the docs and he checked bloods/ecg etc and all came back normal. He said it was stress and perscribed me fluoxetine(prozac) I hadnt taken these and have them in my drawer at home cos i kept on thinking you can sort this out and i was worried about being hooked on them for the rest of my life.

It had been about four weeks sine the last attack and although i wasnt feeling normal it hadnt happened again...untill yesterday again at a valuation. I now feel worse than ever really nervous and panicky, im worried im going to lose my job and that i wont be able to deal with my son when he comes to visit me, my ex is off with another guy and i feel like a complete screw up

Im scared of taking the meds as ive read so many negative things about them but i dont know what else to do

any advice would be great

Cheers

Ant

[Nausea]

Most panic attacks are caused by the fear of having another panic attack, and of course the more you have usually the worse you may start to feel about yourself. All that sort of "what's wrong with me?" "will I be able to function?" worry is normal for people who have suffered panic attacks and people with general anxiety.

I can understand your apprehension towards medication. Lord knows I hate the way Lorazepam makes me feel - but when I'm having a panic attack a few hours of drowsy calm is a blessed relief. I personally don't mind medicating for my anxiety in principle - but everyone's different and you may not need to.

In terms of non-medication solutions - talk to people about your anxiety. One thing you'll find is that anxiety disorders are fairly common, and one or several of your friends and coworkers may have the same issue. It can be helpful just to have someone understand what you're going through and they may be able to offer advice.

When you are suffering a panic attack, the thing to remember is that you are not in any danger. Sometimes it helps me to face my fear as if it were an object or a person and mentally taunt it "You're just fear, do your worst!"

Finally, don't permit your fear of having a panic attack to control your life. Have a "so what?" attitude towards them. When you think, "My son's coming to visit me and I might have a panic attack, so what?" That gives you a bit more power over them, especially if your panic attacks are primarily fueled by the fear of having a panic attack.

Hope this advice helps you