any help or ideas please

[ed101]

Hi, i am 23 and for the last 3 years i have barely left the house and the last year upto this point i literally haven't. I am fairly sure this is drug induced but have not touched anything for over 3 years. I started just feeling really anxious and uncomfortable when out and about and whilst in certain situations but has turned into not leaving the house or going anywhere. Within the last 6 months i contacted a doctor and so far he prescribed my something which did nothing apart from made me feel awful with constant headaches. Also i was put in touch with a CBT therapist who will not come see me after agreeing to, everyone says i have to go there but if i didn't have this problem i wouldn't need the help to start with but they just don't seem to understand that. There is nothing more i want than to sort this problem about but i really have no idea what to do and i was hoping maybe some people on here could give me some help if possible as i see no end to this, i would much appreciate any feedback, thank you.

[kitten123]

when you say your fairly sure your anxiety is drug induced.what do you mean? could you elaborate...did you have a bad experience on drugs or something like that? because im certain mine is drug induced to.

[Rob1978]

It sounds like you're going through a similar situation to my own. I suffer from derealization, which was triggered by my marijuana use. I dealt with it for 15 years, until my doctor put me on some beta blockers and xanax. It really seemed to help normalize me a bit (which I mainly attribute to the BB, as I only took the xanax on rare occasions). Then, about 6 months ago I made possibly the biggest mistake of my life, and smoked marijuana again. I went into a HUGE panic attack, and after it subsided I was left with the most intense, unpleasant derealization I've experienced. I've left the house maybe 5 time since then, and that was mostly just to walk my dog down the street, feeling like I'm walking a tightrope, and if I "look down" I'll go into panic attack. I can't really offer any advice, other than to say STAY AWAY FROM WHATEVER SUBSTANCE YOU WERE USING, and know that while you may feel like you're alone in your condition, there are others going through the same thing, who truly empathise with you. I sometimes watch videos of people on youtube who share my condition, and it gives me hope to hear that some of them are experiencing improvement or have recovered.
Good luck, and stay positive.

[lunalady]

I smoked a lot of pot when I was a teenager, and when I started to get the paranoia, I didn't stop. It did make everything with my anxiety even worse, and I have had really bad symptoms of derealization/ depersonalization over the years. Im in my 40s now and its not bad anymore. I wouldnt touch pot with a 10 foot pole. Everyone says it mellows them, but I think it does the opposite with anxious people.

[lunalady]

Hi there ed101,

I know how scared you are, but in order to get some improvement, you will have to somehow get to the therapist. Why dont you try reading Hope and Help for Your Nerves? You can pick it up used on Amazon for a few bucks and it is a wonderful book, it will explain a lot about what you're going through and what you can do about it. It is written by a doctor who had agoraphobia.

Take care and best of luck to you!

[ed101]

Hi, thanks i will take a look at that book and see if i can get one, also il have a look on youtube.

I understand getting to the therapist is a must, il try to the next time an appointment is arranged but i just doubt il do it as the last year has been the worst for me without leaving at all.

Well i smoked dope everyday heavily since i was 14 and also took many hallucinogens and chemicals over the years. I have had a few bad experiences when taking lots of different things together in a night but never felt like this during the time i was taking drugs. As soon as i started to feel paranoid and on edge i gave up dope within 3 months and i haven't taken anything at all for about 3 years and dont intend to as i know it will just make my situation worse and no longer have an interest in drugs.

But i also smoked again once after about 2 years and have never felt so bad, i was severely anxious and paranoid, that was the worst iv experienced during all this.

The main feelings i get is that i tense random parts of my body without realising until i feel them relax, i get very fidgety and have often felt before that i will not be able to make it to the toilet in time, without needing to go il just feel i do.

I really appreciate the help and knowing other people understand, thanks.

[msmama]

Hi Ed,
I know how you feel... last time I went to the doctor I felt like I could not go in... i worked up the nerve and went in, feeling terrified, and begged the receptionist to ask the doctor to see me outside. And he said no. Ok... clearly a person who's asking the doctor to talk to them out in the rain needs some sort of help, and it doesn't make a person feel too great being told no....
When I first had anxiety I didn't leave my house for quite a while either... If you don't have any medication you can take to calm you (Ativan or Clonazapam) the best thing I can suggest is trying to control your thoughts... don't think about going to the doctor.. Try to make it a first thing in the morning or later in the evening appointment when there won't be a lot of people around. Do you have someone that can go with you? Just to go in the building with you and wait until you're done? Pay close attention to the way you're thinking... you could order some materials online maybe on the power of positive thinking? (I'm working on mine at the moment, but it really helped me in the past)
Take care, you can do it! :)
S.