anxiety

[swany970]

Hi
can someone please reassure me i have got anxiety!!
Heres my story.............

Just over 3 months ago i was at the dentist, after not taking the advice from the doctors i skipped breakfast before my appointment , i was going for a filling and required a jag , i was under pressure to get back to work asap,

when at the dentist i suddenly started to feel unwell, i felt a feeling what i can now describe as "panic" running thru my neck into my head i got very warm and started to shake and was positive i was chocking , and felt like i was going to faint, i took the rest of the day off work as i was worried because this has never happened before.

thought it was just fainting feeling due to not havin anything to eat.

A few weeks later whilst at work i suddenly chocked whilst on a call ( i work in call center) i was due a break so decided to go out for a cigarette with a colleague, whilst she was talking it felt like i couldn't take in anything she was saying everything was a blur,the feeling i got at the dentist was coming back. i went to the bathroom and was convinced i was having a heart attack. pains in my chest in my arm and couldn't breath, i was scared , i slowly went back to my desk and thought myself"im gonna die"i had to tell someone , i told my manager who let me sit in a room to calm down, after 10 mins , i decided i was ok, i went and joined my team in a meeting , after lasting about 10 mins in the meeting ,i had to get out , i was pacing up and down the corridors went up and down the call-hall. , after the feeling wasn't going i away i phoned my mother to get my doctor appointment , my nieghbour came and collected me as i don't drive,

when i got to the docs she confirmed it was a panic attack and i shouldn't worry , she advised she could give me medication but because i was due to go a holiday a few days and drinking would be involved she wouldn't recommend it ,


the next morning i woke up and was only up for minutes and the feeling was back i decided i would go to work as i was only on a half day, well i get on the bus and panicked all the way , my legs were like jelly the full way, i managed to struggle through the morning but i done it , on the bus home i went and got some herbal tablets as i still had the pains , the feelings and the thoughts .as soon as i got them i went to a public toilet in took them, i went through the rest of the afternoon getting last minute holiday clothes, just as i was about to meet a friend ...the feelings came back, i got so scared i had to jump in a taxi,and go home , i couldn't breathe again i thought , this is it , im going to die, my mother was trying to calm me down , i managed to get back to the docs who agreed to prescribe my propanalol as long as i didn't drink on holiday , i didn't care , i just wanted to feel better, after discussing with my mother i decided i wanted to go on holiday as i was only going over to Belfast to visit friends, i went and stayed with my friends who i was going to Belfast with the night before although i felt terrible , the pains had eased and and i could breathe properly again,

On the day of travel i woke up and the first thing i done was be sick, i blamed it on the herbal tablets.i took my bet blockers although i was looking forward to the trip part of me was scared due to the panic attacks , unfortunately my friends baby took unwell on the way so we didn't go, part of me was relieved

i decided to make the most of the time off and stayed with my friends who was i was going to Belfast with and for the next 5 days i felt great , although i still had my ups and downs i was generally ok

As soon as i came home from work the next day ...BANG panic attack, over the next few weeks i had my ups and downs but was generally ok, i went backed to the docs who increased my propanalol to 160mg,and had so many downs with them , kept on feeling week and depressed, i had a drink one night and couldn't get up till 3.40 pm as i felt that ill,

The thoughts in my head just dont seem to go away , everyday i am convinced i have a horrible decease and i am going to die. for 3 days a fews ago i was convinced i had a brain tomour, i had a everything from bowl cancer to MS ,. its terrible. i also have terrible diarrhea without being to disgusting its like water. ialso feel confused all the time, scared of everything ,

The docs prescribed my cetalapram but they didnt agree with me first few days i felt i was wasted then the 3 days i had the worst panic attack ever , eye sight went blurred,

they have now changed my meds im on propanal 40mg 3 times a day and i have been on sertalinefor 5 days night , im getting a lot the side effects off them such as peeing all the time , and sore kidneys,also have been finding it difficulty achieving an orgasm ,

i have been refferred to a councillor but theres a 4 month waiitng list
i have also last a lot a weight as i havnt got much of an apettite any more - im 17 stone anyway so some wieght lost wont do any harm .

is this normal anxiety and is anyone else on these meds. i really hope i get better soon as i feel ill all the time :(

thanks

[alankay]

Swany, the propranolol will help with tremor/racing heart/shaking but not so much the mental fright. Yes zoloft and citalopram can worsen anxiety at first so often is started slowly at a low dose and tapered up. If this is too hard on you I might drop the AD to a very small dose and take out some paper and write down what in life has been hard for you and what stresses you. Also think about anything significant that anyone you love is dealing with that is hard on them. Often anxiety is a manifestation of psychological stresses or conflicts. That can be worked on if they exist. Like my case and others none are really found and you may have a disposition to anxiety. In any case first start by examining what could be bothering you. Is there any abuse in your past, etc? These things must be asked and gone over. Be open minded and honest with yourself to try and figure out. That's what a therapist will do. Depending on how distressed you are they may recommend to your GP a short course of a med like lyrica or a benzo(clorazepate, valium) to get you calmed down enough to get some productive talk therapy done. That's where to start. Ask your GP about dropping to 25mg of the zoloft to minimize side effects for a few weeks then go to 50mg(25mg AM and PM) if the doc OK's it and hold there. If the med really bothers you, ask you GP to drop it. Remember, this is to try and get you calmed down to buy some time to get to talk therapy.
I have little doubt this is anxiety. As hideous as it is, it's adrenaline and won't kill you but man ......it's scary. Hang in there. Hopefully with talking over what has and what is going on in your life you can lower you anxiety that way.
In the mean time minimize caffeine/stimulants and alcohol(1 or 2 is OK), try and get some exercise, buy some chamomile tea, valerian root or even some melatonin tabs to help you calm down. Practice deep breathing exercises and progressive relaxation as swell. Common antihistamines(diphenhydramine) can also be used to help calm you until you get more help.
But it does sound like anxiety to me. PM me directly any time at all. Alankay.