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View Full Version : Extreme panic and anxiety...



jahall18
09-20-2015, 09:11 AM
Hi Guys,

I have dealt with anxiety for most of my life...as early as second grade. I would go to school and immediately get sick and throw up and cry to go home. I think it was a severe homesickness and anxiety with panic attacks. My psychiatrist at the time diagnosed me with Social Anxiety Disorder. I actually had to go to a special school for almost an entire school year in seventh grade. I pushed through, graduated high school, and went on to graduate from college. I am a temporary employee at a large organization and have only been there for 3-4 days. My third day I had to go home early because I had such a bad panic attack that I got sick, started crying, and couldn't calm down. I am supposed to go back on Monday (tomorrow), but my supervisor is aware of the situation and told me I could take the day off if I still needed to.

Employee health's nurse practitioner put me on Lexapro 10mg and I have been taking it faithfully since, but she did say I would need to give it 3-4 weeks before I could say it works or not (though it has worked in the past). She also suggested getting my B vitamin level up using a liquid solution rather than a tablet. I bought some and have been doing it since.

Here is where I think my anxiety is coming to play...I take the bus to work now because I am an hour and 15 minutes from work. It is a temporary position for 90 days, but I am fearing I won't even make it past this week if this keeps going. I don't want to drive because I have an older car with a lot of miles on it and don't want to break down. I get really anxious just driving to the bus station...then I get anxious on the bus, and then as we get closer to my work place I start having panic attacks (heart races, extreme nausea, my throat feels like its closing, I sometimes start to cry or my eyes will water, and I can't seem to calm down easily. All day at work I get mini attacks and I have almost completely lost my appetite. I don't eat anything at work and when I get home my appetite comes back a little and I eat only something small before I can't eat anymore.

I have been given the option of resigning with no penalty (they won't red flag me or put any bad marks on my employee record there), but I fear that it would look really bad on me if I left and a future employer found out I was only there for a few days before I left, but I keep telling myself this might be best for me at this point. I thought I had outgrew this in college as I did pretty well (graduated with honors, was VP of my student organization, etc.). Clearly I did not outgrow it.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for me at this time? If quitting is my only option I will, but I hope not to.

esto9
09-20-2015, 09:22 PM
I had a similar situation last year when I had a 3 month internship right after I graduated college. My anxiety/panic attacks started freshmen year but I figured they would go away on their own. They progressed and peaked right at graduation though and I had a series of terrible panic attacks and I was supposed to start my internship it 2 weeks. I changed up my lifestyle a lot and finally started aggressively addressing my anxiety.

You said you've dealt with this in the past, what do you think made it resurface? Is there pressure to impress your employer?

I think you can get through this, I did :)

JustaGal
09-21-2015, 12:02 AM
Hi Guys,

I have dealt with anxiety for most of my life...as early as second grade. I would go to school and immediately get sick and throw up and cry to go home. I think it was a severe homesickness and anxiety with panic attacks. My psychiatrist at the time diagnosed me with Social Anxiety Disorder. I actually had to go to a special school for almost an entire school year in seventh grade. I pushed through, graduated high school, and went on to graduate from college. I am a temporary employee at a large organization and have only been there for 3-4 days. My third day I had to go home early because I had such a bad panic attack that I got sick, started crying, and couldn't calm down. I am supposed to go back on Monday (tomorrow), but my supervisor is aware of the situation and told me I could take the day off if I still needed to.

Employee health's nurse practitioner put me on Lexapro 10mg and I have been taking it faithfully since, but she did say I would need to give it 3-4 weeks before I could say it works or not (though it has worked in the past). She also suggested getting my B vitamin level up using a liquid solution rather than a tablet. I bought some and have been doing it since.

Here is where I think my anxiety is coming to play...I take the bus to work now because I am an hour and 15 minutes from work. It is a temporary position for 90 days, but I am fearing I won't even make it past this week if this keeps going. I don't want to drive because I have an older car with a lot of miles on it and don't want to break down. I get really anxious just driving to the bus station...then I get anxious on the bus, and then as we get closer to my work place I start having panic attacks (heart races, extreme nausea, my throat feels like its closing, I sometimes start to cry or my eyes will water, and I can't seem to calm down easily. All day at work I get mini attacks and I have almost completely lost my appetite. I don't eat anything at work and when I get home my appetite comes back a little and I eat only something small before I can't eat anymore.

I have been given the option of resigning with no penalty (they won't red flag me or put any bad marks on my employee record there), but I fear that it would look really bad on me if I left and a future employer found out I was only there for a few days before I left, but I keep telling myself this might be best for me at this point. I thought I had outgrew this in college as I did pretty well (graduated with honors, was VP of my student organization, etc.). Clearly I did not outgrow it.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for me at this time? If quitting is my only option I will, but I hope not to.

Hi, I have been through the same thing. My humble opinion is to not quit. Dont give it that power. You will get through it. There were days I thought I would end up in the mental hospital from panic. I am on lexapro now too. Find a support system....that helps. If it is a support group or this site. : ) Take care