severe anxiety disorder

[amyjones]

hi,
im new to this, im suffering witha severe anxiety disorder, am still waiting for my appoint for CBT and to see the pychiatrist, having them in about a month. im taking betablockers and olanzapine, which really don't seem to help anymore. im in a mess and feel ive got no where left to turn. im still at work which is slowly becoming a nightmare and im now scared of losing my job cos i just feel i simply cant do it anymore. has anybody else been throuhg this - did you come out the other end? i feel like ive tried everything and jsut dont know what to do anymore, does anybody have any advice?
thanks
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amyj

[jakleb]

hi amy been there, and got the t-shirt, trust me when i first got anxity and panic attacks i had to take 2 months of work just to get my head straight, so well done for actually still going to work. if you can try and get of the drugs they do not help, you can bet this on your own, cbt should really help ya i read and followed the advice form the linden method which is really cbt and it really helped me.
i even changed jobs whilst suffering bad anxiety and it was to be a fireman so think of the anxiety i was getting it was a nightmare, but i decided that i wasnt going to let this ruin my life. fight back get angry with it i used to just say right well bring it on do your worst youy soon find that it can do u no harm and you start to become less afraid of it and eventually it gets less and less until you go for days and weeks forgeting you even had anxiety, hope this helps if you need a chat just email me, all the best

ps: def go to cbt and check out the linden method........

[danstelter]

hi,
im new to this, im suffering witha severe anxiety disorder, am still waiting for my appoint for CBT and to see the pychiatrist, having them in about a month. im taking betablockers and olanzapine, which really don't seem to help anymore. im in a mess and feel ive got no where left to turn. im still at work which is slowly becoming a nightmare and im now scared of losing my job cos i just feel i simply cant do it anymore. has anybody else been throuhg this - did you come out the other end? i feel like ive tried everything and jsut dont know what to do anymore, does anybody have any advice?
thanks
_________________
amyj

Yes, I have been there, and it will take some to work your way out of it. What really works well is a multifactor plan. You have two factors in place: medicine and professional help, which is a great start. In addition, exercise (very helpful), avoiding anxiety-causing foods (caffeine, alcohol etc...), talking to friends when feeling down, and taking risks are all very helpful. If your job is the source of your anxiety, work on finding a new one that does not cause you such intense anxiety. I used to work in computers and that stressed me to no end, and now I work in social work and I'm loving it. Basically, find and identify every last thing in your life that is causing you anxiety and reduce its role in your life or eliminate it completely. Empower yourself and fire your job if your boss is a prick (but only if you have found something else).

Medication alone, as you noted, is not a cure, but it can reduce anxiety, and long-term, medication does not keep the anxiety down, and whats worse, many people respond to the same medication in different ways (some might see no help at all from medication while others might recieve a dramatic effect). It's a long process that takes time to complete; just hang in there and keep working away at it and you'll be okay. Feel free to talk to others or myself if you need further help!

[Piglette130]

I am going through something very similar right now. I know how you feel and it can be awful. I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, with a side of Panic and a touch of depression. Fun combo, huh? I recently switched from Paxil CR to Effexor XR when the paxil stopped working for me. I am also beginning therapy tomorrow. I just spent two days in a behavioral health center, because I had a true break down and just couldn't take the panic anymore. To add another twist, my husband and I recently found out we're expecting, so I'm sure the hormones are not helping.

I have many ups and downs throughout the day, and it's really hard. I try to remind myself "this is not a permanent thing" and "it will pass" but it's hard not to ask "why me" and just lose it. I guess what gets me through is knowing my husband loves me and that there are people out there, like you guys, who are going through the same thing.

At the moment I am feeling OK, so I try to enjoy the good moments. I also just bought the book "from panic to power" by Lucinda Bassett, and I'm hoping it's a good read.

Here's to a good day tomorrow.[/b]