Hello, i need some advice

[helenneedinghelp]

Hi people, I will start with a quick run down of how i feel and whai i think i am going through.
A couple of months ago I was driving into town to get my laptop fixed, I was quite happy and had been meaning to do this for a while.
All of a sudden and without any warning, i came over all hot and sickly and did not know where i was going or what i was doing. I had to turn the car round and get home as soon as i could. I got into my house and my heart was racing, but no sooner had i got in i needed to get out again.
So off i went to a friends house and told her i had just had a " weird thing" happen to me . At this point my heart was still pounding and my friend was obviously worried, as it was unlike me to be in such a state.
I told her how i was feeling and she asked me if i needed a doctor, i said i think i did!
I rang NHS direct and explained what was going on and an ambulance was called for me.
after a few hours in hospital and many tests being done the doctor came to me and said basically i was having a panic attack.(but not in thoes words).
So since then i have been feeling strange, just do what i have to do, i am no longer interested in going out socialising with friends i worry about everything to an extreme, .
I have been on anti depressants for around 4 weeks and i am not feeling a whole lot better.
I am a single mum of 2 girls age 11 and 10, . Please can anyone help or even regognise how i am feeling. Helen . :(

[jessed03]

Hey helen

I think many on here, myself included know what you're going through. My first panic attack started one night when I woke up, and was having hot flashes throughout my body, and severe dizzy spells. I felt like I needed to be sick, and yet nothing was there. I called family and they just sat with me that night, as terrified as I was, debating whether to rush to hospital at 3am.

I think the first step for me was understanding anxiety. I think if I had known what it was, my recovery could have happened sooner. InsteadI only had a vague understanding. There are books you can buy cheaply, that will help you understand how you feel. Like Hope and help for the nerves.

As you're in the Uk too, did they offer you free cognitive therapy? It's a place to begin to analyze your thoughts, and to neutralize the anxious disposition.

What anti-depressant did they put you on? Being England I'm guessing fluoxetine or citalopram maybe?

Hang in there Helen, I won't say it all gets better over night. There are some days where it really is a struggle to get through, but over time those days reduce and reduce.

Jesse

[helenneedinghelp]

Hi Jesse, and thank you for such a speedy response. I am on fluoxetine and they are 20mg, once a day.
No doctor or gp, has actually said i have anexiety (Maybe they thought it would scare me) so i have sort of figured it out for myself.
I am going to see a councellor on tuesday this week but i am not too sure of what do do or say!
I even have my first holiday abroad with my girls in 3 weeks and i am not excited, just nervous.

[jessed03]

Not to worry, living in England we're on the same time zone, so it's of an evening and I'm just surfing the web. :)

I think the fluoxetine should be kicking in soon. They say to give it about 6-8 weeks before you feel the effect, so hopefully it won't be long. The problem I found with our doctors, is that everyone get's one or the other; Citalopram, or Fluoxetine, it's all they provide. These drugs are good, they help people, but they are so many that if you don't feel after a few months that it's helping, by all means ask to try another. I tried about 6 before I found one that worked, but my bodys pretty stubborn haha.

Councilling should be pretty good. I've found the mental health teams in this country to be pretty good. It's just a matter of getting the right help. My councillor was really nice, and just allowed me to slowly explain what was bothering me, and slowly I began to see patterns emerging and 'errors' in the way I was thinking, causing me to needlessly stress out.

I'm not overly religious, or spiritual, but I found meditation helped me the most. Just sitting in a calm state, and observing my body. I found it helped me quicker than medication, but that could just me :) Muscle relaxation is really good too. Even now I notice marked improvements in my behaviour, and mood when I compare days when I do it, and days when I don't. There are some good resouces online that are free.

Where are you going on holiday? anywhere nice? They sell those Rescue Remedy packs now, I don't know if you've seen them, in supermarket's and health shops, in the yellow boxes. They're non medicinal, and you can suck on them, or chew them, and they provide natural relief. I've never tried them, but I know a few people that have and have good things to say. It may help get you through those moments of stress.

For me though, the biggest breakthroughs came when I really understood what was happening within me. When I really understood why these terrifying symptoms occured, or why these thoughts occured. I think this mainly came through reading. Hope and help for the nerves is a good book, so is the anxiety and phobia work book. I got mine for like 50p on amazon. I think once you understand whats happening, you can start to ignore it a little, and you feel it's hold on you releasing. It's like a smoke alarm going off in the body, when all thats happening is you've burnt a piece of toast. Once you can see it for what it is, and make the small changes (like turning off the grill, i.e.removing stressors or the things feeding anxiety) the alarm goes off, or at the very least isn't that scary anymore, just a little inconvenient. But it all comes, with time, you're heading in the right direction. :)

[Martintlane]

Hi Helen I agree The type of medication you have been prescribed will take some time before it shows any effect, so hang in there. You could also try natural methods to reduce your anxiety, meditation can be very good and is something that can be practiced anywhere. You can also try yoga an tai chi both these methods can help with anxiety.