Online GP consultation for anxiety - told me to call 111!

[SinkGirl]

I’m really struggling with anxiety at the moment, due to a specific issue that’s extremely stressful and will be over in a couple of months. I’ve been trying to just get through it and have been doing CBT, but I can’t manage the physical symptoms any more - I have felt physically sick all day every day this week, can’t sleep (even when my twins let me!), heart pounding etc.

Just tried to do the online consultation with my GP practice for anxiety. It took me through an anxiety assessment and because I said that I’d experienced lots of the symptoms nearly every day for the last two weeks (things like not being able to control worries, worrying too much about things etc) it aborted the consultation and said I need to call 111 or go to urgent care.

Am I crazy or is this ridiculous? I am not at risk of harming myself or depressed, can you imagine what 111 would say if I called up and said I had really bad anxiety? Or showed up at urgent care?

Now I’m anxious about having to get through the receptionist gatekeeper tomorrow when you’re not supposed to call, you’re supposed to use the website, and I probably won’t have the nerve to do it.

This seems really counterproductive to me!

Sounds like things are tough Op. Sounds like you really need to speak to a human being rather than a electronic form so they can assess you properly

You said you feel nervous about calling the receptionist tomorrow, but please don't, better to get help for these type of things sooner rather than later. Or just do the online form again and underplay your symptoms slightly so it doesnt send you to the 'call 111' page. Hopefully there will be a free text box you can write in and ask a GP to call you back.

Take care and hope you feel more yourself soon

Thank you sun - ended up doing it again and minimising a few points just to get it through. I’ve asked for it to be looked at by a specific GP I trust but who knows.

For those who take medication for anxiety, what do you take? I really don’t want to do antidepressants again (have been on various ones in the past and they make me feel dreadful), I guess beta blockers but the one period I took them previously (when my mum was dying) they weren’t massively effective. I know that by mid October I won’t feel like this as this thing will be over, so I don’t really want to go on something that takes a while to work and then I may struggle to stop like anti depressants. I just want to ease the physical symptoms and hopefully get more sleep etc.

Well done SinkGirl, I hope the GP you like is the one who gets in touch, or if not that a different one is helpful.

Sounds like you have a hard few months until October but you aren't alone, there are people around to help you (even if you do have to fill in tedious forms to get it!) I hope someone comes along soon with advice on the medication for you. Perhaps websites like MIND might have medicine info too?

Take care and look after yourself

I take beta blockers. They don't really help with the anxiety, but at the time my main issue was that when I started to feel anxious my heart would race. It would then become a vicious circle. They have definitely stopped that feeling.
Tbh I think mine is more to do with the peri menopause so I think I really need HRT.

I think you’ve done the right thing. I’ve got severe anxiety and ocd but have always been helped by the gp. It would never have occurred to me to take it to 111 or urgent care! I take sertraline - it’s a bitch of a pill for the first two weeks (literally caused the worst anxiety attacks ever) but after that it was honestly life changing. It’s like there’s a duvet over my thoughts that allow me the time to process things nationally. You’re already doing CBT so I won’t recommend that!

I hope you find something to help you!

This is the thing - I reckon I’ve got another 7 weeks or so of things being this bad (and probably getting worse) and I need to be able to function as well as possible in that time so I’m not thrilled about the idea of starting something that will take a few weeks to work and then no longer needing it a month or so later. I don’t usually suffer like this with anxiety except for really specific things that happen, so don’t want to stay on something longer term.

Supposed to hear from them today but haven’t yet - I’m hoping this is because they’ve given it to the doctor I like, in which case I’d happily wait a few more days to be honest!