I’m always on a heightened sense of panic/anxiety

[PeanutPies]

I’m already on Propranolol and Setraline but cannot seem to calm down. I checked with the nurse about being perimenopause but she thinks I’m not- I think I’m surely started the journey maybe not physically but psychologically. I’m under stress as I am struggling travel due to claustrophobia/anxiety and feeling anxious because I cannot travel- chicken and egg: any ideas how I can calm myself as feel drained.

I would recommend a good emdr therapist. They will help you get the root cause and you can process the reasons and reset yourself. It's a proven and very effective treatment.

Also are you ND as it's worth considering.

My dd suffers from anxiety and claustrophobia and she has a diazepam with her in case of emergency. It's addictive but she rarely needs to take it. Just knowing it's there helps.

She was hugely helped by emdr.

Anxiety is awful to live with.

@HeBeaverandSheBeaver thank you, I’ll check EMDR- the gp said they don’t prescribe diazepam any more - for issues like claustrophobia or help with travel. Yes it’s awful and very difficult to explain to others who don’t have anxiety or have knowledge- my husband tries to ‘fix’ me however this puts so much pressure on me so it feeds my anxiety further- I feel fed up of life

What’s your lifestyle like? Do you drink lots of caffeine? Have you got a high-paced job? Have you got lots of family pressures? In short are there social changes you can make that might benefit you?

There’s a fair amount of research that indicates that spending time in ‘green spaces’ ie country walks etc is extremely beneficial for reducing stress. Is this possible where you live? Actually I live in a city and there are still plenty of green spaces I can access on foot so hopefully that’s possible for you. Also a daily walk is supposed to be very helpful.

Also, I’m not sure whether this is helpful or not (I’m not medically trained at all!) but I’m menopausal and now on HRT. One of the main reasons for going on it was the mood swings and sleeplessness. At my first review the HP asked how it was going and I said I was still struggling with the mental
side of things. She offered me antidepressants which I refused but following a conversation with DSis I started taking a vitamin D supplement and after a week I was feeling g 100% better and after a month back to myself completely. DSis had exactly the same response to it too. You can’t take a high dose long term as it affects your bones but I’m shortly going to step mine down to a maintenance dose. It might be worth seeing what your vitamin d levels are like.

How old are you? How long has this been going on? How is your sleep?

My dd has been prescribed diazepam recently so I'd definitely see a different gp.

Can you afford a private consultation with a psychiatrist. They are much more sensible and pragmatic about dealing with these things than gps.
It's expensive but no more than a weeks holiday for a few appointments and it's worth it for your mental health.

Definitely look at emdr It can be life changing.

I would definitely be investigating in some form of somatic therapy, rather than damping down symptoms via drugs.