Anxiety - urgent advice needed

[anxiousagain99]

Not an AIBU but am posting here for traffic. I’m due to speak to my GP tomorrow morning about my anxiety. I’ve been meaning to get an appointment for ages and have finally done it.

I have really bad anxiety, social anxiety (I get very worked up, anxious and nervous before and during social situations),worry about everything and catastrophize. I’m hoping to get some medication to help but am unsure whether to ask for citalopram, propranolol or something else.

I want to go into the conversation fully informed as my GP isn’t particularly helpful and I don’t want to be fobbed off or given the wrong thing.

Is there anyone else out there with similar anxiety issues to me and if so, please could you advise which medication helped you and how?

Please don’t go asking for specific drugs. Go to see the medical professional, and follow their professional advice. Is there a reason you feel they are less trust worthy in their clinical judgement than mumsnet? They will speak with you and assess your individual situation better than anonymous posters.

Best wishes.

Tell your doc everything. Let him advise. No one here is qualified - without the full story and meeting you in person etc etc - to do so .

Sorry, him/her

Yep. Don’t ask for a specific drug. Ask what could help. You may find a combination of strategies helpful.

Honestly just want some advice from people in the same boat on what has worked for them. My GP isn’t great and I don’t feel very comfortable talking to them in great detail. Can anyone help?

I have depression and anxiety. There is no one magic pill OP. Different things work for different people unfortunately. I am on fluoxetine and had CBT. But that combo may not be for you.

Write down what you want to say, put in examples. So if your mind goes blank you can hand it over. And not underplay how you feel. Hope things improve for you.

I just don’t feel my GP knows (or cares) enough about anxiety to give me the right medication. Honestly they’re really not great

Have you tried meds before? The first line treatment will probably be something like sertraline or citalopram. I've tried both at various times and they're much of a muchness as far as I am concerned but different people get on better with different ones. You sometimes feel a bit worse for the first few weeks because of the side effects but they generally settle and the drugs are generally well tolerated. You normally start at a low dose and build up gradually as you need it. Something like propanol tends to be used more as and when you need it rather than every day - it's better at managing some of the physical side effects of anxiety. Good luck, I hope the doctor is helpful

I've had really bad anxiety particularly over my baby boy.. catastrophising, thinking/acting irrational . Told me gp everything and got referred for CBT counselling which ive just finished and also put on 50mg sertraline anti depressants (not depressed but they help with anxiety too) which in combination has really helped. I'm sue you'll feel better once you have a plan of action in place x

Great that you've made an appointment, OP. Anxiety can be debilitating in so many ways and I'm sure that took a lot.

I have no experience with meds, sorry, but I wonder if you would also/alternatively be open to trying CBT? You sound like you're very switched on to your behaviours around anxiety which can make CBT really effective. In our area you can get it online for free with a minimal wait (not much more than a couple of weeks).

All the best

CBT has been a life saver for my anxiety. My Dsis has been on various medications and sometimes they need tweaking, it's not a one size fits all. I would say if you don't trust your doctor it would be worth trying to see a different one or change surgeries, you need to be able to trust your doctor with stuff like this

Citalopram and propranolol worked for me in different ways, it really depends on how your anxiety manifests. I preferred citalopram when I had a constant background of anxiety that was sapping my energy and propranolol when I was ok/fine lots of the time but had acute episodes. Then for really bad episodes I had diazepam, this was agreed and I could call my GP practice for a couple of doses. I was happy with this approach as it kept me engaged with my GP when things were really bad. I had form of just going off on a spiral during acute episodes.

I went from two weeks of needing diazepam every day to having it about 3 times in 5 years.

Sorry that’s a bit of a dialogue, a pp has said go in taking advice from your GP, which of course you should do but my fantastic GP really involves me in how they assess what I need so I think some research is good.

And of course it’s not a dialogue! I’m very tired, I can’t just think of the word I mean 😅

Thanks, that’s helpful. Do citalopram and sertraline help with social anxiety as well do you know - both the anxiety itself and the physical effects? I’m having CBT as well.

Hi OP. I agree that you should let your GP think about the medication you need (if any).

I would make a list of specific symptoms you have - for me it was palpitations, dry mouth, and a tendency to flap my hands in panic . Then write about how this has impacted your life - social, work, romantic relationships etc. Eg. I really started underperforming at work and had begun avoiding social situations and was becoming quite isolated.

Then think about the strategies you've already tried that don't work - eg I was trying breathing techniques but couldn't get my mind still enough to focus on these.

My GP was lovely and talked to me about the options available. I ended up on propranolol to settle things, sertraline for depression and a tiny dose of an antipsychotic (I was a bit when this word was mentioned).

If you have any specific concerns about medication you could write these down too.

I felt very nervous going in with my piece of paper, but prefaced it with something like " hi Dr Jones, I've been a bit anxious about this appointment so I made a few notes". If you found it too overwhelming you could even slide the paper over for him her to read.

I hope your appointment goes well and you can get some answers.

I agree with what @ChampionOfTheSun said about being comfortable with your GP. I know that your previous experience of then is probably adding to your anxiety, but think about getting a second opinion if you're not satisfied.

Btw I found the propanol and quetiapine really helped settle me but I did feel a bit spacey as I got used to the quetiapine. The sertraline had a good effect overall. Between these they calmed the anxiety which meant the physical signs decreased too.

Long story short:

Depression, anxiety, eventually prescribed fluoxetine. Worked brilliantly for me, but maybe not for others.

Please tell your GP everything, that’s the only way they can treat you effectively. You can ask to see another GP if your current one doesn’t understand

if you are so anxious, why trust a bunch of unknown, unqualified posters on the internet over a medical professional?
If you don't feel that your GP is sufficiently empathetic, ask to see another one at the same practice, or look for an alternate practice in your area.

Just tell them the issues.

It certainly sounds like you need some help. I think it would be useful if you said you were open to CBT as well as meds. Meds are helpful but not a magic bullet, and GPS are generally happier if you are also helping yourself.

Could you try tapping therapy?

Look up Nick Ortner on You Tube

It's helped my daughter enormously.

I’ve suffered anxiety all my life.

I can’t recommend meditation enough. There are great apps which you can download - Calm, Headspace etc.

On a scale to 10, my anxiety would generally be at a 7 or 8 on a normal day. When I am making time to meditate consistently, it’s 0.

My gp is fine with me asking for certain medications so I don't think that'll be an issue, if you've done research on them and mention those then the gp will also take into account what you've said and see if they suit, or they might suggest something different.
Eg. I didnt know about propranolol until my friend told me about it, I rang the gp, explained my symptoms, asked to be prescribed it and he thought it'd be a good idea too. All fine.

I've had CBT which helped but after months of trying to deal with my anxiety through lifestyle, I've finally given in to medication and have been prescribed citalopram 20mg. Too soon to see the effects but I'm hopeful that they're going to help (was taking sertraline a couple of years ago, (which I should have stayed on tbf..) and like a pp said they're pretty much the same)
And I take propranolol 10mg when needed, these help with the anxiety symtoms, I find sometimes that my mind is thinking logically but the physical symptoms will start (pounding heart, dizzy/fuzzy sensation, tunnel vision etc) and once that happens.. well let's just say I can get a little bit carried away.. so they stop that horrible cycle before it starts. I'd really recommend them.
I take one before I have to go to work, meet friends or drive to a new place etc.

I take 40 mg of citalopram and 20 mg of mirtrazepine every day. I also take a beta-blocker every day but not propanolol. This combination stopped my anxiety totally and it hasn't returned in 5 years.

CBT did nothing for me at all.

@mynameiscalypso

Have you tried meds before? The first line treatment will probably be something like sertraline or citalopram. I've tried both at various times and they're much of a muchness as far as I am concerned but different people get on better with different ones. You sometimes feel a bit worse for the first few weeks because of the side effects but they generally settle and the drugs are generally well tolerated. You normally start at a low dose and build up gradually as you need it. Something like propanol tends to be used more as and when you need it rather than every day - it's better at managing some of the physical side effects of anxiety. Good luck, I hope the doctor is helpful

This is why people further up thread have said do not go in and ask for this med or that med. Sertraline made my daughter suicidal. You cannot and must not self diagnose or self medicate.