Horrific anxiety

[jeifinjenkins]

Hi to all you anxiety sufferers. It really is the worst. I'm 6 weeks into sertraline which is definitely helping, but I had a trigger the other day and im spiralling. The sertraline isn't helping and I'm gutted. I've definitely noticed that it makes me feel better day to day with generalised anxiety, but when I have a Big One it has no effect

Also, I am drinking 1-2 bottles of wine a day at the moment, as the moment I drink wine the anxiety completely disappears. It's impossible to resist that relief. It's like, when I drink I realise how ridiculous I'm being and I don't need to worry. This only happens when I have alcohol in my system. I know I need to give up but how do I when it's the only thing that gives me sweet relief

I totally hear you re both anxiety and wine. Although I find the depression the next day with alcohol debilitating I have also spent many weeks on no alcohol and my anxiety and sleeplessness got so bad I was totally suicidal. Alcohol stops that happening although my mornings are always awful. People don't talk enough about why dependence on alcohol and other substances develops. I have been called an alcoholic but my mental health issues predate the alcoholism by decades and if I stopped drinking they would still be there.

I have drunk today so feel OK. Tomorrow will be at home (I don't drink unless I go out) so by tomorrow pm I will be in an awful state again. I've so heartily had enough of all of it. Only here because it would hurt my sons if I were gone.

Hi Hon

I had severe anxiety for years but I did get it treated and have been stable for years now. You know what I am going to say. The booze is a depressant and all it will do is highlight the anxiety when you stop. I know it gives you relief but it is so short lived and the price you pay afterwards is high. Maybe you need the dose adjusted and are you getting any counselling or something at the minute? Speak again with the doctor and tell them all this. I know the panic attacks are really debilitating and the constant anxiety but with right support you can control it and be in a much better place.

Also you could look into getting a tranquiliser (short term) as well as the sertaline but it really would mean you could not drink.

I hope that helps.

Hi OP. Is this a recent development? I never suffered anxiety until the perimenopause (and HRT stopped it). Apologies if yours is lifelong but I thought I’d put it out there. I hope you get it under control soon.

I really don’t know how you can cope with the after effects from alcohol. It used to make me absolutely terrified. I stopped drinking many years ago and am so much better. I still suffer from anxiety 😟 real life, coping is hard. Had a really tough day today. Found your post. I feel better since I’ve taken a beta blocker recently prescribed by my Dr. I just want to get well. Good luck to all of us trying to cope.

I appreciate everyone who has answered . I am going to call my gp in the morning and ask for my sertraline dosage to be increased. I really feel for you all who have answered, feeling the same. Maybe think of this thread as us, together. Feeling awful but we are together and caring about each other. We are here for each other x

Hi again

Tell GP about the drinking too. Ask about a tranquiliser in the short term.

Good Luck

My anxiety isn't a new thing but it has increased massively in the last 18 months , which I think is menopausal. I've now drunk a bottle of wine and I can talk myself out of my horrible work anxiety. I know I'm being so so ridiculous. However, I also know that I will wake up at about 2a.m and it will be there a thousandfold

Ask for a blood test to see if it is the menopause. If it is you then could look at HRT. Say all this when you see the doctor. I did have a bit of a rocky time with the menopause even though my anxiety had improved so much but I was ok and that was without HRT. Now I am back to normal (whatever that is!).

Definitely go to your GP and tell them everything. I drank like that and my anxiety was awful during peri-menopause. Best thing I did was stop drinking!! I have only recently had bad anxiety again, for completely different reasons in the last few months. I won’t go into it, but a few things happened since November last year and has caused me great stress and anxiety. My GP has been my lifeline. You must get help. Life is too short to let your anxiety continue without proper support. Big virtual hug 🤗

@wantinghelp thank you for the virtual hug, that means a lot. I'm going to phone my gp tomorrow. I already feel completely normal and anxiety free as I am a bottle of wine in, and I have just bought another bottle as i don't want the anxiety to return . total shambles as I will be straight back into horrific anxiety within 3 hours or so.

Hi again

Definitely GP. Do you have friends you can talk to /partner/pet?

I have just called AA and they were amazing. Such a lovely woman I spoke to. I think this will be the way for me