Thought I would start an anxiety support thread if anyone’s interested

[twiddlingthumbs69]

I can’t seem to find one so thought I’d start one.

i have huge anxiety at the moment after finding a relative dead. It was 6 wks ago and today, particularly was just awful.

finally managed to speak to a GP who was useless. Prescribed me propranolol and diazepam. No help regarding talking therapies so I’ve found my own.

seeing her Thursday in the hope she can give me help to get some perspective. Felt like I was going mad today.

so, that’s me. Anyone want to join for support?

That's awful – it must have been a huge shock for you. Anxiety, as you probably know, is an emotion rather than a illness but, like all emotions, it can overreact (and sometimes you can understand why).

I hope the talking therapy is helpful for you – I believe Cruse also offer lots of resources.

I’m happy to join in with this thread .
always been a worrier but would have periods of calm. Lately it’s been a bit more full on. Finding my self overthinking everything which is exhausting. I’m going to make an appointment with Gp to try and change meds - on fluoxetine but it’s not helping any more. Lately am only
relaxed when sleeping . Exercise does help a little and yoga . Here to chat and support anyone who feels they need it think we all need an outlet

It’s not just you x

Omg thank you for starting this thread! So sorry to hear you’re struggling - it’s not surprising as that must have been a terrible shock.

I’m also spiralling with anxiety at the moment, my poor husband has had to spend a lot of time reassuring me and talking through my worries this weekend. I’ve suffered from anxiety for years, but work stress has tipped me over the edge this week. Not helped by peri menopause, as it seems to really amplify my anxiety at points during my cycle.

I’m trying to distract myself but finding it hard to concentrate on anything. Considering logging on to work for a few hours, just to make it easier to face Monday morning, although I know I shouldn’t.

Have you got any plans today OP? Even if it’s just a nice bath and snuggling up in bed with Netflix - be kind to yourself.

@maz210 I’m the same. Totally overwhelmed with it to the point I don’t know how much longer I can go on.
havent eaten anything for days as I just can’t swallow it.
i rang my local mental health rapid response but they were awful.
its totally consuming isn’t it?
I’ve now taken a diazepam which calms me down a bit but its the frustration of not being able to get on top of it.
cant even get to see my doctor.
DH is not helping either. He’s trying to but doesn’t know how to help me so gets distressed with himself. He’s trying told me id end up in hospital if I can’t get on top of it.
im normally such a practical person so im spending all my time online looking for a “cure”. I just dont know why it’s suddenly ramped up like this after 6 weeks. I dont think its grief as its not triggered by my brother, just constantly there!

I’d like to join if that’s okay.

I’ve had extreme anxiety since I was a child.

OP, have you considered that you might have some kind of trauma response if it’s to do with a specific event?
I was with a relative when he died a few years ago. It was quite out of the blue, we weren’t close but it really knocked me sideways. It sent me into a spiral and had a dreadful impact on my mental health.
Don’t underestimate how much these experiences can affect you especially if you’re already vulnerable. I kept brushing it off thinking rationally it’s just one of those things but my mind kept going back to it and still does sometimes.
I spoke about it in counselling. Normally I’m not a big fan of counselling but in this instance it actually did really help and I would recommend talking it through with someone if possible xx

@WheresBillGrundyNow thank you. Yes, I’m seeing someone on Monday. My GP gave me mirtazapine yesterday which is an antidepressant but also resets your nervous system. I have to say I woke up this morning decidedly calmer. Thought it was the placebo effect but apparently not.

Glad to hear it.
I’m on that too. Have been on it for years. I find it very good for anxiety.
Good luck on Monday x

reading these made me realise it’s not just me
I had a breakdown a few years ago after breast cancer & treatment and loss of my dad
after therapy and meds I seemed to get back on track
but last year we moved house , lost our business and I pushed through thinking I would be ok
but I finally admitted I couldn’t cope in August
since then been on setraline and propronalol
Does anyone else wake up feeling anxious and then need a quiet morning resting and napping

Hi JJBJ,
So sorry to hear you’ve been through so much 😢
I’m on mirtazapine and Effexor. The dosage isn’t right and I am zonked, but I’m too afraid to go back to the doctor because being this way is so much easier than the way I was before the meds. My anxiety was completely out of control and I had awful insomnia. Now I am tired all the time and sleep any chance I get and I really can’t concentrate enough to worry (and I have always been a worrier).
I know my head is in the sand at the moment.
I avoid anything I can possibly avoid that gets me anxious like I won’t go to the dentist, I barely see my parents or sisters anymore. I’ve made my life all about my daughter and what she needs. I have no motivation to take care of myself at all.
Every evening I just think, There I got through another day.
If your anxiety is still bad on waking, could you get the meds adjusted?

Can I join? I'm feeling absolutely awful at the moment, in a constant state of panic. I feel sick and shaky and my heart is racing all the time.

We've had a bad year and it's felt like one thing after another and I'm really struggling to cope.

I'm going to call the GP to ask for some medication but I'm frightened to take it. People are saying it makes it worse to begin with and I don't think I can take much more than I'm already experiencing.

I'm having CBT but I feel like its making me worse. The techniques they're giving me aren't helping and then I'm getting myself into a spiral where I think I'm never going to get better.

I’m so sorry you’ve had such a sad and shocking experience. A friend who experienced similar found great benefit from EMDR technique with a trained therapist.

Hi
I was exactly like you 3 months ago after having a horrible year - I kept pushing through until finally the panic & overwhelm was too much . I contacted my GP who was very understanding , he prescribed Setraline and Propranolol
I was scared to take them as couldn’t face feeling worse but I did and yes felt a bit more jitteryat first but now 3 months on I am having good moments as well as bad . I expected to feel better quicker but after seeing a practice mental health nurse feel it’s ok & normal to take time - importantly made me feel I wasn’t stuck ! Lots of rest and routine helped too , initially I was told to get out and exercise a lot but honestly I just wanted to be quiet , stay at home and not deal with much ,
realising finally this is ok has helped too
I have also been prescribed a few very low dose diazepam to use when I am very overwhelmed and to be able to cope and even enjoy some things
Hope this makes sense
You aren’t alone for sure

@sugarandcyanidehello and welcome. I was exactly where you were 3 weeks ago.
please don’t be afraid to take the meds. I understand, I was worried too but if your GP prescribes you Mirtazapine (and I really hope he does) hopefully you will feel much better very quickly. For me, it worked from the first night.
im not saying the anxiety went completely but I was definitely 90% better. I had no adrenaline rushes/shaking etc.
I was also given some propranolol to take away the physical symptoms. I’ve only needed to take that once since I’ve been on Mirt. He also prescribed diazepam. I haven’t taken that, or needed to, but I would have done if it was necessary.
please keep checking in and keep us informed.
i also found the cbt etc didn’t really work.
my dr gave me mirt because I couldn’t eat and had lost weight quickly, if that helps.
its the most awful feeling isn’t it? It’s like your body has gone into overdrive and is constantly stuck in fight or flight.
keep us posted. Thinking of you x

Thank you, GP was lovely and has given me sertraline. She told me not to overthink side effects as I can stop taking them if they don't suit me.

She asked if I wanted to try another form of therapy but I think I need to try medication first as I don't think anything is going to work while I'm in this state of panic. I can't focus on anything.

I've always had a bit of anxiety but this is another level. This thread definitely gives me some hope, thank you.

Have horrendous anxiety it's through the roof currently
Just started on escitalopram and take propranolol as well.
It's making only life half a life ,as I'm basically spending half the day in bed just hiding ..not even sleeping,it's the only place I can get some peace

Hello, everyone! May I join you all?

I've had anxiety for as long as I can remember. Some days, I wake up and think, "Oh no, the anxiety is here again..." and though a quiet day at home would be best, I don't have a choice but to get up and go due to my job. I've had periods of being on medication. Thankfully, I'm off them at the moment, as even going into town to pick them up, and finding available parking, was anxiety-inducing!

Generally, my anxiety has been a lot better since I moved away from my family. There was a lot of pressure to be their version of "normal", and I utterly failed at that, so it's best that I spend little time there.

We've had a very quiet, peaceful Christmas in work as our manager has been off. Unfortunately, he is back in on Monday. He was almost the cause of Nervous Breakdown #2 a few years ago. Although he no longer gets away with shouting and screaming at us (because I reported him), the whole, "You make me anxious, so please go away" thing is still there. People who don't have anxiety don't understand it, even when you try to explain; some assume that you just take medication for a few weeks, the stressful thing is stopped, and everything is fine... and it's not!

Hi Op, sorry that happened to you, what a difficult situation for you!

Have you found propanalol helpful? And what dose are you on? I am on it for headaches but currently struggling with anxiety & wondering whether to up my dose.

@Btowngirl hi, I found that the propranolol helped at the time but didn’t really help in the long term. My GP prescribed me Mirtazapine and that has been an absolute lifesaver. It worked for me from the first night, I was amazed, I actually didn’t think it would help at all. That was 6 weeks ago and since then I only take prop if I feel like I’m having a “flare” so to speak. Having said that I actually haven’t needed it for the past two weeks.

i was prescribed Mirt has I lost half a stone in a week and couldn’t sleep. That seemed to be a red flag for my gp to prescribe it.

@Btowngirl sorry, just realised I didn’t answer your question. I was on 10mg and was told I can take it as and when as it’s not addictive

Sorry my message to join was a bit blunt .
I'm sorry to hear about your recent distress,that must of been a dreadful shock for you .
Had you suffered with anxiety before,or did the shock bring it on
I've tried most meds in the past ,,but nothing else untill very recently.im on propropnal to ,it definitely helps me ,it takes the edge of ,but it's not helping me make the changes I need to make
In my area we can self refer to talking therapies on the surgery web site ,is that the same in your area

@Newyearsparkle id never suffered with anxiety or panic before the event and I thought I was ok for two weeks after. It was a family disagreement that tipped me over the edge actually and at that point I think my system just couldn’t calm down.
im in Sussex and we do have a self referral system but it takes months to be seen.
there is a drop in centre though and that helped me a lot. I found that the anxiety stopped me thinking straight and just talking to someone neutral gave me back a bit of perspective. It didn’t take the anxiety away but it did make me re contact my doctor who then prescribed the meds I ultimately needed.
hopefully you have something similar in your area or a shorter wait time to be seen

My husbands going through severe anxiety for the past 1.5 years.
honestly I feel like I have tried everything but nothing worked.- to a point it’s started to give me anxiety.
would love to be on this thread to find a way to help him and mysef

Kardelen
I suffer with it myself - at times you wouldn’t know am sure. I have weeks we’re it’s just a low level more normal
anxiety . Unfortunately it can be triggered off by numerous things and can feel
out of hand.
Tips that have helped me- switching medications, exercise any sort the more the better, yoga !, deep breathing,
chatting to someone .
How bad does it get for him ?

I was prescribed sertraline this year and I also was too scared to take it. My anxiety feels like a shadow of doom lurking around. I can’t really explain it any other way, I just know it’s there and some days it’s darker and closer than others.it really helps me to recognise it as that, it’s a thought, it’s a feeling, it is not me. I gave up gluten and that helped significantly. I am worse around my cycle so it must be hormonal to a degree. I am better if I sleep well and don’t drink and generally look after myself. When it is at its worst i can’t imagine another 40 years of this life like this, it seems so futile and pointless and i cannot enjoy anything. I had a really difficult spring/summer and I am not going to suffer again this year, if I have another dip I am going to take the meds.