Anxiety / Panic
Discussion
Thanks oceanview. I hadn't really considered that. I will think about them if I don't get any success with the counselling.
One other thing which puts me off is in my work I often have key worker insurance taken out on me and this has occasionally included having a medical and a request for medical records. I don't really want a prescription for anti depressant/anxiety pills showing up on that. Or am I being paranoid?
One other thing which puts me off is in my work I often have key worker insurance taken out on me and this has occasionally included having a medical and a request for medical records. I don't really want a prescription for anti depressant/anxiety pills showing up on that. Or am I being paranoid?
944fan said:
Thanks oceanview. I hadn't really considered that. I will think about them if I don't get any success with the counselling.
One other thing which puts me off is in my work I often have key worker insurance taken out on me and this has occasionally included having a medical and a request for medical records. I don't really want a prescription for anti depressant/anxiety pills showing up on that. Or am I being paranoid?
No, you certainly should'nt see that as a problem- no more than listing medication for say blood pressure. Your medical records are completely confidential and anyway, you would be surprised at the number of people , even with powerful jobs who take such medication. One other thing which puts me off is in my work I often have key worker insurance taken out on me and this has occasionally included having a medical and a request for medical records. I don't really want a prescription for anti depressant/anxiety pills showing up on that. Or am I being paranoid?
I wish you all the best in managing your anxiety issues and iam sure will find something that works well for you. You seem pro-active in your approach which is a great positive to finding solutions.
Matt.
oceanview said:
I would suggest not automatically writing off Pills- You might need them because THAT is the root cause- a chemical imbalance.
I know theres still a big stigma about taking any meds for mental health problems, yet know one would think twice if it was to do with something physical.
Ive also known people say (" oh id never take anti-depressants" but quite happily neck a bottle of wine etc, with alcolhol being a MUCH stronger drug than any of those meds.
this is a valid point . I know theres still a big stigma about taking any meds for mental health problems, yet know one would think twice if it was to do with something physical.
Ive also known people say (" oh id never take anti-depressants" but quite happily neck a bottle of wine etc, with alcolhol being a MUCH stronger drug than any of those meds.
alcohol is a potent depressant - it;s just it tends to work by making disinhibited first i.e. 'merry'
Anxiety has got worse in recent weeks. Triggered by some work situations.
I still think the counselling is working and possibly it is a case of getting worse before it gets better.
Went to the GP and have been given Beta blockers and Sertraline. Currently on day 5, side effects are quite bad. Increase in anxiety, fatigue, dry mouth. Feel generally ill like I have a fever or something. Hopefully that will pass soon and I will start to feel better.
I still think the counselling is working and possibly it is a case of getting worse before it gets better.
Went to the GP and have been given Beta blockers and Sertraline. Currently on day 5, side effects are quite bad. Increase in anxiety, fatigue, dry mouth. Feel generally ill like I have a fever or something. Hopefully that will pass soon and I will start to feel better.
Track down your local IAPT service (part of the NHS).
http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/services/
They run CBT courses which help with this. You don't need to go to your doctor to sign up. I can't recommend enough.
http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/services/
They run CBT courses which help with this. You don't need to go to your doctor to sign up. I can't recommend enough.
Have you considered looking at making lifestyle changes to reduce your general levels of anxiety?
Things that I have found helpful include
Getting better sleep (sleep deprivation raises cortisol)
Cutting down on gluten and sugar, also caffeine
Cutting out alcohol
Vitamin D3 and omega3
Eating a healthy diet with plenty of good fats
Meditation and mindfulness (even though I am not great at keeping it up every day)
Getting outside more and taking more exercise
CBT can work a lot better than counselling because it gets you to look at and develop strategies for addressing anxious thoughts. Mindfulness also helps as it teaches you to put these same thoughts in a different context. I've noticed a trend for some therapists to offer both combined.
Things that I have found helpful include
Getting better sleep (sleep deprivation raises cortisol)
Cutting down on gluten and sugar, also caffeine
Cutting out alcohol
Vitamin D3 and omega3
Eating a healthy diet with plenty of good fats
Meditation and mindfulness (even though I am not great at keeping it up every day)
Getting outside more and taking more exercise
CBT can work a lot better than counselling because it gets you to look at and develop strategies for addressing anxious thoughts. Mindfulness also helps as it teaches you to put these same thoughts in a different context. I've noticed a trend for some therapists to offer both combined.
I have suffered with similar anxieties for the last 8 yrs or so often brought on by nothing I could associate with.
Whilst all the advice on here is great I haven't seen anyone talk about hyper-ventilation yet. Essentially breathing too often expelling too much carbon dioxide which plays absolute mayhem with your nervous system. It may not be the root cause but can make a situation seem much worse. Lots of books out there on it, the best being from someone called Dinah Bradley- short 100 page book, but very much worth a read.
If when stressed you are taking more than 10 breadths a minute, you could well be hyper ventilating - when I first checked myself, when stressed, Iwas taking about 40!
Look it may not be what you are experiencing, but if you are it can exaggerate any anxieties you do have. It is surprisingly easy to bring back under control with simple (albeit tedious) breathing exercises - at worst, just a waste of time.
If it is something you want a bit more info on please feel free to PM me, it was quite a long road for me but had more success with this than anything else.
Whilst all the advice on here is great I haven't seen anyone talk about hyper-ventilation yet. Essentially breathing too often expelling too much carbon dioxide which plays absolute mayhem with your nervous system. It may not be the root cause but can make a situation seem much worse. Lots of books out there on it, the best being from someone called Dinah Bradley- short 100 page book, but very much worth a read.
If when stressed you are taking more than 10 breadths a minute, you could well be hyper ventilating - when I first checked myself, when stressed, Iwas taking about 40!
Look it may not be what you are experiencing, but if you are it can exaggerate any anxieties you do have. It is surprisingly easy to bring back under control with simple (albeit tedious) breathing exercises - at worst, just a waste of time.
If it is something you want a bit more info on please feel free to PM me, it was quite a long road for me but had more success with this than anything else.
Can recommend a very good book that helped me. Hope & Help For Your Nerves by Dr. Claire Weekes.
I started to suffer anxiety along with gastric problems. They whole thing became a vicious cycle and combined with the fact that a friend died from stomach cancer in his 40's and that gastric symptoms mimic heart attacks I'd managed to get myself into a but of a mess. To the point I was scared to get out of bed because I could feel my heart palpitating.
A year later and I'm largely free of anxiety symptoms now, and I've always been one to scoff at mental illness. I have a different view now after seeing what your mind can actually do to you if you let it.
I started to suffer anxiety along with gastric problems. They whole thing became a vicious cycle and combined with the fact that a friend died from stomach cancer in his 40's and that gastric symptoms mimic heart attacks I'd managed to get myself into a but of a mess. To the point I was scared to get out of bed because I could feel my heart palpitating.
A year later and I'm largely free of anxiety symptoms now, and I've always been one to scoff at mental illness. I have a different view now after seeing what your mind can actually do to you if you let it.
These people helped me out when I was in your situation earlier this year.
http://www.working-minds.org.uk/
Follow the 'About CBT' link to some useful presentations on various topics. I don't know if you are in the Midlands but I couldn't recommend them highly enough. You will see that they are retained by various well known businesses, one of which I work for so I can confirm that this isn't marketing hype on their behalf.
Turned me around a treat. Not fixed as I don't think that you can be in only 6 months, but the severity and frequency has dropped right off.
Having the "Please Others" personal driver, as you said, means that you are hyper sensitive to what you believe others are thinking about you. Obtaining direct feedback from those people helps to get a better view on "reality".
Hope you can get through it and back to some form of normality.
http://www.working-minds.org.uk/
Follow the 'About CBT' link to some useful presentations on various topics. I don't know if you are in the Midlands but I couldn't recommend them highly enough. You will see that they are retained by various well known businesses, one of which I work for so I can confirm that this isn't marketing hype on their behalf.
Turned me around a treat. Not fixed as I don't think that you can be in only 6 months, but the severity and frequency has dropped right off.
Having the "Please Others" personal driver, as you said, means that you are hyper sensitive to what you believe others are thinking about you. Obtaining direct feedback from those people helps to get a better view on "reality".
Hope you can get through it and back to some form of normality.
nightwalker said:
Have your testosterone checked, anxiety is one of the side effects of it being to low.
The causal factor is between stress and cortisol: Stress causes a rise in cortisol. Cortisol and testosterone have a directly proportionate relationship so more cortisol=less testosterone, and vice-versa. Testosterone does not directly affect stress.Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff