Anxiety

Your poor daughter mischief I can't imagine what that must of been like I agree with you soldiers get delayed reactions years after conflict hope with time it eases to everyone who suffers with anxiety I am sending hug ?

My daughter was on the tube following the one that was blown up on 7/7 and since then has not been able to go on the tube. She's OK with trains but has panic attacks at the thought of the tube stopping between stations. She tried to travel on the tube once when taking me back to Kings Cross but the anxiety she suffered and tried to control, was heatbreaking.

She doesn't think it has anything to do with the 7/7 attack as it started 6 months afterwards but I think it was a delayed reaction.

She's had some therapy as she found it difficult to go on an aeroplane too but she's managed to get herself through that, and as she doesn't have to go via tube, (she uses buses and overland trains) it doesn't impinge on her life too much. Horrible to see the effect it has though.

I do sympathise with anyone who suffers from anxiety or panic attacks, I've had short term effects if I've had to do anything out of my comfort zone but once things are back to normal, I'm OK. Phew.

Anxiety is a dreadful condition that to me is best explained as a sort of fuzzy veil between the sufferer and everything they do. I believe the right tablets take the edge off it and enable the sufferer to sort of drill down to what is causing the particular attack being suffered.
2gether (works with NHS) runs courses in groups and one to one. I attended the group course and was surprised at the amount of people who suffer. Listening to other people's experiences was part of the treatment to cope with it.
It was explained to me that everyone suffers from anxiety on a scale of "0" to "unable to function". I did not realise that panic attacks take so many different forms. I thought my patchy flashing lights and loss of vision was migraine but on analysing when it happens etc realised it was mainly anxiety.

Hang on in there Borogirl49. You truly can get this under control. I am glad you are seeing a professional. Take care.

I have always been anxious. Even the thought of getting in my car and going to pick up my granddaughter from nursery makes me worry. I've got too used to my DH driving everywhere.Since he retired he has automatically driven everywhere and I'm getting out of the way of it. I think it stems from a bout of vertigo I had three years ago. No one thinks I'm safe driving any more, although I'm completely better.

Really interesting to see this subject come up today. I went to casualty on Sunday morning thinking that I was having a heart attack. Not the case!
I have this horrible feeling in my chest, just like an anxious feeling of fluttering, but I'm not worried about anything particularly. It wakes me up in the night, then I can't get back to sleep because of the feeling.
I've had an irregular heart rhythm before but my pulse is steady and my blood pressure under control. Doc has suggested I stop drinking tea and coffee (caffeine). Then come back in a week. I wonder whether anyone knows if this can be a side effect when one is post menopause? I'm not anxious about anything and this feeling comes on whenever I relax. I don't notice it at other times although it could be there.

I too have anxiety, mostly health anxiety, which drives everyone else round the twist with any new symptoms I have. Must admit I have noticed over the years the problem gets worse in winter. I now reduce my antideppresants when the clocks change in Spring and increase when the clocks change in Autumn. Obviously my GP supports this. At least this way I keep on much more of a level throughout the year instead of highs and lows. Meditation also helps and mindfulness gives something to focus on. Good luck to fellow sufferers.

Yogadatti - Suffer from dreadful anxiety and depression, I have done for as long as I can remember. I can't take antidepressants either. But I can take Propranolol (beta blockers) and they work a treat for me. There are some contraindications but worth a discussion with your GP.

www.anxieties.com/159/beta-blockers#.Vs2rXOYlo4A

I don't know whether it will help, but I have been reading about the power of the body over the mind and the work done by Amy Cubby. Watch her YouTube TED talk and she explains how simple physical exercises can really affect the way we feel.
All the very best in dealing with a horrible condition.

Did your Dr change the tablets deliberately? Mine were changed accidentally and it was awful. Hang on in, winter time is always the worst.

I think Gransnet has a useful link:
'10 ways to deal with anxiety and panic attacks.'
The article recommends a very good book too, which is available on Amazon.
I'm sorry but I don't know how to direct you to the link, but someone will!
I send you a big hug and love.

I am very grateful to you all for answering at the moment I am in a very bad place I am under the care of a psychologist been on tablets 6 weeks .Starting to lose hope see him again on Monday till then I will pray that anxiety will go or diminish.I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy .Worse thing is I have nothing to worry about. All of you again thanks for listening.

Oh Yogadatti I send you warm thoughts. Anxiety breeds depression and depression breeds anxiety. I wish I knew the answer to it all.
Sometimes I long for night when I can (hopefully) sleep, then morning comes and it is another struggle.
I try to take it almost hour by hour - day by day is too much to contemplate.
I hope you feel able to write about how you are. Truly you are not alone in this.

Yogadatti anxiety and depression often do go together, but to add physical illness to the mix must be a nightmare. for you.

Oh heaven's Yogadatti, I was sorry to read your post. Anxiety is absolutely horrid, really debilitating and very difficult to cope with. All I can say is that you're not alone and all us fellow sufferers do have quite an uphill battle from time to time trying to keep it at bay.
Hugs

I suffer from horrendous anxiety...it never stops now, and that fuels depression. Illness has made my anxiety worse, especially as it can't be cured, and could kill me any moment of any day.

Getting older to me has not been a good experience and I get more and more anxious as each day passes.

I cannot take anti depressants because of medical issues, I have tried cbt.....I have tried to meditate, deep breathing , walking, which I can't do now cos of peripheral neuropathy which has just started to take its toll, and is yet another illness that I have now.
Etc. Etc. Etc. And seen countless Gp's , who do not help.

And there is nothing to stop the anxiety of the market apart from diazepham that is supposed to be taken occasionally. My partner and family are not sympathetic and spend a lot of time telling me how awful it is for them ....and my parents and sister are dead.

I hope anyone who has this debilitating condition all the luck and love in the world to control it. xx

Hello Borogirl
I feel for you. Anxiety is very debilitating.
I take pregabalin for a nerve problem in my foot, as a side effect it is actually helping my anxiety ( I have since found out that it can be prescribed for anxiety)

I use avoidance tactics.
Such as not reading news papers or news programmes on tv. You can get news facts in other ways with out the sensationalism.
I even avoid certain topics on GN if I think that it will feed my anxiety!

A close family member has been helped via bereavement councillor's suggestion of meditation and exercise (she now walks every day)
She uses breathing techniques to calm a racing heart or butterflies in stomach

I think my anxiety is made worse at present by start of the menopause.

When I have eaten too much sugar it also can make me very edgy.
Do to have any specific things that makes you anxious borogirl?

Hopefully the comments on here will have been of help to the OP.

Yes you're probably right Coolgran, I did feel so wretched by the time I started the prescription, it would have been difficult to tell whether I felt worse anyway or it was the effect of the pills! My GP did warn me though that any improvement wouldn't be overnight, and I could in fact feel worse, before I felt better. I think sometimes people expect an overnight reation for the better, and when it doesn't happen, they can give up.

Nonnie - that is such good advice. One should always check with one's GP before taking any herbal medicine.

Please don't take St John's Wort if you are on any other medication, it can cause serious side effects. I know that it should not be taken alongside thyroxin or anti-depressants but probably lots of other things too.

nigglynellie
""""The pills did for about 2 weeks make me feel worse! """

My understanding is that it's not actually that the pills makes one feel worse, it's that the pills take 2 or 3 weeks before they start to work, and in the meantime the condition continues or indeed gets worse. Then the pills kick in and do their job.

Borogirl Yes it is awful but please do go back to your GP. Sometimes pills make things worse for a short while until your body adapts. Your GP should have told you to expect this, but I do hope you can persevere.
I have medication now, but still have bad times. It feels like a continuous panic attack and really is debilitating at times.
Warm thoughts to you + ((hugs))

Borogirl and ((hugs))
I have used St John's Wort in the past as have many of my friends. Hope you feel better really soon.

Yes - do go and get some help. Your GP will have seen this so often and will know what to do to help you.

Oh goodness, I suffer dreadfully from anxiety! I always have, from worrying about school work,(the 11 +!!) right on throughout my adult life, often about nothing particularly important! I've only had one serious bout though, and that was caused by a neighbour dispute of some years ago when we were moving house. It was just awful, and I got to the point where I couldn't function properly and finally went to my GP, who was brilliant. I took anti depressants for a period of time, managed to move house and slowly recovered! It was a marathon and at the time, very frightening. I've been fine since only occasionally getting that awful feeling of butterflies, which I now control by a breathing exercise. The pills did for about 2 weeks make me feel worse!! My GP warned me of this so I did soldier on, and they did eventually work!! Maybe this is what is happening with you Borogirl49? Anyone who has this debilitating condition, don't let it go on, seek help and slay this particular Dragon, or at least get it under control.