hi folks

i dont know where to start and really looking for some guidance. Im 31 and about 3 months ago i had my first panic attack and then severe heart palpatations and everything has just spiralled since then. Ive lost interest in a lot of what i was really interested in, lost confidence, weight and really struggle to sleep properly at all. When i first went to my doctor he advised me to stop drinking and i believed this would help but my worrying became excessive and obsessive and really had no control at all.
A few weeks ago i went back to the doctor and he prescribed me Lexapor, i ve been taking it for nearly 4 weeks now and not really feeling the benefits of this at all. Like everybody i really would like for this to go away.
Tne odd day i take a xanax or a valium just to get me through the day and hopefully get a good nights sleep but it doesnt help the sleeping. Can anybody relate to this and what are my best options, i would really appreciate any help on this whatsoever as im really struggling at present. Thanks for your time.


Martin

Sheesh, sounds like me two years ago (only I was 17 then). Getting help with matters relating to anxiety and depression really vary from person to person, depending on the individual's different symptoms. For instance, many people have social environments as a trigger, but for me it's a soothing thing, just the opposite. I made the mistake of seeing a quack. Sleep was the hardest thing for me to get back, that and the ability to eat and NOT be afraid. Things like just hearing my heartbeat would make me freak out. Self talk is extremely beneficial, even if it feels stupid (and it did for me at first). Just tell yourself the unbiased truth like "I'm going to be okay" or "What I'm feeling cannot and will not hurt me". Sleeping is a bit trickier. For me, I meditate, relax, and drink warm tea. Before, however, I often took up to 6 sleeping pills with no effect. What helped me is I would wear myself out early in the day (I played DDR, it's a good workout), then at night I would lie on my side with my arm over my head to block out all noises. I also kept a fan running, the humming helped me relax. Pills would make me tired, but being tired wasn't the issue, it was that I could not relax enough to get to sleep. Best of luck with all of this, and the biggest healers are hope and time. If you'd like someone to talk to feel free to hit me up on MSN animearson@yahoo.com (which is also my email addy) and YIM coranomichikaimaruchan@yahoo.com

Hi Anita

Thanks for getting back to me, i really appreciate it. I believe with all us sufferers we are always looking for an easy cure from somewhere else but i do believe deeply that we must find the answers and the strenght from ourselves, its difficult for me to do this but I know there must be a reason for this. I was talking to a good friend yesterday and he is a great believer in Jesus, he told me that worrying is meditating about the problem while really i should be meditating about the solution which is letting Jesus into my heart. I took this thought with me and i lost my faith a long time ago but really trying over the last couple of months to get it back. I really took some encouragement from this and i have been trying to see some light at the end of this tunnel.
Anyway I really hope things get better for you.


Stewart

I have to say, that i can relate to this well, but I guess not to the extremes that you are dealing with it in. Back in 1992 I was a student at job core. I was 21 then, I had the hardest time with anxiety. I was able to sit with the nurse on campus and explain my situation to her and what she gave and taught me has still worked to this day with the sleeplessness. I make sure my bed is ready for me once I am done with my nightly shower..not a bath taker....can sit that long...once I am in bed...I lay on my back and it's a relaxation method she taught me..there used to be a cassette that I would listen to back then...but, well you know..do they still make cassette players? , anyways..I lay on my back and I start at the tippy top of my toes, laying still with my arms down beside me and my palms down as well. And if you notice when you do this you can feel a tingling sensation, i stay at the tippy top of my toes and slowly I let my body relax to where I concentrate on moving slowly up my body and feeling that tingling...sound weird I know, but when something works...it works who cares how, right? as I go up my body, moving slowly I concentrate on the feeling moving up through me as well and I'm thinking about sleep and relaxing and when I do that...I honestly could not tell you how far I made it, because I do fall asleep. I used to listen to the soothing music, but I prefer now just silence and listening to my body....It works for me, it may work for you as far as the sleeping problem, and we all know that with a good nights sleep the following day can be so much better than the last. I am new to this whole thing myself...im actually starting welbutrin tomorrow...so I just as you am hoping for peace of mind and balance. I am a 35 year old mom with a 9 year old that has ADHD and a 5 year old who may have asperger's syndrome<<just found out 2 weeks ago, a 40 hour a week job on top of everything else, doctor appt., school plays you name it....and decided that I am no good for my girls if I am no good to myself...so here I am looking for answers as well...i worry all the time, i fret over things that i know are out of my control, i over react ALOT, my mind goes a mile a minute, but for you i do really feel that the relaxation method at night to sleep would not hurt to try. stanger things have happened you know...let me know how it turns out for ya.
Mary