Help me pleeeeeease!!

M

marie83

Member
Hi all,
Just thought i'd share this with you!
All started 2 weeks ago in the jobcentre! Was called to the advisors desk with my 9yr old son. Have been there so many times before and never had this happen.
Sat down and started feeling sick, hot, palpitations, pains in the chest, dizzy, muscle stiffness and i shook uncontrolably that i couldnt even sign properly. God knows what my signiture looked like & iv never walked so fast to get out of somewhere like i did that morning! Felt so embarrassed that id made a fool out of myself!
It took 20minutes to pass & scared the hell outta me!
Had a few minor ones since untill thismorning! Was on route to the jobcentre again to sign on & decided to have another major panic attack in our local park. Sat for 15 mins in the cold untill it passed, turned around & went to the doctors to make an appointment about it. Only to have a minor one in the doctors as it was packed solid with people!
Iv now not signed on so now wont receive any money next week! More hassle for me!
My doc rang me & asked if i wanted to come over to see him but i asked if we could speak on the phone instead as i was calm that way.
Hes done a prescription for me for 40mg of propranolol a day which i will pick up when it opens after lunch! (to avoid another episode and embarrass myself for the 3rd time 2day)
Has anyone tried these tablets before and have they worked?? I so need it to, this is ruining my life :(
Thanks everyone
 
kihira

kihira

1
Hi, well done for recognising what was happening and getting onto the doc about it. I use propranolol and it works well for me. Some sort of therapy such as CBT would be beneficial, too. You have a medical reason for not being able to sign on, so maybe get on the phone to the job centre too. :)
 
Remus

Remus

Moderator
Staff member
When I was a single parent a few years back, you were not required to sign on. Has this changed now?

You can go on the sick (ESA) with panic attacks if you are housebound. Though they make you jump through hoops.

Docs are good in the UK and refer you to therapy (which helps alot for panic disorder!)

Might be an idea to contact citizens advice, they really are a godsend at times when things are bad.

I was in the same boat as you 10 years ago :eek:
 
M

marie83

Member
Hey Basil,
thanks for the warm welcome :)
No iv never experienced this, was frightenin.

Hi Phocas,
Glad it works for u, i hope im the same. How long do they take to start working? Feeling really isolated at the moment.
Foned the jobcentre and they were really rude as usual. Got to fill in a form as to why i didnt go. They dont understand i cant go there at the moment as thats what starts it all off :S
Now not sure what to do
 
M

marie83

Member
Hey Remus,
Yes its all changed now. Once ur child hits 8 it changes to jobseekers allowance. Have to sign on every 2wks. Rediculous really.
Thanks for that, im gonna contact them :)
 
dean01

dean01

Well-known member
hiya, i was told that medication is the last option when all else has failed, have you tried the natural route of therapy, breathing and relaxation techniques, vitamin b complex and so on. i brought myself a book when i first relised that i had sa and it really helped me to understand..... the book i read was called dying of embarressment.
 
M

marie83

Member
hi dean,
Yes iv tried the breathing & relaxing 2day both times i had a panic attack. Neither worked, just made it worse. :(
Ill look out for that book, thanks for the advice :)
 
dean01

dean01

Well-known member
stick with the breathing, i kept having panic attacks when i first started breathing exercises but they passed and it really helps me now. its like everything you have to give things time to work, even meds take time to work properley. goodluck to you i hope you find that innerpeace.
 
kihira

kihira

1
marie83 said:
How long do they take to start working? Feeling really isolated at the moment.
Click to expand...
My initial dose (10 mg) was too low, so it didn't work straight off, I discussed it with my doc who increased it to 20 mg. The literature online says it can take up to a week for the full effect, but you may feel some relief after a day or two. It should work by stopping (or lessening) the panic attack symptoms from kicking in, but you may still feel apprehensive about going into the situations where you experienced the anxiety, so you may have to challenge that feeling and push ahead. Let us know how it goes :)
 
M

marie83

Member
Thanks everyone :)
I will keep up with the breathing exercises for defo.
Phocas, im defo gonna be like that when im back down there, just hope the tablets do start to work by then.
Will let u all know :)
 
M

marie83

Member
Hey guys :)
Well iv been takin these tablets since thurs evening. Im on 40mg 3 times a day!! not 40mg a day i thought!
Im still havin attacks but not as severe as in the jobcentre. I need to get down there & sign on or ill have nothing but not sure how i'll manage to :S Got in my mind now of that day it happened & know ill mess up again!
Is there any other benefits u can apply for instead of havin to sign on every 2wks for SA?
Thanks everyone
Oh iv just read its rare for ppl over 18 to have SA, is that right? Im 28 lol
 
M

marie83

Member
I dont even know what started it tbh. Prob being whinged at after havin to give up my night job in jan as me & my partner split in nov last year. Had no1 to look after my son :(
Apparantly it could be the stress of what caused our split so the doctor reckons.
 
M

missjesss

Banned
Hi marie83!!

I'm jess welcome to the forums :) so are these your first panic attacks? Do you know what caused your very first one and when your first one happened ? Ive went from full blown panic attacks to very mild social phobia so if you would like some advice feel free to msg me! I'm currently taking 15mg of lexapro for my anxiety which suits me well ;)
 
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