Hi Everyone

Hi my name is Murrough, I am 24 and suffer from severe anxiety attacks, as a result of 2 criminal injuries in which I was assalted in Belfast's student area, while living in Belfast 4yrs ago, for which I get perscribed half inderal la (daily) and 5mg diazepam (for when I have an anxiety attack.) I have just completed a masters degree and found that coming towards the end of my masters I had frequent panic attacks for which I was taking the inderal la daily and the diazepam increasingly due to the stress I was under. I moved house after my masters was finished and thought that the panic attacks would lessen, but unfortunately I am still getting them quite often. I feel frightened to leave the house now in the fear of having a panic attack and am getting pressure from my friends and family to get a job now, which isn't really realistic for me at the minute as I can't even leave the house without fear of having an anxiety attack. I have been prescribed the half inderal la and diazepam for a couple of yrs now, and although I realise it helps in the short-term, I am very aware that this is not a long term solution. It would be great if you could give me some advice on how I can overcome this terrible affliction. Yours hopefully Murrough

Hi Everyone

Thanks a million scbeachbum. Really nice of you to reply, means a lot - It's a very lonely illness. It's hard to confide in people about it. I feel when you tell someone it frightens them off. Maybe that's just the social climate here in Ireland. Being a young male, and been afflicted with these horrible anxiety attacks. It seems life is passing me by... Today I felt pretty horrible all day, but feelin ok now. I havent taken any diazepam since Tuesday. Just finished a course of antibiotics for a stomach ulcer I have too. Made me feel rotten and poisoned. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. A new dawn and a new day. Thanks very much for your kind words.

Hi Everyone

Thanks a lot everyone for your support and comfort!!! Just noticed all your messages. Thank you for making me feel welcome.

Hi Everyone

I was wondering if anyone else has or ever has been prescribed diazepam and inderal to help relieve the immediate symptoms of their panic attacks. I realise that this combination helps to alleviate the intense terror of an anxiety attack at the time of the attack, but I'm wondering is this a realistic long term solution? I was wondering could anyone give me more information on cognitive behavioural therapy. I've heard this term being used quite a bit, but I'm very interested in finding out exactly what it entails. My girlfriend is coming up from Dublin today, she'll arrive in the city, which is 18 miles away in a few hours which I'm going to have to go by car and meet her. I'm afraid that I'll get a panic attack and will have to take some diazepam to cope with the journey as this could very well trigger an attack. I hate to say this but I think she is getting fed up with my anxiety attacks and told me she doesn't know how much more of it she can take, which makes me feel quite bad as the anxiety attacks aren't my fault and I'm not in control of when they happen. Is there anything that I can say to her to reassure her that my condition will improve in time. We are both young, she is onlt 25 also and did the same masters as I did. I even got a job in Dublin and moved there to be closer to her, but I found the pressures of the web design job MUCH to stressful as it was a very busy office & had constant pressures to get jobs finished in time. My boss treated me very bad too. I only lasted a week and a half in the job and moved back to the north of Ireland again. I think this set me back a lot, that was in February. I know it can't be easy for her, seeing all her and our friends going out at night and enjoying themselves, while she feels as if she's stuck in the house with me. I avoid the cinema, going for meals in public (returants etc) and of late I haven't been going out much, but I feel under a lot of pressure and feel that she is giving me an ultimatem to get better quick or she's gone, which makes the anxiety manifest within itself. I'm usually ok to go on a bus journey, go out to a bar or club if I take a diazepam tablet, as these situations would trigger anxiety attacks, and the diazepam would make these situations bearable.

For Murrough

beachbum, thanx again - had a great day with my girlfriend - the next day I told her about the panic centre and showed her what I and what all of you posted... I think it actually helped things for her. She started to cry which made me feel bad, as I didn't want to upset her, but I think maybe it's made her understand the downsides of the place we are all in at the minute. Glad to hear you're doing fine. Don't you be feeling lonely now after all the nice kind, caring advice you posted for me. Yes, I get all my medication prescribed by my doctor. Hope you're well. Murrough

For Murrough

Hi SCbeachbum, After recently acheiving my masters I fear job prospects are low... :( I just went down to the social security office fo sign on the dole, and I had a terrrible anxiety attack I'm afraid. Instead of calling and jumping in a taxi and retreating home, I took a diazepam 5mg tablet, but the symptoms would not subside. I retreated to the toilets, where I tried deep breathing exercises and came back in... to try and confront my fears. I felt like I had really bad butterflies in my stomach, my heart was racing at between 110/120 bpm, very frightening again. When I went back into the social security office, (taking advice from this site) I confided in the security man who took pity on me, and gave me a glass of water. I felt justifiably paranoid I'm afraid as everyone was staring at me as I was shaking very profusely, which made me more anxious, so I retreated to the entance, where I sat for almost half an hour trying to catch my breath. When I was out in the hallway at the entrance I wrote a letter explaining that I suffer anxiety attacks which I intended to give to the lady in reception, in the hope that she would pass on my details to the relevant section in the social security agency. After a long long time, the diazepam began to take action. I saw my friend Otto come into the building, who did the same masters as me go in, he must have thought it strange me sitting at the entrance. Anyway, I plucked up the courage and went back into the office. I sat beside him, and confided in him that I get anxiety attacks (very few people from my Masters degree actually know about them) and he was very understanding and rubbed my back, which was reassuring. My number got called, and I approached the desk. The lady behind the desk asked me how I was feeling. I didn't lie, I told her I felt awful as i suffer from anxiety attacks, and produced the letter I had written for the lady to reception. She was unbelievably understanding, and told me in future if I wanted to just go straight up to her desk. She told me I should seriously consider going on sick pay (some form of disability allowance, which would mean I would not have to come into the office anymoer and subject myself to what I had to go through today again. I don't know how I would feel

Guys, tell me i'm silly!

Hi Beth, I'm Male and only 24 myself, and am cursed with these terrible anxiety attacks. I can relate to what you have all been saying in your posts. Sorry I have not been posting of late. I went to an anxiety and agraphobia support meeting for the 1st time last Monday. I'm not sure what I will get out of it, but even going to the meeting was such a big thing for me, although I haven't really been out of the house since. I get prescribed diazepam and beta blockers for my anxiety attacks. I have a girlfriend at the minute, but she lives in Dublin now, the South of Ireland and haven't seen her for a couple of weeks as she obviously comes and visits me because of the travelling thing which you all can relate to it would seem. I'm sure you'll find a nice guy for yourself Beth, but don't make it your priority. I always find it's easier to click with someone when your not looking. Keep your mind busy and try to live your life as full as you can and it will happen when you are not expecting it. :) Murrough

Hello All

Hi all, Murrough, 24~m~from Ireland here. Sorry I have not been posting in a while. Last Monday - exactly a week ago, a guy from an anxiety and agrophobia society who I had got in contact with a while ago phoned me up and asked me would I like to go to the beach with him. I haven't really be leaving the house in a while as I've been scurged constantly with anxiety attacks increasingly since I've finished my masters degree. This of course was very overwhelming the thought of driving down to the beach which is proabably about 20 miles away, so as soon as he was off the phone I took 5mg of diazepam (which I get prescribed by my doctor) and half inderal la (propranenol. I asked the guy if he wanted to meet up with me down in my house, as I was frightened about leaving the house incase I got an anxiety attack. It was a lovely sunny day, which I don't erally appreciate these days, especially when u feel imprisoned in your own home. By the time he had reached the house the diazepam had started to work, so I thought I'd take the plunge into the deep-end and go to the beach with him. -A really big step for me at the minute! I was fine in the car on the way down, but when we got to the beach with his 2 children, he decided we would should go for a big walk. About half way down the very long beach, I felt an anxiety attack coming on, which was upsetting as I had taken 5mg of diazepam already and was feeling my heart beginning to race, my skin turning white and my hands starting to shake. I told him that I was getting an anxiety attack when we reached the water, because I wanted to achieve walking to the sea before I turned back to the sand dunes were his children were. He tried talking me out of it as he suffers from them too, but it was horrible. I made it up to the sand dune where his kids were, and felt so anxious. I jsut wanted to be home. At the same time I didn't want to sound selfish as he was out in the beach with his kids, so I just suffered it. I was so glad when we were going home though. When I got home I felt as if I acheived something, but if I be honest with myself, the thing I was looking forward to most was going home. I went to my first support group meeting that night along with him. I'm not sure that I got anything out of it, but at least I c

At Church

Michelle, Don't feel down buy your setback at church! I would consider myself to be religious, but haven't been to Mass in almost 4yrs now - or at least not regularly due to my anxiety attacks. My opinion is that God will judge you on who you are and how good a person you are and won't hold it against you even if you can't attend church. And about your meds, if you felt you had to take them that's ok, that's no major setback! That's what they are there for, for when you need them. So don't get yourself down about it. I've just begun the Panic Program yesterday, so I'm hoping to take things one step at a time. Have you ever heard of: Robert Holden's book "Shift Happens"? It's quite interesting reading. I'm reading it at the minute and find it a good read if nothing else. It's a book about "more" – more happiness, more success, more love and more confidence. It is about personal alchemy and inner transformation. It shows you how to unblock blocks, transform thoughts, release fears, drop struggle and embrace a new level of creativity and joy. Maybe you should give it a read too if you can find it? Anyhow - down let this minor setback get you down. I am pretty much house-bound with my anxiety at the minute, which I hope to undo over the next 12 weeks with the help of the 'Panic Program' Murrough

Lexawhat????? My new med...

Hi Heather, I am from 26, male fom Ireland, and I was prescribed Cipralex, (Lexapro) late last year, but haven't had the guts to try it yet. I haven't posted here in over a year. I suffer from anxiety disorder and I am currently getting prescribed 2 X 5mg diazepam daily plus 80mg half inderal LA. Over the Christmas holiday period my doctor prescribed me extra diazepam so I could visit my family for the Christmas period as I am highly agrophobic without the medication. I found the extra medication a great benefit over the holiday period and I even had a few good nights out in my home town with my friends. However, my current dosage of diazepam doesn't seem to be enough for me, as I seem to be getting the anxiety atacks pretty bad again. Also I have really lost my appetite this last week from going back to the smaller doeses, ie. 10mg diazepam/day. As I said, like you Heather, my doctor also has prescribed me "Cipralex" (Lexapro) recently, which I am a bit afraid to take from reading all of it's side-effects. However, I know I have to do something to try and get my life back to as 'normal' as what it once was. Was wondering has anyone any advice on what should I do: ask my doctor to increase my dosage of diazepam and not take Cipralex (Lexapro) (as I know I was able to do so much when taking higher doses of diazepam around the Christmas period) or start on the Cipralex? Has anyone else been in this situation or have been prescribed the same medication for me for "Anxiety Disorder" and now 'agrophobia'. Any advice would be most helpful. Many Thanks, from a 26 year old Irish Guy who wants to try and get his life back in 2004.