Friday, October 09, 2009 sarah773 asks

Q: Am I having panic attacks?

I have been suffering from social anxiety for years, but recently decided to do something about it and went to my GP for help. He referred me for CBT and gave me beta blockers.

Recently I have started to suffer from anxiety symptoms without any warning and pretty much all the time. Pounding heart, sweating, squeezing feeling in my chest and a feeling as though I'm going to go mad or something.

Are these panic attacks? I don't like taking the beta blockers because they make me feel depressed but I can't carry on like this.

Can anyone help?

Answers (2)

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Eileen Bailey

10/12/09 12:08pm

Sarah

Thank you for your question and welcome to AnxietyConnection.com. I am not a medical professional and would not be able to diagnose whether or not you are experiencing panic attacks. This would need to be discussed with your doctor.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) does help with both social anxiety and panic attacks so it would certainly be good for you to pursue that treatment.

As far as the medication, you would need to discuss your concerns with your doctor. He or she should be able to answer your questions regarding your medication and your choices for other medications.

For more information:

Panic Disorders

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Overview

10 Reasons to Consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Anxiety Drug Information

I hope this helps

Eileen

Jerry Kennard

10/19/09 8:59am

Hi sarah,

Yes, the symptoms you describe are very strongly associated with panic episodes. Beta blockers have something of a mixed review. Their action is to reduce cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped from the heart) and some folk find them useful for anxiety. CBT has a better track record and I think you will find your management of anxiety far easier after the course of treatment.

sarah773

10/25/09 6:22am

Hi Jerry

Thanks for your comments, they make a lot of sense. I'm not having the panicky symptoms all the time now, thankfully. I have kind of given up on the beta blockers now as, although I didn't have the thumping heart, the feelings of anxiety were still there and I ended up very depressed for about a week after taking them.

I'm now pinning my hopes on the CBT, which my doctor still thinks is the best course of action for me, and I tend to agree.

The only thing that worries me is that I have been trying really hard to push myself to face situations that cause me a lot of anxiety. If I do manage to go through with whatever it is, the consequences are usually several days of misery, where I'm crying pretty much all of the time, and I have to push myself to do anything much at all, even routine things. I did blame the beta blockers, but it still happened even without them. The only difference seems to be that it doesn't last as long without the beta blockers.

This has myself and my doctor puzzled. He thinks that maybe there is an element of depression. I don't know myself. It's such a long time since I've actually faced things I find difficult, I can't remember how I reacted before!

Sorry for such a long message.

Sarah

Jerry Kennard

10/25/09 8:22am

Hi Sarah,

Well, anxiety and depression are intimately related so it doesn't surprise me when you say this. Although exposure to anxious situations and events is often a part of the therapeutic process I would be cautious about doing this yourself without the proper guidance and context. Simply throwing yourself into a situation you know provokes anxiety will only provoke anxiety. It becomes self-fulfulling. You should find a more humane and more structured approach with therapy.

Q: Am I having panic attacks?

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