Panic attacks=Living hell

[rasberrylemonade91]

Had to go off my anxiety meds because I’m pregnant. Even though they say I can take them when I really need to I can’t bring myself to do it. Right back to where I was before meds with severe agoraphobia. I can’t drive myself anywhere and just being in the car is a struggle. I can’t be alone. I quit my job because of all of this. My boyfriend has to take care of me like a child. Basically has to find a babysitter for me when he works. I feel like my anxiety is consuming me and soon I will be in a mental hospital. I am a burden to everyone and I hate myself.

[rasberrylemonade91]

Not really. My family isn’t the supportive kind and my mom is the one who told me everyone is going to get tired of catering to my anxiety and I will end up in a mental hospital. The first step would be to be able to home alone but I’m so scared of having a bad panic attack and being all alone.

[jkl5500 in reply to rasberrylemonade91]

To say your family isn't supportive is being nice about it. But your original post is very familiar to me. Your anxiety is "snowballing" , and you're terrified that it will all end in disaster. You feel like you have no courage at all, but this is just your brain playing a trick on you. You have plenty of courage.

You are terrified of the next panic attack because you feel that you don't know how to handle it. Your life is under the control of some "force" that strikes at random, and completely devastates you. The answer to all this is knowing what to do when these thoughts and feelings occur, so that it doesn't matter if they happen or not. If they happen, you can deal with them. With that comes personal power, and the panics lose their power over you. You get your life back.

I urge you to get Claire Weekes' books ASAP, and learn the method that she used to overcome her panics. Like anything else, it will be difficult at first. But when you start to achieve success, your confidence will "snowball", and it will be exhilarating to conquer your fears, and gain your life back.

I wasn't going to write all this, because I wanted to make sure you talk with a doctor first about your pregnancy before taking any steps to directly deal with your panics. But I think you need a peptalk right about now. Get a doctor's clearance before attempting to confront your panic disorder.

[HearYou]

You are going to be a great mother.

And you won't be pregnant forever. What other therapeutic assistance do you have other than the meds? Perhaps if you really search for as many ways to ease your fear, you will be feeling better about yourself and happy you are going to be a mother.

You liked your independence, and you are loving your baby more by giving it up. Maybe frustrating, but absolutely no reason for you to ever hate yourself. Your baby is primary now, and you are doing what is necessary to protect that precious gift.

Not everyone would be as brave as you are, and would take the meds. I think you deserve a round of applause and the best wishes for a beautiful healthy child.xx

[jkl5500]

I'm not a doctor, so I don't know whether a pregnant woman can take those medications. But your symptoms are those of classic panic disorder. You are, as Claire Weekes would say, fearing the fear. It's bad enough that you suffer high anxiety in certain situations, but you are dreading the next attack because it's so terrible. This puts you in a state of high anxiety for long periods of time, because you're terrified of what will happen to you when the panic strikes again.

I urge you to talk over with your doctor (or psychiatrist, preferably) what steps you can take to deal with panics while you're pregnant. This is a complicating factor, and only a doctor would know how much stress you can deal with, and still have a safe pregnancy.

[Moriarty702]

You got this. Focus on that beautiful baby youre going to bring into the world soon. You are stronger than you know.