Anxiety and counseling

[fibrogirl41]

hi I am sorry I have not added this on, I have forgotten how but I was wondering I suffer from anxiety and stress don't know why now, I sometimes feel like I have knots in my stomach and cough a bit and sometimes feel like wretching and still have anxiety attacks and wondered if I could get counseling on the NHS and how do I get referred for this? 😊 💐

[Rachmaninov2]

I saw my GP yesterday and he has referred me to an NHS Counsellor. Please contact your GP. I hope things improve for you fibrogirl. 🙂

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hi there, I would differently ask your GP for a referral in going forward and I am sorry too read still you are still struggling with this, I think they also offer telephone counciling as well, which may help for some talking through things, I did have 6 sessions of CBT privately few years back it did help but it was the right medication that really worked wonders for me. Is your doctor still following your progress still? I seem too start struggling with anxiety when my hormones where changing and I had an early change @periods stopped at 44yrs. I knew I was not feeling right but the doctor I saw at the time was not helpful and gave me Citolapram for depression , I needed something too work for the anxiety, eventually I saw an out of hours doctor(female) who said your on the wrong meds was very sympathetic @started me on Duloxtene. She was my saving grace that day and I got back too being my old self after couple weeks . I hope soon things turn around for you ,keep reaching out and if your not happy with your current doctor perhaps ask too see someone, even a Female practioner nurse as some have their own experiences and can show empathy xx

[fibrogirl41 in reply to Yassytina]

hi thanks for your kind message. I was put on the same medication as you, citalopram but I have taken medication like this before and it did no good and made me feel worse. I hope I can get referred to a counselor or something I hope it will help me and tell me does duloxotine have any side effects? 😊

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer in reply to fibrogirl41]

For me personally it has done its job 100per cent , no real issues for me but I read some people get side effects too start with or weaning off the drug , lam just speaking from my experience having been on this 5 years now and I am quite happy too continue as my quality of life improved so much more, I totally feel for you ,Unless someone has suffered this way they won’t understand what it can be like xx

[fibrogirl41 in reply to Yassytina]

hi I know x family don't really understand any more, I often feel like a burden because I have been off work for two years. I am glad I can talk to people on the net, I know you all understand because I get upset and I hope I can go back to work this year instead of having all these stupid issues x ❤️ 😭 ☺️

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to fibrogirl41]

Sometimes you can self refer to your local mental health services, in my area its IAPT without going through your GP, try googling it. Duloxetine is an SNRI antidepressant, its hits both serotonin and norephinephrine, both important neurotransmitters.

I think if memory serves Duloxetine was designed with Fibro in mind and is often prescribed. It helps with pain, sleep etc but being an Anti D is should help with anxiety, depression etc. Like any medication it can come with side effects. Its whether they are tolerable.

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Duloxetine was approved in 2004 for mdd diabetic neuropathy but fibromyalgia was approved in 2008.

[FibroLee in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

I would also suggest checking out IAPT as it's a self referral and the wait might be less but again it's whether they serve your location.Good luck

[Blearyeyed]

So sorry to hear about your ongoing symptoms. It's very difficult to control your Fibro when you also suffer more from Stress related issues and Anxiety.

As others have said , consider going to the GP and just ask straight out to be referred to the NHS Counselling service in your area. You can also ask if the GP knows if there are any local or online CBT courses running near you at the moment that you can sign up to , or the GP can sign you on for. Counselling services can take sometime to organise because of demand but you should at least expect a letter confirming that you are on the list within a few weeks , you might get an initial phone consultation at first to assess what type of Counselling is better for you and if you may find it easier to have sessions via phone or Skype.

It's worth looking up local Mental Health services online and seeing if there are any CBT or counselling groups you can Self Refer yourself on . This is often a quicker way to start treatment rather than waiting for your GP request to get through the system.

Also try looking on NHS direct , it's a mine of information and also has a wide list selection of recommended free or subsidised courses which you can sign yourself up to that are available nationally to complete online.

The NHS direct site also has links to little videos to help with Breathing, Mindfulness and relaxation techniques which can help you start Self Care at home.

Try putting CBT , Mindfulness , Anxiety Therapy into the search engine , and looking at the NHS affiliated and recommended links at the base of the pages not just the highlighted ones.

Talking therapy can also be highly effective , and if you feel you need more support apart from Counselling try looking up local groups or forums that have online meetings to help people cope with Stress and Anxiety . Often talking in a group with other people whom are suffering what you are can be the best therapy , and they often have CBT and Relaxation techniques that they can give you tips on too.

Take care and give yourself a oat on the back , it shows your strength to be willing to voice your Anxiety and to search for help. Bee

[fibrogirl41 in reply to Blearyeyed]

hi thanks, I get really upset about it and I mentioned last night that I was having anxiety dizziness when I was watching the TV last night and felt dizzy and got in bed and feel okay this morning but I have had bad reactions and experiences with anti anxiety medicine and I don't really want to take citalopram for it x I was hoping that there would be another way to get through anxiety and I tell family how I feel about it and they get nasty and tell me that I am too selfish and stupid not taking anything and then I get upset and don't know what to do. I am sorry to rant about this but I know that people understand x ❤️ 😭 ☺️

[Blearyeyed in reply to fibrogirl41]

Oh dear, yes sometimes it's hard trying to be honest about our illness with friends and family because they can react negatively. Mostly it comes from a good place , even if it doesn't feel like it , and it certainly doesn't help. They are usually worried for us and if they have never had a problem with pills or side effects they just assume everything will be fine if we take the first one offered.It's worth working out which medications you have had a bad reaction to and then looking up which class of drugs it is in , so that you can say you would prefer not to try another type from that class.

Unfortunately, if you have sensitivity to chemicals you will often have some low level side effects that may take a while to settle , especially things like brain fog or feeling drowsy. Often lower doses are better . They won't get rid of all the symptoms but will help reduce them.

I hope the therapies work for you . If not , you can always post again for other medication to consider if you feel like trying them. It's worth posting on other forums for Mental Health too , as they may have other suggestions that people have not mentioned here.

Keep a diary of your dizzy episodes too , it may be that there could be another cause for it. Do you get dizzy before you get anxious or the other way around?

It's an important difference , and there could be a way to help reduce the dizziness which will also help your physical symptoms of Anxiety.

Take care , we are always here to help and listen when you need us , Bee

[1whitestar]

I would speak to yoie doctor I'm sure you can get counciling for this . I'm sorry to here this . I have this stone that I bought from this shop and its a calming stone I rub it when I feel anxious. Also blow bubbles from a bubble pot .

[Jegreen]

I just have discussed the same with my gp last week, In addition to counseling she prescribed a beta blocker i haven't got it yet but she said i could take one when i feel too anxious. It was because i shared with her my concerns about depression and anxiety medications sude effect. I agreed to give it a try

[Rachmaninov2]

I have had a call this morning re Counselling and will be having my telephone assessment on Monday. This was much faster than I had thought but l am sure my first appointment will take a lot longer.

[BlueTofu]

I found low cost counselling through a local disability charity, which has a time limit. Also through low cost therapy online. I found CBT didn't help me as much as I hoped. It's retraining you to see other possibilities when you are thinking negatively. So when you think situations are either/or, catastrophizing a situation. Eg, either my energy bill will be so high I can't pay it, or it will be low, when actually you can get grants/ free help with insulation and can talk to your energy company if you have problems and put a plan in effect.I've found I need a therapist to talk about how I feel, as struggling with fibromyalgia and it's effects on your life, can be very difficult

[SHEPHER]

You can refer yourself on nhs or yoylur dr can do it