I habe been struggling with horrific anxiety for years and formed a dependence on the opiod medicine tramadol. I am now weaning off that med and I am terrified. I am on seroquel XR and that helps the depression/thoughts of suicide but dealing with such severe anxiety while waiting for a new med is almost impossible. It feels like there are butterflies made of metal cutting up my heart. I just started busiprone (spelling?) and am praying that it will work. I have valium to help me wean off the tramadol but even that only helps for a moment. I just started trying to exercise every day and I play video games to keep myself occupied. The chest pain and mental anguish is so much though and I think I need others to talk to who are going through something similar. I know there is hope but it doesn't feel like it. My life is a mess, too, which doesn't help. It feels like I'm having a panic attack 24/7 and I'm barely hanging in there. If anyone wants to be friends and talk about this kind of disorder, please, PLEASE reach out to me. I'm desperate and terrified! I'm wondering if there are skills or coping mechanisms that I have not tried yet. Anything... Thank you all...i look forward to hearing from someone
Anyone out there I can talk to? :( fe... - Mental Health Sup...
Anyone out there I can talk to? :( feeling terrified...severe panic disorder is ruining my life and my ... TRIGGER WARNING
Hi Delmaria
My heart goes out to you
My meds are no longer being made
I tried to get off them but my U.K. GP practice won’t let me see the psychiatrist
I got worse and worse and worse calling the dr or 111 or 999 until finally I gave up and went back on the low stock of the wrong dose but that will only last so long
My sister should have gone to Oxford or Cambridge but over the years she was in and out of hospital and finally got a diagnosis of schizophrenia
My niece has similar symptoms (not her daughter) so mental health problems run in the family 😢
I have had anxiety and depression my last therapist said I have PTSD whatever it is CBT does not work
My sister said to me years ago
It’s your body you take control of your meds
If they don’t work or side effects are impossible to deal with speak up
For me tinnetus constipation vivid dreams night sweats all of these are preferable to the chaos that controls me with OCD
Not that the tablets eliminate it
I still have a couple of weeks a month when I can’t go out and regularly sleep 12 hours a day
Sometimes I can’t answer the phone or cook or anything normal
I need Valium for most family gatherings and big events
I am using it now to ease back on my original tablets
I am on 6mg total daily
X2 2 mg upto six times a day
I am trying to keep the dose down to 4mg
One mental health nurse said ‘you can be on those for months without getting addicted’
My experience is that I have used 2 mg occasionally for years they were brilliant
Then I moved and lost my husband so I went visiting friends near my old home regularly by train on a four hour journey and began using Valium regularly
Not just for the journey but one friend was going through very tough times and had a huge dog
I ended up not going anywhere for four years by train
Stopped Valium for about a year and when I went back on it had to double the dose
One psychiatrist tried various other meds as she didn’t want me on it but nothing else worked
So now I am very careful
I rely on it but don’t push myself
I personally would never change meds unless serious contra indications set in
I was on detox at for years and suddenly (after our move) I began having uncontrollable fits of anger over nothing it was really scary
Other than that keep going back to your Dr if the meds don’t work
Try therapies different ones suit different people
I had two useless therapists and one CPNwho I think looking back were not trained to help me
The last two from a service called ‘talking therapies’ have offered a higher level of therapy ( over a longer time period and including an in depth explanation of what they are doing and why)
I even stopped the vivid dreams and night sweats after years and years
So I have two questions
Do you have to stop the old meds?
If so is it a valid reason?
I mean if they don’t work or give serious contra indications discuss that with your Dr
Maybe you need a higher dose in the first place or a complete change in the second
Of course mental health is a work in progress
Things change in your personal life
In your environment
As well as with age
I recommend no caffeine if you suffer anxiety a friend told me this for years
Finally I gave up even decaf tea and coffee
I am still unwell but cutting those out genuinely helped
So Valium is a bridge that’s all from one phase to another
Most meds for mental health take upto 12 weeks to fully kick in and get into the system whereas Valium runs out and needs topping up
Perhaps you could consider the journey you are currently on
Maybe you need to reassess the decision you made to change
All meds have side effects
Personally I prefer to sleep more and enjoy the time I am awake
Than be awake (like a good friend) and suffer constantly
So you have to work out what suits you best
If your Dr is an idiot (some are) get a second opinion
You need someone who will respect your intelligence and listen to your fears who treats you as an individual not a statistic
I am so privileged to have the NHS but a Dr is an artist not a scientist they cannot wave a magic wand
Having a faith is now universally acknowledged by the psychiatrist fraternity to be beneficial
Also if you can make a loose routine
If you achieve that great if you don’t carry on till you can try again
Eg my routine is fairly loose and flexible
Bible study at a meeting Sunday a.m
Meet with friends to witness on Monday afternoon
Study on the phone with a friend ruse afternoon and in the evening have an informal chat with two friends at my place
Weds is free and Thursday I have a pa who helps with paperwork then go to a bible study meeting Thursday evening
Friday morning take a bus ride to help out a friend at her home
Sat go in the afternoon to meet a friend for coffee
Sometimes (rarely) I can do all those things and more
Sometimes I don’t manage any
I am able to listen to the group bible study by a phone link but sometimes I can’t manage even that (or fall asleep)
This is all my own choice and has developed over the last few years since my husband passed away
I should exercise I have been better about my diet since my son left to get married
He was my career most of his childhood
I really admire your for that
Music lifts the mood even depressing music apparently 😳
My grandson plays video games it’s a huge disabled community online I know it here him
He also found a no profanity voluntary radio station to broadcast on!
Do you have any pets or plants?
I have cacti and tortoises
Both need little attention but give me great joy
I have tried volunteering but it became a burden when I was relied on
If you can find something voluntary it is known to help release endorphins like sports do and can distract from you own issues
Perhaps something outdoors?
You are seriously not alone
Great start to look for an online community
Thankfully I have a lot to be thankful for good physical health a warm home and good in the cupboard
I hope you have the same
Maybe this helped even if you just feel more connected
I hope so
Keep going everyone has good days and bad
Ps try to find a good comedian some old feel good movies and have a drink with a friend
I sincerely hope things come around to help you out
K Haynes
Tramadol is not really related to any form of AD medication if it was I would be zonked out for most of the time, however some AD medications are used to suppress nerve pain around the tendons and nerves. Tramadol is a level two Opiate and needs to be signed for on a different part of your prescription in front of a Chemist, so I am interested why you have been taking them.
I started taking this pain medication twenty or thirty years ago under the direction of a Pain Clinic, I was also shown how to vary the dose and use a minimal dose of medication. So I do not take the maximum dose for pain, I use tools to help suppress pain other than medication. This medication Tramadol taken in the correct fashion is a marvelous medication when managed, yes sometimes after a bad attack of Chronic pain, the dose is managed, although is a very lean dose.
I can help if needed, although I would need to understand what has been advised to help you move on from this medication. You are taking medications that may cause mixed contraindications and that alone may be affecting your Anxiety and this will make you feel rotten
BOB