Need to know what medication to ask for

[matthewbhogan]

For the last two years or so i have been getting horrible panic attacks, and have just been dealing with them when they come up, however lately (along with a bunch of things that have happened in my personal life) my anxiety has been horrible! I cant sleep and when i do it is only for a couple of hours at a time, i cant consentrate, i try to pretent my problems aren't there, to the point  my personal life is getting effected and so on. I havn't been to a doctor in probably 8 years, and I dont know if i need to go to a psycologist or a family doctor and then what to "ask" for as far as what has worked medication wize, I dont know anybody with the same problem, and i dont want to go in there looking like a "junky" seeking pills!
If you have any info or advice please help!

[Mark TX]

You said you haven't been to a doctor in eight years.  You probably want to schedule a complete physical just to rule out any other illness.

Second, how is your health otherwise?  Do you exercise?  Are you in shape?  Do you drink or smoke?  If so, to excess?  How much caffeine or other stimulants do you ingest?

The reason I ask these questions is that I was in a very similar situation myself quite a few years ago.  I was under tremendous stress at work... I was in a job I hated.. I had a relationship break up that was extremely emotional... I started drinking and smoking after quitting both several years earlier... and all that pushed me over the top.  I ended up on meds after a nervous breakdown.

Looking back... if I had addressed each of those individual issues one by one, I probably would have saved myself a lot of trouble.

Don't drink.  Even if you drink just a bit.  Alcohol is extremely dangerous when you're highly stressed.

Get off any stimulants... caffeine, tobacco, any recreational drugs.

Exercise.  Start slowly from whatever level you're on now.

Address whatever issues are causing you stress.  Work.  Family.  Relationships.  Finances.

Get professional advice.  And find friends or family who you can confide in and talk these things through.  No problem is ever as bad as it appears to the person in the middle of it.  Never.

Keep your perspective.  Don't rule out medications.  But ask lots of questions... how long will you need to be on them.  What kind of side effects should you expect?  When will you get off the drugs?  Be sure to emphasize that one.  If the answer is... maybe never... go get a second opinion.  Establish up front what your goals are.  There is every chance in the world you can get all your problems back into a manageable state without resorting to an anti-depressant or a tranquilizer.  Drugs do not solve your problems.  They can certainly numb you to your problems.

Good luck!

mark