Hope someone can help me

[Djlm1234]

For the past 2 years now I have suffered from what I think is a social anxiety, but I am not sure...I will give you a breakdown of how things are in my head...

I feel like I can't go into inside places- and I don't even know why!  I feel like I get all dizzy, panicky, sweaty and ifeel like I'm going to pass out.  I ask myself why I feel this way but I can't even explain it to myself...  It isn't limited to any building and happens in grocery stores, libraries, virtually any large place.. Actually now that I think about it- I do fine in places like gas stations...
I especially feel this way when I am in te back somewhere and don't have a close exit.  I feel as I need to be a  certain distance from the door to get fresh air and I'll be fine.  This is making my life miserable as I can't even grocery shop without my husband... When I do go in the back of the store I make sure that he is with me and I don't stay back there very long.. And heaven forbid me ever checking out by myself! I would Probably pass out right there..

Wihthin this 2 years I got pregnant (these. Episodes DID start before I even got pregnant). I was sooooo nervous to go to the dr... I always felt this same way as how i felt in the stores.  I couldnt wait to get out of there, sometimes i even skipped my appoinents  The whole time i was so antsy, sick to my stomach and felt as if I just wanted to leave.  My husband mentioned something to the dr. And she perceived me zoloft to calm me down... Now I am not the person to take meds.... I try to do everything naturally so I took about a week aupply, disnt  notice anything and stopped taking them.

I wish I could tell myself that eveything ia goingto be fine- I mean it has been fine my whole life, but I just don't know what it is that gives me this anxiety...
It gets easier to deal with when there aren't people around and the store is smaller, so I'm thinking a social anxiety???

I just need to know how to get over this phobia... Or if someone here experiences something similar, did you ever get it diagnosed and know what it's called?  As these two years have passed I have found it getting worse and worse... I want to be able to take my daughter to places and not have to worry about my anxiety issue taking over.

Any advice would be great :) thanks   

[gofio]

Anxiety's certainly something that wrecks many lives. Unless you get professional help it will be extremely hard to cope with it.Get help now, no need to suffer more than is avoidable. No one likes to be 'medicated', but drugs do have a good role to play, along with other therapies. Usually in combination.Find out what's on offer.Consider if you prefer to continue to suffer the anxiety or your fear of medication. I wish you luck, ask for help & try to be patient while the meds click in. Keep your Doc/Psych up to date with any problems you experience. Best wishes.

[mammo]

You didn't give your medication time to help you.  It takes 4-6 weeks for it to reach a therapeutic level in your system, and for you to feel better.  You are having panic attacks and these often occur in open spaces where we may feel "trapped" and can lead to agoraphobia where you won't want to leave your house.  These are brought on by anxiety, and sometimes have an underlying cause.  It is normally something traumatic that has happened in your past that you either have forgotten or never really dealt with at the time.  Therapy can help you to discover what this is and cope with it so you can move on.  Panic attacks are a normal response coming at the wrong time.  When we are in danger our brain senses our "fight or flight mode" which sends extra adrenaline into our system.   But since we are not in danger, this adrenaline has nothing to work on and it results in a panic attack.  Nothing bad will happen to you, it just scares the daylights out of us, and can make us avoid places that set this off.  Giving the adrenaline something to work on during a panic attack helps, like exercise and distracting our mind, but not many can overcome this without help.  I would see a psychiatrist about this so that the two of you can decide what course of treatment would be best for you.....therapy, and/or medication.  You're not alone in this, it's very common and there is help. It won't get better without help, so don't put this off, I know you want to be able to get out with your daughter and enjoy life. I wish you all the best, and take care.