chest pain worries

[auntypuff]

i have suffered from panic attacks 4 years but 4 the past week i have had chest pain and felt anxious constantly, is this normal or is there something wrong with my heart? I also take panic attacks out of the blue and thats what scares me, why do i take them 4 no reason? Im on citalopram but i dont think they r working, r they any good? Please help me its driving me mad!!!

[auntypuff]

Thank you for yuor response, i went up to a&e last night and they done an ECG and examined me, done bloods and everything was fine, thank god.
They want my doctor to do thyroid checks and change my meds so hopefully that will help.
The chest pain is still there but i just need to learn to deal with it i guess.
Thank you for your advice and it would be good to keep in contact.

Best Wishes
Caroline x

[RubyWitch]

It's very possible that you are just overly focused on your heart and all it's amusing little quirks that scare the hell out of those of us with anxiety & panic issues. So many of us have heart anxiety and it's very, very difficult for us to accept our hearts are fine when the pains and the palps are so terribly real. Once heart problems have been ruled out, which your's have, we must accept that it's the anxiety doing this to us and learn, usually through therapy and possibly some antianxiety meds, that we CAN control our negative thinking.

But, now that I've said that, if your chest pains are indeed getting worse, you should talk to your doctor or cardiologist. Don't talk yourself into thinking you're just being paranoid. That thinking almost killed me last summer! NEVER ignore chest pains and don't worry about feeling embarrassed if all your tests come back negative again.

You can certainly talk to whomever prescribed the citalopram about its efficacy for you. If you've been on it for approximately 3 months and are still feeling anxious all the time, perhaps it's time to up your dose or try something else. I can't tell you to change meds. That is something only you and your doctor can decide.

The anxiety management class sounds good and I hope you get some help there. I don't really know what that sort of class does, but for those of us with anxiety/panic, learning to "manage" it is a good thing, but what we really need to do is find the root cause of it and deal with that. Cure it rather than just manage it. One to one therapy in my opinion is the best way.

Any kind of physical activity is great for helping to cope with our anxiety. Walking is excellent. It's good for so many of our systems, it frees our minds to let go of our worries and just enjoy the sights and sounds and it's FREE, which in these economic times is a reall bonus!
If you can find someone to walk with you, that's great, I find that walking alone with my MP3 player is more relaxing for me. Once you work your way up to a good clip, it's sort of hard to carry on a conversation. But it's what works for you.

We ALL want to feel "normal" again and with some hard work and some help, we can and we will.
Keep your chin up and your eyes on the horizon.
Peace
Greenlydia        

[auntypuff]

Thank you for your advice. I have had chest pain before and ive had ecgs done and theyve all came back fine but for some reason this time feels worse or maybe im thinking too much about it.
I have been on citalopram for about 2/3months now but i just feel anxious all the time, should i change meds?
I am just starting anxiety mangement at the min so hoping that will help, they say physical; activty helps so might try walking or the gym, just want to feel normal!!!!
Thanks
Caroline

[RubyWitch]

While chest pain is very common with anxiety & panic, if you've had anxiety for years but the chest pains have only presented in the past week, I think it's imperative that you get a cardiac work up done as soon as possible. Chest pains should never be ignored.

Panic attacks often strike "out of the blue," it's one of their more insidious characteristics, and that scares all of us. Many of us develope what's called "anticipatory anxiety" which is a constant state of low level anxiety waiting for the next attack to hit. It's exhausting and often dibilitating, but there are medications which stop both the anticipatory anxiety and the attacks.
You ask why you have panic attacks "for no reason." There's always a reason and therapy is the best way to figure out what that reason is and deal with it. Some people believe it's just a chemical imbalance in our brains...........the debate continues.

You're on citalopram and ask if that is "any good." If it works for you, then it's great. If it doesn't, then it's not. We are all different in how we react to meds, so there is no way of objectively telling you one AD is better than another. We often have to try several before we find the one that works the best for us. Many people like Celexa and find a great deal of relief with it. How long have you been taking it? It can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks for citalopram to reach therapeutic levels in your blood, so it's possible you've just not been on it long enough yet. If that's the case, give it some more time, but if it's been quite a bit longer than that, it may be time to speak with your doctor about either increasing the dose or trying something else.

See your doctor. You have many questions and concerns that only he can address.
One thing those of us with depression must learn is patience...........we didn't get depressed overnight and we won't get cured that way either.
Peace
Greenlydia

[gofio]

I undderstand exactly how you feel. Panic attacks are treatable, possibly by one of the 'talking therapies'. Perhaps you may need some medication also but anything's better than being overanxious constantly. There is light at the end of the tunnel. No diagnosis can be given online ~ see your Doc. for that. Best wishes.