I feel like I'm losing control and going insane!

2mg is a very low dose of diazapam.  I take this to help me with anxiety due to depression. Try eating a slice of toast or something to line your stomach. 2mg shouldn't have too much effect. It may make you drowsy and help you sleep. I'm not saying taken them thats entirely up to you. 

eat as you need energy etc,i always felt about how the way i feel and everyday now i feel as though this is getting better and better, had a few blips today which i dont want to feel  l ike this, im positive you will get there :-)

Hi Barbara.  I'm sorry you're feeling so bad right now.  I hate taking any medicine too so I know what you mean.  I think it would be better if you try to eat a small something as you need to make sure that your body is functioning as well as it can to help you combat the anxiety.  I often find my anxiety is worse if I feel tired and hungry.  Could you manage some soup and bread, or as Kat suggests, some toast?

In the longer term I would ask your GP to recommend a therapist.  Talking over your issues with someone who can help may make you feel better and find some answers to your problem.  I too find that I feel more pressure around my family even though they don't realise it, I feel as though I have to live up to their expectations.  I know, deep down, that they love me whatever I do, but you always want to please the people you love.  The most important thing to do now though is to look after yourself.

Barbara.

Your not alone just reading your message was just as though it was me who wrote it. Firstly start taking the tablets the dr prescribed i have been on them it will help to just relax you a little. Go back to your Dr and ask for more help most Gps can refer you for cognitively behaviour therapies this really helps. Try for now not to over analyse or self diagnose but know that a good councilor or psychologist can help massively. Try and focus on happy thoughts and push the Dr's formmore help tablets help but cbt is great 

Thank you all so much. It's so nice to be able to share how we feel with people that understand. I managed to go for a 30min swim which was nice. On the way back I forced myself to walk my puppy (I love her to bits but find her hard to handle when I feel this bad). I then managed to have a shake and a handful of crisps! I'm now in front of the tv with the window open as the fresh air always seems to relax me - wondering if I should take a diazepam or not. I only have a 10mg citalopram left for tonight (will get the 20mg tom). I just wish I could get up tom and feel all fine again. I'm supposed to work tom but I just don't know how I'm gonna be... But staying home is not helping either is it. I have been home due to my back problems for 4/5 months now so I had enough and I hoped I'd be able to go back last week... But no!! This stupid anxiety decided to kick in when actually everything is suppose to be better! 

I've had 10mg diazepam and all they did was relax me, I could think and function normally but without the panic, won't harm you atalll, 2mg is the lowest dose and will wear off quicker, take one before bedtime to get you relaxed in bed. Or whenever you start feeling overwhelmed with panic/anxiety, they won't hurt you they just calm you down. They can be addictive though so I imagine you will only get 2 weeks worth, or a month, not sure. Also drinking a pint of cold water calms me down when feeling the anxiety kick in. Over anylising your anxiety is tough to cope with, but you will soon wake up one day and be anxiety free, because that's all it is, anxiety nothing more. Our brains are more than we think, you need to try and just go with the flow, don't think of yesterday or tomorrow, just think of now, but never let anxiety get in the way of your hobbies, or anything that gives you joy, even if you feel it kicking in, ride it out. Like I did.

Hi all, 

I have taken a diazepam about midnight last night and I was up until half one. I didn't feel like it did anything really although I have to say I felt comfortable. I woke up and I feel anxious. I'm working from home today but find it very hard to concentrate I just had it to feel this way!!! Should I take a diazepam now? But what if it makes me feel drowsy and I won't be able to work? Why am I always analysing and worried about everything!!?! 

I do remember though that when I first had my panic attacks back in France the doctor would actually inject me with a shot of magnesium and I remember feeling quite relaxed afterwards so I understand why it would help. 

I'm supposed to take 1 diazepam of 2mg 4 times a day but it really makes me feel like I'm not in control! And makes me feel even more anxious!!!

What a bloody vicious circle!! When will I snap out of it!?

I've posted this more than dozen times now and I seem to get positive feedback on it so I'll post it here as well.

The best thing to do first is become aware of your physiology, or the very real physical symptoms you're experiencing. They are there. It isn't necessarily a symptom of anything else but if you fear it is, you should consult your GP. If you have physical checks and they eliminate the problem (ECG for heart, etc) then you should put it down to anxiety.

Anxiety comes because your brain is creating a 'fear' in your mind, and as with anything that creates fear, you become anxious.

The anxiety, usually, starts in your chest, so you begin to breathe faster and your chest becomes tense (as a muscle would if it is being exercised). Your lungs need more oxygen and no greater way of getting oxygen around your body is by blood. Blood gets to your lungs faster when your heart pumps it quicker, so your heart rate increases.

The lungs are working hard now. They are communicating with your brain asking for more help. Your brain helps by asking your heart for support. So the heart is working harder than it normally would to the point where it needs help from your brain again.

Your brain can't cope with both having a go at it asking for support - you get symptoms such as perspiration, pains in your chest, tingling in your arms, toes and fingers. So your brain panics and makes mistakes.

Your brain then tells you to react accordingly – panic.

The panic says, “focus on your heart; why is it faster? Why are my arms tingling? Why does my chest hurt?”. Your brain says, through duress and under pressure, “I'm having a heart attack; I'm going to die!”

You're not. Just stop and think before your lungs tell your brain that they need oxygen, fast. Focus on your breathing.

How to deal with anxiety is subjective and it depends on how disciplined you are in being able to set yourself space and time to be able to perform breathing exercises rather than rely on medication being there for you to help you. 3 things I've found are the most helpful - 1. Guided Meditation, 2. Mindfulness and Awareness, 3. The '7 to 11 Breathing Technique'

Guided meditation, first of all, is quite structured and disciplined in the sense you have somebody there guiding you through the process of meditation (obviously) and you don't want to disturb others doing it at the same time - but similarly expect others to respect you whilst you do it.

Mindful and awareness can often come hand in hand with guided meditation. Through mindfulness and awareness, you become aware of where you are and most importantly what your body is physically experiencing. In focusing on these feelings (chest pain, shortness of breath, pins and needles) by breathing them in, in a controlled manner, by breathing them out you are effectively telling your brain and body to breathe these pains out too, and they will eventually go away.

The 7 to 11 breathing technique is when you breathe into your lungs through your mouth, nose or both, until your lung capacity is completely full - it may even hurt; you may use parts of your lungs you've never used before - and hold your breath for 7 seconds. Following this, you purse your lips as though you were blowing out a candle and gradually exhale until your lungs are empty. You hold this for 11 seconds and don't take another breath.

Keep doing this for as long as you want. The longer, the better. During the exercise you might experience forms of euphoria; your fingers may tingle, your head may feel slightly dizzy - this is good; this is tension unburdening itself off you; don't worry about it. Instead, focus on it and treat it as a good feeling.

With all of this, it will not be an immediate cure. Mindfulness and awareness courses, and meditation classes take time to book and when you go to them, both take patience to master. The 7 to 11 breathing technique you can perform whenever you want.

My advice would be to understand for the first two you won't get anywhere this week but if you take steps now to look into them and how practical it is to do them, by the end of the week you may be on the right track.

How are you doing now? After a year?

I know this is really personal and you dont have to answer this on here, but to yourself,  but were you abused in anyway as a child? If the answer is yes you might be suffering from ptsd. So therapy would be similiar but different. You wont lose this plot, panic attacks are a sensory processing disorder,  a malfunction in and of itself. You need to find a different route to get to the healing part. An understanding of exactly biologically what occurs during a panic attack (utube has stuff for that) then learning cbt, biofeedback, belly breathing and mindfullness. Grab a small pad for twenty four hours and be real honest with yourself. Make a line every single time you have a negative though. It will end up being over a hundred in a day. This self hypnosis thing you are doing is causing habits and brain patterns that are counter productive to anything. Self awareness of this is very useful in healing. Hold on and stay strong and dont give up on yourself, you need you.