I'm 31 and this has came out of nowhere, I don't even feel like I'm me

Ryan and others who feel the same.

I have been through this 4 times. Each time as extreme as what you describe. I am not a doctor but I have experience of suffering from GAD.

I never drink, smoke, do drugs or drink caffiene - never have really. An odd coffee and diet coke but not 1 or more cups a day. It will help to cut things out which are stimulants. Try not to bing on sugary things too. I cut out the odd coffee and the diet coke for my mind rather than because it was likely to make any difference but if you drink it a lot then it will help to cut it out.

See how you are after your op. Any medical procedure is terrifying, it could well be the cause and simply having the op and getting better might help things calm down a lot. My option from your list of symptoms would be that you have tipped from anxiety on a normal scale to an anxiety disorder and even if the op is the cause you will need a bit more help to re-find your strength.

What I have learnt from doing as much reading as I can is that propananol is a medication which helps control things like your pounding heart but it is not at anti-anxiety or anti-depressant as such, as it is not acting on the synapses in your brain responsible for the response, it just treats the symptoms of the response once it is already happening.

Go to your GP, ask if they or anyone in the practice has received specific training in depression, anxiety and panic and ask to see them. It will make a massive difference to the help you receive.

Any true anti-anxiety or anti-depressant takes time to work. Make a plan for the next couple of months about how you will stay safe. Most meds will start working in a couple of weeks and then improve more and more. If you are as bad as you describe I dont think herbal remedies will be enough just now but when I am well I find them brilliant to keep the edge off. There are a couple you cant take when on medication but I won't list them as you will be confused enough already just ask at the Holland and Barrett desk and they will help.

Make sure you explain to your GP when you see them that you believe you have anxiety, not depression. You will know if you are anxious or depressed. Doctors like neat little boxes and it is really easy to end up with the wrong label when you speak to them because the symptoms overlap. They are a GP. They are not specialists. So my second point is ask to be referred to a service that can help. You have to do one step at a time. Propananol is not enough for you, so try the next step which might be different medication (you need to make your own decision whether you want to be on meds). I decide I do because its the only way I can be safe and when I am well, I reduce or stop completely with the advice of my doctor. The next step might be counselling, then a specialist service.

It will get better. Make your plan to stay safe and keep seeing the GP as often as you need to.

I hope the op goes well.

Strongly recommend a strong B complex vitamin (stress vitamin as daily activities, and lifestyle greatly deplete this inducing anxiety conditions) with a good multi vitamin.

Hi there! I'm amazed at finding this post. I had exactly the same thing happen to me last year around springtime. Essentially all I can describe it as is that I went nuts and just had a massive meltdown. As an otherwise successful, career minded office worker, I was shocked at just how out of control I was in the whole process. My anxiety effectively led to me developing acute OCD and also re-igniting my eating disorder. I've had a year off to try and get it all sorted. I'm still left with quite a bit of anxiety which seems to just happen at any time when I'm doing anything from walking down a street to watching tv! Very frustrating but I'll get there. I'm really interested at how it can just suddenly happen to us one day for no apparent reason at all. Keep smiling everyone. :-)