Hi Guys

I was wondering if you could help.  I am currently suffering from anxity to which the Dr put me on beta blockers for panic attacks and to be honest never help one bit.

Last year I went on a four hour flight and was a nervous wrek the time I got there as I kept feeling I needed to get out of the plane as I felt really costrophobic.  Trouble is I have to go to a wedding in two weeks in south africa and as your probley aware think its roughly a 10-13 hour plane journey.  Is anyone aware of anything I can take to overcome this or calm me down.  I thought it would be ok earlier in the year as panic attacks stopped however as its fast approching I am a nervious wrek thinking about it.  Has anyone else been in this situation and how did you over come this?

Easy......Just don't go!!  :)

About 9 years ago, I went through some "trouble" at work, which left me suffering panic attacks every morning when I arrived at the station.  I felt so ill, my heart was pounding and I was sure I was about to have a heart attack,  I would be hyperventilating, and I would be physically vomited 3 mornings out of 5.    I knew that what I was suffering from was panic attacks, but they were real, nonetheless.

However, I was determined not to succumb to them - I felt that if I did, "they" would have won - and I didn't want that to happen.   I had an extremely good friend, who would come 6 miles out of her way, every morning, to pick me up.    Now I couldn't let her down - she'd gone to so much trouble to pick me up, that I would, duly, get out of the front door, into her car, and she would take me to the station, take me onto the train, and talk about everything - as did the other 7 or 8 girls who got on the train at the same station - other than how I felt!  When we got to London, she would see me off the train - and make sure that I turned in the opposite direction to the office that caused me so many problems.    It took nearly a year before I could actually pass the "offending" offices - but, thanks to this friend I could.

Now I knew what caused the panic attacks - you might not.   My friend devised "alternative" therapy which worked for me.   Could you possibly work something like this?  Otherwise, as Oldilocks says, you have the option of just not going.  

Good luck - it isn't easy.

Margot

It is the old adage 'Fight or flight'...if it is work or a compulsory thing you have to do, I think you have to 'fight' but if it is not an essential thing you have to do, why not take the 'flight' (no pun intended :) ) option?.........it may pass soon!

Hi, both my daughter and my sister have suffered from panic attacks, my sister is still having therapy for them and is on anti depressants. The beta blockers stopped them for my daughter, whose were caused by feeling claustrophobic in a lecture at college and then every time she went to a lecture she had apanic attack. My sister's have been really bad and she has been taken to hospital 3 times because of them. Hers began due to a fear of flying too.

The only thing that helps her is to take a Valium tablet. I know this is not ideal because of the risk of becoming addicted but if it is only for one trip they could be of help to you for the plane journey.

Hypnotherapy worked for someone I know :)

I hate mountain roads.  Once when I drived to my friends in Spain I cried for 3 hours whilst I drove up the mountain with a friend, she didn't drive etc. and doesn't seem to understand the hazards.  I gave up after  3 hours, stopped the car and phoned my friend to come and pick me up and get someone else to drive the car back to his place, I was 10 minutes away from his house :d

I would love to be able to drive on mountain roads.  Now every time I go I get that anxious that I'm ill all the first night and it's not much fun.

edited to say my English has been terrible on my last few posts :d

I also know someone who had hypnotherapy, it worked so well that she now gets excited when she hears a plane overhead wishing her nexr trip would hurry along!

to cure this phobia I suggest you take..... a cruise to South Africa instead!