Anxiety/panic attacks are getting out of control and I'm starting to feel urgency

This started exploding a few days ago when I had an unexpected panic attack at home. I hadn't felt one that way before: numbness and tingling on my limbs, a bit of dizziness, fast heartbeat, couldn't calm down for hours. I was so scared it was a heart attack that I went down to tell my parents. This has turned out to complicate things more (in a way).

I'm grateful that my parents take my physical health very seriously, but it seems they're in denial about psychological problems, based on this and the way they've gone about stuff like this throughout my life. I've had psychosomatic problems since childhood (as a child for some weeks I couldn't walk because extreme stress caused me pain in one leg, and this was in 2nd grade, my parents went to different doctors and couldn't figure out what was going on until one told them it was stress) and overall my parents do know I've had some struggles with my mental state for a while, but for some reason they haven't gotten used to this. During that one panic attack a few days ago I told them that I needed help and had psychological problems (it took a lot of guts from me). The day after my big panic attack my mom asked me if I needed them to be with me. I told her I needed a doctor, and she said alright and she'll find one but later I of course come to find out it was a neurologist.

Today I went to get my blood drawn on their request (just sitting on the waiting room as incredibly stressful and I needed to keep breathing deep, and that's just the anxiety, I'm not afraid of needles or getting my blood drawn). Results seem mostly normal, a few things a bit below or a bit above normal levels. My mom wants to get me to a neurologist. I'm not sure how to say 'hey, maybe a psychiatrist is a better idea'. I guess it's possible that I could have a brain tumor of sorts, but otherwise I feel like it's a waste of time considering these days I'm constantly feeling on the edge of another attack, and it takes a lot of effort to keep myself calm. I'm not sure how much a neurologist can do about this. I also doubt it's something physical that could be causing my symptoms because I've had anxiety since childhood, with varying degrees of severity at some times of my life more than others. Again, I'm not against going to the neuro but I'm not sure how I'll cope the rest of the week (until the appointment) because it's been a chore just to keep calm lately in situations that wouldn't have been remotely stressful before.

It technically started some weeks ago when I started to feel uncomfortable in public transport. I had been using it for years, but I started to suddenly feel like I needed to leave *right now* in the middle of a trip and pretty much I'm just fully calm in a private place like restrooms or my bedroom.

I'm not sure if this sense of urgency of ''I need treatment right now'' is real or imagined. I've had therapy before, never went to a psychiatrist but this sort of panic issue feels entirely different from anything else. This is something I can't seem to control. My best friend notices me becoming agitated in public and I'm constantly afraid of having a panic attack in public or even in front of my parents again. These last weeks being out on the street is very different from what it used to be, and I'm even becoming anxious in my bedroom or in the presence of my parents or one of them. Is a psychiatrist the best option and is it really as urgent as it seems?

Welcome to Psych Central!

I have chronic anxiety. I don't know if I was taught it or if it was passed down to me genetically or I sensed the anxiety my parents were experiencing from their childhoods and current lives and/or anxiety passed down from hurts in our family tree; however, mine is now so chronic that I take medications and go to therapy. We can reach a tipping point where we have to get help in order to manage it. That your parents don't understand complicates things so much. I am sorry they don't understand. I know it hurts to be misunderstood.

Just a thought - maybe going to the neurologist could be a way of getting psychiatric help as soon as possible? Either you tell him/her directly that your parents think the problem is somatic, but that you think it's psychiatric, or you just let them do the tests, and if they don't find anything, they might suggest seeing a therapist. Either way you could tell what you're experiencing, and that you thought you had a heart attack. Maybe he/she could convince your parents, even if the doctor when you were in 2nd grade couldn't.

Anyway - I can relate to the feeling of urgency. And I wanted to tell you to stay safe. If you feel like you can't handle things anymore, then you need to reach out for help. Go to the ER if necessary. I did that once, and was put in hospital the same day. Take care, and have a safe if wanted

I understand how you feel completely. I used to have all of your physical symptoms plus more. My GP recently put me on a beta blocker Metoprolol Succinate ER and on the first day I felt a difference. I have agoraphobia plus social and general anxiety along side panic disorder. I'm actually looking forward to going out to see how they will help me in a more stressful environment. I haven't had a racing heart, sweeting or shakiness and these are things I've dealt with even at home. for me the medication was kind of a hit 2 birds with 1 stone situation. I've had blood pressure issues majority of my life but it had been getting to a point were I was frequently landing in ER due to dangerous spikes during panic attacks.

I just wonder if some of those physical symptoms went away would it help you feel a little better and wouldn't mentally effect you so much. I know when my anxiety acts up I'm thinking about my physical symptoms while they're happening.. I'm not sure if you're like that. What type of therapies have you done and what has helped? I feel like if there has been anything that has eased you a bit you could try finding similar alternatives.

You might ask your GP for any prescriptions that may help. I have heard Propranolol helps some people.

The neuro indeed prescribed propranolol. I've been taking it for about ten days now, along with atarax and Citalopram. I've been feeling the same when in public for the most part, but I haven't had any more issues when in my own home. I had an EEG today, neuro said I seemed normal (I was pretty nervous during the 2nd half of it, not sure if that should have been shown there). My dad went with me and when the neuro wanted to explain the results, he (neuro) said that I should just keep taking the meds and have patience with him because they would take time. Tbh he kinda pisses me off because he keeps insisting they aren't drugs (meds are drugs man, but whatever) and that it's not severe enough for a psychiatrist and he wouldn't want to take me to one because they wouldn't hold back on prescribing hard stuff. He told me to make an effort. I ask him 'what does that mean?'. He's like eat well, get better sleep, positive thinking. Dude. I have a good diet, I sleep well, I obviously try hard to keep myself under control when I'm anxious. And then my dad asks him if me being on the phone could be a cause for panic attacks. It was kind of a condescending move on his part since he had already stated that it was a cause and, I imagine, he just wanted the neuro to say it to me. Neuro said (paraphrasing) that in excess it could be bad. I don't know why my dad thinks in the first place that there is one definite cause for this, like he can just point at one event or one aspect of my life and say 'oh yeah that's what causing it, just stop that or whatever' and then pretend I haven't had anxiety since I was a child.

I know that meds do take time, but it's hard to feel hope. I went to class on Friday and on the way back with my best friend (via public transport) as traffic got worse and the bus got fuller I almost physically felt this I-have-to-get-out-NOW. We went outside and walked for a bit, then as I got out again this dude beside who was talking to himself the whole time also got out and as I walked past him he reached for me and I got away and pulled my friend away from him because I was so freaked out and then I told her I had to find a restroom and then I could go home (some of my anxiety is at times the fear of peeing myself in public even right after going to the restroom, but that one is pretty recent - some 2 months ago I didn't feel like this at all) and basically I was full of fear the whole way to my house.

Anyways, thanks for all your replies, you do help me feel less alone and more like I'm not just exaggerating things.

initiate psychiatric medicine. Start with a small dose of an SSRI. If you can ride it out it may have an overall benefit. Even benzos can be beneficial longer term. If you use them right. The problem with benzos is you always seem to have to pay a price one way or another later in life