I was wondering if anyone could help..

hello, My names Erin. Im 19 and have recently(About 4-5 months ago) started dating someone that has panic attacks..
When we first started dating he didnt have them. But one night coming home from his night shift at work he got stung by a wasp. and had to go to the hospital. After finding out he was allergic to wasp. nothing bad enough to kill him but bad enough to make his hand swell.. He sucked it up and went to work another night shift. he got hustled by someone a block away from his house. and then started feeling really sick. it got so bad he stopped going to work, didnt leave his house. Couldnt go on the bus.. and ended up having to move back in with his parents bc he couldnt pay for rent.
He has had 3-4 REALLY BADpanic attacks. and is now taking meds for it. But he says the meds make him feel sick. So sick he doesnt get out of bed for days, or is sleeping constantly..
So. After giving you the story.
I was wondering If there is ANYTHING I can do to help him thru this..
He said now that hes back in Oakville he feels trapped in his parents house. But doesnt have anywhere else to go.. Ive told him he could come live with me but he said that wouldnt be possible because he doesnt know when he will be able to feel better enough to get a job. Tho he is now my boyfriend. He started off as a friend and Im willing to spend my life helping him. Im just looking for the do's and dont's.. So if anyone could help I will take anything you give me.



Thanks So Much.
Erin

Hi Erin

I can relate to how your b/f feels cos I lost my job and had to move back to my parents' house after becoming agoraphobic. I know exactly what you mean by feeling 'trapped'.

I too have had spells where I have felt like I couldn't get out of bed for days - are you sure it is the medication that causes this? Panic uses a lot of energy and can leave you feeling completely drained for days on end. It is normal to feel sick when first taking some anti-depressants but this normally passes after a couple of weeks.

For you part, you have to encourage him to keep going outside, even if it's just to the garden gate at first. Try to let him know that you are with him every step and he is safe. Also, try to take his mind off the panic by talking about other subjects when he ventures out.

Hope this helps

Chris x

Im not sure if its the meds or not.. I know I was talking to him last night and he was talking about starting to take himself off them..

Is this a good or bad thing?

He lives in Oakville and I live in scarbrough.. So im worried that he's gonna have a panic attack and im not going to be their for him..he's only been on his meds for a cuple of months.. Is it to soon for him to stop? it's not even the docters that are telling him to stop taking him. he said he just thinks its time. And I told him "well if you think its best than do what you have to babe."

Hi

Without knowing what medication he is on, it's impossible to know what the effect of stopping them might be. Generally it takes about six weeks for anti-depressant medication to start to be effective and this can be affected by other things such as alcohol intake.

I myself have stopped taking medication in the past because I felt that the side-effects outweighed the benefits and the only ill effect I suffered in stoppingwas that I kept crying without reason for a couple of days - but, like I said, it depends what he is taking.

I would urge him to see his doctor before making any decisions. It may be that this particular drug doesn't suit him but there may be others he can try.

Best of luck

Chris x

yea i would advise your boyfriend to seek the doctors advice before coming of the medication its not advisable as i did it once on a anti anxiety drug and i really felt like i was going to die my heart wouldnt stop racing and i was constantly trembling i went back and stayed on the drug till this day and i would never just stop taking a drug ever again...on the advise side of things i 2 know how ure b/f feels because i lost a job a girlfriend and a comfortable home through my mental illness ie panic attacks agrophobia and had to move in with my parents and im still struggling with life 2day my girlfriend couldnt cope and met some1 else who was 'normal' i guess so i guess what im saying is stick with him help him & be there for him because i know that my girlfriend was a rock for me when i was ill and when she left things became ten times harder anyways god bless and i hope your boyfriend finds peace one fine day