Hi it all began one and a half month back. i had 2 panic attacks and then after the second one i have never felt normal 
on and off.. i had initially strange symptoms like getting very worried and nervous and awful, forgetting a sunglass felt like too tough and triggered something within me ..i started getting strange thoughts/feelings like i'll forget my near ones and dear ones, i was unable to concentrate .. some days were good and some were bad... i am currently on Sertraline for 3 weeks now...reached 150mg ..starting with 50 over 3 weeks... i still do not see any effect... i feel like i'm living in a dream...(i have been doing nothing past 1 month except thinking about this on and off ) .. i had moved to a new place far off - and i was unable to take this change, i felt so frigtended with this change... i'm not sure if its anxiety and panic... Please suggest if you have any such experience...
Hello, I started on 50 mg Sertraline and am now on 150 too, I also hsve Panic Attacks (latest one was yesterday).
I also suffer with depersonalization which is the name for the living in a dream feeling that you are having.
Mine was triggered by three years of anxiety and the death of my father, I have been diagnosed as having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by a clinical psycologist due to experiencing the trauma of seeing dads health decline through Cancer and his subsequent passing.
The body can only take so much anxiety then sometimes the mind puts a shield diwn to protect it from thd anxiety inducing outside world where you feel detached from your true self, true emotions and true feelings, I have suffered depersonalization for three years but hope the psycologist can help me process and manage the traumatic events I have bottled up inside.
Glad your asking fellow sufferers advice. You're coping with a lot and wondering if meds are helping, your head never stops , it's awful and hard to describe to people who don't have panic or anxiety. Your anxiety is raised at the minute and this causes these irratioal fears and overthinking, also the strange dreamlike feelings can occur, I do better now, had for years, aware of the signs . It won't kill us but the feeling is horrid and scary as we don't understand how people who look and seem so normal can feel this strange. I thought I was mad, now I know I'm not alone and can be managed. Keep talking here, great people know how it feels , tell your doc you concerns about meds ,they know best wether to give more time to work or change. Cbt may help u, I tend to talk to fellow sufferers when bit down❤️
thanks so much for your advices guys you had it for years - means you had anxiety for years?? or it was like it went fine for years and then back again etc?
yes, you are experiencing the effects of overwhelming anxiety. Your brain is trying to protect you from it and that is why you feel like you're living in a dream. Just so you know symptoms of anxiety such as what you are experiencing cannot hurt you although they feel weird and scary. I have been there and I know how it feels. Keep in mind that all anxiety starts in the brain. So our goal is to calm down the brain as much as we can so that we don't get these weird symptoms.
The more you sit around and think about it, the more you will get the symptoms because when you get anxious your brain thinks you were in danger and it wants to keep protecting you, so you will keep feeling that way in a dream like state. So how do we come down the brain? I will tell you what has helped me over the years.
I did speak with a counselor who specializes in anxiety which helped me a lot. It helps to vent to someone else who can help.
The other thing I do a couple times a day is listen to audio meditations on anxiety that address anxiety, depression, sleeping, etc. They completely calm down my brain and body in my symptoms are greatly diminished or just disappear. When the brain is calm, then the body is calm. There are many audios to choose from just do a search for anxiety or whatever you like. I like to use earbuds
next, I stay as active as possible. It doesn't matter what you're doing just do something to keep your mind occupied on other things. Do something you enjoy and something that makes you feel happy and laugh. The worst thing you can do is sit around and think too much
try to stay social and get some exercise which releases a feel-good hormones and calms you down.
you are in control, not the anxiety! Don't let fear take you over because it does not have to. It's all up to you. Remember not to react with anxiety when you get some symptoms because that will increase your anxiety and symptoms. Your symptoms cannot hurt you.
The meditations also teach you the importance of being aware of your breathing which keeps you in the present moment and not in a state of anxiety or panic.
I'm at the point where if I do feel a little off I just accept in my head and just go about my day and not overreact.
if you can pick up a book called mindfulness it teaches you all of this and how to separate negative or anxious thoughts from yourself. I hope you feel better
Hi meant I've had anxiety / panic etc for years. It's always going to be there but I'm not as scared as I've learned over years it won't kill me and it's very common. I used to think the worst all the time and that nobody else had it, when I started asking for help I started to realise I would feel really anxious sometimes and other times ok, bacause I manage it better now I understand it. Small amount of meds for when heart racing panic comes on, but mostly push myself, talk to people here who know the horrid feeling, and if I'm in a mood like ( I'm sick of this, not again , cos I've felt good for ages) my family push me to do stuff , take racing mind off it. Sorry sometimes I ramble and don't come across great but hope talking to people here is helping❤️