Should i take my beta blockers and how do i handle my anxiety?

I hate medication but I got prescribed beta blockers for my anxiety I didnt want anything stronger.
I had a panic attack earlier I never have panic attacks usually but the extra anxiety brought on by constantly worrying about the pandemic, being unemployed and feeling like time is just wasting away has worsened me.
I've had a choking sensation a lot lately which I tend to get when I am really anxious but not for as long as i've had it now. Earlier I had to go out real quick and I heard a man somewhere outside having the worst cough i've heard in a good while... I guess that set something off after I got home I sat down infront of netflix while eating a character in the show was struggling with mental health and anxiety in the scene I was on and possibly it triggered something I dont know but my throat closed up at least thats what it felt like and I ran out to my mom and she had to calm me down I was sitting on a chair rocking back and forth and I started shaking and freezing like I had a fever and I got dizzy because I wasnt breathing properly I was almost hyperventilating and crying and I just kept drinking so much water to make sure my throat wasnt blocked but eventually I got myself to breathe deep breaths and calm down and now I feel much better except a headache which I also tend to get from anxiety. I have really tried to stay positive but the last few weeks I crashed and on top of that my best friend has been in a depressive episode the last few weeks and just yesterday I turned down a friend from another town who wanted to drive here and hang out outdoors for a day this week (not sure why its rained constantly all week !) and it made me so upset that it's too much of a risk and I had to turn my friend down and that it's so sad and that everything is so messed up and I hate pills but I just dont know what to do I have no one to talk to besides my mom and I dont wanna put everything on her she has worries too. So sorry for ranting

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Comments ( 6 )
  • MonteMetcalfe

    I have anxiety/panic issues and am on escitalopram and it helps. Make an effort everyday to get outside even for a few minutes or go for a drive. I find that staying inside somehow makes me feel all trapped in like being sealed in a box and my worries seem bigger than they are.
    If it makes you feel any better know that you are not alone. The rates of depression and anxiety have gone up because of the pandemic, the shut downs, the social isolation.

    When I'm in the midst of a panic attack I try to remember this quote: “Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. / Just keep going. No feeling is final.”
    - Ranier Rike

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    • CountessDouche

      This is such amazing advice!

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      • MonteMetcalfe

        I confess- I learned of the Rike quote from JoJo Rabbit. But it still works for me.

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  • LondonGoldman

    Look at the data. The death rate is 0.2% its really not as bad as they hype it to be. It is very contagious but most ppl who get it never even know they had it.

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  • Beta blockers are good.

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  • CountessDouche

    What you're describing is a really common for people suffering severe anxiety disorders. Panic attacks can & do give you real physical responses. They actually release shitloads of adrenaline into your body, which completely triggers your fight or flight & really does result in serious physical symptoms. It's a fucking terrifying experience.

    I know you don't want to go on serious anti-anxiety meds because they can be really scary, but I think with everything being exacerbated by the pandemic, you should talk to your doctor about having a temporary option to use as an emergency treatment during a really severe episode like this. It doesn't have to be a permanent solution, just something to help you during the last few months of a challenging time that has contributed to everyone's mental problems.

    Anxiety problems on their own suck. Anxiety during a global disaster gets way worse.

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