 

Since the start of this year I have been having panic attacks. I'm finally getting some treatment with a therapist in a month or so as there is currently a waiting list (UK NHS waiting lists are fun).

I've noticed the last few times when I have these episodes I start uncontrollably itching myself everywhere on my body, from my feet to head. I itch so badly my skin becomes lumpy, red, raised and I will draw blood or leave bad scratch marks. This isn't me intentionally trying to hurt myself, it just happens.

The first time I thought I was having some kind of allergic reaction but my doctor said otherwise and advised me to monitor it and gave me some diazepam, and upped my sertraline from 100mg to 150mg. I've tried looking around for information on this and I was just curious if anyone else has this full body itch happen to them too?

My panic attacks happen usually in the morning a couple times a month and it basically renders me incapable of doing anything, I can't go to work, I can't do anything really other than wait for it to pass and then fall asleep for the afternoon.

Alongside the feelings that I am going to die, crying out for family members to call me an ambulance, feeling extremely shaky, unable to breath properly and my brain generally feeling like it's turned to liquid spinning around in my head like a washing machine, I get horrible stomach aches which causes me to vomit or, yknow, the other exit route. The stomach ache and the symptoms that come with it are really embarrassing to talk about. I can't control it. It doesn't matter what I eat, what I have planned (if anything) for the day.

Does anyone else have similar episodes?