Hi Jill G
When I first started having panic attacks a long time ago, I had the same symptoms that you are experiencing, dry reaching, lost my appetite and if I did eat, the food just sat in my stomach like a brick. I did not know what was going on. I lost a lot of weight, so much that someone asked me if I had cancer. So hard to tell that person, it is only anxiety. I could not go to restaurants or any eating place because as soon as I got there, I would dry reach hence could not eat any food and I love my food. I did go to a doctor and got prescribed AD, but I did not improve, so a year later, I took things in my own hands, rang a hospital to get a recommendation for a psychiatrist. I was so relieved that my psychiatrist could explain what was happening to me. I am still on AD and I occasionally suffer an anxiety attack without the dry reaching. Now, my body just goes into a panic, very hard to explain and I go into the flight/fight response. I have to leave where this panic occurred. I have had a dna gene testing for my AD and I am a high metaboliser which means I have to take a higher dosage to have any effect. I did have a new pschy who told me to go with the panic and of course that was easier said than done. Went back to my doctor who looked at my dna results and upped my meds and I am a lot better. Never be afraid to get second opinion as I stuck with this pschy for a year and I was afraid to get a second opinion, never again. I have learnt my lesson.
