Med Dose Doubled, Insomnia, Etc...

[FUBAR1]

So I finally went to my doctor and gave him the straight truth - that weed is the only thing keeping me alive, without it my panic is 24/7 despite my meds, (and without weed I would have killed myself in May), that even with weed I'm still having to take an Ativan or two every day, that I'm depressed a lot... so he doubled my Cipralex dose, I'm now up to 20mg/day. I'll have to give it a couple weeks to kick in and see if it makes a difference.

He told me weed works in the short term but could increase my anxiety in the long term, something I'm now really torn about. I can't survive without it and yet if I make my anxiety worse.... I'm just in a no win situation. I'm just hoping the increased Cipralex dose has enough of an effect that I can cut down my weed use. But I'm terrified that the increased dose will work for a while and then I'll develop tolerance and the panic will come back and that the merrygoround will just keep going until eventually all meds/drugs stop working and I'll have no option but to off myself.

Also, I've become quite the insomniac recently. Literally the only thing that can get me to sleep quite often is smoking so much weed that I pass out. Not a healthy habit, I don't think, but I don't know what else to do. Today I discovered some Seroquel/Quietapine in my cupboard which was prescribed to me last year but which I'd never decided to take since I haven't had the greatest time with sleeping pills in the past. Any case, today, I decided it was either inhale obnoxious amounts of weeds until I stone myself to sleep, or try some Seroquel. It said to take a 100mg so I did, even though I haven't discussed it with my doc. I expected to get knocked out. Well, it's forty-five minutes later and nothing has happened. So it looks like I'm either going to have to get stoned again or just go to work tonight with barely any sleep.

 

[Jimmy1]

Speaking from experience..................

You know what FUBAR, I have been in your exact situation and so have many other veterans on this site.
Everybody is different I know that, but everything you have said is all negative, and self defeating, read over it again.

To start with, both weed and antivan are highly addictive. Another factor you need to understand is that marijuana has an effect on the receptors in your brain and will make other medication less effective, so no wonder the Seroquel doesn't work.

For example, Panadeine Forte tablets have 500 mg Paracetamol and 30 mg of codeine. A normal person would take one of these for pain from an injury, and two for a bad injury which would knock them out. I can take two every eight hours and they have no effect.

Tramadol 100mg, maximum 400 mg a day, no effect.
Tramadol ER 200mg, no effect.
Xanax 1 mg, a slight drowsiness.

You might have to face the fact that smoking or using cannabis will make other medications less effective, not to mention the other chemicals you are releasing into your system.

Another point is that you are making statements like 'I can't survive without it'. You tell yourself that mate and you won't. Your starting to sound like the 'Pot Head' I once was. I used to convince everyone that I could not live life without it.

Now I deal with pain and anxiety every day and I bet a lot of other guys on here do too.

 

[Anglesachse]

............He told me weed works in the short term but could increase my anxiety in the long term, something I'm now really torn about...............

? WTF
You can`t decide whether you want to get to grips with your Anxiety or whether you would rather get stoned? Are you for f*cking real?

............I can't survive without it and yet if I make my anxiety worse.... I'm just in a no win situation. I'm just hoping the increased Cipralex dose has enough of an effect that I can cut down my weed use................

How about stoping the "Weed" alltogether so your therapist and his meds like Cipralex have a chance of helping you at all!

............But I'm terrified that the increased dose will work for a while and then I'll develop tolerance and the panic will come back and that the merrygoround will just keep going until eventually all meds/drugs stop working and I'll have no option but to off myself.................

Yeah living with the Beast is Terrifying. but we can all learn to live with it. You just have to stop and listen to the experts and the people who have been there and trust in them, you must also throw yourself into the therapies to get better. The halfhearted crap, and all the I know better doesn`t get you anywhere other than a coffin

............only thing that can get me to sleep quite often is smoking so much weed that I pass out. Not a healthy habit, I don't think, but I don't know what else to do..................

Hmm, funny that. You don`t know what to do? Realy? Well in that case, stop posting shit and writing new threads, to which you don`t read the answers and suggestions that the brothers on here are giving to you. You are wasting our f*cking time.
How often are you going to post this f*cking shit? "Ohh, I can`t live with out it, my life sucks, I need help" How often are brothers on here expected to give you the answers? HOW F*CKING OFTEN?

You realy need to get into that f*cking Pot head, THERE IS NO QUICK FIX, AND IT IS A LONG HARD F*CKING ROAD, THAT YOU HAVE TO GO DOWN

If you are not willing to get active in beating the BEAST then for god`s sake f*ck off and come back when you are. you know what needs to be done. Do it and stop bitching

............Today I discovered some Seroquel/Quietapine in my cupboard which was prescribed to me last year but which I'd never decided to take since I haven't had the greatest time with sleeping pills in the past...................

Sleeping meds, are exactly that, They help you sleep, it say´s nothing about not having nightmares or panic attacks, or anything else for that matter. for that you need to do something else.

............Any case, today, I decided it was either inhale obnoxious amounts of weeds until I stone myself to sleep, or try some Seroquel. It said to take a 100mg so I did, even though I haven't discussed it with my doc. I expected to get knocked out. Well, it's forty-five minutes later and nothing has happened. So it looks like I'm either going to have to get stoned again or just go to work tonight with barely any sleep.

Well it is going to be most probably realy boring reading which you chose. Then again you might supprise us. That would be a nice change, that I realy would like to read about.

FFS Fubar, Do you realy, honestly need to think about if smoking that shit is a good idea?

There are a lot of brothers on here, who have all been there and seen what you have. And we get a long with living with the beast. Yeah there are realy hard f*cking days, but we all get by. And so can you.

 

[Jimmy1]

Why worry Angle, we have tried to give advice before when he wanted to snort Antivan. I am starting to believe he is just after a quick fix escape from the harsh reality of PTSD.

I believe every service person who goes to war and comes home is a hero. But a veteran who comes home and survives living with the beast is an even bigger one.