Anyone had these medications? (Adderall, Xanax, Ambien, or Prazosin)

[blackemerald1]

Addiction falls into two categories - physical and psychological.

Physical is where the body has developed a tolerance for a substance and the body requires more to achieve the required effect;
This could be any substance but commonly it is illicit, prescribed drugs, alcohol etc

Psychological addiction could be gambling, sex, shopping etc.

In respect to the medication issue - addiction does not always lead to anti-social behaviour but it always leads to suffering by the person who finds themselves addicted. And then quite often those close to the sufferer.

It should be avoided at all costs except where it just doesn't matter eg terminally ill.

 

[Live2love]

I think that this is an important distinction. Many people use addiction as an interchangeable word for dependence. Many patients develop dependency to benzos, ambien even adderall but the difference between that and addiction is as you said if the person is willing to do anything to get the meds including resorting to illegal methods.

a lot of people feel this way about doctors and I won't deny that it often feels like doctors are this way but that is why I am careful about the doctors I see, I prefer to see D.O.'s rather than M.D. due to their additional training in holistic methods.

I’m very into The Holistic approach using plants instead of pharmaceutical medication but my insurance does not cover it which really stinks. I love essential oils!! Frankincense, lavender and many other oils hands-down has helped me more then anything !! But the only down side is A good quality oil is very expensive out of pocket as my insurance does not cover oils what so ever & the other brands outside of young living & doterra can claim to be good quality but possibly can be toxic due to the additives added and not being pure. I was curious what a D.O. Is? Thank you for your response!! ?

 

[FauxLiz]

@Live2love a D.O. is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine as opposed to the traditional M.D. Medical Doctor. Osteopathic doctors have the same amount of training as an M.D. but they believe that all parts of the body function together and influence each other. They also place an emphasis on the prevention of disease. They also learn OMT which is a method of manipulation of the body similar to chiropractic medicine. For me the D.O.'s are more willing to treat all of me, listen and spend time with me in an appointment not what I call the "treat them and street them" attitude that I have found with a lot of M.D.'s Even my P-doc is a D.O. not M.D. and I find more willing to propose non-pharmaceutical options first.

 

[TruthSeeker]

@Live2love With medications, I believe less is more. Anything you put in your system to "help you function" will impact your brain-alter it's chemistry.....and if you are lucky to feel positives effects, over the long term, because they are all drugs that can impair cognition (thinking, retrieval and memory), among having potential unwanted physical side effects.

@blackemerald1 Blackemerald1 is spot on, when suggesting to lead a healthy lifestyle (without drugs first).....and give it a go.
I've tried both ways, and less is more (less meds yields greater functionality for the long run). Routines help to make life predictable, daily exercise, eat food with fewer preservatives, dyes, and sugar substitutes) and increase organic meats, veggies and fruits. Sugar for me (like my Coke addiction)-If there were a Coke-A-Holic Annonymous for sugar/caffeine addiction, I'd be collecting my one month chip soon. I'm Coke free, and just starting to feel more energy (week 3)!

I make and freeze foods that are mostly organic, nutritious, and that I enjoy. Sleep-had a run of not sleeping well but I took Magnesium Citrate and only a couple nights resorted to Hydroxyzine. Got sleep under control again (7-8 hrs/night), and being busy during the day-I'm tired when it is bedtime. No more Hydroxyzine for me! Staying out of the bedroom....super helpful if I want a good night's sleep.

Reduce potential drama (don't participate), put appts on calendar so you don't forget, and don't tell people things you don't want them to react to. I also don't watch drama on TV or violence. Stop your computer and phone for games 2 hrs. before betime (the computer keeps me from falling asleep (keeps my neurons hyperactive I think) but I'm much sleepier on nights when I read or do some mundane thing before bed (those screens mess w brainwaves).....

Then after you do all the things you can do to be healthy, and reduce stress, stop and ask yourself, do you want the side effects (known/unknown) of trying a new drug. I have Hydroxyzine and Lorazapam in a bottle, in the event I need it and I get to the no functioning stage.....or unbearable stage to be in human company and I have to be.....I'll use it, but I'm not into addictions (other than sugar and caffeine which I'm actively working on),and coming off of a daily regimine of any drug which impacts your brain can be a hairy time, and take longer than sometimes a couple months to level out the chemistry-and one's emotions/behaviors. Ambien made sleeping worse, when I took it, and tried to withdrawl. Writing down the things I have to do the next day, or the things on my mind that are bothersome, help with sleep...too. Good luck!

 

[TruthSeeker]

Thank you for responding. I’m on the lowest dose possible and do not take it daily only when the physical systems from panic attacks are extreme. What suggestions do you have for coping with anxiety?

I take a walk in the fresh air, ask myself.....am I safe? what's my fear? Anxiety is a reaction to fear (real or imagined) The next question I ask myself if anxiety is causing looping-is to say NO....to that part that's showing me an image-and ask it to stop, and letting it know that it is safe. First, get more oxygen to brain to ground (ground first), then take a walk and climb in your head and have a self talk. Sometimes a popsicle really helps me....adding something cold and fruity flavorful to the process, is grounding- sensory is a distraction.
Popsicles and a G-rated movie can actually distract me enough to stop anxiety and get me back to being grounded.....saving the day from ruination.

I guess I'm learning internal self talk....dealing with the fear....is important..so if I get an internal answer to the fear question, I ask why/the cause.....and usually....I get an answer. I reassure that part of me that it's safe. Then I redirect with what I'll be doing later that is more pleasant. I think about what drives the fearful part of me (what works-what distractions work for that part....and then do it.) PTSD is a fear-based disorder, and I believe 9 out of 10 times, the things we worry will happen....don't.

 

[MrMoonlight]

I have been on Adderall, Xanax, and Ambien.

Adderall: for me a nightmare and the worst possible drug I could have been prescribed. It made my thoughts race on everything including my major trauma. Initially, it was great, got me moving and it felt like a miracle drug. Several years down the line I notice3d I was making irrational decisions and wasn't thinking or acting like myself.

Xanax: Many years on one bar 3x day. I can't remember the dose I think a bar of Xanax is two mg. This med was effective but I guess not the best long term choice for me. I still carry a bar I have from two years ago that I carry in my pocket every day just in case or as a safety blanket. I now use gabapentin in its place.

Ambien: I used for several years, it would put me to sleep but not deeply. I would also find myself doing things in the middle of the night that I vaguely remember, in a daze I guess. Now I use Temazepam.

 

[blackemerald1]

Perhaps being anxious about things is well justified or at least not abnormal for a person's particular circumstances.

Or maybe whatever is causing the anxiety is going to take a while to resolve.

Whatever it is....trying to dampen it down with drugs is ok in the very, very short term if that's not the usual mindset one has.

But once it becomes chronic, crippling, interfering with your life or the way you want to live well, for me then it has crossed over a boundary and short term relief is not a solution - long term relief is very much needed. That's where the hard work and decisions must be made.

 

[Live2love]

@Live2love With medications, I believe less is more. Anything you put in your system to "help you function" will impact your brain-alter it's chemistry.....and if you are lucky to feel positives effects, over the long term, because they are all drugs that can impair cognition (thinking, retrieval and memory), among having potential unwanted physical side effects.

@blackemerald1 Blackemerald1 is spot on, when suggesting to lead a healthy lifestyle (without drugs first).....and give it a go.
I've tried both ways, and less is more (less meds yields greater functionality for the long run). Routines help to make life predictable, daily exercise, eat food with fewer preservatives, dyes, and sugar substitutes) and increase organic meats, veggies and fruits. Sugar for me (like my Coke addiction)-If there were a Coke-A-Holic Annonymous for sugar/caffeine addiction, I'd be collecting my one month chip soon. I'm Coke free, and just starting to feel more energy (week 3)!

I make and freeze foods that are mostly organic, nutritious, and that I enjoy. Sleep-had a run of not sleeping well but I took Magnesium Citrate and only a couple nights resorted to Hydroxyzine. Got sleep under control again (7-8 hrs/night), and being busy during the day-I'm tired when it is bedtime. No more Hydroxyzine for me! Staying out of the bedroom....super helpful if I want a good night's sleep.

Reduce potential drama (don't participate), put appts on calendar so you don't forget, and don't tell people things you don't want them to react to. I also don't watch drama on TV or violence. Stop your computer and phone for games 2 hrs. before betime (the computer keeps me from falling asleep (keeps my neurons hyperactive I think) but I'm much sleepier on nights when I read or do some mundane thing before bed (those screens mess w brainwaves).....

Then after you do all the things you can do to be healthy, and reduce stress, stop and ask yourself, do you want the side effects (known/unknown) of trying a new drug. I have Hydroxyzine and Lorazapam in a bottle, in the event I need it and I get to the no functioning stage.....or unbearable stage to be in human company and I have to be.....I'll use it, but I'm not into addictions (other than sugar and caffeine which I'm actively working on),and coming off of a daily regimine of any drug which impacts your brain can be a hairy time, and take longer than sometimes a couple months to level out the chemistry-and one's emotions/behaviors. Ambien made sleeping worse, when I took it, and tried to withdrawl. Writing down the things I have to do the next day, or the things on my mind that are bothersome, help with sleep...too. Good luck!

Wow so much awesome info!! Thank you! I recently had a stoke & in hospital to get more info. It sucks so bad but I’m very thankful I’m still alive!! That monster put some kind of poison in my essential oil & my Dad was stressing me out I found a Doterra Essential oil that apparently he positioned so I rub the essential oil over my heart like an idiot to help w stress and end up having a freakin stoke! We have been separated for a year and somehow this monster is still poisoning me so Im in the process of throwing absolutely everything I have any Incase I kept something he tampered with. I have a precious baby girl I need to be well to take care off! Thank you loves for all your love and support it really means so much to me ??

 

[Live2love]

Wow so much awesome info!! Thank you! I recently had a stoke & in hospital to get more info. It sucks so bad but I’m very thankful I’m still alive!! That monster put some kind of poison in my essential oil & my Dad was stressing me out I found a Doterra Essential oil that apparently he positioned so I rub the essential oil over my heart like an idiot to help w stress and end up having a freakin stoke! We have been separated for a year and somehow this monster is still poisoning me so Im in the process of throwing absolutely everything I have any Incase I kept something he tampered with. I have a precious baby girl I need to be well to take care off! Thank you loves for all your love and support it really means so much to me ??

*He* as in my ex but now geez I’m starting to wonder.. idk I think it was my ex that poisoned the oil but I’m so on guard and confused I just don’t know ?

 

[Friday]

He* as in my ex but now geez I’m starting to wonder.. idk I think it was my ex that poisoned the oil but I’m so on guard and confused I just don’t know ?

My ex broke into my home 2-3 times a week for a few years, and played all kinds of nasty tricks... drain cleaner in the milk, ground up glass in the pasta, acid in eye drops, so I’m not doubting that people do this kind of BS. I’ve lived it. And have the police lab results to prove it. Some people are seriously sick cookies.

That said? A lot of essential oils are extremely toxic, and cause organ damage/failure, or heart attack/stroke if applied directly to the skin or are ingested... instead of being diluted in a carrier oil... or even once diluted can still react to other medications in your system.

Having lived with someone making any kind of normal life hard? I had to become really careful not to assign him more power than he actually had, or give him credit for my mistakes. Because I made mistakes, too. Flooding relief, when that happened! ((Yes! It was ME! Happy Daaaaance!... is something you pretty much only hear from stalking victims.)) So one thing that would be worth checking out, from someone who’s been there... is if you remembered to dilute the essential oil, if it’s supposed to be applied directly to the skin whether diluted or not, if it has long term side effects from continued use, & if it reacts with anything you’re currently taking. Just for the peace of mind.

 

[blackemerald1]

Because I made mistakes, too. Flooding relief, when that happened! ((Yes! It was ME! Happy Daaaaance!... is something you pretty much only hear from stalking victims.))

^So right. It's destabilizing on many different levels.

Everything that is out of place makes one second guess. You have described it most accurately as 'flooding relief' when one finds out it's a mistake we can claim as our own. When one knows one is being stalked everything becomes a question and self-doubt is a constant companion.

One of my stalkers (God that sounds bad... but there was more than one) removed the tiles off my roof and helped himself to my apartment whilst I was at work for a long time. Eventually, to prove his power over me or perhaps to disempower me, he left letters neatly propped up against the salt and pepper shakers on my kitchen table each day. I'd get home from work to a new letter...

but I’m so on guard and confused I just don’t know

Some people are seriously sick cookies.

@Live2love only you can find out or know what the oil was and whether it could have caused your stroke. I think it might be worthwhile to do the research and see if it is possible. It might give you some peace at least in respect to how your stroke may have been caused. At least so you don't do it to yourself again if it becomes apparent you accidentally caused it.

People often tell me they are treating themselves with something and it's all good because it's natural. I'm inclined to tell them so is uranium. Anything compounded into a pure form has to be treated with informed respect imo.

If it was your stalker ex then that presents an entirely different problem. How do you protect anything in your home if he's doctored the oil?

I'm sorry if too far off topic. I just wanted to let you know that I too understand that doubt that you expressed. ^

 

[TruthSeeker]

Wow so much awesome info!! Thank you! I recently had a stoke & in hospital to get more info. It sucks so bad but I’m very thankful I’m still alive!! That monster put some kind of poison in my essential oil & my Dad was stressing me out I found a Doterra Essential oil that apparently he positioned so I rub the essential oil over my heart like an idiot to help w stress and end up having a freakin stoke! We have been separated for a year and somehow this monster is still poisoning me so Im in the process of throwing absolutely everything I have any Incase I kept something he tampered with. I have a precious baby girl I need to be well to take care off! Thank you loves for all your love and support it really means so much to me ??

^So right. It's destabilizing on many different levels.

Everything that is out of place makes one second guess. You have described it most accurately as 'flooding relief' when one finds out it's a mistake we can claim as our own. When one knows one is being stalked everything becomes a question and self-doubt is a constant companion.

One of my stalkers (God that sounds bad... but there was more than one) removed the tiles off my roof and helped himself to my apartment whilst I was at work for a long time. Eventually, to prove his power over me or perhaps to disempower me, he left letters neatly propped up against the salt and pepper shakers on my kitchen table each day. I'd get home from work to a new letter...




@Live2love only you can find out or know what the oil was and whether it could have caused your stroke. I think it might be worthwhile to do the research and see if it is possible. It might give you some peace at least in respect to how your stroke may have been caused. At least so you don't do it to yourself again if it becomes apparent you accidentally caused it.

People often tell me they are treating themselves with something and it's all good because it's natural. I'm inclined to tell them so is uranium. Anything compounded into a pure form has to be treated with informed respect imo.

If it was your stalker ex then that presents an entirely different problem. How do you protect anything in your home if he's doctored the oil?

I'm sorry if too far off topic. I just wanted to let you know that I too understand that doubt that you expressed. ^

I have the same doubt about my abuser (the puppetmaster), and his puppeteer stalkers......as I call them. Co-dependents (relatives and friends of his that will do anything for him because they too are afraid) are stalkers of a type, if their purpose is to serve the puppet master, and they get some kind of reward for doing so (feeling safe, money, free alcohol or drugs, or a fake feeling of security, being the good one, etc.).....Going no contact with those who may be swayed by the puppetmaster.....the best thing I could have ever done for my mental and physical well-being.

I'm trying to adopt a new philosophy which is more like this:
When it is my time to go however that's destined to be (via old age, some natural disaster, or something that took me before my time) I will have little control. But in the meantime I'll take reasonable precautions that allow me to live a fulfilled life...and not dread over what might happen. As long as I live in fear.....he wins....and it will be repeated.

Safety first for health, emotions, and physical well-being. I put in an expensive security system. At the time, I thought doing so would bait him to circumvent it, but I sleep better and dream less with it in and knowing when I'm not there, who enters the house is videotaped and recorded. But adopting a safety first, emotionally and physically attitude, and excluding people from my environment that were "likely co-dependents of his" it is better for everyone involved (they are not asked to do things to hurt me that cause them guilt, shame, and further damage our relationship=drama- if they are excluded from my life)....and going NC my anxiety level and stress level are much lower because my environment is controlled=safer. I made nice with neighbors, have someone I trust come to my home a couple times a day when I'm gone to feed my animals, so that if there is an obvious problem......it will be noticed right away. Yes, when stalked....it makes me question everything-a kind of justified paranoia.....but I've had to adopt a new perspective in order not to stay in the paranoia mode...So I have my phone and take lots of pictures of anything I might need to remember or that's really odd or I don't remember (stress can screw with memory), and I got a camera with a really good telephoto lens, as well. I do photography, a plus. But I question and worry less when I seek to control everything within reason in and around my own environment.

I don't text where I'm going, or what my plans are. I used encrypted mail. There is encrypted text...but most people don't use it.
When we die, we die...and it's final. So, while I still have triggers and doubts, I do everything possible to stay safe...let my best friend know my schedule, and stay in touch regularly with neighbors and take them cookies and niceties....reward them for helping watch my place. You can also ask for the police to come around more regularly. I keep my phone off....bluetooth off....(one can be bluetooth hacked)......and my phone privacy settings for location off when I'm not using a map program.

Emotional safety for me is getting out and taking care of me physically, at the gym....a safe place, having routines, and being busy enough not to dwell on what might be. Too much time on my hands allowed me to dwell on past shit, then be more creative about what might happen (live in the past or live in the future).....projecting, and not live in today.

So, what action can you take to make yourself, your home, your life feeling safer, and physically safer?