Xanax And Other Benzo's

[Jimmy1]

We all know that Xanax although a great medication for short term and emergencies when it comes to panic attacks and anxiety, but it should not be used for the long term. I know my psychiatrist is against it.

Long term high usage can screw you up and is worse for anxiety.

Tim has been put on 6 mg of anxiety as well as propananol which also treats anxiety.

Can any of you guys in the states or around suggest a better medication which is not addictive which he can take to the VA??

 

[Sarg]

Jimmy, sorry, didn't see your post until now. Some quick research revealed not a hell of a lot. There was an old VA white paper of the run of the mill stuff, SSRIs, Mirtazapine (Remeron), Venlafaxine (Effexor), Nefazodone (Serzone), tricyclics and Benzos.

The is one researchers that has been trying for years to get the fed to let let him experiment with Ecstasy on combat trama and apparently was recently allowed to do so. Very small study, it hasn't gone far before, doubt it will now.

If anyone ever comes up with an effective drug to treat us, the US VA will beat a path to their door in a New York minute.

Sorry,

Sarg

 

[JarHed]

That seems like a very high dosage for Xanax or any other benzos. I take Lorazapam (atavan) but only 1 mg. as needed. They say that Diazapam is the least addictive but I think you should be careful at whatever the dosage. Long term use can cause withdrawl symtoms and you need to cut down gradually. Also, as I'm sure ya'll are aware, the longer you use something like that the less effective it becomes. Which is where the problem comes as you need more and more to do the same. I try to take the least amount that I can and find it still effective.

SSRI's are good to treat severe depression but the long term side effects can be as bad as the depression itself. No 'happy' pill as yet. And of course the effects vary from person to person.

 

[combatgoldfish]

Ecstasy IMO is amazing but it certainly isn't a cure or something that could be done on the long term because its depletion effects.

 

[Sarg]

CG, never did the stuff, or was around anyone who said they did it, so haven't the slightest. There's a fellow Vet running around the Vet sites called "TestVet" that was at a place called Edgewood that did medical experiments on US troops. Part of it was LSD and Ecstacy and they loaded them up with it. His description of what it did convinced me not to get near the stuff.

Jimmy, don't know what to say. The Clonazapine is still working for me. And I'm not craving a larger dose. I guess my physiology is just different. Yes, I do worry if something happened and I couldn't taper off it, as they say it's the worst there is to withdraw from. But my quality of life is much improved (if I could pry my ass outta the house).

Sarg

 

[JarHed]

Hey Sarg

I was on clonazapine a long time ago. A relatively low dosage as well. As long as you take your time to get off of any drug it usually goes OK. As always, some of the anxiety that I had previously came back but not as much or as severe.

I know that now 'at my age' things have a greater affect and I have to watch it all a bit more carefully. And as you say everyones' physiology is different and a factor as well.

Jar

 

[Christer]

The is one researchers that has been trying for years to get the fed to let let him experiment with Ecstasy on combat trama and apparently was recently allowed to do so.

Say what?? I guess maybe as drug to take during the actual therapy, it has been used during the therapeutic session with a doctor for like marriage issues before.

I can tell you now that it is not a good alternative for long term help. Proper Ecstasy, MDMA is a drug that gets you high for about 2 hours and goes away leaving you back to feeling the way you were or worse. MDMA, if it were to be taken long term, one would have to keep dosing themselves every few hours to get it's psychotropic effects.

As far as my panic attacks, the VA won't give me any benzos because I am an alcoholic. They just give me high doses of Paroxetine, an anti-depressant, and a lot of therapy.

Truth be told, that medication doesn't do shit. I would like to know of a medication that the VA would give me that will help. They recently put me on Prazosin too, it's a drug that controls adrenaline and lowers the blood pressure. It was prescribed to me for my nightmares and I hope it will control my anxiety as well.

 

[Jimmy1]

Christer,

I know of a lot of recovering alcoholics that were put on Propananol, it's a beta blocker which you have properly heard of. All it does is help with the DT's.
In reality though and being a recovering addict myself, it's willpower, basically the want to be clean or sober which is the main driving force.

Just my opinion.

 

[Christer]

Jimmy,

I agree, I've learned that sobriety was the first step I had to take. I have been sober now for well over a year.

The problem with the VA is I am recognized as an alcoholic and must never be given benzos because they can be abused. Personally I have no problem with this and will work with whatever options the VA gives me.

Unfortunately though I relied heavily on alcohol for the past 20 years to deal with my emotions and anxiety, now it's therapy and medication. I was told that I wasn't going to be better overnight and obviously that's true, it's hard to think I will have to back peddle 20 years.

 

[JarHed]

The link between benzos and alcohol causing severe problems has been known for a while. My therapist was telling our group about the interaction of the two that caused someone she was treating to have a stroke. He had a few drinks and a bit more ativan than usual and bam! So, it's a cautionary tale but one to be mindful of as well. Alcohol has a huge affect on benzos. And now the medical establishment in general is being overly cautious with both psych meds and pain killers due to the increase in reactions and deaths with them. As always you've gotta' be careful what you take.

 

[dubby]

Hey DM ,
i will share with you my experience with pills cause every one has a differnt story...
at first i got flutin 3 pills a day with vaben or lorivan unter the tongue, it last only month or two till i started to get xnax instead of lorivan or vaben, and at some point i started to take bondormin and asival, some point i stop taking the meds at all...i felt like a zombie..then they gave me month of medical vacation dor balanced me with 375 mg effexor ,30 mg asival (valium) and two pills of bondormin for sleepimg all per day...lasted two years...last round was cymbalta with clonax and ambien 8 months and now i got clonax thizpraleks and some new sleeping pill...
but next week i have an appointment with my Psychiatrist and im going to tell him the same as i tell you my thougtes about this meds,
cymbalta is great pill for deacrising panic attack to the minimum
but he is prolematic with depression,
ambien *12.5 cr *is not for everyone.but who can, its make magic in the bed and im talking about sleeping (:
because he controlled release even if not mentaly, phisily you are sleeping wich is great for college and university.
clonax is the orange pill 0.5 mg that supose to keep me come down...but i've been took to many benzo's so non of the whole series is working...but if its emergency i take two pills under the thounge and its good relax.
for the other pills effexor was very good but when you want to stop,its the problem. u had two weeks from hell..phisicly horibble effects heard that like stoping heroin.

this is some of the pills i took...probably can't remember parts of the past years...i really think that SSNRI combined pill is good alongside with benzo sometimes not on regular base and the ambien controled release...
im not a doc so i cant take responsibility im just sayin what i had with the pills...
still i have an emotionless zombie problem

 

[Spock]

Jimmy,
Saw this recently about similar warnings "VA still prescribing tranquilizers to veterans with PTSD, despite warnings"

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/...spite-warnings/?test=latestnews#ixzz2PzjylRp9