how long would it take?

i am on ativan still for 3 months 1mg cut in half if you stop ytou hav eto wean yourself off
cut em in half for a while

Fox7

Once again I disagree. I think this psych is wise to pull him off the ativan (although I agree that a taper is in order). Staying on that med for a few more months will make it much harder. There are too many benzo lifers out there and they become ineffective over time. The Celexa is a good long term drug. Transition onto that and you will be much better off.

I currently take .625 clonazepam each night, down from 1.5 mg for 3 yrs. This dose reduction has taken about 10 months and it has been murder. But I will succeed.

Yes, that is what he said to both kinds of medications. I understand if he had meant for dependency reasons and such, but still...they act like EVERYONE is going to be an addict of everything.



I dont want to be dependent on a medication, but i guess I havent learned enough in therapy to go it alone yet.

I will call his office tomorrow and talk to him hopefully. Ive only seen him once and he was very rude. he read over the therapsists note,s and asked if there was anything Id like to add. I told him no, it was probably all in the paperwork. and he replied" yeah, im not the guy you tell your problems to, I just give out meds"

Thanks Fox! I also have Fibro as well as Muscular Dystrophy, so I know all about having pain issues as well. Have you tried the gabapentin at all?

Thank you Fox and Deer Slayer for working your discussion out so amicalbly. I am so proud and thankful that our members are so wise and at peace with one another...even when we don't have exactly the same views.

As Fox put it so well, we can agree to disagree and all still have valid input! I see the validity in both of your posts, and think that it is great that we can get more than one point of view here, yet still be respectful of one another...well done to you both.

C.B. You have some great advice here, so I wish you the best in doing what you are comfortable with and hope that you get your medication dilemma sorted out a.s.a.p.:) I also hope that you and your daughter are doing well!

Take care everybody!

S.C.

Deer Slayer,

CB posted, "The psych is wanting to drop me from it altogether. He says no one needs to be on benzos or antidepressants for that long."  This is what she heard and this was her concern. 

Trying to guess what you think her Psych meant is a moot point but supporting CB in her feelings is what we are here for.  I am sure you will agree with me on this point. 

I am a firm believer in weaning off medications slowly as the biggest fear for those of us on medications is the withdrawal syndrome.  For myself I did a slow wean off of Ativan by substituting the Valium protocol.  It took me 9 months to go from Ativan 4mg down to 2 mg of Valium.

As always in HealingWell, each person is entitled to their own opinion and it is a good thing we all feel comfortable in sharing with one another.

Carlybob,  You have some huge challenges in your life and I cannot imagine how tough it must be for you.  I am glad you are advocating for yourself and if you do not have a trust relationship with this Psychiatrist do look into finding one who will listen to you and work together with you.

I am fortunate to have a wise Pdoc who has allowed me to have input into my care plan however she wisely points out the flaws in my thinking which leads to better understanding on my behalf.

The thing she says to me when I am having a really tough time is,

"You are going to be alright".  That reinforcement statement allows me to leave her office with hope as she is not ready to throw away the key and lock me up

 

If you are not comfortable with this therapist get a new one. Putting someone on an SSRI for 2 months makes no sense. Talk therapy is good also, but meds can be of great help. My shrink is an old New York trained psychoanalyst, but he put me on Lexapro 10 mg years ago for my anxiety. It helped infinitely. I was on it for 3+ years and went off it. For no obvious reacon, my anxiety has skyrocketed in the last 6 weeks ( mostly health anxiety ). So I am going back on it.

I think you would feel better with about a month of Celexa under your belt. I suggest you find a therapist who is comfortable with intermediate/long term pharmaceutical user as well as talk therapy.

As risk of sounding repetitive, only use the benzo's if you are are suffering.  

SEE! Now I agree with you Deer Slayer! ;] I think once you get back on the Lexapro, it will help calm some of your withdrawal from the Klonopin. I am also a sufferer of health anxiety, along with everything else. As a matter of fact, I just upped my dosage to 125 mgs of Zoloft tonight, working my way up to 150 mgs.

This should be fun....NOT! I'm not looking forward to a "new" round of side effects while increasing, but it has to be done because 100 mgs isn't quite doing the job. I have been feeling MUCH better than I was since November of 2010, but I still have anxiety that the Zoloft, along with the xanax, is not taking away, so my doc wants me to up it to 150.

I look forward to being able to start weaning off of the xanax, and just have it to take as needed. But I hope to get to the point where I will only need the Zoloft and nothing else again. I'm not going to start to wean off of the xanax until i'm leveled off with the zoloft, but hopefully in like a month or so, i'll be able to start that journey.

Best wishes to you both with starting your meds again.....

Fox

Post Edited (Fox7) : 2/6/2012 8:41:06 PM (GMT-7)

That's exactly why I chose to only step up by 25 mg increases instead of shooting right up to the 150 mgs. That would have been 50% increase, and it probably would have given me some unpleasant side effects.

Oh! And I hear ya when it comes to the buying things! I have found myself in that position many times in the past. Buying things that I really have no use for, or don't need, but I wanted it anyway that particular day for some reason. Then months later, it's still sitting there in the same spot you put it when you got home, not used, or not payed attention to, and you think to yourself...."What the hell did I even buy that for!"....

Thank you for the good luck wishes, i'm doing pretty good today to be honest.

Take care...

Fox

Wow, lots of posts here.  I realize some psychologists don't work that way, relying on meds.  But sometimes we need them temporarily until we can find a better way to deal with the anxiety.

What about going through your family physician for your meds?  I see a therapist so I get my medication from my doctor.  They know my medical history therefore know what medications I can and cannot take.  I was first going through a clinic when I got put on xanax but they said they'd only refill it a couple times so I found a family doctor.  This doctor has been so helpful to me.  They monitor my doses and they know I don't like taking medications.  about a couple years ago I asked if I could take more xanax because I felt I needed it.  My doctor ok'd it and I stick within that amount daily.  But I have gone off it before by weaning down to where I didn't need it at all.  I think it does take more for me to feel relief but I haven't experienced withdrawal from it either.  I trust my doctor.

I understand the dangers of taking benzos so I'm very careful not to take over the amount my doctor has perscribed and only take it as I need it.  I guess everyone reacts different to different meds.  I've never taken Ativan to know what a high or low dose is.  But I think I would be getting a second opinion, maybe looking for another psych or a doctor.  Obviously you need something for right now, right?

Some doctors are against it, maybe for liability reasons. My uncle has tried to get put on xanax but has not been able to. Of course, he's an alcoholic so has a dependency problem.

My doctor tried putting me on an anti-depressant but it made me so nauseated I quit taking it. They want me to try something else but they understand my fear of feeling sick.

I do get a little freaked out that I have to rely on medication so much. But I need to try to focus on exercising and doing more relaxing things-deep breathing, yoga, nature walks, etc. I wonder if that will be what helps my anxiety-at least enough that I can cut back down.

How's your psychologist doing, other than wanting to take you off meds? Is treatment helping you?

carlybob,

Suggestion, talk with your Dr. about using BuSpar.  BuSpar is an anti-anxiety medication that is not chemically or pharmacologically related to benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or other sedative/anxiolytic drugs.

If your Dr. will not prescribe benzos then this may be a good choice for you.  I weaned off of Ativan 4 mg/day and now I take BuSpar every morning and at bedtime.

I believe that therapy is a good thing as no medication is ever going to take away all your sx of anxiety. It is like taking a pain medication, the med helps you tolerate the pain but it is still there. 

Kindly,

Kitt