stupid stupid dumb ativan

[Iksfreundin]

Doc gave me ativan, even though I told him that I'd only taken xanax (when I'd taken anything) for the past 10 years or so. I was worried about taking it, but it was what he gave me, so...

I managed to put off taking any until Tuesday of this week. I was worried! I don't like new drugs; I called the doc's office to see if he'd switch it back to xanax because I'm more comfortable with it, and they said to come in on Friday (today). I'd been taking what was left of the xanax from the hospital here and there. I took half of a .5 ativan before bed on Tues, and didn't notice too many differences, other than my heart slowing down, finally. But right before I went to sleep that night, I felt like I was really "waking up". I discarded that as nonsense.

But I was thinking it 'worked' for me, so why go in to the doc's? I got a feeling last night that I should take the ativan again and double-check that it works for me before calling and canceling my appt. with the doc. 30 minutes after taking it, I was wide awake, and an hour afterwards, I was in full-blown panic! Couldn't even lay down; I was exhausted but unable to rest; diarrhea, shakes, hot flashes, and worry. I have NEVER had that happen after taking a xanax, or a valium! I was very upset, to say the least; and very glad I didn't go through and cancel the appointment with the doc. I see him in about three hours - if he won't switch it, I'm going to throw the bottle at him and say "then YOU take it!"

UGH!!!

[Betsy]

Terra,
Sorry you have to go through this. Docs don't get it. We know too much about our bodies and they think they know best. So frustrating. Sometimes it just feels like they don't care, when actually, they really do just think they know what's best about everything. I hope he listens to you. Good luck. I haven't talked to my psych doc yet about my trouble last week with trying the 10 mg pill. I hope she listens and just lets me do it my way. To some degree, I wonder, why do they not listen? It isn't their body and they don't have to live with the stuff that happens to us. It just makes me feel more alone and stuck. Good luck to you.
Betsy

[Amaya's Nana]

Originally Posted by terrap420

Doc gave me ativan, even though I told him that I'd only taken xanax (when I'd taken anything) for the past 10 years or so. I was worried about taking it, but it was what he gave me, so...

I managed to put off taking any until Tuesday of this week. I was worried! I don't like new drugs; I called the doc's office to see if he'd switch it back to xanax because I'm more comfortable with it, and they said to come in on Friday (today). I'd been taking what was left of the xanax from the hospital here and there. I took half of a .5 ativan before bed on Tues, and didn't notice too many differences, other than my heart slowing down, finally. But right before I went to sleep that night, I felt like I was really "waking up". I discarded that as nonsense.

But I was thinking it 'worked' for me, so why go in to the doc's? I got a feeling last night that I should take the ativan again and double-check that it works for me before calling and canceling my appt. with the doc. 30 minutes after taking it, I was wide awake, and an hour afterwards, I was in full-blown panic! Couldn't even lay down; I was exhausted but unable to rest; diarrhea, shakes, hot flashes, and worry. I have NEVER had that happen after taking a xanax, or a valium! I was very upset, to say the least; and very glad I didn't go through and cancel the appointment with the doc. I see him in about three hours - if he won't switch it, I'm going to throw the bottle at him and say "then YOU take it!"

UGH!!!

Oh Terra honey, I'm so sorry. Your body wants Xanax!!! Even though you don't take it that often, that is still what your body wants. You can't just stop one and start a different one. Sometimes doctors are so friggin stupid!!! I hope you get some relief soon.

[rdjanis]

As if you needed more thrown your way... sorry you had to go through that experience.

[Iksfreundin]

The worst part is that I had such a good day yesterday! I had a good night's sleep the night before, and very little daytime anxiety, and then when night came the anxiety went up (as it usually does), but I was working through it. Then I thought, "since I'm already having some anxiety, let's just take the ativan and see if it works again, and I can call the doc in the morning and cancel the appointment."

Man!

[Buxy`s Back]

so sorry terrap,but this is what happened to me after my cold turkey,even back on seroxat anything else i took including new hrt`s did the exact same thing to me,it was a reaction to drugs that got me onto other drugs to begin with,i think a lot of us were drug sensitive to start with and should never of been put on these god damn awful monster drugs,but boy the sensitivity is a lot worse after seroxat,and its funny a lot of us are now petrified of taking anything.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by terrap420

if he won't switch it, I'm going to throw the bottle at him and say "then YOU take it!"

UGH!!!

Tie a rock to the bottle first........

[Iksfreundin]

Well it was ALL a disaster - I was so worked up I couldn't even drive to the doc's (someone had to take me), and then he refused to give me xanax because I wanted it. I TOLD him, I have been put on EVERYTHING, I know what has and hasn't worked. He mentioned klonopin - taken it, useless to me. Buspar? Took it, never felt different. Then he acted weird about me not tolerating the ativan - I completely understood that I SHOULDN'T have had that weird reaction, but I did.

Then he flat out told me he would NOT give me xanax, and offered me either something called "gabatrol" or "gavatol" (not sure which) or buspar. I'm so desperate for some relief at this point that I finally say fine, but I can't have a bad reaction to it or I'm going to end up in the hospital again and I can't do that without insurance. I ask him how long it would take to work, he kind of shrugs his shoulders, and then I just break down. I'd had about 2 hours of sleep vs. about 12 hours of panic - I said, "this has to work because everyone I know goes back to work next week and I've got no one to call if it doesn't".

This is getting to be long - he asked me to get my Aunt, who drove me. She talked with him for about 7-8 minutes, came back out, and he had written a script for the xanax with a urine drug test ticket. Seems like he thinks I have a xanax problem! I guess that goes along with my bipolar and manic depressive attitude (acc'd to him). I guess since I asked for it, he sees it as something I just want or am addicted to - he doesn't realize I know what works for me over 12 years worth of being medicated, vs. all the meds that do nothing for me or only cause side effects. Doing better today; took a bit of the xanax last night to cut off the panic I'd had since 2 am and got a good night's sleep. UGH UGH! All right, done with this post.

[TryingtoGetWell]

I'm so sorry you're having these problems with your doctor, and glad you got the xanax if the other meds are causing you problems.

I relate so much to what you said about not supposed to be having these problems but you are. I have weird (sometimes clinically paradoxical) reactions to almost everything, did even before being on paxil much less w/d; I think some of us just have delicate systems which process or utilize meds differently than most people.

But doctors still try to jam a square peg into a round hole.

I do understand your doctor's wariness about xanax, since they've finally learned about the dangers of its short-acting nature (which was originally touted as a benefit, that it made it "completely safe" and non-addictive; I know that because I was one of the first people who took it when it was brand new) and its tendency to cause severe rebound when it wears off, which was what started happening very badly with me.

But your doctor needs to take your responses to medications seriously. I don't know whether small occasional doses of valium rather than xanax would work for you. No way to know, just something to maybe consider.

But if your responses to medications are different from the norm, they're still very real for you, and doctors have to recognize how differently some people respond to different things, for reasons very rarely known. Medicine is becoming more and more "by the book," I think. Maybe because there are so many more medications available all the time, that that's the only way doctors can keep on top of what to do. They have new medications thrown at them all the time.

It's good that you understand your own reactions to medications and recognize them when they occur. I don't know the medication he suggested; as I'm sure you're aware, it will be important to research it first if you're considering it, and to be very careful if you try it; it might actually be better than xanax and you might be fine with it, but I just don't know what it is.

[TryingtoGetWell]

Googled and found this about gabatrol - could this be what he was referrint to? http://www.gabatrol.com/

If so, it seems to be OTC and composed of amino acid ingredients I'm not familiar with; not the ones that are generally given for w/d symptoms that have caused problems for so many of us, but I'd still be careful of any aminos in w/d.

P.S. Actually, I checked some more of those links on google and found gabitril an Rx that's GABA-specific. Since the issue is xanax and ativan, this seems likely to be what he meant. http://www.gabitril.com/ (Might be the reason the amino preparation has the name that it does!!!!) I'd never heard of it before.

[Casey1231]

Originally Posted by terrap420

Well it was ALL a disaster - I was so worked up I couldn't even drive to the doc's (someone had to take me), and then he refused to give me xanax because I wanted it. I TOLD him, I have been put on EVERYTHING, I know what has and hasn't worked. He mentioned klonopin - taken it, useless to me. Buspar? Took it, never felt different. Then he acted weird about me not tolerating the ativan - I completely understood that I SHOULDN'T have had that weird reaction, but I did.

Then he flat out told me he would NOT give me xanax, and offered me either something called "gabatrol" or "gavatol" (not sure which) or buspar. I'm so desperate for some relief at this point that I finally say fine, but I can't have a bad reaction to it or I'm going to end up in the hospital again and I can't do that without insurance. I ask him how long it would take to work, he kind of shrugs his shoulders, and then I just break down. I'd had about 2 hours of sleep vs. about 12 hours of panic - I said, "this has to work because everyone I know goes back to work next week and I've got no one to call if it doesn't".

This is getting to be long - he asked me to get my Aunt, who drove me. She talked with him for about 7-8 minutes, came back out, and he had written a script for the xanax with a urine drug test ticket. Seems like he thinks I have a xanax problem! I guess that goes along with my bipolar and manic depressive attitude (acc'd to him). I guess since I asked for it, he sees it as something I just want or am addicted to - he doesn't realize I know what works for me over 12 years worth of being medicated, vs. all the meds that do nothing for me or only cause side effects. Doing better today; took a bit of the xanax last night to cut off the panic I'd had since 2 am and got a good night's sleep. UGH UGH! All right, done with this post.

I just want to say I'm sorry you had to go through this stressful event. You have been an inspiration to me ( I have been medicated for the better part of 20 years, 13 of them have been on paxil), and you give me hope that maybe someday I too can live med free. I just hope you treat this as a "bump in the road of life" and put it behind you as you face a brand new day. You are doing so great and I hope you continue to feel really strong as you round the final bend.

As for that doctor...

[LinLou]

Doctors are on my s-list right now, and your doctor is such a moron.

How can he think you have a Xanax problem, yet turn around and give you Ativan and Klonopin? People don't have a Xanax problem, or an Ativan problem, or a Klonopin problem. THEY HAVE A BENZO PROBLEM !!! And all of these are benzos.

I am not saying you have a benzo problem. But his thinking just validates how uneducated these doctors are about the drugs they prescribe. A benzo is a benzo is a benzo. They all work the same way on the brain. One is never safer than another. His willingness to give you Ativan but not Xanax is friggin idiotic.

Bring him to me. Right now, today, I am fit to be tied with doctors about this. I will kick his *** all over creation.

[safarigal]

The problem with Xanax is that its a widely used street drug so docs are very hesitant to prescribe it.

Terra, I hope you try some therapy, it really could help you.

[Iksfreundin]

Originally Posted by safarigal

Terra, I hope you try some therapy, it really could help you.

I've been in therapy since May. It was really helping, and then this new and horrible panic came along. I think I'm growing more accustomed to it now, but boy, it was really horrific at first. Now, when it gets like that, I just tick off the list and realize what it is, but that doesn't really help it go away, it just reminds me I'm okay.

[safarigal]

practice, practice, practice with the coping skills. you have to keep applying them constantly for them to work.

Maybe try writing down the events that trigger your anxiety and see if a pattern develops. It could also be a food that you eat, not sleeping enough or not eating properly.