It started last Wednesday when I had a really bad day. I’ve needed my Klonopin every day since. Every little thing is setting me off - kids screaming outside, car doors slamming, the bed creaking, the heater turning off and on…
I woke up miserable this morning so I took a Klonopin at 10:25 then went back to sleep until 12:20. I was literally back hiding in bed an hour later and I spent the entire day in bed. Took a second Klonopin at one point, but my paranoia was still an 8 out of 10. I took 10 mg of Propranolol an hour ago but it’s not doing much.
I just don’t know what to do! I see my pdoc on Wednesday at 2, anything you think I should bring up with her? I can’t afford CBT so that’s out. This is a chronic problem for me and the main source of my disability. My pdoc is well aware. But I got the idea to try Propranolol from you guys, maybe someone else has something that helped with paranoia? I need HELP, please!
Make sure that you are open and honest with your pdoc.
If things get really out of hand make sure you contact emergency services or go to the ER.
Good luck @anon39736208!
I deal with a lot of paranoia and tend to stay home most of the time. It is one of the main reasons I can’t work also. Make sure to tell your pdoc everything you’re going through. Maybe a change of meds is in order.
My pdoc says there isn’t a med out there that specifically targets paranoia. That’s why I’ve been on 30 mg of Haldol for the past four years. It’s the only AP I’ve tried that didn’t make me gain major weight (Zyprexa, Abilify, and Geodon all did), so I’ve stuck with it. I’ll see what she says when I bring up med change.
@anon39736208
Oh no! This is terrible! I ache for you. You are hurting! Are there any therapy sessions that are paid for by your insurance? Have you tried group therapy? Are you willing to go to a day hospital until you recover?
My psychologist recommended that I look around and say outloud the things I see and describe them. Like a brass lamp or a green patio chair. When I take the time to focus on my surroundings and describe them out loud it tends to calm me and put me in the moment. I struggle with paranoia also and this exercise tends to reduce my paranoia
@FlyingPurplePeopleMeeter No, my insurance is lame. My husband and i pay $460 a month for an Obamacare policy with a $6,000 deductible each. My Haldol alone costs $103.46 a month on top of that. I have no money left over for therapy deductible. I share our car with my husband and don’t live on a bus route so I have no way to get to group while he’s working and there is no day hospital here. The closest thing is a two week residential program through our local community services board. I did that program back in October 2014.
Thanks again for the replies!! My husband is home from work now, which helps a little bit, but I’m still struggling.
Saw my pdoc today. We talked about changing Haldol to something else, augmenting it with a second antipsychotic, and increasing my Klonopin.
We decided against changing the Haldol since it’s doing a great job of controlling my hallucinations. We couldn’t agree on a second antipsychotic (I wanted Prolixin, she wanted Geodon or Abilify, both of which I’ve been on and didn’t like).
In the end, she increased my Klonopin by 0.5 mg a day. I can now take three pills if I need to instead of only two. That doesn’t mean three at one time, but I have been taking one and then my second one two to three hours later if I need to. Now I can take a third at bedtime if needed.
I expressed concern about addiction but she said I’m so good about reporting my controlled substance usage and I have had days where I take zero Klonopin. She knows i try to have one or two days a week where I take none. This is only a temporary measure. She agrees with me that my grief over losing out cat, Garret, a month ago could be what’s causing this spike in my paranoia.
So that’s the pdoc’s solution. Hopefully it helps if I need to take the extra amount.
