The pdoc discontinued my klonopin because I told him I had given a couple to this girl who was jonesing for heroin. He did wean me off it gradually.
Thanks you man,will talk to my therapist when I see her in two weeks
@Gtx1990 are you on an SSRI Antidepressant?
These can be used to ward off anxiety, and they are not addictive like Benzos
I am on 5mg abilify and 30 mirtazapine,they mirtazapibe helped a lotā¦
My wife was diagnosed with social anxiety about 7 years ago in rehab. Before that she was a chronic alcoholic. Never knew she had a mental illness, life with benzos is much better than life with an alcoholic. So I would say benzodiazepines are the lesser evil for sure.
Yes,your right,but if I am already taking abilify and mirtazapine,it shouldnāt be too bad right?
The less medication the lesser the sideffects. As long as you can cope well I think youāre good.
1 Like
First I would definitely ask and work with your doc.
If you didnāt want to add more medsā¦ therapy might help too. I ended up going for both. The therapy and training helped me practice and get better at interaction and responses.
The meds kept the heart rate and panic down so I could get the courage to try and interact.
Good luck and I hope you and your doc come up with a plan.
4 Likes
For me I think I have to be on anti-anxiety meds. My anxiety is constant, all-consuming and really just makes life miserable. It depends on how badly you feel you need them. If you think it would make your life way easier, do it. If you think you could tough it out with therapy, do it.
I function very highly, part of that is because I take alprazolam religiously. My doctor is just like ā ā ā ā it Iām not taking you off it. I apparently need it to keep up the lifestyle that I have. I tried cutting back on it and was agitated and just couldnt stand it. I take it for social lubrication second to my general anxiety- I wake up agitated, take the xanax, go back to sleep for 15 mins or just feel it kick in and make me think a bit more normally. Without it, I get really agitated and am only good for lifting weights. I used to skip the afternoon dose to go lift weights. I was really good at lifting weights. LOL
I say that we are the sickest people and if anyone needs benzos, itās us. I mean come on. This illness is a ā ā ā ā mess without medication. It is quite common for people with schizophrenia to take a benzo in addition to their antipsychotic(s). I am one of them.
I still am anxious, I am still a bit agitated unless I am really engaged in doing something (right now I am listening to music and on a forum), so I like to stay occupied, at least mentally occupied. I did things like drink all of the alcohol in sight or take twice the max dose of preworkout before I got on xanax. I was unable to socialize well before xanax. I needed to be drunk in order to socialize back then, and that is a shitty way to live.
Do keep in mind that we have the WORST mental illnessā¦that is irrefutable. I need a minor tranquilizer to feel normal. I need a major tranquilizer to behave normally. I need a beta blocker for a number of reasons. I need a gastric reflux med to keep my food down. I need 6-9mg of melatonin to sleep. I need nicotine to feel normal. I have to drink lots of caffeine to function.
I say my ends justify my ends and pop another pill and light another camel up. I do realize that I wont live to be very old like this, but who the ā ā ā ā wants to end up in a nursing home? I would rather die a bit early having done what I felt was necessary.
I would ask your doctor. A lot of time you can take these āas neededā. I have been on klonapin for years, but only take it if my anxiety gets to a level where I am not functioning.
1 Like
I think you should bear with it, with therapy etc, just so you dint add to you cocktail.
I think you should try naturally as much as you can so you are not reliant on meds .
Just my opionion
1 Like
Get medication, make sure itās the right medication with little side effects, get therapy. You need both to get to your goals in life and live to the fullest. Get a family support system of people who care about you. People you can talk to. You have to find what works for you. You have to set your goals and think eating right, exercise and other things to help you reach your goals.