Question for anyone taking Valium or Xanax..

[cruiser21]

I wasn’t sleeping long before I took a sleeping pills. I tried several of my dr suggestions before we settled on trying a sleeping pill. I will listen to others who said that I am dependant, but not addicted. I could throw out the pills tomorrow and never take one again. But, I would be miserable surviving on the 1-2 hours a night I was getting.

Despite what people think, sometimes medication IS the answer.

Dependent and addicted are pretty much the same thing. Do you exercise? Have you tried alternative methods?

 

[kimblebee]

Dependent and addicted are pretty much the same thing. Do you exercise? Have you tried alternative methods?

I told you that I have tried several things at my drs advice.

I don’t understand why you’re so insistent on calling me addicted? I don’t know what that gets you? I think you look down on anyone addicted for any reason and you want one more stranger to feel better than.

On that note, enjoy your weekend

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I wasn’t sleeping long before I took a sleeping pills. I tried several of my dr suggestions before we settled on trying a sleeping pill. I will listen to others who said that I am dependant, but not addicted. I could throw out the pills tomorrow and never take one again. But, I would be miserable surviving on the 1-2 hours a night I was getting.

Despite what people think, sometimes medication IS the answer.

I am not trying to be mean but isn't that what addicts say?
I'm not saying taking pills is bad. If it works for you then its great but needing pills or not sleeping because you don't have your fix is addiction.
Not sure if you'd be interested but I'm into ASMR. There are certain videos that that just make me melt into sleep.
Could work wonders if you're someone that gets tingles.

 

[sasywtch]

I'm sorry for what you are going through. I took Xanax and valium years ago. I do NOT recommend it for your situation. They are both very addicting and not for depression. I would highly suggest counseling. They can give you the tools to deal with the situation and help you through.

 

[kimblebee]

I am not trying to be mean but isn't that what addicts say?
I'm not saying taking pills is bad. If it works for you then its great but needing pills or not sleeping because you don't have your fix is addiction.
Not sure if you'd be interested but I'm into ASMR. There are certain videos that that just make me melt into sleep.
Could work wonders if you're someone that gets tingles.

I don’t know the definition of addict. I do need my pill to sleep but I don’t get jittery or angry if I don’t have it. I tried taking myself off them for a few
Nights to see what would happen and after one night I was back to May normal pattern. I don’t have a problem going to sleep, I have a problem staying asleep. If I get up to go to the bathroom or even to turn over in bed, I am wide awake. My brain goes from 0-100 when I wake up. So, the pill helps to keep me loopy enough to go back to sleep.

I like my dr because he treats the patient, not the illness. It’s not good that I now need sleeping pills to sleep, but why make me suffer by taking away the pills? I don’t ask for more before I can get a refill, I can go without them, it’s just beneficial that I do.

 

[kimblebee]

Just for giggles, I looked up a dictionary definition of addiction, and also the American Society of Addiction Medicine..




Based on these I just don’t qualify as addicted. Not that I have to prove anything to anyone.

 

[jerseygal]

Dependent and addicted are pretty much the same thing. Do you exercise? Have you tried alternative methods?

Most doctors will discuss that sleeping pills are a short term fix and can be addictive. Exercise is a natural endorphin, sunshine, Vitamin D, which might tire you out to help you sleep. Most importantly,talking to a professional counselor should help you develop a strategy of coping, be it exercise, a new hobby for the changes in your family dynamic. If you don't "click" with the first therapist, try a second, try a third. Additionally, try to appreciate and savor the time that you do spend together. Most of us have adult kids, who we are very close to, who live in different states these days, careers bring our adult children to live away from us. Sure, a lot of us would like to have our adult kids and their families within a half hour or even an hour of us, but sometimes that just isn't possible. You probably will wind up being amazed and proud at the maturity that your daughter will show as she embraces her new life living away. Understandably, it is very difficult, but be grateful for the great relationship you have developed and which will continue to grow over the years.

 

[Disney Doll]

Sounds to me like you’re having a fairly typical motherly reaction to their child taking the first steps into their adult life. Perhaps a bit more magnified because of the close bond you and your DD developed when you were a single parent.

I probably wouldn’t make my first step medication in this instance. I’d probably try to develop some other coping strategies.

 

[Christine]

I don’t know the definition of addict. I do need my pill to sleep but I don’t get jittery or angry if I don’t have it. I tried taking myself off them for a few
Nights to see what would happen and after one night I was back to May normal pattern. I don’t have a problem going to sleep, I have a problem staying asleep. If I get up to go to the bathroom or even to turn over in bed, I am wide awake. My brain goes from 0-100 when I wake up. So, the pill helps to keep me loopy enough to go back to sleep.

I like my dr because he treats the patient, not the illness. It’s not good that I now need sleeping pills to sleep, but why make me suffer by taking away the pills? I don’t ask for more before I can get a refill, I can go without them, it’s just beneficial that I do.

I kind of agree with you here on the addiction part.

There are many people who just naturally have poor sleep patterns. My aunt is one of them. If you were sleeping (not sleeping rather) poorly for YEARS, then take a medication to help you sleep and it works, then quit taking it and you return to poor sleeping, I would not call that an addiction because you only returned to your normal sleeping pattern.

The Xanax addiction is a very clear one. What I noticed was that, at first, a patient is prescribed Xanax situationally (just take one when the panic is coming on). Then a doctor will change that prescription to taking Xanax 3 times a day to "prevent" any panic from even starting. So the patient just begins taking Xanax even when they are not panicked. After a time, the patient feels better and stops. They will generally immediately have a panic attack (or worse, seizures) that were worse than anything they ever had before.

 

[Owlpost23]

My whole country will be legal in a few weeks lol

I might look into the oil. I have smoked weed before and it’s great but it makes my heart race too much now. Maybe I’ll look for edibles or something.

Was just in Denver a few weeks ago.The edibles are fun-different feeling than smoking.I'd give them a try.Just a nice calming sensation.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

OP the thing is, most drugs like the ones mentioned throughout this thread need to be taken long term to see any effect (especially antidepressants). Zanax and things like that are more of a "rescue" med for panic disorders where the symptoms hit fast and hard, not longer term emotional distress. Like others have mentioned, they are easy to become dependant on.

What you are going through is normal, you're going through a big change! My advice is to try and find something distracting that you enjoy. If you're having trouble sleeping address that with your doctor, there are temporary fixes for that. Good luck! You'll get though it!

 

[ronandannette]

I wasn’t sleeping long before I took a sleeping pills. I tried several of my dr suggestions before we settled on trying a sleeping pill. I will listen to others who said that I am dependant, but not addicted. I could throw out the pills tomorrow and never take one again. But, I would be miserable surviving on the 1-2 hours a night I was getting.

Despite what people think, sometimes medication IS the answer.

I very much agree with the bolded, and for someone like yourself with a complex, chronic illness, it would be foolhardy to suggest you should ignore the benefits of drug therapies - whatever they may be. Insomnia and long-term sleep deprivation is a serious a symptom as any other and there's no reason it shouldn't be relieved. I think having a doctor like you mentioned, who is managing the entirety of your condition is very important and personally, I'd not give a fig about what anyone here thinks as long as you are comfortable with his treatment plan.

Now back to your original question, sometimes medication is NOT the answer, and I think you knew that in this case. I'm no expert on mental health, or the meds that treat it, but I know that the drugs for depression/anxiety are different than tranquilizers, and that "numbing out" is not what you really want to do here.

I offer this as kindly as possible (it's so hard to read "tone" in a post). You're not facing a loss, even though it might feel that way; you're facing a change in the seasons of life and a permanent one. Pithy as it may sound, the only way out is through. "Sad momma" isn't a pathology, painful as it may be. Remember back through her childhood - I'm sure there were many other instances that caused you heartache because that's what sacrificial love does, but it's the right order of things and it's beautiful. You've raised a healthy, smart, competent girl with forward momentum - that was the goal, right? Great job, Mom! Given that the alternative is to hold her back in the interest of your own comfort, you and I both know you'd never let that happen.

Take this time to start transitioning yourself into a new normal. With a redistribution of your time and resources you can put new focus on other relationships (marriage, extended family and friends) in both giving and taking. It's also time to reexamine your own identity aside from being a parent. YOU have a future too, not just your daughter. Anyway...all of these things I'm saying might seem cliche, and intellectually you already know them all. You are a strong, resilient person who has been through a lot, but you've also got people who love you to come alongside, as well as my full confidence.

 

[mom2rtk]

Physical addiction is when, if you stop taking the medication (or whatever), you have a fairly severe reaction. When you miss that dose, at whatever interval, you have a negative reaction.

A psychological addiction is a bit different.

And to another point about benzos, a "top" psychiatrist that I spoke with says that Xanax is one of the best meds out there for panic disorder and has little to no side effects as other meds do. It gets a bad rap. It is very addictive, as all benzos are, but under careful and watchful monitoring it has helped many people deal with panic and you can get off of it with a careful downward titration process. It should not be casually prescribed for more than a few days by a GP. If you need it permanently you need a professional for that.

Kimblebee, how do you feel with the amitriptylene? A few months ago I was having severe sleeping issues and some anxiety problems. I toughed my way through it with no meds; however, my doctor suggested the amitriptylene. I was afraid to take it but heard some good things about it for sleep.

I took amitriptylene for chronic pain for several years. It was a godsend. It didn't solve my pain issues, but it took the edge off and made it bearable. One of the issues I had with the pain is that it was waking me up every night, so it also had the very welcome side effect of helping me sleep. I will suggest that if you take it you start at a low dose and only take it at bedtime. Mine started me off at too high a dose and I think also a daytime dose (it's been a while). It made me slur my words and practically fall asleep during the day.

At the right dose, it was exactly what I needed.

 

[Christine]

I took amitriptylene for chronic pain for several years. It was a godsend. It didn't solve my pain issues, but it took the edge off and made it bearable. One of the issues I had with the pain is that it was waking me up every night, so it also had the very welcome side effect of helping me sleep. I will suggest that if you take it you start at a low dose and only take it at bedtime. Mine started me off at too high a dose and I think also a daytime dose (it's been a while). It made me slur my words and practically fall asleep during the day.

At the right dose, it was exactly what I needed.

I have a prescription for 10mg that I am considering cutting in half. Just at bedtime. But I'm a big chicken!

 

[Christine]

I very much agree with the bolded, and for someone like yourself with a complex, chronic illness, it would be foolhardy to suggest you should ignore the benefits of drug therapies - whatever they may be. Insomnia and long-term sleep deprivation is a serious a symptom as any other and there's no reason it shouldn't be relieved. I think having a doctor like you mentioned, who is managing the entirety of your condition is very important and personally, I'd not give a fig about what anyone here thinks as long as you are comfortable with his treatment plan.

Now back to your original question, sometimes medication is NOT the answer, and I think you knew that in this case. I'm no expert on mental health, or the meds that treat it, but I know that the drugs for depression/anxiety are different than tranquilizers, and that "numbing out" is not what you really want to do here.

I offer this as kindly as possible (it's so hard to read "tone" in a post). You're not facing a loss, even though it might feel that way; you're facing a change in the seasons of life and a permanent one. Pithy as it may sound, the only way out is through. "Sad momma" isn't a pathology, painful as it may be. Remember back through her childhood - I'm sure there were many other instances that caused you heartache because that's what sacrificial love does, but it's the right order of things and it's beautiful. You've raised a healthy, smart, competent girl with forward momentum - that was the goal, right? Great job, Mom! Given that the alternative is to hold her back in the interest of your own comfort, you and I both know you'd never let that happen.

Take this time to start transitioning yourself into a new normal. With a redistribution of your time and resources you can put new focus on other relationships (marriage, extended family and friends) in both giving and taking. It's also time to reexamine your own identity aside from being a parent. YOU have a future too, not just your daughter. Anyway...all of these things I'm saying might seem cliche, and intellectually you already know them all. You are a strong, resilient person who has been through a lot, but you've also got people who love you to come alongside, as well as my full confidence.

Such great advice here. To the OP, I'm not dealing with a distance move with my children, but the empty nest has been recent for me and it's hard.

Both my "kids" got jobs locally. My DD moved out about 30 miles away around 2 years ago. My son just started his new job in August and he already has his new place rented and will be moving out on Sept 30th. That one was TOO fast for me!! I mean I'm very happy and proud that both are independent, but I really enjoy spending time with their adult selves and thought I'd get a little more time, at least, with my son. While he will be close, I really don't think I'll see him very much and I am sad about that. But I do have the comfort of him being close by.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have a prescription for 10mg that I am considering cutting in half. Just at bedtime. But I'm a big chicken!

I wish I could remember my dose. But I think my issue was that I started off taking it during the day as well (as prescribed). But I think 10 mg is a fairly small dose. I'd give it a try.

 

[ronandannette]

Such great advice here. To the OP, I'm not dealing with a distance move with my children, but the empty nest has been recent for me and it's hard.

Both my "kids" got jobs locally. My DD moved out about 30 miles away around 2 years ago. My son just started his new job in August and he already has his new place rented and will be moving out on Sept 30th. That one was TOO fast for me!! I mean I'm very happy and proud that both are independent, but I really enjoy spending time with their adult selves and thought I'd get a little more time, at least, with my son. While he will be close, I really don't think I'll see him very much and I am sad about that. But I do have the comfort of him being close by.

How bitter-sweet their successes are! Hang in there Mom, because these first fledgling steps are often falter and they need us to continue to shore them up for a while. There is just nothing, nothing in life that stretches, taxes, punishes and rewards us like parenthood. I wish I had a dime for every time I've mentally apologized to and thanked my own DMom for what, in hindsight, I understand to be her heroic and selfless love. She's gone now but I'll never stop thanking God for her and as a family, we unanimously chose this verse for her service card, all the while praying that our own children will hold these sentiments about us:

As we look back over time, we find ourselves wondering...
Did we remember to thank you enough for all you have done for us?
For all the times you were by our sides to help and support us...
To celebrate our successes, understand our problems and accept our defeats?
Or for teaching us by example the value of hard work, good judgement, courage and integrity?
We wonder if we ever thanked you for the sacrifices you made to let us have the very best.
And for the simple things - like laughter, smiles and the times we shared.
If we neglected to show our gratitude enough for all the things you did,
We're thanking you now.
And hoping you knew all along how much you meant to us.​

God bless all the good mommas!

 

[laughinplace199]

I very much agree with the bolded, and for someone like yourself with a complex, chronic illness, it would be foolhardy to suggest you should ignore the benefits of drug therapies - whatever they may be. Insomnia and long-term sleep deprivation is a serious a symptom as any other and there's no reason it shouldn't be relieved. I think having a doctor like you mentioned, who is managing the entirety of your condition is very important and personally, I'd not give a fig about what anyone here thinks as long as you are comfortable with his treatment plan.

Now back to your original question, sometimes medication is NOT the answer, and I think you knew that in this case. I'm no expert on mental health, or the meds that treat it, but I know that the drugs for depression/anxiety are different than tranquilizers, and that "numbing out" is not what you really want to do here.

I offer this as kindly as possible (it's so hard to read "tone" in a post). You're not facing a loss, even though it might feel that way; you're facing a change in the seasons of life and a permanent one. Pithy as it may sound, the only way out is through. "Sad momma" isn't a pathology, painful as it may be. Remember back through her childhood - I'm sure there were many other instances that caused you heartache because that's what sacrificial love does, but it's the right order of things and it's beautiful. You've raised a healthy, smart, competent girl with forward momentum - that was the goal, right? Great job, Mom! Given that the alternative is to hold her back in the interest of your own comfort, you and I both know you'd never let that happen.

Take this time to start transitioning yourself into a new normal. With a redistribution of your time and resources you can put new focus on other relationships (marriage, extended family and friends) in both giving and taking. It's also time to reexamine your own identity aside from being a parent. YOU have a future too, not just your daughter. Anyway...all of these things I'm saying might seem cliche, and intellectually you already know them all. You are a strong, resilient person who has been through a lot, but you've also got people who love you to come alongside, as well as my full confidence.

Well said!

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

I very much agree with the bolded, and for someone like yourself with a complex, chronic illness, it would be foolhardy to suggest you should ignore the benefits of drug therapies - whatever they may be. Insomnia and long-term sleep deprivation is a serious a symptom as any other and there's no reason it shouldn't be relieved. I think having a doctor like you mentioned, who is managing the entirety of your condition is very important and personally, I'd not give a fig about what anyone here thinks as long as you are comfortable with his treatment plan.

Now back to your original question, sometimes medication is NOT the answer, and I think you knew that in this case. I'm no expert on mental health, or the meds that treat it, but I know that the drugs for depression/anxiety are different than tranquilizers, and that "numbing out" is not what you really want to do here.

I offer this as kindly as possible (it's so hard to read "tone" in a post). You're not facing a loss, even though it might feel that way; you're facing a change in the seasons of life and a permanent one. Pithy as it may sound, the only way out is through. "Sad momma" isn't a pathology, painful as it may be. Remember back through her childhood - I'm sure there were many other instances that caused you heartache because that's what sacrificial love does, but it's the right order of things and it's beautiful. You've raised a healthy, smart, competent girl with forward momentum - that was the goal, right? Great job, Mom! Given that the alternative is to hold her back in the interest of your own comfort, you and I both know you'd never let that happen.

Take this time to start transitioning yourself into a new normal. With a redistribution of your time and resources you can put new focus on other relationships (marriage, extended family and friends) in both giving and taking. It's also time to reexamine your own identity aside from being a parent. YOU have a future too, not just your daughter. Anyway...all of these things I'm saying might seem cliche, and intellectually you already know them all. You are a strong, resilient person who has been through a lot, but you've also got people who love you to come alongside, as well as my full confidence.

Excellent advice!

 

[Domo]

What do mean by controlled environment? Outside of the hospital when are things controlled?

That's one way of looking at it, for patients who refuse to adhere to a regime. I was thinking of a strictly held regime in itself however, no doubling the dose or missing it depending on feeling, for instance.