Posted by ANXIETY ANN on October 14, 2002, at 10:23:12
In reply to Re: AD's vs. Bzds for Anxiety disorders - Alan » ANXIETY ANN, posted by Alan on October 13, 2002, at 23:17:44
> As long as the xanax is working, what is the problem? Are there any besides your doctor? The dose of 3mg a day is relatively medium and dosages usually trace the waxing and waning of the disorder. I at one time was taking 5mg and the PDR range is much higher than that I believe. Do you have any complicating symptoms or do you feel relatively normal taking xanax?
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> My dose finally came down for awhile with a combo of meds and non-med therapy. But it went back up too once again. The main thing is that I was not provoked with anxiety to have my medication that worked for me to be taken away. That is unethical unless you've got an abuse problem that you are not mentioning. The vast majority of the anxiety population do not abuse their meds. The mere low "potential" is what leads to all of the hysteria.
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> The irony is that medical dependence applies to all drugs that one is dependent on for a medical condition. The other problem is that there are some archaic docs, co. docs (and some pharm co.s) that exploit that stigma. Chronic anxiety or depression or ANY disease is not cured (save antibiotics), their symptoms are simply merely treated or managed.
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> What's gonna happen when docs start decreasing or taking away altogether patient's AD's (which well may and does already happen when short term therapy is considered over) - is the need for the drug again going to be considered habituating? Are the same word games with "discontinuation syndrome" (withdrawl) and "poop-out" (tolerance) going to prevail? I don't think so once the public finds out they're being snookered.
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> If your problem is finding a doctor that is not benzophobic or simply shoveling you the pharmecutical AD line then talk to another doctor. Second and third opinions are sought every day in the medical world. Why should it be any different for psychiatry?
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> We're tired of being patronised and not listened to by our doctors.
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> Has your doctor a strategy for treating your anxiety after tapering slowly off of the xanax....another bzd like ativan, klonopin, or valium? Ask them if they are going to accept responsibility for the consequences of what happens if they insist on withdrawing you from a medication that is already working. That will get their attention real fast.
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> To find a doctor that you trust and that will trust you, you'll have to do a little investigating...asking other primary physicians or friends or other family members for references that have family physicians or KNOW OF physicians that know something about these medications. At least they will have heard of a doc that specialises in the treatment of anxiety disorders - one that considers ALL meds to be offered the patient on an equal footing....enabling you with the right to choose. Ask the doctor outright if that is what they offer - that is, whatever works for you from YOUR experience, not from what THEY have on their agenda.
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> Good luck.
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> Armed with enough information and courage, remember, you are the boss and your doctor is your employee.
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> Best,
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> Alan
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>*****
Alan,
Thanks for the info. I do not have any s/e from xanax and I am not abusing it. THe doc did suggest adivan. I will follow your advice and look into finding a new doc. The one I have now is VERY unsympathedic. She does not understand the dispair of anxiety.
poster:ANXIETY ANN
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021012/msgs/123588.html