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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 13:18:46
Need to change l.5xanax and 2.5valium to ativan, add soma, taking doxycycline for lymes again, and the 50 of luvox and synthroid. Seems they or some interfere with ca and magnesium dairy products and synthroid is timing. I can't do it if I can't figure it out. Can I make all the switches at once. Add sunburn in the mix and I'm so confused. And don't understand soma at all. If it relaxes muscles why doesn't it help with anxiety. Please help or I'm quitting meds too complicated. Thanks Phillipa
Posted by orbital on March 26, 2010, at 13:33:33
In reply to Plese Help me Time my Meds All New, posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 13:18:46
Phillipa, here's what I posted as a response in another thread, I forgot to add your name so I'm not sure if you read it:
**************************************
Well, here are some thoughts... barring any interactions with your antibiotic (doxycycline?):- Soma is a strong anxyolitic in its own right, as its main metabolite is meprobamate aka Miltown, a first generation tranquilliser.
- I'd definitely lower the Xanax gradually as, in my experience, getting off even a small dose gives me some mild withdrawal symptoms, even if I have another benzo on board - of course this might not be the case for you.
- Getting off the Valium shouldn't be too much of a hassle, due to your low dose and its long half life. As a side note, you might even find that some of your tiredness and lack of energy might improve once you're off this med.
- I'm not sure if 1 mg Ativan will cut it, as it's a very low dose compared to your current cocktail. However, it's a very "clean" drug, so you'll probably be able to adjust it as necessary very easily. The Soma might help in this dept. too.
****************************As I understand it, Soma does help with anxiety.
I'm not sure about the Ca Mg interactions.
I definitely think you should switch gradually.
Hope this helps. xo
> Need to change l.5xanax and 2.5valium to ativan, add soma, taking doxycycline for lymes again, and the 50 of luvox and synthroid. Seems they or some interfere with ca and magnesium dairy products and synthroid is timing. I can't do it if I can't figure it out. Can I make all the switches at once. Add sunburn in the mix and I'm so confused. And don't understand soma at all. If it relaxes muscles why doesn't it help with anxiety. Please help or I'm quitting meds too complicated. Thanks Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 13:48:52
In reply to Re: Plese Help me Time my Meds All New » Phillipa, posted by orbital on March 26, 2010, at 13:33:33
Orbital this is part of my confusion as that is what I thought about the soma being miltown the pharmacists two of them said no if at all 1% is like miltown. I asked if it would help with anxiety they said no. Just relax muscles from head down and this doesn't make sense to me at all. I'd done the drug checker and saw that xanax and valium were contraindicated with soma and ativan was fine. And as a side note luvox potentiates effects of valium and xanax but not ativan. In the past I'd said shouldn't ativan be what I take with luvox doc said didn't matter. Now I'm wondering if two years ago when a pdoc here wanted a baseline and dc's my luvox and gave me 6mg of ativan I didn't sleep for two weeks and ended up in the ER where they said return to luvox and the much lower doses of valium and it worked. What would you do? Thanks Phillipa
Posted by orbital on March 26, 2010, at 16:47:46
In reply to Re: Plese Help me Time my Meds All New » orbital, posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 13:48:52
Phillipa, I've run the interaction checker and it seems like the only major interaction is Valium- Luvox (hence your low dose of valium?) The other interactions are moderate, so maybe you could switch to your new regime very conservatively and see how you respond? That's what I'd do.. Did your doc tell you to switch over all at once?
Matt
> Orbital this is part of my confusion as that is what I thought about the soma being miltown the pharmacists two of them said no if at all 1% is like miltown. I asked if it would help with anxiety they said no. Just relax muscles from head down and this doesn't make sense to me at all. I'd done the drug checker and saw that xanax and valium were contraindicated with soma and ativan was fine. And as a side note luvox potentiates effects of valium and xanax but not ativan. In the past I'd said shouldn't ativan be what I take with luvox doc said didn't matter. Now I'm wondering if two years ago when a pdoc here wanted a baseline and dc's my luvox and gave me 6mg of ativan I didn't sleep for two weeks and ended up in the ER where they said return to luvox and the much lower doses of valium and it worked. What would you do? Thanks Phillipa
Posted by ed_uk2010 on March 26, 2010, at 18:02:39
In reply to Plese Help me Time my Meds All New, posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 13:18:46
> Need to change l.5xanax and 2.5valium to ativan, add soma, taking doxycycline for lymes again, and the 50 of luvox and synthroid. Seems they or some interfere with ca and magnesium dairy products and synthroid is timing. I can't do it if I can't figure it out. Can I make all the switches at once. Add sunburn in the mix and I'm so confused. And don't understand soma at all. If it relaxes muscles why doesn't it help with anxiety. Please help or I'm quitting meds too complicated. Thanks Phillipa
Soma is essentially a sedative. It relaxes muscles only by virtue of its sedative effect. It is not an analgesic.
To be honest, I don't see any reason for you to take Soma. You are already taking Valium, a sedative/muscle relaxant. You may need a different type of pain medication, but not Soma.
Also, why do you need to switch to Ativan? Abruptly switching from Xanax+Valium to Ativan is likely to make you feel unwell. 'Equivalent' doses are only approximate and whatever dose of Ativan you switch to it isn't likely to be correct. You would then have to increase/decrease the Ativan until you felt better. I do not understand the reason for doing this.
Posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 19:57:10
In reply to Re: Plese Help me Time my Meds All New » Phillipa, posted by ed_uk2010 on March 26, 2010, at 18:02:39
Ed the infection control specialist is concerned with my anxiety and said I need something to relax and not be anxious. Since my first drug combo when 24 was miltown and valium 5mg TID when he mentioned soma thought it would be good. pdoc saw next didn't see a reason to switch to ativan. But I googled and found the interractions. So you don't feel it's necessary to switch to ativan? My thinking was maybe a different benzo would work? And the slightly longer half life? Also MRI of back shows too many abnormalities to list, narrowed spinal canal, old ruptured disc, spurs, shrinking discs. Hence the pain and they will not give tramadol? And I just read in my nursing articles that come via the web that now doxycycline is being investigated as an anti imflammatory med. And today day one on that and back seemed a bit better? Link or not? Love PJxxx
Posted by ed_uk2010 on March 27, 2010, at 10:16:12
In reply to Re: Plese Help me Time my Meds All New » ed_uk2010, posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 19:57:10
> Ed the infection control specialist is concerned with my anxiety and said I need something to relax and not be anxious. Since my first drug combo when 24 was miltown and valium 5mg TID when he mentioned soma thought it would be good. pdoc saw next didn't see a reason to switch to ativan. But I googled and found the interractions. So you don't feel it's necessary to switch to ativan? My thinking was maybe a different benzo would work? And the slightly longer half life? Also MRI of back shows too many abnormalities to list, narrowed spinal canal, old ruptured disc, spurs, shrinking discs. Hence the pain and they will not give tramadol? And I just read in my nursing articles that come via the web that now doxycycline is being investigated as an anti imflammatory med. And today day one on that and back seemed a bit better? Link or not? Love PJxxx
Any benzo will increase the sedative effects of Soma, including Ativan.
I agree that you need help relaxing, but I'm not convinced that switching benzos would be helpful. Such 'switches' can often make people more anxious due to withdrawal symptoms.
Are you taking anything for the back pain at the moment? Back pain is often difficult to treat with medication. Some people benefit from seeing an osteopath, chiropractor or physio-therapist.
For mild to moderate back pain, acetaminophen 650mg-1000mg four times a day can be tried first. The risk of side effects is very low. Have you tried taking it regularly for a few days?
Posted by floatingbridge on March 28, 2010, at 1:45:51
In reply to Re: Plese Help me Time my Meds All New » ed_uk2010, posted by Phillipa on March 26, 2010, at 19:57:10
Phillipa, just catching up with your thread. I agree that there is too much switching at once--that alone would spike my anxiety!
Personally, at least a short course of a stronger pain med seems in order. Will no one write one?
This would be too complicated for me to decide on my own. I'd ask a trusted doc or professional's help charting a course.
Posted by Phillipa on March 28, 2010, at 19:32:01
In reply to Re: Plese Help me Time my Meds All New » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on March 28, 2010, at 1:45:51
Hi FB yes it sure increases anxiety. As far as the docs are concerned just take the meds period. Love Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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