Posted by utopizen on July 22, 2003, at 16:41:14
In reply to Narcotics, benzos...so very helpful!, posted by jay on July 21, 2003, at 22:52:11
Not to sound unsympathetic, but how can you appear to even suggest that your temporary relief found in codiene (which is not a narcotic, it's sold over the counter in Canada in cough syrup, and I don't think things are classified as narcotics in this country unless they're C-II, and Tylenol 3 is C-III, a weak analgesic).
Codiene does not offer anti-anxiety effects for more than a week or so, if that. If you're experiencing anxiety relief, you're confusing it with the benzo you're taking.
If you stopped your Paxil solely because of fatigue, and didn't bother to trial some Provigil with it, it's difficult for my to offer any sympathy for your current state (which is not as great as you have convinced yourself as it of being).
Sorry to appear unsympathetic, but I do not understand doctors who give up a treatment trial solely because of somnolence. It's not 1902, somnolence is a treatable side effect 99% of the time.
It's nothing worth dumping your meds over, anyway. Provigil is mostly prescribed to combat somnolence from other drugs, and only a minority of prescriptions are written for narcolepsy.
Someone told me they stopped their Paxil once because it was making them tired, didn't tell their doctor, stopped seeing him, and started drinking (excessively). The worst part is the doctor suggested to her to try an "anti-narcolepsy drug" (Provigil) and she refused. Yet didn't seem so hesitant to become an alcoholic. I have no respect for this person, because she saw a doctor who knew how to treat her properly, and she blamed her meds for her problems when the real problem was that she wouldn't try Provigil.
That's ridiculious-- to not even TRY Provigil, which is obviously safer than alcohol. What's wrong with this picture? You're not acting rationally. My doctor told me I wasn't, and I don't expect Dr. Bob to scold me for saying this. We all need to accept that the very fact that we suffer from a mental illness means that we do not think rationally, whether it's social anxiety or psychosis. If you acted rationally, you wouldn't have anxiety. I don't, I have anxiety. That's why I avoid narcotics, because I know I'd let my irrational brain convince myself it's a long-term solution to my problem.
So don't be so confident to have found a secret elixir here. Tell your doctor you're tired on Paxil, and he can prescribe you Provigil. I can't believe you're resorting to codiene instead of trying Provigil. Is there some message board rule about not exposing my disbelief? Because I'm not afraid to say that.
I can't say how many times I've read posters hear act as if somnolence is a reason to stop a drug. It's frankly not legitimate, unless Provigil has failed and a stimulant has been considered after that. If your med wasn't important enough to keep taking it otherwise, you wouldn't be taking it in the first place.
Summation: Somnolence is not a reason to stop a med, and stop blaming a drug for causing it if you're unwilling to try Provigil.
poster:utopizen
thread:244117
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030718/msgs/244318.html