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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tom on February 23, 2000, at 17:38:42
Thanks for the replies!the problem is that i am an alcoholic and my doc,and i am afraid that benzo may trigg my cravings for alcohol?Antipsychotic med.sounds a bit drastic to me or? are there anywone who nows more than me about this please tell me!
Posted by Rick on February 23, 2000, at 18:12:45
In reply to GAD, posted by tom on February 23, 2000, at 17:38:42
> Thanks for the replies!the problem is that i am >an alcoholic and my doc,and i am afraid that >benzo may trigg my cravings for alcohol?
Tom,
The only thing I can tell you is that I am currently taking Ativan 0.5mg 3x a day for about a week now and I also have had alcholic tendencies, although I currently have not had a drink since new years eve. Something that I read in a book that my doctor gave me offered some insight to alcoholism and anxiety/panic disorders.
It mentioned that a very large percentage of people with undiagnosed GAD can unknowingly be using alcohol to self-treat their symptoms of anxiety, which made 1000% sense to me. I know I used to love to drink because it made me feel adequate...fearless...and gave me the perception that I was normal only when I was drinking. Maybe (and I say this because I am only like you - learning) you have reached the "root" of your alcoholism, and maybe you should worry less about what benefits/consequences you get from drinking, and have you and your doctor examine the benefits/consequences of treating your GAD. I think you could actually find relief from your cravings, if you only knew the benefits of treating the problem that you have been trying to solve with drinking. If your cravings are truly physical in nature, then I may be way off base here. Something to think about and talk with your doctor about anyways.>Antipsychotic med.sounds a bit drastic to me or? >are there anywone who nows more than me about >this please tell me!
I can't tell you much on this one, but I have decided personally to trust my pdoc, after all, I have done a terrible job personally of trying to control my anxiety. I wish you the best of luck!
Posted by tom on February 23, 2000, at 19:07:53
In reply to Re: GAD, posted by Rick on February 23, 2000, at 18:12:45
Thanks RICK !I am living in sweden and so its exiting to talk with you there on the outher side ,who have the same experiences like me!I think also that i have been self medicinating my anxiety and depressions(i now i have).Hope i can talk whith you more!cold(but worm) greetings from sweden!
Posted by Sef on February 23, 2000, at 19:42:41
In reply to GAD, posted by tom on February 23, 2000, at 17:38:42
> Thanks for the replies!the problem is that i am an alcoholic and my doc,and i am afraid that benzo may trigg my cravings for alcohol?Antipsychotic med.sounds a bit drastic to me or? are there anywone who nows more than me about this please tell me!
///I have done alot of research on Naltrexone, sold under the name Revia in the U.S. because I am about to try it to augment my prozac ( for depression). Most of the info I found says it is being used for alcoholism because it curves the cravings. They have also tried it with bulimics to curve their cravings for food, but most of the info says how good it works for alcoholism. Hope this helps.
Posted by JohnL on February 24, 2000, at 4:32:35
In reply to GAD, posted by tom on February 23, 2000, at 17:38:42
> Thanks for the replies!the problem is that i am an alcoholic and my doc,and i am afraid that benzo may trigg my cravings for alcohol?Antipsychotic med.sounds a bit drastic to me or? are there anywone who nows more than me about this please tell me!
We won't know if the benzos pose an addiction risk or not without trying them. You may find they improve your life so dramatically that dealing with that risk is worth it. On the other, they might prove too addicting and you might have to avoid them. No way to know without trying.
Antipsychotics do sound drastic at first glance, but they really aren't. Especially for GAd, all that's needed are small doses. I prefer to think of them as dopamine reducers. That's what they do. SSRIs are serotonin enhancers. Lithium is a chemical stabilizer. Depakote is an electrical smoother. And an antipsychotic is a dopamine reducer. The names sometimes are not very user friendly. But what the drug actually does makes things a little clearer and tamer.
Posted by ChrisK on February 24, 2000, at 5:50:55
In reply to GAD, posted by tom on February 23, 2000, at 17:38:42
Tom,
I know that anti-psychotics sounds scary but it really isn't. A lot of people react well to Zyprexa or Risperdal as an augment to their anti-depressant. Right now I take Zyprexa and Naltrexone besides my AD. They really work well together. I initially asked for the Naltrexone to help treat my own alcoholism. It helped there but also ended up with the benefit that my Anxiety and Depression were reduced.
With that said, I would still encourage you to give the Benzo's a chance. You may want to start out on an "as needed" basis if you are worried about addiction. That will help reduce the symptoms when you feel an attack coming on. Ideally though you want to prevent attacks from occuring. A low dose of something like Klonopin may just do it.
Good Luck with whatever you try.
Chris
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