![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Leah on June 9, 2002, at 18:42:29
I've lurked abit trying to get up the courage to take the Buspar that was prescribed for anxiety. I had a terrible experience with paxil ending in the ER.
I really, really, want to feel normal. I was almost there when my doctor prescribed 3.75 mg clorazepate 3x a day. After a week I was starting to skip doses and I didn't even "need" it on the weekends. When the 'script ran out, after two weeks, the doctor changed it to buspar. This was in March. I still have two pills left but I'm saving them - just having them with me, makes me feel more "in control".
I have in my medicine cabinet: Buspar, zoloft, and the demon pill paxil. I won't take any of them.
How is this for torture. I feel like maybe buspar might help me but I'm terrified of taking it. I took one, but immediately after swallowing I got the anxiety attack from hell because I took it. Does that make any sense?
So anyway my question is, is it really terrible to stay on clorazepate? That is if I can convince some doctor somewhere that I'm not a druggie. maybe with the clorazepate, I can take the buspar. I just don't know.
Posted by omega man on June 9, 2002, at 20:14:28
In reply to Buspar, posted by Leah on June 9, 2002, at 18:42:29
with your whole state of being riding on this little pill ..and all the hopes and hassle of getting it..add the hopes and hassle that of previous drugs where the reaction was bad...
of course youre a druggie ..we all are here..all humans induce chemical structures..the problem is just this current eternal torture....benzos work but you get hooked....you need more and more and more if youre looking to the drug for relief day after day...
its driven me enough to write the above idea for non-addictive benzos...
I had an endless supply of benzos for 8 years...I wrote the presciptions myself..and had a pocketfull all the time...what a great time..to be free of anxiety/indecision...the road of excess has led to the path of wisdom....I have to get a grip using combos of drugs...so I can use the benzos wisely...
basically when you use benzos its like a ticket to ride on a train of anxiety reduction thats running out of steam as soon as you get on it....so you have to keep getting of before you use all your ticket ...so you have to look at your life and prioritize ...what makes you anxious..
I needed to weed out all the people and places that bring it on...but there was still things i had to do if , things like shopping for food and running round paying bills..etc..then days where i prioritize things that would lead to relaxing scenarios....buying lots of plants or whatever..
until we have a drug like a benzo which is non addictive then lots of creative thought has to go into how you use that ticket...and that ticket is really valuable....no matter how well you get organized there will always be bad people or events that happen ...
thats where CBT cognitive behavioural therapy comes in...once i realized how low the probability is of an anxious thought coming true and also just how many bad things could probably happen that i have'nt thought about..i had a right bellyaching laugh at myself...but to laugh at yourself requires a degree of self awareness that anxiety eats at..so thats where you have to find CBT help....I hope youre not in the UK cos they don't have it..
I was lucky my mother did that as her job....she used a very good book called "mind over mood" ..
and I was very resistant..but its all true...you can have the drawer of drugs for backup or fun as well...but life is so much better now that i'm in the driving seat..
Buspar has a real good anti-anxiety effect..but it makes my guts feel wound up to hell and bloated...and it only seems to be any good when i'm a dribbling insane wreck...I came to a deal with my doctor..well thats wrong...basically I realized how to plough through the anxiety, and get a grip, sleep on problems, try new ideas, be hopefull...many days I know its me thats running my life, but also sometimes the thoughts are ruining it and I have to say "bloody ell time for another trazepam" , " more bloody mind numbing"....I 've learned for the large part to use my excitability, creatively...none of this is easy mind you..
Posted by jay on June 10, 2002, at 1:59:21
In reply to Re: Buspar » Leah, posted by omega man on June 9, 2002, at 20:14:28
> with your whole state of being riding on this little pill ..and all the hopes and hassle of getting it..add the hopes and hassle that of previous drugs where the reaction was bad...
>
> of course youre a druggie ..we all are here..all humans induce chemical structures..the problem is just this current eternal torture....benzos work but you get hooked....you need more and more and more if youre looking to the drug for relief day after day...
I have never experienced, and never seen, any need among folks to increase their dose of a benzo. I have been on and off for eight years, and the same small dose that helped me the first time is the exact same one that still helps me. Much scientific literature also backs this up, in stating that people rarely escalate doses of benzos for relief. I personally think that is a lie the pharmaceutical industry thrust on people to push their more expensive (and much less effective) antidepressants.
My only concern with benzos os that they sometimes can nag on depression a bit, and sometimes make it worse. Taking a brief break from benzo use seems to fix this fine.
Jay
Posted by JohnX2 on June 10, 2002, at 2:44:43
In reply to Re: Buspar » Leah, posted by omega man on June 9, 2002, at 20:14:28
Omega Man,If I may ask...
What was your diagnosis during the benzo years?
What is your current diagnosis?I'm curious to see if there are trends in the
profiles of people that develop tolerance to
the benzos anxiolytic actions quickly
(as I was one of them - not using for GAD or Panic, however).John
Posted by omega man on June 15, 2002, at 22:02:59
In reply to Re: Buspar » omega man, posted by JohnX2 on June 10, 2002, at 2:44:43
Just realized my reply to this did'nt get through
My DX during the "benzo" years was "chronic schizoid" which is Schizo-affective plus G.A.D.
I was using the benzos to fight through the constant state of reaction and hypersensitivity..
My present DX is Seasonal affective disorder and stil G.A.D.
Somethings got better..the prognosis for the "schizo" range is not too bright.
My Pdoc still does'nt recognize that omega 3 cured me..But I was so happy I did'nt hang round to try to prove to him what happened.
he just thinks I suddenly got better after 10 years ..like some sort of John Nash story..!!my GP is a bit more open minded..seeing as he sees me regularly.
Most Pdocs in Britain are slaves to their system.
If it was'nt for the web I would never have found the research on omega 3 and thought of trying it.If anyone wants the ideal proof of omega 3's effectiveness..lock me in room, take it away, and watch what happens.
Posted by JohnX2 on June 15, 2002, at 23:07:43
In reply to Re: Buspar + another Omega rant.. » JohnX2, posted by omega man on June 15, 2002, at 22:02:59
> Just realized my reply to this did'nt get through
>
> My DX during the "benzo" years was "chronic schizoid" which is Schizo-affective plus G.A.D.
>
> I was using the benzos to fight through the constant state of reaction and hypersensitivity..
>
> My present DX is Seasonal affective disorder and stil G.A.D.
>
> Somethings got better..the prognosis for the "schizo" range is not too bright.
>
> My Pdoc still does'nt recognize that omega 3 cured me..But I was so happy I did'nt hang round to try to prove to him what happened.
> he just thinks I suddenly got better after 10 years ..like some sort of John Nash story..!!
>
> my GP is a bit more open minded..seeing as he sees me regularly.
>
> Most Pdocs in Britain are slaves to their system.
> If it was'nt for the web I would never have found the research on omega 3 and thought of trying it.
>
> If anyone wants the ideal proof of omega 3's effectiveness..lock me in room, take it away, and watch what happens.congrats on the omega-3.
can I ask a question. Before the omega-3 addition, did you eat a crummy
diet devoid of omega-3 containing foods?I also found omega-3 to be powerful (but gives me a headache...strange).
My diet was devoid of omega-3 before the supplements. I wonder how much
shock factor this causes introducing the supplement.John
Posted by omega man on June 16, 2002, at 3:14:31
In reply to Re: Buspar + another Omega rant.. » omega man, posted by JohnX2 on June 15, 2002, at 23:07:43
nice youre so interested...you sound like a researcher of some sort..or perhaps the webs made us all amatuer researchers...
I would say my diet was lacking fish totally pre-omega3..also very interesting is that as a kid..my grandmother (who bought it with a brain clot) was eating tons of fish and so I was fed loadsa salmon etc...every year our holidays were spent in search of fish and..now I remember plenty of people in the family had boats and we went for weekends catching trout and mackeril (oilies) and had the freezer full of them...so from that you could say as I left home I lost that in my diet...
but then again from a very young age I was prone to excessive creativity/psychotism ? and strange perceptions/hallucinations ?..pre any fish factor..
meaning the whole fish hunting thing looks more like a diet fix that existed in the family..but then again i'm half jewish so that might just be tradition..but then again Jewish genetic histories have higher rates of neural disease than any other race....
ohhhh youu go and figure it out !!
Posted by coral on June 16, 2002, at 11:17:27
In reply to Buspar, posted by Leah on June 9, 2002, at 18:42:29
Don't mean to add to your concern . . . however, my husband was prescribed Buspar for anxiety. After one weeks, his heart rate kept dropping... down to 35. Stopped the BuSpar and he was fine. (A friend takes it and it works like a champ) Like you, I'm very hesitant about taking meds (especially new meds) but, like you, I have the "remedies" in the cabinet and take as needed. I've had such bad reactions from some meds that there's a reactive anxiety so I have to weed through carefully what will work and won't work for me. I can pop Percodan like candy and no effect. Xanax sends me up the wall in a NY second.
Posted by kostyshock on August 15, 2002, at 21:01:03
In reply to Buspar, posted by Leah on June 9, 2002, at 18:42:29
> I've lurked abit trying to get up the courage to take the Buspar that was prescribed for anxiety. I had a terrible experience with paxil ending in the ER.
>
> I really, really, want to feel normal. I was almost there when my doctor prescribed 3.75 mg clorazepate 3x a day. After a week I was starting to skip doses and I didn't even "need" it on the weekends. When the 'script ran out, after two weeks, the doctor changed it to buspar. This was in March. I still have two pills left but I'm saving them - just having them with me, makes me feel more "in control".
>
> I have in my medicine cabinet: Buspar, zoloft, and the demon pill paxil. I won't take any of them.
>
> How is this for torture. I feel like maybe buspar might help me but I'm terrified of taking it. I took one, but immediately after swallowing I got the anxiety attack from hell because I took it. Does that make any sense?
>
> So anyway my question is, is it really terrible to stay on clorazepate? That is if I can convince some doctor somewhere that I'm not a druggie. maybe with the clorazepate, I can take the buspar. I just don't know.I would get off clorazepate if i were you. My dad took clorazepate and now he is addicted to it. The docs say it will be 5 years till he is off. When he don't take it, omg panics from hell. Watch out for this drug. I myself am taking buspar 15mg twice a day said to be the safest around. don't know if its working really but its only been 10 days.
Posted by joe smith2 on January 20, 2004, at 9:03:10
In reply to Re: Buspar, posted by coral on June 16, 2002, at 11:17:27
Hello everyone,
I am currently on 8 mg gabitril to control my highs and lows. I have pretty bad gad, but I have problems getting used to the SSRIs. I am planning on starting Buspar today and I am pretty excited. Does anyone know how Buspar is taking by itself or with a drug like Gabitril. Ive tried all the SSRIS, and never made it past the two week point due to the awful side effects. Please, if you have positive experiences with Buspar, please share them with me.
> Don't mean to add to your concern . . . however, my husband was prescribed Buspar for anxiety. After one weeks, his heart rate kept dropping... down to 35. Stopped the BuSpar and he was fine. (A friend takes it and it works like a champ) Like you, I'm very hesitant about taking meds (especially new meds) but, like you, I have the "remedies" in the cabinet and take as needed. I've had such bad reactions from some meds that there's a reactive anxiety so I have to weed through carefully what will work and won't work for me. I can pop Percodan like candy and no effect. Xanax sends me up the wall in a NY second.
Posted by dowchild on January 20, 2004, at 18:09:34
In reply to Buspar, posted by Leah on June 9, 2002, at 18:42:29
DID and anxiety - the BuSpar seems to work for me, watch the grapefruit juice tho, increases serum levels 6x according to physicians product monograph.
Dosing level is 10 mg 3x per day. Also using Paxil 15 mg 2x per day.
Psychotherapy too and research on lifestyle changes to knock the triggers down to a dull roar.Self medicated on alcohol, so trying to fix that addiction through AA. ACoA just to add to the jollies. Divorce, job loss, bankrupcy, suicidial ideation, which had me running to find a pdoc next day. Basically an ugly grab bag of stuff to deal with. All in the space of 4 mo.
All parties I talk to seem to agree on change your approach to life.
Part of the solution seems to involve the life changes that lead to an inner tranquility. Drugs are an assist but without the life changes, you are still on the treadmill, so the idea is to slow it down and get off.
I find camomile/mint tea to be helpful for me - avoid caffine and alcohol. Green tea seems to be not so bad, though.To those that have bad interactions, you can say " that didn't work" but the cognitive part of your mind, and the limbic system are not in agreement.
Maybe having someone nearby to talk it through might help. Choose a supportive, calm friend. Buspar takes a while to reach effectiveness, you might try cracking the pill in two the first time.
I'm guessing the limbic system, seat of memory, and more important, seat of emotions recorded the panic attack at this new pill, and will replay the panic at another new pill ( my guess).
My best guess at physically what is happening, maybe traumas, too.Hope it might help.
Just found the board while researching effective drug cocktails, so this is my first post here.
Hope I haven't offended anyone.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.