![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 18 of 18. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by xbunny on August 12, 2005, at 12:43:51
I am going on holiday soon and will have to fly on a plane. I find the whole experience of going to the airport, checking in, security (especially security), waiting, flying, disembarking, travelling to the hotel, super stressful and anxiety and paranoia causing. For the last few times I have done this I have taken a couple of diazepam 10mg spaced out over the day and found they has little or no effect. Would it be worth my while going to the GP and getting a different benzo for the trip or are they all pretty much the same? I took lorazepam when I was in hospital but I was too off it to remember any effects. Bunny
Posted by med_empowered on August 12, 2005, at 13:10:36
In reply to super intense short term anxiety, posted by xbunny on August 12, 2005, at 12:43:51
hey! Trying another benzo might be worth while. Ativan is kinda short lived, so you'd need to have more pills handy, and you might have more of problem with anxiety in-between dosings. Klonopin is a good call; 1mg is roughly equal to 10mg valium, and it lasts a LONG time...Tranxene and Librium are also relatively long-acting meds, so they're worth considering. I think you might be best served by combining a benzo with other stuff...id recommend benzo+propranolol (helps with sweaty palms, racing heart), unless you're depressed or have any cardiovascular problems. Antipsychotic add-ons might help, but they can be problematic, too. Good luck!
Posted by ed_uk on August 12, 2005, at 14:17:26
In reply to super intense short term anxiety, posted by xbunny on August 12, 2005, at 12:43:51
Hi Buns!
Diazepam works ok for me but it only lasts about 2 hours. Although it's classed as a long-acting benzo, it's only really long-acting after repeated doses. 'One off' doses usually have a short duration of action. For acute severe anxiety I need 10mg six times a day! LOL, if only my doc knew I took that much in one day - a week's supply lasted a single day.
>Lorazepam
For me, a single 3-4mg dose of lorazepam lasts about 8 hours. It works quite well for anxiety but don't expect to rememeber the flight afterwards!
Anyway, you certainly won't be able to drive if you take a benzo - I know you already know this but I had to say it anyway. I guess you'll be taking a taxi to the airport :-) Have a nice trip :-)
Kind regards
~Ed
PS. If you're doc won't prescribe a benzo, you could always take an extra dose of pericyazine + 5mg procyclidine.
Posted by blueberry on August 12, 2005, at 14:19:07
In reply to super intense short term anxiety, posted by xbunny on August 12, 2005, at 12:43:51
I asked my doc about the same thing, about going on a plane trip. He prescribed me Xanax 0.5mg 3 times a day or as needed.
I was in an emergency room once and the doctor I saw told me that his wife is terrified of flying and that he gives her 2.0mg of Xanax when she has to fly. I sampled 0.5mg and actually felt a little perked up on it before it settled me down. I think I would need more than .5mg to do the job.
Xanax doesn't last as long as the other benzos, which is a good thing if you want it just for the airport/airplane stuff.
Posted by lizabent on August 12, 2005, at 16:25:17
In reply to Re: super intense short term anxiety, posted by blueberry on August 12, 2005, at 14:19:07
ATIVAN is great for this. I had flight anxiety really bad my whole life, and got a prescription for ativan (lorazepam). I took it once I got through security and was waiting to board, so I wouldn't be too out of it to carry my stuff and find my seat. It worked wonders for about 5 hours, and then wore off pleasantly, not leaving me exhausted.
If your doc has reservations about prescribing it, ask for 5 or 6 pills only, and use them ONLY for flying. I carry it with me on the plane, but rarely need it now because I have re-trained myself not to be so anxious when on planes (thank you ativan).
liz
Posted by ed_uk on August 13, 2005, at 10:10:15
In reply to super intense short term anxiety, posted by xbunny on August 12, 2005, at 12:43:51
Hi!
What will you ask your doctor for?
~Ed
Posted by xbunny on August 13, 2005, at 11:23:49
In reply to to Buns, posted by ed_uk on August 13, 2005, at 10:10:15
Hi Ed!
> What will you ask your doctor for?
Im still pretty unsure I was hoping for a more definate diazepam doesnt work for me either but X benzo does kind of answer. I might try pot luck and just see the doctor and say give me a short term anxiety pill which isnt diazepam and see what he gives me. He would probably give me alprazolam or lorazepam anyways he not benzophobic atall (always gives me far more diazepam than I need). Then again he might give me something like librium (he is quite old). I suppose it doesnt matter since I havent tried any of them really so its pot luck whether they will help anyways. Still if you have any suggestions I am all ears (no pun intended).
Bunny
Posted by ed_uk on August 13, 2005, at 17:51:58
In reply to Re: to Buns, posted by xbunny on August 13, 2005, at 11:23:49
Hi Buns!
>Im still pretty unsure I was hoping for a more definate diazepam doesnt work for me.....
It doesn't work for me either unless I take a lot of it. I've never taken more than 30mg per dose though.
>alprazolam....
Xanax isn't available on the NHS. You can only get it on a private prescription.
>He would probably give me alprazolam or lorazepam anyways he not benzophobic at all.......
Ever tried clonazepam??? (Rivotril in UK, Klonopin in US)
>Still if you have any suggestions I am all ears (no pun intended).....
Do you have any Melleril lying around?
~ed
Posted by xbunny on August 13, 2005, at 20:12:19
In reply to Re: to Buns » xbunny, posted by ed_uk on August 13, 2005, at 17:51:58
Hi Ed
>
> >alprazolam....
>
> Xanax isn't available on the NHS. You can only get it on a private prescription.oh I didnt know that, bummer, well that certainly clears up what they gave me in hospital it was either alprazolam or lorazepam and since alprazolam isnt available it must have been the other.
>
> >He would probably give me alprazolam or lorazepam anyways he not benzophobic at all.......
>
> Ever tried clonazepam??? (Rivotril in UK, Klonopin in US)Diazepam and the one they gave me in hospital are the only two benzos I have ever taken.
> Do you have any Melleril lying around?
>no I stopped it years ago and my wife doesnt let me stock pile old or unused meds cos of the potential suicide risk.
Bunny
Posted by ed_uk on August 14, 2005, at 9:44:13
In reply to Re: to Buns, posted by xbunny on August 13, 2005, at 20:12:19
Hi Buns!
>Ever tried clonazepam???
It could be worth a try, ask your pdoc.
~Ed
Posted by xbunny on August 14, 2005, at 10:29:44
In reply to Re: to Buns » xbunny, posted by ed_uk on August 14, 2005, at 9:44:13
Hi Ed,
> >Ever tried clonazepam???
>
> It could be worth a try, ask your pdoc.Better than lorazepam? I like what you said about not being able to remember the flight afterwards, that sounds like the kind of effect I am looking for! ;-) The less aware of the entire experience I am the better. Being in a doped haze would be perfect so long as I didnt notice I was too doped otherwise I get paranoid. I must say I am beginning to lean towards the idea that a wack of thioridazine might be a more sound, more proven choice. I just dont want to piss off my wife and pdoc by changing one of my antipsychotics again, plus theres the complication of getting it prescribed I doubt another benzo would be any hassle atall.
Buns
Posted by ed_uk on August 14, 2005, at 10:34:00
In reply to Re: to Buns, posted by xbunny on August 14, 2005, at 10:29:44
Hi Buns,
>Better than lorazepam?
Some people prefer it, others prefer lorazepam though. Clonazepam has a reputation for being more 'depressing'.
>The less aware of the entire experience I am the better.
I like lorazepam :-)
>thioridazine
I hope you can get hold of it. I'm not sure whether it's still available.
~Ed
Posted by xbunny on August 15, 2005, at 11:20:20
In reply to Re: to Buns » xbunny, posted by ed_uk on August 14, 2005, at 10:34:00
It does seem that getting thioridazine will be a problem. It may not be available, all I could find is that the generic 25mg packs of 28 and the branded melleril have been stopped. Also apparently I would need the psychiatrists supervision (whatever that means) and maybe routine ECGs to take it and that sounds like too much hassle to organize in the shortterm. Also my wife thinks and I agree that there not really time to experiment with a new cocktail. So my new plan is I am gonna try pushing my pericyazine dose upto 30mg for a week or two and see if I start to tolerate it more and take an extra one for the flight. Does that sound like a good plan? I was thinking of dosing 20mg at night and 10mg in the morning so as not to oversleep too much or even 3 10mg doses any thoughts on that? The follow on plan is if I dont feel any different from a higher dose of pericyazine I will get the GP to give me lorazepam at the last minute!
Buns
Posted by ed_uk on August 15, 2005, at 11:30:05
In reply to what I have decided to do (I think), posted by xbunny on August 15, 2005, at 11:20:20
Hi Buns,
>Does that sound like a good plan?
It could be :-) Do you have any procyclidine in case you have a dystonia?
>20mg at night and 10mg in the morning
Sounds like a good plan.
>GP
Is your GP ok about prescribing benzos? Mine isn't!
~Ed
Posted by ed_uk on August 15, 2005, at 11:46:45
In reply to what I have decided to do (I think), posted by xbunny on August 15, 2005, at 11:20:20
Hi again Buns,
I was thinking.... I wonder whether you'd find levomepromazine (Nozinan) more anxiolytic than pericyazine. I'm not suggesting that you try it now, but perhaps you could try substituting Nozinan for Neulactil when you return from your holiday. It might be worth a try.
I don't have any evidence that Nozinan would be better than Neulactil, I just thought it might be worth a try!
~ed
Posted by xbunny on August 15, 2005, at 12:03:03
In reply to Re: what I have decided to do (I think) » xbunny, posted by ed_uk on August 15, 2005, at 11:30:05
Hi Ed,
>
> Is your GP ok about prescribing benzos? Mine isn't!He never had any problems with prescribing me diazepam.
Buns
Posted by ed_uk on August 15, 2005, at 13:12:26
In reply to Re: what I have decided to do (I think), posted by xbunny on August 15, 2005, at 12:03:03
Hi Buns,
>He never had any problems with prescribing me diazepam.
Ok good :-) Lorazepam is harder to get a prescription for though. UK docs seem to have a phobia of it!
~Ed
Posted by ed_uk on August 15, 2005, at 13:14:22
In reply to Re: what I have decided to do (I think), posted by xbunny on August 15, 2005, at 12:03:03
Hi again Buns!
Perhaps you could get lorazepam from your pdoc if your GP won't prescribe. It sounds like your GP might be happy to prescribe lorazepam though :-)
Kind regards
~ed
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.