[soaringfalcon11]

My friend used to buy Xanax illegally for panic attacks, but when her source ran dry, she decided to live legal and see a doctor.

First, they put here on an anti-depressant.

She said it toned down her anxiety but did not eliminate the panic attacks.

Second, they added a beta blocker to the antidepressant. This did nothing.

Third, they put her on Buspar. Again, did not stop the panic attacks.

FINALLY, after four visits to the doctor and a substantial amount of money later, she was given Xanax to use when needed.

This just shows that while some doctors (mine) hand 'em out like candy, others are paranoid and possibly more worried about saving their own butts than helping a patient - because let's face it, after the antidepressant didn't eliminate the panic attacks, nothing else but a benzo was going to.

 

[UltraShy]

I feel a rant coming on. It's been a while since I've done one of my benzo rants in which I call the DEA a criminal organization guilty of crimes against humanity. The closest I've come to such a rant was last week when somebody asked if the DEA should be fired and my reply was "yes, preferably by a firing squad."

I'm absolutely disgusted by the way medications are dispensed in our nation. Patients in desperate need of treatment have to jump through every f'ing hoop to get anything that might potentially be abused by some moron. I'm sick and tired of having to live in a moron-proofed world. New parents will baby proof their home and it seems government similarly feels an uncontrollable need to junkie-proof the nation.

The hell with people who legitimately need controlled substance to treat serious ailments. Let them mentally and/or physically suffer is the attitude taken by the DEA. Their only job is to make sure junkies don't get at drugs. They'll work tirelessly to prevent junkies from getting Oxy, even if those efforts also make it difficult for chronic pain patients to get the OxyContin they need. The DEA will tell us all about how they're saving junkies from themselves. Somehow a junkie's life is more important than the life of chronic pain patients who in some cases decide that suicide is preferable to the pain they must suffer due to inadequate treatment because their doctors are too afraid to write scripts for the astronomical amounts of drugs they actually need since they have government looking over their shoulder at all time to second guess their medical judgment and to yank their license to practice medicine should they prescribe what the government deems "too much".

I get to suffer endlessly with anxiety because benzos don't get the job done for me, but we're supposed to pretend that there exist no other anti-anxiety drug classes. We're supposed to pretend that anti-anxiety drugs didn't exist till the into of benzos in 1960s. Am I supposed to be happy that I can't legally obtain any drug that I wish to try to combat my anxiety? Apparently, I'm not smart enough to make my own choices about my own body and my own medical treatment. After all, I'm only 36 -- an adult twice over!

 

[MissMay1977]

I freaking agree!!!!!!

 

[MissMay1977]

It is the same when you are bi polar and need a med. You have to go through 500 different meds that you know will not work before they put you on one that might work. It is bs. It is a big money making scam!

 

[wrongnumber]

I disagree.

Let me ask you this. Did your friend ever try antidepps before she tried xanax? Because the fact is many people's anxiety respond very well to antidepps, and it is a much safer alternative; not as addictive, no risk of overdose. She needed to try antidepps at least once to get an idea of what medication is most suited for her. So it didn't work. Ok but her case can't be generalised to most people.

So Drs are cautious. They prescribe the safest drugs first, then when they don't work they prescribe less safe drugs later. it doesn't make sence to go straight to the most dangerous drugs first. It's common sense.

 

[IllusionalFate]

I feel a rant coming on. It's been a while since I've done one of my benzo rants in which I call the DEA a criminal organization guilty of crimes against humanity. The closest I've come to such a rant was last week when somebody asked if the DEA should be fired and my reply was "yes, preferably by a firing squad."

I'm absolutely disgusted by the way medications are dispensed in our nation. Patients in desperate need of treatment have to jump through every f'ing hoop to get anything that might potentially be abused by some moron. I'm sick and tired of having to live in a moron-proofed world. New parents will baby proof their home and it seems government similarly feels an uncontrollable need to junkie-proof the nation.

The hell with people who legitimately need controlled substance to treat serious ailments. Let them mentally and/or physically suffer is the attitude taken by the DEA. Their only job is to make sure junkies don't get at drugs. They'll work tirelessly to prevent junkies from getting Oxy, even if those efforts also make it difficult for chronic pain patients to get the OxyContin they need. The DEA will tell us all about how they're saving junkies from themselves. Somehow a junkie's life is more important than the life of chronic pain patients who in some cases decide that suicide is preferable to the pain they must suffer due to inadequate treatment because their doctors are too afraid to write scripts for the astronomical amounts of drugs they actually need since they have government looking over their shoulder at all time to second guess their medical judgment and to yank their license to practice medicine should they prescribe what the government deems "too much".

I get to suffer endlessly with anxiety because benzos don't get the job done for me, but we're supposed to pretend that there exist no other anti-anxiety drug classes. We're supposed to pretend that anti-anxiety drugs didn't exist till the into of benzos in 1960s. Am I supposed to be happy that I can't legally obtain any drug that I wish to try to combat my anxiety? Apparently, I'm not smart enough to make my own choices about my own body and my own medical treatment. After all, I'm only 36 -- an adult twice over!

Post of the year. :clap

It is the same when you are bi polar and need a med. You have to go through 500 different meds that you know will not work before they put you on one that might work. It is bs. It is a big money making scam!

Is that really the case with bipolar meds? I thought they were easy to obtain, especially compared to drugs used to treat other disorders, but then again I'm not bipolar. What hoops did you have to jump through before you finally were able to get the right medication prescribed?

So Drs are cautious. They prescribe the safest drugs first, then when they don't work they prescribe less safe drugs later. it doesn't make sence to go straight to the most dangerous drugs first. It's common sense.

I agree, this is of course the best way to go. However, once the first-line treatments have failed, most GPs and even Pdocs will REFUSE to prescribe a drug off-label that will successfully treat the patient's disorder. Why? Because "omg omg drug addikts could abuze this u kno!". Absolutely ridiculous, unjust, and malicious! I recommend taking a look at UltraShy's post, he's been unable to get a job for many YEARS because his psychiatrist won't prescribe him the drugs he needs just to live his life. I've also tried tons of medications but my psychiatrist would rather see me live with my mom and be unable to attend college than prescribe a drug that COULD be abused. Like UltraShy said: "Somehow a junkie's life is more important than the life of chronic pain patients who in some cases decide that suicide is preferable to the pain they must suffer due to inadequate treatment..."

 

[euphoria]

Ya know, funnily enough the easiest way to get an effective anxiety/depression med is to become a junkie, but take anti-tolerance drugs so you can pretend you have a massive tolerance and get a nice big dose of bupe or methadone. Or, you could even just say you've been doing heroin when you haven't. Not that I'd condone such actions...

Nah, OF COURSE I ****ING CONDONE IT, GO FOR IT! If pleasure-seeking addicts are allowed to have maintenance doses, we SA patients sure as **** deserve some.

 

[IllusionalFate]

Ya know, funnily enough the easiest way to get an effective anxiety/depression med is to become a junkie, but take anti-tolerance drugs so you can pretend you have a massive tolerance and get a nice big dose of bupe or methadone. Or, you could even just say you've been doing heroin when you haven't. Not that I'd condone such actions...

Nah, OF COURSE I ****ING CONDONE IT, GO FOR IT! If pleasure-seeking addicts are allowed to have maintenance doses, we SA patients sure as **** deserve some.

Hell yeah!

**** YOU DEA :wife

 

[Ash09]

So Drs are cautious. They prescribe the safest drugs first, then when they don't work they prescribe less safe drugs later. it doesn't make sence to go straight to the most dangerous drugs first. It's common sense.

Beznos are very safe drugs, it's practically impossible to have a fatal overdose on them. A few benzo pills a month doesn't pose dependence potential either. If we were talking about large amounts of adderall where there is a real abuse potential or an maoi I might agree, don't forget that ssri's are dependence forming too.

 

[bezoomny]

My doctor gave me benzos because 1) I had/have panic attacks, 2) I was over 18, and 3) I've taken a ton of SSRIs in the past five or six years with little effect on anxiety.

 

[Diya]

Xanax was the first thing prescribed for me so it was pretty easy, but I decided to quit it because it messed up my memory big time. I guess where I live is easier to get benzo's than in the U.S.

 

[IllusionalFate]

I guess where I live is easier to get benzo's than in the U.S.

That's probably because they feel bad for you that MAOIs aren't available there. :|

 

[Omnium11]

Well I'm going into the doctors here shortly. I'm trying to get xanax as well. I'm wondering if I should even bother, I have drug abuse history and don't want to jump through all the hoops of trying crappy anti-depressants that don't do anything. I don't want any drug except a benzo, no buspar no paxil etc. I only want like a 1 week - 1 month supply as well. Just to do the job interview and first couple days of work. Maybe I should just say screw it and force myself to do an interview with out it as an anxious, nervous mess. Horrible first impression but wth can you do.

 

[UltraShy]

I guess where I live is easier to get benzo's than in the U.S.

What nation do you live in?

 

[IllusionalFate]

Well I'm going into the doctors here shortly. I'm trying to get xanax as well. I'm wondering if I should even bother, I have drug abuse history and don't want to jump through all the hoops of trying crappy anti-depressants that don't do anything. I don't want any drug except a benzo, no buspar no paxil etc. I only want like a 1 week - 1 month supply as well. Just to do the job interview and first couple days of work. Maybe I should just say screw it and force myself to do an interview with out it as an anxious, nervous mess. Horrible first impression but wth can you do.

The first step would be not telling your doctor that you have a history of drug abuse!. He can't read your mind, unless you fail badly at lying.

You can also accept a script for an antidepressant, and then mention how you might need a benzo to help with the initial anxiogenic/worsening of depression that usually occurs within the first 1 or 2 weeks of starting treatment. If he's anti benzo, this won't change his mind, but at least you might have a chance this way. If it works then you don't even have to take the crummy SSRI and use only the benzos.

 

[soaringfalcon11]

Well I'm going into the doctors here shortly. I'm trying to get xanax as well. I'm wondering if I should even bother, I have drug abuse history and don't want to jump through all the hoops of trying crappy anti-depressants that don't do anything. I don't want any drug except a benzo, no buspar no paxil etc. I only want like a 1 week - 1 month supply as well. Just to do the job interview and first couple days of work. Maybe I should just say screw it and force myself to do an interview with out it as an anxious, nervous mess. Horrible first impression but wth can you do.

Have you tried any of the SSRI's for anxiety? I find that Celexa works quite well for my moderately severe social anxiety. Before taking it, I was biased towards thinking it would not work because most people on here have disparaged them...but within a couple weeks, I definitely could tell a difference in social situations.

Regarding why you want Xanax and the amount you want, you sound like the perfect candidate! Unfortunately, if you're not having "panic attacks", your doctor will surely disagree. Fortunately, you can lie - I'm telling you this because you seem like you want them for legitimate purposes and won't abuse them.

Here's what you do.

Go to doctor for panic attacks...do NOT whatsoever admit to a history of drug abuse. He/she will likely put you on an antidepressant. On your follow up appointment, say that the SSRI has taken an edge off the anxiety but you're still having frequent panic attacks. He/she might try something else like a beta blocker (blood pressure medicine), Buspar, or just increasing your SSRI dosage (or maybe even just giving you some Xanax. Trial and error. You just have to keep annoying your doctor until all other opinions are exhaused and he has no other choice but to prescribe you a benzo and send you on your merry little way.

As you see, it may take some time. But if you're really intend on getting them, it can be done.

 

[UltraShy]

[antidepressants are] a much safer alternative; not as addictive, no risk of overdose.

Benzos have virtually no OD risk, so I wouldn't consider that a meaningful reason. That's why they became wildly popular when introduced, first with Librium in 1960 and soon followed by Valium in 1963. At the time they were hailed as a breakthrough since a fatal benzo OD is all but impossible. Death by Valium would require 8 grams+, or 800 of the largest dose tablets. Doesn't seem at all likely that one is going to have several hundred pills just laying around, and even more unlikely that taking so many could be an accident.

Benzos replaced drugs that actually had a real potential of causing death -- either intentional or accidental, especially when mixed with alcohol. Barbiturates were used before benzos. Today fast acting barbs like Seconal & Nembutal are still legal C-II drugs that could in theory be prescribed, but I doubt you'll find any doctor or pharmacist under the age of ancient who's ever seen a script for them (except in places where euthanasia is legally permitted). Fast-acting barbs are so highly toxic in OD that they're what's used for euthanasia. Marilyn Monroe would probably be the most famous example of someone who died by barb OD -- Nembutal in her case.

So Drs are cautious. They prescribe the safest drugs first, then when they don't work they prescribe less safe drugs later. it doesn't make sence to go straight to the most dangerous drugs first. It's common sense.

In relative terms benzos are not that dangerous. I've in the past described doctors as being the kind of morons who'd try to cut down a tree with a butter knife. Won't work, but nobody is going to get hurt by a butter knife. Now a logger would simply get out a chainsaw and have that tree down real fast. A chainsaw is quite a dangerous tool in relative terms but it gets the job done quickly & efficiently. The doctor could spend an entire year (at $250 an hour) trying one ineffective method after another trying to deal with that tree, perhaps even having a therapist talk to the tree to see if it might be willing to fall over on its own.:lol

 

[euphoria]

Here in the UK, you are extremely unlikely to get a maintenance dose of benzo (quite rightly IMO), but you may easily get some co-prescribed with an SSRI (or moclobemide nowadays, if you want to retain a working penis/vagina) for the initial 2-4 weeks of anxiety. I dunno what it's like in the rest of the world, but I'd guess most psychiatrists/doctors will write a small script for benzos if you tell them a specific event you'll use 'em for. If you go in there with the attitude of "**** SSRIs, show me the Xanax", you probably won't get very far.

It's a really bad idea to just write off an entire class of drugs (SSRIs) based on all the anti-SSRI discussion you'll find on the internet. You have no way of knowing how they'll affect you without trying them, and you may be surprised. Benzos may work instantly after taking them ("acute phase"), but are a pretty pathetic solution in the "chronic phase".

In my case, after a few weeks of lorazepam I was switched to pregabalin, which is pretty similar to benzos but supposedly more sustainable. I have to say, I've gained a lot of respect for my psychiatrist and the way I've been handled, contrary to some people's stories.

Another thing -- if you are under 18, treatment options are somewhat limited unless your Dr. is willing to prescribe "off-label".

One more thing to bear in mind: at least for me, most medications' effects were overwhelmed and distorted by the influence of benzos, when I've been on them. What I'm saying is, the impression of a med you get while on benzos will probably be very distorted.

perhaps even having a therapist talk to the tree to see if it might be willing to fall over on its own.

Hahaha.

 

[Medline]

I get to suffer endlessly with anxiety because benzos don't get the job done for me, but we're supposed to pretend that there exist no other anti-anxiety drug classes. We're supposed to pretend that anti-anxiety drugs didn't exist till the into of benzos in 1960s. Am I supposed to be happy that I can't legally obtain any drug that I wish to try to combat my anxiety? Apparently, I'm not smart enough to make my own choices about my own body and my own medical treatment. After all, I'm only 36 -- an adult twice over!

You never tried Nardil or Parnate which can work very well for treatment resistant (Social) Anxiety Disorder & Depression. Your fears of MAOIs are irrational. Why don't you take the chance to live happier?

 

[IllusionalFate]

I've in the past described doctors as being the kind of morons who'd try to cut down a tree with a butter knife. Won't work, but nobody is going to get hurt by a butter knife. Now a logger would simply get out a chainsaw and have that tree down real fast. A chainsaw is quite a dangerous tool in relative terms but it gets the job done quickly & efficiently. The doctor could spend an entire year (at $250 an hour) trying one ineffective method after another trying to deal with that tree, perhaps even having a therapist talk to the tree to see if it might be willing to fall over on its own.:lol

No profession will allow you to continue failing at your task and pay you even more money for doing so than the field of psychiatry. Low-risk prescriptions = higher cash reward for them. To a psychiatrist, success means having a long list of patients coming back to their office saying "This med didn't work for me". It makes their face look something like...

$\ / $

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