Chill'n out ain't easy.

[mitch777]

Started taking Ativan today. 

 

Newbie to this class of meds and THAT alone adds to my anxiety. I guess that I am more frightened of needing the med than I am of taking it.

[mecch]

OK I Hope you get some relief.
I took it when I was anxiously depressed in my opinion it was more essential than the ssri I took.  How did your doc prescribed it.
I was too take a lozenge if I felt a sudden crisis so thats why I said it seemed more "essential" -- because it felt like an instant correction of a bad state of mind.  Im sure the ssri and therapy and time was what got me out of the funk, but the lorazepam was there when I would get a feeling of dark panic.

[mitch777]

Sorry Mecch, I was editing my post while you were posting.. and thanks.

They are small pills 0.5mg (lowest dose) to be taken as needed up to three times daily. I'm not used to these options!!! Ha!

Gonna go slow though. Get to know them and see if they are my buddy's or not. I will try to give them an honest chance because I really don't have many alternatives.

You seem to have experienced more "sudden crisis" moments while mine are more long-term issues building.

Anyway, I hope it helps, along with time and therapy. This on top of my regular cognitive issues feels like I'm tangling with two tigers at the same time.

If I get far out of character here you are all forwarded. 

[mitch777]

I probably should have been more direct in this thread. I would like to hear more from those of you who have taken similar meds.

Miss P filled me in a titch but I do have concerns about sexual side effects and more importantly retaining some semblance of normal thought. I haven't had a good track record taking antidepressants in this regard. They all have seemed to turn me into a zombie with little control over what I'm feeling. Is that the concept? If it is I'm not so sure I like it.

[absopozilutely]

I just recently started a thread about my battle with anxiety, try and check it out.

[mecch]

When I couldn't control my emotions, benzos helped me do so.
Also never felt like a zombie on SSRIs or on benzos.
Thats my 2 cents.
I think it helps if one has projects, engagements.  For me it was my job and keeping up a household newly single.  Also some motivating projects that offer rewards - something creative or affective.
I found it best to think of these drugs as there to do something and to visual what they do and let them do it and to NOT visualise my fears about these drugs. I suppose it helps that I don't have such hard fears of drugs.  But you know what I mean.  I wouldn't visualise "this drug makes me a zombie" or "this drug kills my sexuality"...

[mecch]

When I took an SSRI, I said to myself, this drug is like a non-stick coating. Shitty situations, people, responsibilities, and shitty vibes - they are not going to penetrate. They slide off me.
For benzos, it was more internal.  Here I feel the visualisation is: this drug stops my mind from rolling in anxiety, dark thoughts, repetitive thoughts, etc. Its like that magic spray we had to defrizz and untangle hair.

Or, they are like a cocktail in many ways, benzos.

SSRIs are like taking pills to ward off colds and the flu during the season. They reinforce the shell, the mind's defenses.

[Dan0]

When I was on Zoloft, Paxill, Wellbutrin and some other stuff that I've forgotten - and it was years ago for a short time - I thought it would be some magic pill to cure all my ails and my shitty disposition.  The side effects were much of what was mentioned sexual side effects (staying power so long that it got boring).  I would switch from one to the other since each one has something that was an irritant. Not that this relates to anyone in particular but I learned that my shitty disposition was a result of my shitty situation and once I finally got rid of that I also ditched the pills and never took them again. 

They DID help, though, in a leveling sort of way.  I'm not certain if it was the pills or the 'thought' of the pills. The biggest challenge was to continually keep on a schedule (now, I laugh at this) since I was inclined to lay off them when things were rosy!  Then, predictably, crash time. It was a roller coaster that I didn't want and brought on myself because I expected a different result from my self-medicating and not following my doctor's instructions.  I'm not certain what I was expecting but apparently got what I deserved!

[mitch777]

Abso, I read your thread but I started mine first! lol.

Mecch, Thanks for your colorful descriptions of how it affected you and your thought processes. Since this is a new class of meds for me I'm trying to not "project" but my experiences on antidepressants never worked out so well. I'm really open minded about Ativan at this point.

When I said Zombie, I meant that my personality became more flat and it was like I was just going through the motions to get through the day. I get your non-stick metaphor. Hoping that Ativan becomes my magic detangler spray. lol. I'm beginning to wonder if anxiety was my problem in the past.

Being so isolated these days and with winter around the corner I should get more involved in finishing a painting that I started 2 years ago. Maybe sell it for $250,000 and put an end to all of this worry. 

DanO, I'm planning on sticking with this unless something horribly unforeseen happens. I tend to give meds a good chance unless I get a bad case of the hives which has happened more than once. Ha!

One question that I forgot to ask the doc...
I know many antidepressants take time to build up in ones system before they become effective, but do bennies behave the same way or are they more "instant"?

This is day three and I don't notice a thing but there hasn't been any additional stress to put it to a test. I want to see if the hair conditioner of-the-mind theory is working already. tee he. It would be good to know that in times of need that an extra dose would help.

Thanks guys.

[mecch]

sell it for $250,000 and put an end to all of this worry. 

Jeez that's a lotta scratch fella, what r u waiting for? Get to work.

[mitch777]

Jeez that's a lotta scratch fella, what r u waiting for? Get to work.

Waiting for a first offer in anticipation of of the millions it will bring after my death.

[absopozilutely]

Benzos take about 20-45 minutes to come into your system. Although they should be taken as needed. There is a new study showing a link between early onset Alzheimer's and benzos, which is what Ativan is. Ativan is basically like Xanax, Klonopin, etc, tranquilizers. They're also highly addictive and can have horrible withdrawal syndromes when on them for to long.
My advice, try and avoid them- I'm trying to get off of mine.

[Miss Philicia]

Benzodiazapenes are incredibly useful clinically if used appropriately -- prescribed by a psychiatrist in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy sessions with a therapist. It's that last part most patients skip over because they just want the easy route of popping pills, and CBT therapy can last a couple of years especially for generalized anxiety disorder, or longer for many patients that are resistant to the concept.

As far as the afore mentioned study -- that's ONE recent study. Benzos have been used a long time clinically and I think the majority of psychiatrists find them safe. They are highly addictive when abused excessively by the patient which, in turn, makes for horrible withdrawal issues to get off high doses. A proper psychiatrist will not allow the patient to take high doses because of this, and current electronic monitoring put in place in recent years has greatly decreased "doctor shopping" by patients for such medications -- again it's the patient abusing these meds, not the doctors. Patients must assume responsibility for their own conduct.

Any drug can be unsafe when abused. If drug and alcohol abuse runs in your family then I would tend to agree that perhaps this class of medication is not for you, but you should have been properly screened for that by your doctor if they were following protocol.

I find blanket dismissals of useful classes of medication to treat disorders to be inherently irresponsible.

[absopozilutely]

Benzodiazapenes are incredibly useful clinically if used appropriately -- prescribed by a psychiatrist in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy sessions with a therapist. It's that last part most patients skip over because they just want the easy route of popping pills, and CBT therapy can last a couple of years especially for generalized anxiety disorder, or longer for many patients that are resistant to the concept.

As far as the afore mentioned study -- that's ONE recent study. Benzos have been used a long time clinically and I think the majority of psychiatrists find them safe. They are highly addictive when abused excessively by the patient which, in turn, makes for horrible withdrawal issues to get off high doses. A proper psychiatrist will not allow the patient to take high doses because of this, and current electronic monitoring put in place in recent years has greatly decreased "doctor shopping" by patients for such medications -- again it's the patient abusing these meds, not the doctors. Patients must assume responsibility for their own conduct.

Any drug can be unsafe when abused. If drug and alcohol abuse runs in your family then I would tend to agree that perhaps this class of medication is not for you, but you should have been properly screened for that by your doctor if they were following protocol.

I find blanket dismissals of useful classes of medication to treat disorders to be inherently irresponsible.

Did you notice how many "Ifs" you put into that post? Ask ANY doctor or psychiatrist if LONG TERM benzo use is a good thing, they would ALL answer no. Even your Doctor MissP, (Yes, I CAN type your name and not say "Afore mentioned" in a condescending way.) would agree that long term use is irresponsible of the patient. Its not that your body is dependent on it, its that you're justifying your addiction. I haven't seen a benzo study yet that has said Long Term Benzo use has its benefits, I would say most of them at the end say that benzos should be used for very short term needs.
You can be as underhanded and condescending as you'd like, but please dont push people toward a medicine that is not anywhere near healthy for them.

In case you forgot my name:
Abso.

[Miss Philicia]

You can be as underhanded and condescending as you'd like, but please dont push people toward a medicine that is not anywhere near healthy for them.

In case you forgot my name:
Abso.

I would appreciate it if you don't continually question the motives of my posts and take every single one as some sort of personal attack. They are not. I do not know you, nor have I ever had any previous argument with you on this board that I can fathom making you feel this way, yet this is several times in as many days that you have made such assertions, which are basically flame baiting which I have ignored until now. If you continue to do it, however, I will report it to the moderators.

Feel free to politely debate the merits of any post of mine based on facts, but do not question my motives which are one step from a personal attack. Thanks.

[Jeff G]

I spoke to abso about this today and told him to put you on ignore if he didn't like your post and you can do the same . Just stop responding to each other and problem solved .