Venting Benzodiazepines and Quality of Life

[Celerity]

My anxiety has improved as I have gotten older, but I still experience acute episodes every now and then, particularly in regard to work and school, and I have found Valium really helpful in the past. I understand that doctors have started to frown upon issuing benzo prescriptions for good reasons, but I can't help but feel like their behavior constitutes a massive overcorrection.

Though the preponderance of the evidence against benzos is for long-term users who started decades ago, even getting a short-term prescription is exceedingly difficult. I have not tried it myself, but I have heard enough from other people who did this that doctors will interrogate you on why you want them with the underlying tenor being that you are a weak-willed, immoral person for even requesting such a thing.

To me, it just seems like one more way doctors often completely disregard QoL in favor of risk aversion. You know what also represents a health risk to me as a patient? Losing my job and not being able to buy food or medical care. This, of course, never enters into the equation for people who enjoy some of the best job security in the nation.

I know for a fact that my anxiety has contributed to me leaving past jobs early and to a firing I endured last year. Were they bad situations regardless of my tendency for anxiousness? Hell yeah! Shake and stir unethical companies with amoral, narcissistic bosses for a violently bitter mental health cocktail! But being right on the edge of wanting to flee the building or bite somebody's head off certainly didn't help matters.

Because my provider is strongly averse to benzos, he prescribed me propranolol, a beta blocker, for acute anxiety. He instructed me to request that my employer let me sit down if I felt like passing out after taking one of them because the drug causes blood pressure to plummet. I then realized that my medical provider would rather risk me passing out and cracking my head open on the fucking floor than risk me getting addicted to evil, scary, boogeyman benzos.

This was a few months ago and certain aspects of my job improved to the point where I don't feel I need Valium. I have not risked taking the propranolol even once. That said, if something really disastrous came up and I needed to be able to keep my shit together so that I can continue to feed myself, it would be nice to know that I could get a short-term (1-2 week ) prescription for Valium. As it is, prayers from my religious aunt and blacking out with a deliciously percussive head smack to the floor will have to do.

 

[noname223]

My anxiety has improved as I have gotten older, but I still experience acute episodes every now and then, particularly in regard to work and school, and I have found Valium really helpful in the past. I understand that doctors have started to frown upon issuing benzo prescriptions for good reasons, but I can't help but feel like their behavior constitutes a massive overcorrection.

Though the preponderance of the evidence against benzos is for long-term users who started decades ago, even getting a short-term prescription is exceedingly difficult. I have not tried it myself, but I have heard enough from other people who did this that doctors will interrogate you on why you want them with the underlying tenor being that you are a weak-willed, immoral person for even requesting such a thing.

To me, it just seems like one more way doctors often completely disregard QoL in favor of risk aversion. You know what also represents a health risk to me as a patient? Losing my job and not being able to buy food or medical care. This, of course, never enters into the equation for people who enjoy some of the best job security in the nation.

I know for a fact that my anxiety has contributed to me leaving past jobs early and to a firing I endured last year. Were they bad situations regardless of my tendency for anxiousness? Hell yeah! Shake and stir unethical companies with amoral, narcissistic bosses for a violently bitter mental health cocktail! But being right on the edge of wanting to flee the building or bite somebody's head off certainly didn't help matters.

Because my provider is strongly averse to benzos, he prescribed me propranolol, a beta blocker, for acute anxiety. He instructed me to request that my employer let me sit down if I felt like passing out after taking one of them because the drug causes blood pressure to plummet. I then realized that my medical provider would rather risk me passing out and cracking my head open on the fucking floor than risk me getting addicted to evil, scary, boogeyman benzos.

This was a few months ago and certain aspects of my job improved to the point where I don't feel I need Valium. I have not risked taking the propranolol even once. That said, if something really disastrous came up and I needed to be able to keep my shit together so that I can continue to feed myself, it would be nice to know that I could get a short-term (1-2 week ) prescription for Valium. As it is, prayers from my religious aunt and blacking out with a deliciously percussive head smack to the floor will have to do.

I take z-medication 3-4 days a week.. And 1-2 pills of benzos a week for more than a year. Both in the lowest dosage as possible.
However only when I have college and not during vaccation.

I would warn other people to do that. But for me it was the only way to cope with college without becoming manic. And college is the last option for me to get a stable income. I would not recommend that other people do that.

I am well aware it could completely ruin my whole life. However no income would mean suicide and yeah so I started to gamble. I am glad my psychiatrist supports me. She is more liberal than other psychiatrist. Maybe even too liberal.

It needs huge discipline not bo become addicted. Though I recognize this semester I rather need less of them compared to the past. I get more used to the college stress.

However in most cases the opposite will happen and they will need more. So far I could prevent addiction but it is very dangerous. I think my brain would implode from a benzo addiction. The things I read sounded hellish.

 

[Celerity]

I take z-medication 3-4 days a week.. And 1-2 pills of benzos a week for more than a year. Both in the lowest dosage as possible.
However only when I have college and not during vaccation.

I would warn other people to do that. But for me it was the only way to cope with college without becoming manic. And college is the last option for me to get a stable income. I would not recommend that other people do that.

I am well aware it could completely ruin my whole life. However no income would mean suicide and yeah so I started to gamble. I am glad my psychiatrist supports me. She is more liberal than other psychiatrist. Maybe even too liberal.

It needs huge discipline not bo become addicted. Though I recognize this semester I rather need less of them compared to the past. I get more used to the college stress.

However in most cases the opposite will happen and they will need more. So far I could prevent addiction but it is very dangerous. I think my brain would implode from a benzo addiction. The things I read sounded hellish.

So would you support short-term benzo prescriptions or not? It sounds like it has helped you and was worth it despite the risks, but you also indicate that the risk is too high for "most people".

 

[Rairii]

To be fair, even if you don't get addicted to them you're very likely to get dependent/build tolerance on them pretty easy. I do wish I wasn't prescribed them despite wanting them so badly then, as dependence (not addiction) did eventually happen to myself. I'm sure if you actually use them for short term use then all is good. Just for myself, they did help for a month or so but eventually I had to keep raising the dose until I couldn't anymore since my body became tolerant of them. I did take them as prescribed as well. Now I'm going through a hellish withdrawal process of trying to taper off of them. I want nothing to do with them but I have to keep taking them because if I don't I'll start to get uncontrollable body movements/sezuries and more things too but those are the worst. I also learned that I could have withdrawal symptoms for more than a year+ after being off of them. It sure has helped with my wants of CTB, not that I needed anymore reasons for that.

I also want to say, I naturally run very low in the blood pressure department and was also given pills that could lower it more for anxiety. I will say that they never once made me pass out, just lightheaded but being lightheaded isn't unusual for myself. I understand your concerns though, medicine is something you should consider seriously. Anyway, I do hope you can find something for anxiety someday that'll work for you. Hopefully you never get in such a bad state again too.

 

[Celerity]

To be fair, even if you don't get addicted to them you're very likely to get dependent/build tolerance on them pretty easy. I do wish I wasn't prescribed them despite wanting them so badly then, as dependence (not addiction) did eventually happen to myself. I'm sure if you actually use them for short term use then all is good. Just for myself, they did help for a month or so but eventually I had to keep raising the dose until I couldn't anymore since my body became tolerant of them. I did take them as prescribed as well. Now I'm going through a hellish withdrawal process of trying to taper off of them. I want nothing to do with them but I have to keep taking them because if I don't I'll start to get uncontrollable body movements/sezuries and more things too but those are the worst. I also learned that I could have withdrawal symptoms for more than a year+ after being off of them. It sure has helped with my wants of CTB, not that I needed anymore reasons for that.

I also want to say, I naturally run very low in the blood pressure department and was also given pills that could lower it more for anxiety. I will say that they never once made me pass out, just lightheaded but being lightheaded isn't unusual for myself. I understand your concerns though, medicine is something you should consider seriously. Anyway, I do hope you can find something for anxiety someday that'll work for you. Hopefully you never get in such a bad state again too.

I'm sorry you are going through all that. Glad to hear propranolol maybe isn't as strong as I thought. Did it work for you or just cause side effects?

 

[Rairii]

I'm sorry you are going through all that. Glad to hear propranolol maybe isn't as strong as I thought. Did it work for you or just cause side effects?

It works to help relieve some of the physical symptoms of anxiety. It helps if I take it for minor anxiety, which in return prevents bigger anxiety from developing. However If I take it in the middle of an anxiety attack, it wont really do much. It definitely isn't the same relief as say Valium but it's better than nothing.

 

[noname223]

So would you support short-term benzo prescriptions or not? It sounds like it has helped you and was worth it despite the risks, but you also indicate that the risk is too high for "most people".

I would decide from case to case. For example people with addiction problems could be susceptible for benzo addiction.
Morever I would monitor the patiient in order to intervene if necessary

 

[Shadowlord900]

Because my provider is strongly averse to benzos, he prescribed me propranolol, a beta blocker, for acute anxiety. He instructed me to request that my employer let me sit down if I felt like passing out after taking one of them because the drug causes blood pressure to plummet. I then realized that my medical provider would rather risk me passing out and cracking my head open on the fucking floor than risk me getting addicted to evil, scary, boogeyman benzos.

Oh don't you worry, once we get enough people overdosing/abusing propranolol and other beta blockers, they'll start restrictions on how often to give out beta blockers. Then once it happens with the next lot of medication they give out, they'll restrict those too until they ban all forms of medication, yes even food supplements.

 

[Celerity]

I would decide from case to case. For example people with addiction problems could be susceptible for benzo addiction.
Morever I would monitor the patiient in order to intervene if necessary

That's the beauty of a 1-2 week prescription though. My mom's old school family doctor did that and didn't renew her Rx for Xanax. He said at the outset that's how it would work. Lo and behold, my mom no longer has Xanax and did not try to get them from another doctor or illegally on the street. I wouldn't know how to obtain them either. I just lucked out with the Valium because it was an Rx for one of my dogs that had passed.

Oh don't you worry, once we get enough people overdosing/abusing propranolol and other beta blockers, they'll start restrictions on how often to give out beta blockers. Then once it happens with the next lot of medication they give out, they'll restrict those too until they ban all forms of medication, yes even food supplements.

You kid, but this is honestly how their stupid little shell game works, LOL. I think atypical antipsychotics are next on the chopping block. 10-20 years ago, I might have struggled to get an Rx for one, but diagnosis creep (BP II #s are exploding) and US doctors being too lazy to do lithium bloodwork has all but guaranteed that I would be prescribed one. The metabolic issues they cause alone are scary enough, not to mention tardive dyskinesia.