honeywhite
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2012
- Messages
- 90
Amobarbital has a much shorter half-life, 8-42 hours. Like your phenobarbital, I don't know who would ever prescribe it, or what pharmacy would stock it, outside Langley, VA (although I doubt even the CIA uses it anymore).
I've actually been given chloral hydrate (which is lowly scheduled in the US, its main use being as a reagent for GUS-staining plant sections, which I know from a previous life--if you're curious, visit a plant biology section of a university, which will have a bottle rotting away in some cabinet) at a rehab for alcohol withdrawal. Came in a little cup like hospital applesauce. It did jack shit for me, and I just kept pacing the hall all night. I don't recommend it, and like paraldehyde, should not be good to have in your bloodstream.
What works best for you depends on your symptoms. If you're prone to panic attacks, a fast acting, short-lived benzo is probably best. If you have a generalized anxiety disorder, a benzo (or barb) is not a good idea, as tolerance is rapid, dependency is certain, and withdrawal is dangerous. They cause serious impairment with each dose increase.
For generalized anxiety, drugs like gabapentin or pregabalin, which are not directly gabaergic, help a lot of people (including me). There are the non-GABA A drugs like Baclofen or the unscheduled phenibut. Then there are antidepressants, and that's a whole 'nother class.
Even non-traditional psych drugs like clonidine are known to help with anxiety.
There's a whole pharmacy of drugs out there, and your physician is being irresponsible if you're actually seeking treatment, and not just a high. (He's being irresponsible no matter what--he essentially gave you the means to kill yourself without so much as a discussion on how you felt? He's worthy of having his license yanked, IMHO.)
Amylobarbitone is still used in the UK - must be stored in the poisons cabinet however, like morphine, strychnine, phenobarbitone, etc. The tablets (I believe) have been withdrawn and only injectable amytal sodium remains. There is also of course two-in-all.
Yes, I'm aware of the non-pharmaceutical use of chloral; in fact, here it's not judged to be a drug, but a chemical on the same order as water or nitrous oxide or even nitrogen itself. We also have chloral capsules, which are striped black and white liquigels!
What I'm prone to is stretched-out situational panic. Not panic disorder because those tend to be 5-15 minute attacks of intense stress, and not GAD because GADers tend to be anxious and neurotic all the time. Think of it as panic disorder over two days and you'll understand---after that I'm back to normal.
Benzos are out on account of promoting sleep. This is a point I have repeatedly emphasised both to my neuropsych and my very young and very fetching family doctor. Serotonin drugs are out on account of fiddling with serotonin - this is not a chemical I want to play with and the sexual side effects can be permanent. I also want nothing I need to take daily. If I'm not suffering symptoms daily, why should I take medicine daily?
Pregabalin and gabapentin were considered as second choices due to GHB-like side effects. I've had them before and wouldn't mind but there seems to be better. I know nothing about baclofen or clonidine except that they are useful in alcoholism treatment. Vistaril seems to work to a small extent but peters out before the symptoms do.
I'm sort of seeking both treatment and a high if that's an option. I don't mind if the medication I use makes me feel better than normal. The most important thing is that the symptoms go away. If they're replaced by drunkenness, great, that's less money I need to spend on champagne.
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