Does being a junkie really mean i can only get anti depressents?

[Captain.Heroin]

I get xanax... I don't think it should be problem getting it.

 

[Eveleivibe]

I'm really trying to do this and do it right, and hopefully I will find a therapist who actually knows something about addiction (the one's i've seen have claimed to know about addiction because they were addicted to pot, or they were addicted to vicodin for two years so...) but the solution of take some anti depressents and let me tell you you're addicted to everything for 45 mintes a week seems archaic and useless.

No disrespect but just because a person is addicted to Vicodin n not heroin doesn't mean that they do know know about addiction n cannot help you. They may not have been addicted to the extent that you have eg being homeless etc but I'd suggest being careful when you say things like that as it may offend people. I was addicted to codeine nearly lost my family, have lost friends n gone from £4,600 im savings to 4,000 in debt so people do understand about addiction.

No doctor will prescribe you benzos because they are addictive n you have been addicted to drugs. It's the law. Its nothing person n no doctor or psych etc are going to risk being struck off to do it.

Sorry that's life I guess. I hope you do find a way of dealing with your anxiety.

All the best,
Evey x

 

[Albert Einstein]

If you ever get into a serious accident, break bones, etc.. and you ask for opiate painkillers in the hospital and they don't give them to you, sue them. DO NOT settle for that "We're going to give you some ibuprofen and see if that helps" fucking bullshit, if you're in true fucking pain with broken limbs, demand they treat it adequately as soon as possible or say you want to use a telephone to call a lawyer.

I've heard of people being stuck for weeks in the hospital in agonizing pain after a car accident because the doctors wouldn't give them painkillers, because on their record it showed that a previous doctor had labelled them as a "drug seeker".

Keeping someone stuck in a hospital while in pain and not giving them any sort of anesthetic or analgesic is inhumane.

 

[Blind Melon]

In the U.S., in my experience yes. I assume you're looking for Benzos? I have had legitimate anxiety since I was in 8th grade, at it's peak I used to wake up in the morning and vomit out of fear of my day. And there really wasn't anything to fear at all, usually. Unfortunately I didn't speak up soon enough, and then I became a junky and am on maintenance drugs. Now no doctor will prescribe me anything for anti-anxiety unless it's an off-label anti-depressant. Quite frustrating that I have to go around the system. Fucked up thing is half the time it's cheaper than going to the doctor.

 

[cj]

In the U.S., in my experience yes. I assume you're looking for Benzos? I have had legitimate anxiety since I was in 8th grade, at it's peak I used to wake up in the morning and vomit out of fear of my day. And there really wasn't anything to fear at all, usually. Unfortunately I didn't speak up soon enough, and then I became a junky and am on maintenance drugs. Now no doctor will prescribe me anything for anti-anxiety unless it's an off-label anti-depressant. Quite frustrating that I have to go around the system. Fucked up thing is half the time it's cheaper than going to the doctor.

Yeah I have learned over the years that honesty is not the best policy with most doctors. I now protect my medical records like I protect my family jewels. All it takes is one weak moment and a slip of the tongue for them to fuck you for life. No lie.

 

[pro re nata]

i have had the opposite.. . it has seemed being straight up about things has gained the trust in doctors i have had and am dealing with, not pushing or "fishing" for a script. i think it depends on your situation with your health and for many what can be tested and seen and sure doctor and the community/area.. . anxiety i can see being a tough one as the sole reason even with out a history of addiction but for sure could make it that much more difficult with and the desire of a benzo. i have been prescribed different types of benzo's with known history.

 

[Uber_Penguin]

Dude, benzos are a really shitty medicine under the best of circumstances (others here have done a pretty good job of pointing out why that is), and the doctors are probably making a good decision not prescribing it. I mean, even people who have never had any sort of issue with addiction can easily slip into a benzo habit, so a lot of doctors stay away from prescribing them to even regular individuals. With that in mind, the chances of a doctor prescribing xanax to someone who's not only a former addict but who's also specifically requesting an abuseable and highly addictive medicine is slim to none. You could probably go to hundreds of doctors without finding one who'd go along with something like that...ok, maybe I'm overestimating psychiatrists. There are some bad doctors out there who would probably just shrug and write out a script like that without considering any of the very likely consequences, but they'd still be pretty rare.

I have to say that I honestly find it rather disconcerting that you're so adamant about wanting xanax and I think it says a lot that you believe whether or not you have some pills would be the primary deciding factor on whether or not you remained clean. I've dealt with psychiatrists and I've seen that line of thinking before; it's addict thought, the belief that you need some external chemical to get by. That's the kind of thinking that promotes addiction in the first place.

And how many of you who think I can't handle xanax have ever been really addicted to heroin? and I mean for real? at least 10 bags a day for 3+ years start shitting and puking if you don't have another shot in under 8hours and when you do get sick before getting well, you don't even get well until you get high a second time?
How many of you actually know what heroin addiction is? Because being a pill head or doing a couple bags a day or having a problem for a couple years on and off isn't the same thing.
So who really knows about being a junkie, and who's just playing at it thinking it's cool to be (or have been) a "junkie"?

What the fuck does that have to do with anything at all? First off this is BL, if you think you're the most hardcore addict here or that that's something to be proud or that having been on drugs for a long time makes you more capable/knowledgeable than anyone at all you're clearly confused. Secondly, where did that even come from? The issue here is the fact that xanax is not a good way to deal with anxiety at all and that it's very, very addictive. So great, you potentially had a bigger issue with addiction than some people here, I'm pretty sure that just serves as further evidence that you'd be at high risk of getting hooked on xanax. Oh, and last I checked the term "junkie" isn't some sort of fucking blue ribbon for winning the addict race. A junkie is simply someone who's addicted to junk.

So you self identify as a junkie, pride yourself on your former use, seem to be lacking enough in maturity that you feel the need to dick-size on the internet, exhibit some fairly clear-cut drug seeking behavior, seem to think you're special and that the negatives of benzo use/addiction can't happen to you because you've done a bunch of heroin in the past, are adamant on needing xanax to get by despite the fact that you clearly aren't terribly well versed on psychiatric medicine if you don't recognize why being physically dependent on xanax would be much different and more severe than being dependent on antidepressants or coffee/cigs, and seem to have spent a lot of time rationalizing the issue to yourself. I obviously don't know you and I'm not a doctor, but from where I'm sitting it seems like you're almost exactly the kind of person who SHOULDN'T be prescribed something like xanax. I can almost guarantee that would end in disaster.

As a side note I too have never viewed AA/NA as being a realistic method of getting clean. Or at least not realistic on a personal basis; I recognize that for some people (likely more extroverted people enjoy the close social atmosphere) AA/NA can be really successful, but I personally have never had any luck whatsoever with it. I have no damn clue how anyone does, but I'm happy for those people either way. Whatever works I guess.

Benzos would barely do the trick, but they would still work! The OP does need benzos, or else he is going to end up addicted to something worse. I say the doctor start him on a high dosage, and just decrease it steadily over the next two months until he is completely off of it. He will be past the withdrawals then, and only then can they start him on something like Vistaril. Doctors can be complete and total assholes. If the OP's doctor really wanted, he/she could give the OP enough for a week, and the OP could visit the doctor weekly to get another prescription. There is absolutely no way the OP will abuse the benzos then, because the OP will only have a limited supply. I would think the OP would make the wise choice and take them as prescribed, unless the OP wanted to run out early. Makes sense, right?

You said previously that you're in roughly the same boat...well it sounds like you too are simply trying to rationalize to yourself why doctors should be prescribing benzos to people. Seeing as the withdrawal from benzos (and alcohol, as they function almost the same) is unique in being potentially fatal, I don't know how much else there is that he could wind up addicted to that would be worse. And you seem to be suggesting that the OP is looking to detox, except A) trying to just use benzos alone in an unsupervised setting would be a pretty darn poor detox method, and B) he says he's having general anxiety problems, from what I understand that has nothing to do with withdrawal. If they're on suboxone that shouldn't be an issue. And what exactly would stop a person who got a weeks supply of drugs from just sucking them all down at once? People who are addicted to their medicine regularly do that; when they get their script filled they'll blow through their supply in a few days then often supplement that by buying off the street until they're able to get their script filled again.

There's no way to rationalize it, the fact is that benzos are terrible as a maintenance drug. They often do more harm than good in an unsupervised setting, and this situation isn't any different.

Btw, I get the feeling I'm doing quotes wrong. Sorry about that.

 

[Akerman]

Hey OP. Hope my reply can be of some help.

First off, it sounds like you have a whole hell of a lot that you need to get off your chest. Just from the way you write, it's clear that you have stories that need to be told. For this, some kind of therapy is probably your best bet, but you could also try writing or engaging in online forums like this.

It also seems like you're very aware that you want and need some kind of job or training program. Having, quite literally, 'a reason to get up in the morning' is near essential for most people to exist even moderately happily. It's going to be freakin' hard work and a long haul to get a job, because you're going to have to explain the last few years. But that doesn't make it impossible. There are even plenty of people more likely to hire an ex-addict, because they see it as a good deed, as giving someone a chance. Do you belong to any religious community? Vicars and so forth are often really good at giving people who have had a hard time voluntary work, and this would bump up your CV nicely. Also consider other voluntary work, to resuscitate your resume. If work isn't an option for you, are you able to get back into education? Even if it's just a short course or something below your academic level, it too can bring an old CV back to life.

You say that you paint, when you have the time. Do you sell your work?

I do appreciate everyone's input, but it depresses me that even in an environement such as this one this total abstinance NA/AA crap prevails. If NA/AA had a 64% success rate noone would have bothered creating suboxone, and while AA/NA works for some people there are very few of them, and probably 95-96% relapse at some point.

The reality is, we can't know what the success rate of NA/AA is. People have tried really hard to do studies, but the groups are, first and foremost, anonymous. The people who engage in the surveys and allow their progress to be tracked may well not represent the 'typical' attendee.

So what makes benzo's so much worse than Anti Depressants or Anti Psychotics or any of that shit. They may not have abuse potential but they are addictive, you can't take them for 6 months and just stop, they taper you off.

The problems with them are numerous. One is that tolerance builds super-fast, much faster than anti-depressants. Another is that you could, in theory, sell them or abuse them, because they have recreational value. Also, they mix really, really badly with alcohol and many other drugs, so if your doctor thinks you drink, as you have said that you do, he is right not to give them to you. It's surprising how many people die just due to mixing alcohol and benzos.

And how many of you who think I can't handle xanax have ever been really addicted to heroin? and I mean for real?
...
How many of you actually know what heroin addiction is? Because being a pill head or doing a couple bags a day or having a problem for a couple years on and off isn't the same thing. I got to the point I wanted to quit without jail time, I didn't steal from my friends and family (with the exception of one person, and it had little to do with my heroin habit), and I never sold my ass. I did live on the streets and panhandle, I've pulled some shady shit to get what I needed, and I've had my fair share of hospitalizations and abcesses from shooting up with my urine and toilet water and gutter water. If you alway used steril water or swabbed your spoon or cooker with alcohol and cleaned your injection site, or gave a fuck about what it was you were putting in your arm other than whether or not it will get you well, then you've never been a real addict with a serious problem You may have had a problem but not a full blown heroin addiction.

If you're a heroin addict with access to clean gear, relative financial security and a home, this needn't be true. Hell, you get some serious addictions amongst trust-fund kids, and you can bet your ass that they never had to shoot gutter water.

Also, there is no one 'king' addiction. Heroin addiction isn't necessarily worse than alcohol addiction or benzo addiction, or for that matter, a bunch of other lesser-known ones like GHB or phenibut. Equally, having one addiction won't make you automatically more able to resist the next one. It's all about the person, the situation.

You need to stop dwelling on this, it's not doing you any good. You say you want more time to paint and that you're suffering from insomnia- start an insomnia painting that you only work on while sleep deprived. Doesn't matter if it's shit and you don't like it, keep working on it until you do like it. When that's finished, if you still can't sleep do paint another one- paint a whole series of paintings inspired by nothing but your sleep-deprived brain- it may not make you sleep, but it's going to make you hell of a lot more than being pissed off about the limitations on what can and can't be prescribed to you.

What a truly awesome idea :D

I haven't read the whole thread, or anything but, just gonna respond to the OP

Now and days benzos aren't the norm for 1st line anxiety treatment. There are many good reasons for this, especially with a history of abuse of drugs. There are many, and I mean many different drugs used in the treatment of anxiety, even with in SSRI's that have come out over the recent years that may not have any of the side-effects you've experienced so far. As much as i dislike anti-depressants and SSRI's I do come to recognize that with the larger variety of them on the market, especially with the intent to reduce a lot of the common side-effects people come across, they can be very beneficial especially compared to benzos for long term treatment (more than a few months). There are also drugs like SNRI's that are tolerated a lot better than SSRI's among people who have nothing but negative experiences with a verity of them. MAOI's that many people fine very effective, but have large amount of interactions. tricyclic antidepressants for certain types of conditions. Various Anticonvulsants have also been seen to help anxiety and other forms of mental disorders, with great success. Some of these with less side-effects than others, like gabapentin (some find it to be a great mood stabilizer, fantastic for social anxiety and decent for GAD - this coming from my experience). Even some Parkinson's drugs have been shown to be effective in reducing both anxiety and treatment resistant major depression (pramipexole, ropinirole). Alpha-2 adrenergic agonist as well may be an option No matter what pharmacological treatment you may go with, it is also important to always involve therapy with it. It can help limit the dose they may place you on (less you try to improve yourself they are more likely raise the dose), and this leads to higher side-effects. It can limit the length of time on the drug/s, which is good for any treatment, and post treatment. It will potentially do more good than the drug therapy on it's on as it will allow you to alter how you function/interact once with out any medication. They can help with issues that you may not even know where causing problems, or even help give you a neutral friend to bounce ideas off of. If you recieve a benzo, it is probably the most important thing you can do as well. No benzo script for anxiety should be taken with out weekly or more therapy sessions that you take ultra seriously. If you don't try to take advantage of therapy, there is no point to benzos besides finding easy anxiety relief till you are forced off them, throwing yourself into anxiety that makes what you have now seem like nothing.

Brilliant info and advice