Anyone Ever Been to a Crisis Stabilization Unit?

[fuzzydunlop44]

I'm posting this here just looking for some people's experiences who have been in a Community Crisis Stabilization Unit (CCS) before. I'm not sure if they have them in other states, but I live in Massachusetts and that's what they call the facility for people who don't meet inpatient criteria (basically you have to be in the middle of a psychotic break or suicidal/homicidal from what I've been told from my several trips to the ER to be admitted for inpatient which is a locked down unit) and they exist, at least in principle, as a place to adjust meds with a psychiatrist on site and daily groups and all of that.

Since hitting tolerance withdrawal on klonopin (I take 2.5 mg's a day) I have just been having more and more of a difficult time dealing with everyday life and functioning overall. I'm reticent to go to a CCS because I did go to one before and I had a terrible experience where I was ripped cold turkey off my meds, only spoke with the doctor for a total of 10 minutes and basically just sat around with a group of much older alcoholics and drug addicts. So you might be asking why I would even consider going back to another CCS and the answer is maybe I just went to a really bad one and a different one could help. Clearly I'm in a bad way and my mind is constantly repeating the same thought that "I need to get help now.". What makes it even more stressful for me is I have my first appointment with a new prescriber on Friday who came highly recommended from a friend so if I can just get through these next few days I think talking to someone who can hopefully give me support while I start my taper will take a giant load off my mind. Also, if I call the crisis team and agree to go to the CCS then I'd have to reschedule that appointment and possibly be put on different meds by the doctor there than the new prescriber.

So I guess I'm looking for advice on a few things:

a) Has anyone ever been to a CCS type overnight stay and if so was it worth it/did it help stabilize you at all?
b) Just from reading my brief story, does it make more sense to just tough out the next few days and keep the Friday appointment?

Sorry if this post sounds ridiculous, it's something that I've been wrestling with the past few days as some of my symptoms (depersonalization which is something they may not have even heard of and definitely can't cure, horrible memory and concentration, severe dizziness, agoraphobia) have increased quite a bit so any advice or coping mechanisms for anxiety and stress you could give would be appreciated. And just to be clear I'm not a danger to myself or others and never have been, nor am I really having a total "nervous breakdown" I'm just having a really hard time dealing with the symptoms of tolerance withdrawal as well as the stress of going stir crazy in an already stressful house.

Thanks

 

[Dresden]

Yeah, I stayed at one of those for two weeks or so once. And yeah, only talked to the doc maybe 10 minutes at a time. Basically, just sat around with other patients and ate pretty good food. It was kind of cushy, small and, well, cozy. Still, I would recommend you get an antipsychotic as soon as possible and avoid trying to re-admit yourself to a CCS. There's nothing magic about them.

 

[fuzzydunlop44]

Just wondering, why do you say I should get an anti-psychotic? I know they can be used off label for anxiety but the vast majority of my problems are from becoming dependent on benzo's and anti-psychotics seem pretty heavy when all I want to do is taper off of the klonopin.

 

[motiv311]

anti-psychotic just "sounds" really heavy... in reality , your symptoms sound like you need one desperately. I would recommend Trazadone .... for me it works wonders.... I was on klonopin for many years , 2 mgs a day, and my new doctor won't prescribe it for me, but he switched me to trazadone and it works wonders, i really love it... You sound like a good candidate for a drug like that to be prescribed for ya

 

[fuzzydunlop44]

Your doctor took you cold turkey off of 2 mg's a day of Klonopin? Or did he taper you? Because if he took you off cold turkey that was a terrible decision on his or her part.

Also, I took Trazadone as a sleep aid before and it did nothing but give me an awful headache the next day. It's also not an anti psychotic it's an SARI that works on serotonin levels although it's supposed to have anti anxiety qualities as well.