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Benzos prescribing to a recovering addict

W

wake02762

Greenlighter
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
3
Hello...first of all I am new here and this is my first post : ) nice to meet you all.
First off a lil background on me and my doctor... This has been my family doctor for years and with me being a drug addict he knows all about my opiate addiction. The reason I want to get benzos prescribed is because I have a horrible time with any size crowd at all... even in walmart I get a queezy feeling and just feel like everyone is watching me. I go to NA meetings regularily ( or try to at least : P ) and have a hard time thinking about anything besides " oh god please dont let them call on me.. please please dont make me speak" and this is really cutting into my recovery. I've realized one of the main reasons I use drugs is so I feel more comfortable doing normal activitys.. just anything at all really because I get so uncomfortable being around and socializing with other people.

Okay so here is the actual question part... I have a doctors appointment tomorrow to try to get prescribed benzos... do you think I will have any problems getting some type of anxiety meds since my doctor knows I am a drug addict? Can a doctor prescribe them or is that more of a psychiatrist thing, or could they atleast prescribe a starter pack and then if i wanted more I would have to see a psychiatrist? I have never tried to get any meds from a doctor before so thats why I am a lil sketched out on what to ask for. If anyone has some advice it would be greatly appreciated as my appointment is for tomorrow morning. thanks alot!
 
You should give SSRIs a try before going straight for addictive drugs like benzos.
 
sorry i might've worded that post wrong. That wasn't what I wanted to know... I was wondering if doctors are aprehensive to prescribe to someone who has a history of abusing drugs. I've never really done benzos in the past but still if he sees my past opiate addiction will he think I am trying to scam him?

tommyboy- What is that? never heard that phrase before "SSRI"
 
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Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They are used to treat anxiety and/or depression, and are usually the first line of defense in treating social anxiety. Benzos really should be a last resort, and in most countries they are. In the US that they are over-prescribed to the point where people expect to get them so easily, which has led to a whole generation of people becoming dependent on them without ever knowing what they were getting themselves into. If you thought kicking opiates was bad, benzo withdrawal is so much worse.
 
Benzos are actually bad for social anxiety in that they make it worse long term. Stay away from them!

SSRIs might work but I doubt they will make a massive difference. Psychotherapy is your best bet, but I would imagine you probably don't want to hear that.
 
^ I agree. Also, I think it's ironic that the OP is considering taking benzos for going to NA meetings.
 
well idk what to do.. ive been a heroin addict for 6 years now. have been to multiple inpatients, tried the suboxone program, have tried everything. I know if i go to meetings and actually listen to them and do the steps that it will help but when I go there I am just so nervous being around that many people that it completely defeats the purpose. Obviously substituting drugs isn't a great idea but when you're out of options what would you do?
 
There are other options, but I think you need to get out of the pattern of thinking where you view drugs as a fix for all your personal shortcomings. That would be part of your recovery in general IMO.
 
Can you look for smaller meetings? I'm not all too familiar with AA/NA, but the few meetings that I went to varied in size quite a bit.

You have to give yourself time to get used to crowds, since the 6 years of opiate use has kept you from having to deal with these things.
 
Short answer: yes

Long answer: yes doctors will be hesitant to prescribe any type of addictive or abusalbe drug to a recovering addict. And benzos are often abused. There are other options, SSRIs, and alternative treatments that your doctor would likely try. Which you should be okay with assuming your goal is to truly treat the social anxiety.
 
As an addict in recovery myself I'd say no responsible doctor should prescribe you anything with abuse potential. Secondly as addicts we abuse whatever the substance may be so i wouldn't recommend you taking anything that's going to jeopardize your recovery. Ask your sponsor for suggestions on this issue.
 
I recommend Paroxetine 20 mg daily. You could try getting some Diazepam 10 mg one or two a day for 4 weeks...so that's either 28 pills or 56 pills. Narcotics and benzodiazepines are two completely unrelated drugs. Narcotics are used to treat pain, mild/moderate to severe chronic pain. You have been addicted to narcotics before, so you're chances of getting scripted benzodiazepines i.e. Valium are slim to nothing, from this doctor of course. Your doctor could refer you to a psychiatrist, where it's more likely you will be given a combination of benzodiazepines and an antidepressant.
 
^Just to forewarn you, it's unlikely you'll be able to take them the rest of your life. It's just not tenable with benzos. For one thing, your tolerance will likely continue to go up, and eventually it will get high enough that a doctor won't be willing to prescribe you a dose high enough to stave off the tolerance w/d. And even if you are in the minority of people who don't seem to develop a tolerance to them over time, they can cause dementia long term.

For that reason, I'd recommend a slow taper off of them.
 
I have told my doctors about past drug use of MANY substances. And my doctor still prescribes a ridiculous amount of dilaudid (96mg/day), and my psych prescribes me two benzos and a good amount of amphetamine (dexedrine). That being said, doctors do indeed get apprehebsive. Some of them seem to cut any drug user off immediately, but a good and caring doctor recognizes that even drug users have health issues, and can require these medications. Heck, drug users are even *more* likely to deal with mental illness - a couple of psychs I've seen have stated that it shouldn't be held against me because I was simply self-medicating, and one of them even asked which drugs worked best for me, since it could really help narrow down treatment options. Just be open and honest with your doctor, and hope they don't suck.

However, you are definitely best off seeing a psych. Not only are they more comfortable with prescribing such meds (many GPs aren't comfortable prescribing more than a few days worth - NOR SHOULD THEY), but they are better able to treat you. I know social anxiety. I am the worst case my psychs have ever seen, even eliciting several recommendations for ECT (virtually unheard of with SA). And I know how hard it is to treat, even for a psych; a GP is pretty hopeless.

IMO, for anxiety disorders in general - and social anxiety ESPECIALLY - prescribing benzos by themselves right off the bat is a bad idea, and I think any decent doctor would agree. An antidepressant should usually be tried first, and even in cases bad enough to warrant using it immediately, I'd never prescribe benzos to a patient unwilling to try antidepresssnts as well. They are a far superior long-term option anyways. Zoloft and Prozac are particularly good first-line medications for social anxiety. A higher-end dose is typically required. The MAOIs are probably the best antidepressants for social anxiety, but they are REALLY a last resort. Stimulants also seem to work fantastically in some treatment-resistant cases, but no doctor is going to prescribe them without exhausting many other options.

Hope some of this info helps - good luck!
 
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i disagree klonopin helped me lots and if ur drug past is with this gp go see a new one ..........and yes u can get benzos if u act like a panicky freak
 
just tell the doctor the truth about your anxiety and if he prescribes it to you and you take it like he tells you too most people in the program will consider you sober
 
i can tell you i cant be prescribed benzos without pissing clean, which i can't cause of cannabis.
but if i was using other drugs instead i'd pass.. pathetic the way things work

emjay said:
IMO, for anxiety disorders in general - and social anxiety ESPECIALLY - prescribing benzos by themselves right off the bat is a bad idea, and I think any decent doctor would agree. An antidepressant should usually be tried first, and even in cases bad enough to warrant using it immediately, I'd never prescribe benzos to a patient unwilling to try antidepresssnts as well. They are a far superior long-term option anyways. Zoloft and Prozac are particularly good first-line medications for social anxiety. A higher-end dose is typically required. The MAOIs are probably the best antidepressants for social anxiety, but they are REALLY a last resort. Stimulants also seem to work fantastically in some treatment-resistant cases, but no doctor is going to prescribe them without exhausting many other options.
Click to expand...

i am against ssri, yet i am greatly in need of a benzo because of physical symptoms from my anxiety and attacks, that has me up 24+ hours, vomiting, not eating, and dehydration.

doctors won't prescribed me anything because i am labeled from four years ago for "drug abuse"

I really don't know what to do anymore, and I feel things like this are motives behind blowing my brains out, when my only help won't listen to me cause they are worried about cannabis metabolites in my system regardless of me smoking.

I might as well pick up coke, and heroin again and pass the tests.
 
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^ i am about ready to submit to outpatient programs again, but really my best option may be inpatient for an extended time, a true detox

i don't want to cheat the tests, rather chew out these doctors on the facts.
regardless these are their rules, i must be clean - from cannabis -.-

unfortunately cannabis has been my self medication, along with benzos and sleep aids acquired on the street.
and i am no longer comfortable in my mental health, to take the other drugs i have stock piled.. and i really miss tripping, but know i am not ready.

it really depresses me further how hard i try, just to be failed

and excuse my post flow, i have been really stranded these last weeks. just that part of the cycle
 
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