Aa
Anxiey or Addiction?
My wife has been suffering with anxiety for a few years. Her doctor had her on Alprazolam and Paxil. Her last prescription for Alprazolam was 2 MG 3 times a day. She would not take them as prescribed instead she would take sometimes as many as 8 to 10 2MG pills a day. She only weighs 115 lbs. Needless to say she was pretty buzzed up. Of course after she was out of medicine (which would be about a week) she would be a complete basket case for a few weeks until she got her refill. This went on for a number of months before I realized that it was a problem. I stepped in, informed her doctor of the abuse of the medicine. The doctor put her on Busiprone instead of Alprazolam. She claimed that it did not work as well as the Alprazolam. She has seen a counseler (didn't help much). I am just not sure at this point if she really has anxiety or if she has a drug addiction. How can you tell? She has started lying to me about many things (or I am just starting to realize that she is). So, I am having a hard time believing anything she says.. Any advice?
She has started lying to me so much that I am afraid of what else I do not know. I am not even sure anymore if she has anxiety or what may be causing it. I have done a lot of research on it and it amazes me how little we know about it. It seems as though all doctors want to do it prescribe medicine to cover up the symptoms instead of addressing the cause.. Others claim you can just read their book and be better.. Then I think: well if she just wants her anxiety to go away then she would take her meds properly. but EVERYTIME she uses them all up in a week and then is miserable for the remainder of the month.. and EVERYTIME she claims "she wont do that again".. Sorry if I seem frustrated but I AM and have nobody to vent to..
Summer123: I have told her and told her that she can't keep doing this to herself. She had no choice but to cold turkey quit everytime (has happened many many times over the last year or 2) because she would use up all of her prescription.. The doctor will not call her in anymore but now I think she stole her sisters meds. It was obvious she was on something but wouldn't admit to it. I found the bottle in her purse, she still denies it.
I tried giving her the proper doses in the past, she would just find where I hid the medicine then take all she wanted (and then deny it). I tried gettings a safe and keeping them in there. She broke into the safe and took all she wanted.. and denied it..
I am afraid when she does get some more (from wherever) that she will just abuse them again. Would it be out of line for me to go with her to her "new" pysc doctor and make sure he/she understands the situtation and hears the TRUTH? I feel like I am becoming a controlling freak.. But I can't just sit back and do NOTHING!
I tried giving her the proper doses in the past, she would just find where I hid the medicine then take all she wanted (and then deny it). I tried gettings a safe and keeping them in there. She broke into the safe and took all she wanted.. and denied it..
I am afraid when she does get some more (from wherever) that she will just abuse them again. Would it be out of line for me to go with her to her "new" pysc doctor and make sure he/she understands the situtation and hears the TRUTH? I feel like I am becoming a controlling freak.. But I can't just sit back and do NOTHING!
This is a very bad situation and I am so sorry you are dealing with it. This is a job for a shrink; get a consult with a top psychiatrist pronto. Possibly your wife will need to go into a facility for a time, with a follow up course of meetings. My friend, this can be a long journey, so you need to prepare yourself. Don't forget -please JOIN this community, so we can click your name to send you a message. You will, without doubt, connect with one or more people here who have special insights of importance to you, so join up!
We're riding with you on this -all the way.
We're riding with you on this -all the way.
Sounds like maybe she should see a psychiatrist who is also an addictionologist. Did she go cold turkey off the xanex? She was at an enormous dose and cold turkeying from as little as 2 mg/day could result in seizures that can be life threatening. I do not know if busiprone is another benzo, but only another benzo or reinstatng the xanex and slowly withdrawing is safe as far as I know. If she cannot take the pills without abusing the med, someone else will have to hold on to them so she can slowly withdraw from them.
Should she see a pysicatrist, or a counselor? She has been to a counselor (didn't help any). She made an appointment with a psyciatrist this morning but I think it is only so she can get some more meds. What am I supposed to do when she does get them and then just abuses them AGAIN! SO FRUSTATING watching this and being able to do NOTHING!!
I just don't know what to do anymore. I feel like maybe I am going a little crazy.. She drinks a full 2 litre bottle of Coke in a 12 hour period. I know this has to contribute to her anxiety but she refuses to acknowlege that. She smokes 2 to 3 packs of cigs in one day, I know this also contributes to it. She will not exercise (as her doctor recommended) she won't eat right (as her doctor recomended). It seems the only thing she is willing to do, is take (abuse) Alprazolam. I feel completely helpless, I watch her self destructing and it breaks my heart.
Please do yourself and US a favor and join this community. The issues you raise are crucial and we all need to support you and follow your efforts to deal with this. Later on I'll tell you how to join.
Shelzmike has it nailed pretty well (can't think of when he has not) but let me just add this tid-bit. The argument about whether something is addiction or anxiety is just THAT: an argument. You can call it "Henry" for all I care -it is still the same set of issues and problems which you are facing on a daily basis. And I would therefore recommend that you stay in close touch with the doctor -and consider a support group for yourself; something local that meets once a week or so. In addition to the Weeks book, I would avail myself of other material, but I will issue this caveat:
Consider everything you read to be in the nature of background material that will help you acquire the vocabulary and concepts which prevail in the area of abuse, addiction, etc. Regard with caution anything which proclaims some special techniques or substances for curative purposes. Let nothing you read close your mind.
OK, here's how to join:
One of the BEST ways to get the most out of this forum to work is to JOIN it - become a part of it. Its easy -just click the Join Link -enter some profile information about yourself -even a picture if you care to- and anything you think would help us get to know you faster and better, and you can change this material whenever you like. You will also be accessible to receive private messages when other members click the name you've given yourself -sort of a "push to talk" feature. After you've done that, spend some time just using various features of the forum. For example, to see all the posts or responses that someone has made, just click their handle, go to their profile, click Posts, and read to your heart's content. You may also enter search terms -including member names- in the search box at the upper right of your screen and the system will retrun everything matching the term(s) you entered. This INCLUDES a drug database that will give you both user posts about drugs as well as the medical information about the drug. A great way to get quick answers about therapeutic effect, side effects, interactions, etc.
One of the profile categories is your mood, which you may change anytime you like.
Along the right side of your screen is a section of Recent Activity, which not only alerts you to new posts, but new ANYTHING, including journal entries and mood. This is a way to telegraph the community at large without actually creating a separate post. Thus, if you see a friend's mood has changed while you are working on a response or post, it can alert you to send them a private message to learn more or simply let them know you're thinking of them. Likewise, if you are going to be "out," you could enter something like "off line for the night" as your mood, and people would know you're away from the forum for awhile.
If you do this kind of exploring and experimenting right away, you'll be up-to-speed quickly. If you see the message you are reading now as part of a direct response I (or anyone) has made to one of your posts, it was probably copied and pasted from this journal. I hate form letters and auto-responses as much as anyone -but I also hate forgetting to tell people what they need to know, so this is my safety-net. Consider it as part of your "Welcome" kit. So -please join and try things out.
You might also want to read my entries for the "Right Click Trick" and "When in Haste, Use Copy 'n Paste" for some other convenient time-savers.
We're glad you are here!
Shelzmike has it nailed pretty well (can't think of when he has not) but let me just add this tid-bit. The argument about whether something is addiction or anxiety is just THAT: an argument. You can call it "Henry" for all I care -it is still the same set of issues and problems which you are facing on a daily basis. And I would therefore recommend that you stay in close touch with the doctor -and consider a support group for yourself; something local that meets once a week or so. In addition to the Weeks book, I would avail myself of other material, but I will issue this caveat:
Consider everything you read to be in the nature of background material that will help you acquire the vocabulary and concepts which prevail in the area of abuse, addiction, etc. Regard with caution anything which proclaims some special techniques or substances for curative purposes. Let nothing you read close your mind.
OK, here's how to join:
One of the BEST ways to get the most out of this forum to work is to JOIN it - become a part of it. Its easy -just click the Join Link -enter some profile information about yourself -even a picture if you care to- and anything you think would help us get to know you faster and better, and you can change this material whenever you like. You will also be accessible to receive private messages when other members click the name you've given yourself -sort of a "push to talk" feature. After you've done that, spend some time just using various features of the forum. For example, to see all the posts or responses that someone has made, just click their handle, go to their profile, click Posts, and read to your heart's content. You may also enter search terms -including member names- in the search box at the upper right of your screen and the system will retrun everything matching the term(s) you entered. This INCLUDES a drug database that will give you both user posts about drugs as well as the medical information about the drug. A great way to get quick answers about therapeutic effect, side effects, interactions, etc.
One of the profile categories is your mood, which you may change anytime you like.
Along the right side of your screen is a section of Recent Activity, which not only alerts you to new posts, but new ANYTHING, including journal entries and mood. This is a way to telegraph the community at large without actually creating a separate post. Thus, if you see a friend's mood has changed while you are working on a response or post, it can alert you to send them a private message to learn more or simply let them know you're thinking of them. Likewise, if you are going to be "out," you could enter something like "off line for the night" as your mood, and people would know you're away from the forum for awhile.
If you do this kind of exploring and experimenting right away, you'll be up-to-speed quickly. If you see the message you are reading now as part of a direct response I (or anyone) has made to one of your posts, it was probably copied and pasted from this journal. I hate form letters and auto-responses as much as anyone -but I also hate forgetting to tell people what they need to know, so this is my safety-net. Consider it as part of your "Welcome" kit. So -please join and try things out.
You might also want to read my entries for the "Right Click Trick" and "When in Haste, Use Copy 'n Paste" for some other convenient time-savers.
We're glad you are here!
Okay this is just my opinion so don't shoot the messenger :-)
The med she was on is addictive and she was abusing it. When you say she was a basket case, that may have been her going through some withdrawal. Alprazolam aka Xanax is one of those medications that shouldn't be stopped abruptly but should be tapered off of in order to minimize the side effects of withdrawal. She may very well have anxiety which the xanax initally helped but each time she ran out of it and had to wait for a refill could have caused rebound anxiety.
She may feel the Busiprone isn't working only because it doesn't give her the same "buzz" that the xanax did.
Unfortunately addiction (whether it be to pills or alcohol) is a disease that can be treated only if the person addicted wants the help. The best thing you can do is get help for yourself and learn all you can.
Good Luck to you. You may find some additional support over at the addiction forum
The med she was on is addictive and she was abusing it. When you say she was a basket case, that may have been her going through some withdrawal. Alprazolam aka Xanax is one of those medications that shouldn't be stopped abruptly but should be tapered off of in order to minimize the side effects of withdrawal. She may very well have anxiety which the xanax initally helped but each time she ran out of it and had to wait for a refill could have caused rebound anxiety.
She may feel the Busiprone isn't working only because it doesn't give her the same "buzz" that the xanax did.
Unfortunately addiction (whether it be to pills or alcohol) is a disease that can be treated only if the person addicted wants the help. The best thing you can do is get help for yourself and learn all you can.
Good Luck to you. You may find some additional support over at the addiction forum
According to your information, it would seem to me that she actually has both. That much Xanax is A LOT per day, especially at her weight. However, I am guessing that the biggest symptoms are coming from the anxiety. I still take xanax, but have severely limited it to only when I absolutely need it - a bottle of 20 .5 mgs lasts me about 4 months now. I used to take these three or more times a day several years ago, which was not really enough to get addicted to; however, when I was left with a few or none, I got really anxious because the fear comes about thinking "what if I have an attack and I NEED them?" This starts the cycle of fear-anxiety-fear.
I think that the doctor made a good decision here. Is she seeing a mental health professional (psych, etc.) about coping and getting rid of the anxiety altogether? Does she know this is possible? Many people with anxiety and panic disorder are hopeless that they will ever get "better" or are afraid of even trying and simply decide to "mask" their symptoms and hide from them with medication. If she is not seeing someone, I would talk with her and point out that no one wants to live like that forever, and that it is possible to be able to be free from this illness.
Both for her and for you, I would get a book by Claire Weekes called "Hope and Help for your Nerves". It is a fantastic outlook on anxiety/depression/panic, etc.
Mike
I think that the doctor made a good decision here. Is she seeing a mental health professional (psych, etc.) about coping and getting rid of the anxiety altogether? Does she know this is possible? Many people with anxiety and panic disorder are hopeless that they will ever get "better" or are afraid of even trying and simply decide to "mask" their symptoms and hide from them with medication. If she is not seeing someone, I would talk with her and point out that no one wants to live like that forever, and that it is possible to be able to be free from this illness.
Both for her and for you, I would get a book by Claire Weekes called "Hope and Help for your Nerves". It is a fantastic outlook on anxiety/depression/panic, etc.
Mike
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