Ptolomy Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Me: I'm constantly terrified of getting brain damage Doctor: Here! Take these, they'll help with your anxiety. They cause brain damage but you won't mind any more! Except she didn't say the last part. I know I'm unlikely to suffer any adverse effects from 1mg Lorazepam, but a fear having my mind dulled is the cause of all my anxiety. I took one last night because I couldn't stand the anxiety any more I just wanted to sleep. I've had a month's wait for an appointment and they're all I've got. Anyway, now I can't stop thinking about it: "What's the half-life? Am I drinking enough to excrete it properly? What If I'm never the same again? Less or more dangerous than alcohol?" I have anxiety about my anxiolytics; I am totally fucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiet storm Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 (edited) 1mg is not that high of a dosage. There are tons of people on far higher. It's good to have a healthy respect for things like benzos but yeah, like you already recognize, you're having some unhealthy anxiety towards them. I would keep taking them to at least get you thru to your next appointment. The whole brain damage thing and long term benzo use is a whole other can of worms, and I'm sure the opinions vary wildly. But I have no doubt that short term usage will not harm you. Uncontrolled anxiety is much much worse. Take only as much as you need and try to be a little more positive towards them. They are there to help. Edited August 19, 2013 by quiet storm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted August 19, 2013 Author Share Posted August 19, 2013 Oh, I know rationally. Rationally everything is fine! It's just the doubt that gets to me. They're a PRN and I only take them when the anxiety is intolerable, or I think the tension and hypo/hyperventilating is more likely to harm me than the benzos would. I'll keep using them sparingly. Only ten days to go to the next appointment. Though I'm probably being put on Seroquel, which I don't really feel a lot better about. Thank you for your reassurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderful.Cheese Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Do you have specific questions about seroquel? I'm on it and have taken it for a long time. Not super super long, but long enough, you know? It is a good med IMO. It has helped my anxiety, helps me sleep at night, and generally calms my wacky brain down a lot. I have taken up to I think 800mg of the stuff. I'm currently on only 200mg. But it still helps. I sleep at night and my racing anxious wacky mind gets calm enough to sleep and relax. Also, regarding the lorazepam, my treatment people say it is more of a band-aid than anything else. It will help in the heat of the moment but it is not a solution to really take care of daily anxiety when used PRN. (unless you take it everyday, which IMO is better at preventing anxiety attacks...but my treatment people would disagree) So seroquel may be good at actually helping maintain anxiety control in the long run for you. And if shit hits the fan, you can always take another lorazepam PRN. But that has been my experience with seroquel. I hope it helps you a lot too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted August 19, 2013 Author Share Posted August 19, 2013 How much do the sedative effects of seroquel affect you? The moments I live for are when I'm working on a project and my mind is racing at a thousand megahertz. . Of course most of the time I can't really do anything productive, but I'd hate to lose that and feel dull all the time. What I've read seems to suggest seroquel is one of the most sedating AAPs which isn't what I want at all. On the other hand, it's no use being wide awake if your thoughts are all directed at trying to breathe normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderful.Cheese Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 How much do the sedative effects of seroquel affect you? The moments I live for are when I'm working on a project and my mind is racing at a thousand megahertz. . Of course most of the time I can't really do anything productive, but I'd hate to lose that and feel dull all the time. What I've read seems to suggest seroquel is one of the most sedating AAPs which isn't what I want at all. On the other hand, it's no use being wide awake if your thoughts are all directed at trying to breathe normally. The quel is a sedating AAP. It helps me sleep. Would you take it during the day, or just at bedtime? I take it just at bedtime now and it really helps me a lot with a lot of different things. Sleep anxiety being one of them. I used to take it 3X a day. I would be tired during the day but not intolerably tired. Sometimes I would have to nap. To be honest, now that I only take a small dose at bedtime I feel more alive. I've been manic for a little while now. My mind races. Without the quel I wouldn't sleep at night and I'd be much worse off. I hope that helps. You can also PM me if you think of any more questions or just post here again. I'd be glad to help in any way I can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarie Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Ask a question on CB about what different types of meds are available for anxiety. I believe there are a variety from different drug classes, but am drawing a blank, atm. If I was you, I'd talk to my doc about all the options and then make an informed decision. Jumping into Seroquel is kind of hard core unless you have bipolar or a schiz where it's also used for other purposes, too, imo. Benzos aren't the only other option. Therapy is something that tends to be effective with anxiety. Whatever med you choose, I'd also ask for a referral to a therapist who treats anxiety in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted August 20, 2013 Author Share Posted August 20, 2013 I'm deviating wildly from the subject of the thread now, but it's not just anxiety. I have a tendency to go from worrying that bad things are going to happen to deciding that they have already happened and becoming depressed instead. I had an assessment for psychosis last month but they concluded that I'm just getting really strong fixations on particular ideas. I've already tried CBT and SSRIs alone, which both helped a little to begin with, but the benefits didn't really last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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