Posted by Caleb462 on January 9, 2003, at 2:04:19
In reply to Xanax and Klonopin. Madness!, posted by cygnusx1 on January 8, 2003, at 23:56:51
> I have taken 1 mg of Xanax a day for 6 years. .5 in the morning and .5 at night. I also take 50mgs of Luvox at night. I have turned into an emotionless zombie. I have no motivation to do anything. I still have paranoid thought and obsessive thinking. I have severe OCD and panic disorder as well as GAD and angoraphobia (sp?)
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> I so much want to be off the sedating meds like Xanax. I believe that my life would be so much better off the Xanax. I tried to decrease my dosage by .12 mgs a day of Xanax and felt HORRIBLE the next day. Like death.
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> I tried taking the same level of Klonopin and felt even worse than on Xanax. Very jittery and I couldn't talk properly. Like I wanted to say 5 words at once.
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> I don't know to do. Could it be I'm not taking enough medication? I hope that isn't the case. I feel like I'm missing out on life being on medication. I don't leave the house or shower regularly, I treat me girlfriend like crap, I avoid family and friends. All because whenever someone asks me to go out or wants to hang out I feel like they are threathening my space. So I avoid them. I am only 25 and fear the rest of life will be like this.
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> I did take large amounts of LSD when I was 13 and 14 and I fear they may have made an imprint on my life that can never be changed.
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> Does it sound like I'm not taking enough medication? I don't even think 50mgs of Luvox is a therapetic level.
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> I'm at a loss. Please add advice if you have any.
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> Thank you in advanceYes, 50 mg of Luvox once a day is a sub-theraputic level. You definitely need a higher dose - why are you only taking it at night? 100 mg TWICE a day would probably be more like it.
There's some things you should know, if you don't already know them.
OCD is more difficult to treat than depression and general anxiety. It usually takes higher dosages and longer durations to treat OCD. Also, medicine alone is not enough. You probably need CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). And even with lots of medicine and CBT, there is still the chance you won't get better - which would be considered treatment resitant OCD - Morphine is sometimes prescribed and is often quite helpful for treatment resistant OCD patients. And the last option, is brain surgery - but hopefully you won't have to go that far. A simple upping of your Luvox could do wonders! Talk to your doctor!
As for the LSD, well it can bring out mental problems in those that are pre-disposed to them (for instance, if you have mental illness in your family history), and it may not have been a good thing to experiment with when you were only a teenager (still developing and likely dealing with typical teenage anxieties and miserableness), but it won't do any harm to a healthy brain. There are actually recent studies showing that 5-HT2a/5-HT2c agonists like LSD, Mescaline, etc. can treat or even *cure* OCD.
As for the Xanax, well does it treat your anxiety? Would you rather feel how you do on the drugs or would you rather leave the anxiety, panic, etc. untreated? I suppose that may be a choice you have to make. If the Xanax is really bringing you down though (and you are certain it IS the Xanax), maybe you should get off it. Your doctor should guide you through this.
Anyway, good luck!! I have OCD (mild sometimes, moderate other times, and every once in a while severe) , depression, general anxiety, and I know how tough it can be. The last few days have been hell for me, but somehow... I'm still here, and I guess I'll get through it. I hope.
poster:Caleb462
thread:135035
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030106/msgs/135051.html