Posted by Chairman_MAO on February 25, 2004, at 18:21:36
In reply to Chairman - TX reply What's your dx and rx, posted by BobS, on February 24, 2004, at 19:29:22
> I take it you agree that the memory issue with BZDs may be overstated. Generally, the studies say something like 24 healthy adults (medication naive) were given 2mg alprazolam and two hours later they scored xyz on these memory tests. I would like to see a test of 100 panic/agoraphobics (bridges let's say) take the same test while sitting on a bridge and, naturally, without access to alprazolam PRN.
Doctors mainly use the memory issue as an excuse for not giving benzodiazepines, rather than admitting that you can give drugs to help/ameliorate it. If they had to suffer crippling anxiety, social phobia, panic, etc., they'd realize that there is no use for a good memory if you're too anxious to use it.
I'm positive that I would score better on some exams/tests and certainly in oral interviews/exams if I had a small amount of a BZD in my system because I wouldn't be second-guessing myself to death. And even in the unlikely event that I didn't, what the hell does it matter? I could care less if my memory was impaired a little; saying that we should all have high-powered memories is a paternalistic value judgement on the part of doctors/researchers. Many psychologists would say, "So what about quality of life and other things that we can only PRETEND to quantify--at best?" It is telling that BZD antagonists/inverse agonists IMPROVE memory, as does strychnine in lab animals.
And I honestly do not care how researchers want to spin their data: benzodiazepines blow all other drugs away where anxiolysis is concerned. The main problem with them that nobody seems to admit directly is that they're TOO EFFECTIVE. Two friends of mine and I once took a moderate dose of LSD along with 2mg of Klonopin and experienced NO ANXIETY WHATSOEVER walking through the middle of Times Square, staring head-to-head with 5 lanes of technicolored oncoming traffic. It's hard for a psyche to grow when it experiences no distress. For people with anxiety disorders, however, life padded by benzodiazepines is a lot more rewarding than life with psyche-splitting anxiety.
>
> Anyway, what is your diagnosis and what do you do you take for it? What is your experience with any other meds?I am BP2 (cyclothymia) with inattentive ADD and social phobia. It's quite a combination, let me tell you, although, as Bob Marley said, "Every man think his burden is the heaviest". I have all too much experience with a slew of drugs; there was a time that I thought they were the sole answer to my problems.
Which of my experiences would you like to know about? I already articulated one earlier, but I'll bet you were asking about drugs I've used in TREATMENT of myself. :)
>You're clearly a bright young man
Thank you. Scores of people have been telling me this for years; I'm trying to internalize it.
>and while I am interested for myself, I also have two children in college who may have picked up some of my genetic propensity for anxiety. I am looking to help them live a long and happy life.
As Baba Ram Dass wrote, "Good parents provide the external things". That is, a safe place with food, water, and a place to flourish, a refuge without constant harsh judgements. If you've done this, you've done pretty much all you can do. If they want to take meds, you'd do well to tell them what you've gotten good results from. This could save them some wasted time in trying to find the right drug(s). In a psychological vein, if you see similarities in their experience of anxiety and yours, you could tell them so. My somewhat narcissistic mother to this day condemns in me what she cannot tolerate in/does not want to happen to herself.
>Lastly, where do you get galantamine and what are the upside and downside of it? Is it doctor prescribed or secured otherwise? I need further info to discuss that compound with my doctor, especially, if it has any anxiolytic properties.
It is anti-manic (people who need this effect really should give a cholinesterase inhibitor a try) and can be mood darkening, can make anxiety worse, may cause sleep disturbances, and has some physical side effects. At the right dosage, however, it really boosts cognition/memory/attention and strengthens erections, among other things--with a low side effect profile. Look up Reminyl on www.rxlist.com. You may also check out www.nivalin.com or Google for information. You may have your doctor prescribe it for you, but if you do not have insurance, Reminyl is EXPENSIVE. It is somewhat cheaper if ordered directly from the Nivalin web site, and although it's impossible to know for sure, the quality is probably just as good as the US brand. It sure worked like a charm for me.
If you want to know anything else more specific, I will try to help you.
Best wishes!
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:314552
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040223/msgs/317665.html