Recently got a script from my doctor. He said daily use was okay, but he also knows I use it sparingly. In the past I've had this med for GAD and panic attacks, and used it with no problems but I only used sparingly. One script lasting 3 years.
Now things are different and I struggle to make it through each day and have terrible insomnia. I wake up at 2AM and the intrusive thoughts and worry take over. I HATE that I need meds to cope with this, but feeling like I'm losing it on a daily basis can't be good for me either.
I guess I fear physical dependency, which is bound to happen with daily use. I know my doctor would help me taper when the time comes, but it just sucks that I have been reduced to needing this. But I won't lie. It definitely helps to take the edge off. Not in a recreational high type of way, but in a "I can finally breathe" kind of way.
Any experience out there with this type of thing?
Go with with water soluble cbd oil first. Irony is xanax cheaper.
He now is also prescribed 1/2 a pill in the afternoon for anxiety and restlessness from Parkinson’s.
Take what you need to take to get you through this terrible time. Worry about stopping them when you are not so stressed and you have the patience and calm to do it.
Long term benzo use - not abuse but regular use - has been associated with cognitive decline and that cognitive decline may not reverse itself when the benzo is discontinued.
What changes can you make to your daily routine? What changes are within your control to make so that she is safe and you can "finally breathe"?
Looks like I’m the black sheep here as I don’t believe in any type of pharmaceuticals.
There are also some great CBD Oils that can be vaped, Koi and Hemplucid come to mind.
Also essential oils work wonders wether they are applied to the skin with a carrier oil or atomized with a diffuser.
Pharmaceuticals will definitely make you feel better immediately, but it’s the lasting damage they do that with get you in the end.
For me it’s just not worth poisoning my body when Mother Nature has all the answers, which are cheaper, good for you and side effect free. *when used correctly.
substances which is what affects our organs and creates a new illness. I also take natural and pure Royal Jelly.
My dad has GAD and he was put on Buspar (Busparone) which is not a benzodiazepine and Celexa. Medication is important and works. Tapering off correctly is important.
Talk with your doctor about safer alternatives. Try CBD and meditation. Good for you for exercise too! Talk therapy is helpful. But also letting your mom get her care from LTC May help as well.
That narcissism is hell isn’t it?
This is a difficult time and you are doing the best you can to handle the caregiver stress on top of having a life. Please be kind to yourself and know and believe you are doing your best.
Perhaps seeing your pastor, a grief counselor or therapist would offer some comfort, as i have come to learn that accepting the ugliness of the situation gave me a certain peace. If none of those are available, perhaps confiding in a trusted friend would be helpful.
Is there an Alzheimer’s support group in your area? If so, attend. I also go at least weekly to a yoga class for stretching and the meditation, which I call upon those frequent nights insomnia takes over. (A cup of warm decaf tea, and a good book read with very low lighting to tire the eyes works wonders, too.)
You didn’t mention if you are caregiving in the home, or if Mom is in a care facility. If home, finding a respite caregiver to come so you can get out might prove helpful. If in a facility, which is my situation, don’t go every day. Take a break by sending someone else or just trusting the caregivers there.)
You ARE doing the best you can. God bless.
My wife, too, is ill w/rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Any attempts to help the MiL were aggressively shot down. This was not sustainable. No money, no family — small and scattered that it is — will take her in. Wife said she gets back on her Zoloft or she must move out. Never seen my patient, loving wife so angry.
All resources we reached out to said we had to “bring her” (what, tie her to the roof of the car? Because she wasn’t getting IN the car with us) to a hospital psych ward — or wait ‘til something awful happened and call police (important: let them know you’ve got a mentally ill person that needs help).
AD has helped us cope — the right med is a relief — doesn’t take the problem away, but helps you make space for yourself, take care of yourself. Also helped us find our humor, again — so essential to well-being. Not to be unkind, but the wording of your Q made me laugh. Yes, we and 2 of our 3 kitties are on AD. And now, thankfully, so is the MiL.
Please seek help yourself. Try to find community, whatever form that may take (as in this forum), and with the help of AD, you’ll understand that somehow, someday, someway, this, too, shall pass. Meanwhile, you’ve got a life to live, in spite of your narciccistic mother. I hope someone can help you get — and keep (that’s the trick) her on the right meds. We’re not happy that the MiL is living with us, but now that she’s back on her Zoloft, things are better.
Better living through chemistry, indeed.
I think the biggest Godsend was being able to sleep.
I understand the trepidation around some such meds, but you, exhausted, are not abusing the medication.
when life’s circumstances change, and the stress is not so rampant, you can wean yourself off this.
God bless you, and I pray your anxiety lessens and you rest well.
I have found that the lowest prescribed dose is ALWAYS effective, for me. Xanax is too "harsh" but, to each his/her own.
I am also giving CBD oil a try, on the fence about it.
I want to start with that I think meds are good for people who need it. Sometimes life throws us just one to many curve balls and those of us with anxiety disorders needs meds to get through it. But please stay away from Xanax and klonipin they are highly addictive more than other drugs in the Benzo family. Taking Xanax on a daily bases can cause memory loss, motor skills problems, muscle loss, cognitive decline, make the anxiety worst, dependence for sleep, and etc. The small dose of Xanax is 2mg and all I took was .50mg to 1mg and can I say that the withdrawals were h3ll! There are better Benzo to take. I am not trying to scare you, but if I feel you might be going down the rabbit hole I feel the need to warn you. I understand that you were taking it here and there, but now you are taking it daily is a whole nother story. This is why I switch to CBD because there are no side effects, in fact, with all the different meds I have been on over 10 yrs I never felt like myself, but now I am getting me back.
People can say you can taper off with Xanax and klonipin but it is not that easy!
If you need medication find something else. There are better Benzo out there.
Sorry that you have found yourself in this mess. My mother is a NPD so I get it. I promise you that once you come up with a care plan for your mom it will get easier even as she gets worse, reason being is because anxiety is based on fear of the unknown. But once you have a plan-the unknown because a clear picture with an action plan!
Stay strong and do what is right for you. I think Joanne has the right idea, "if mom is making you medcate more it is time to find mom a new place to live." We are here for you.
Good luck!