Got a problem and need advice please :(

[Mandapanda17]

hi guys. okay, most of you already know that I was addicted to norco(10mgvicodin) for about 4 years.Now I've gone to see my PCP and he has now give me 2mg of xanax a day and 10mg of lexapro. He also wants to send me to see a mental health specialist, BIG problem with that is, I don't have mental health coverage. My biggest question is, to those of you that have been clean..for even say a couple months..do you believe this is necessary?! should I stay with my PCP and try to take as little xanax as possible and stay away from the Phyciatrist?? I KNOW they're only going to want to keep me on meds for a while and this was NOT my goal. I desperately want to be clean from all medications. Anyone been through this after being addicted to opiates?? Will I get better with my anxiety and panic on my own or should I go to mental health?? thanks so much to all. you've all been there for me when I've needed it most :) xoxoxo

[Mandapanda17]

good to know :) I don't need the lexapro, any anxiety I have, I caused by using pills for 4 years. gotta work it out on my own... hope you're doing good!!

[Kova]

i was on lexapro for about 2 years and went off col turkey and felt nothing, but i also started on wellbutrin at that time and my depression greatly improved.  i've had the depression problem previous to using so that is a seperate issue for me.

[Mandapanda17]

worried- I am definitely scared and also aware. I talked to my mom and she agrees that I should be on anything. tapering off the xanax for sure, but also not on lexapro. shes watched my brother for through this first hand, and shes a med. transriber for a physc. ward...LOL...she agreed with me that I should try only herbal remedies for a while after getting off xanax over about a months time, and see how I feel after a while. I think YOU even told me too that you can't really assess how you are going to feel after vicodin addiction for about 90 days?! smart ones you, and my mom :) thanks again, I'll be ok! I got off the vikes, like we knew I would...so now this can be done too!! xoxo

burningup- thanks again. I do have some good info, and I'm done with the lexapro too. My mom thinks its too 'new' of a drug anyway to know the long term affects. and you're right I do know ME, and I know I need to be totally drug-free...for REAL, only herbal medicines for me :) ttys

[burningup]

didn't think i'd ever make it to the bottom of this page..lol if you think you don't you need your doctor you probably don't. if there's anyone who knows your body and mind its YOU! sounds to me like they just want to keep a repeating customer like mcdonalds. i know that lexapro cost a pretty penny, ***** i was on it a 1 time luckly my doc had tons of samples , but in the end it really didn't do anything for me couldn't tell a difference, but were all different so? i think you'll be just fine you sound like you got the right info i got faith in you

[worried878]

It is obvious that u r scared to death of this xanax u r taking..and i dont blame u one bit..it is scary after u just kicked a drug to have another threatening u....ur doctor should work closely with u on a taper or even switch u to a weaker benzo to taper with...benzo dot org dot uk has lots of info...it is like the encyclopedia of benzo addiction...u wil beat this too as u r so aware of it....take ur time and work on this slowly...i think u will be ok ..i feel it in my bones (:

[Mandapanda17]

how much xanax were you taking and for how long? I've taken .25 of a mg for 5 months and then 1.5-2mg daily for one month recently.... I'm going to taper, and after a LONG talk with my mom who is a med. transcriptionist for a phyce. unit, I'm not going to be taking lexapro either. I only took 10mg a day for 5 day~not concerned about that. just concerned about the xanax now.... I want to be off ALL meds. I just kicked vicodin after 4 years 12 days ago for gods sake! thanks for your help

[SuzieeQ]

Be very carefull with the xanax! I had a grand maule seizure while in the hospital detoxing. I very helpful physcitrist was giving it to me like candy.  Everytime I told him I still couldn't sleep he would say take more, which I happily did. STUPID.

So here I am now detoxing from valium. It really ***** because they use valium a lot for detoxing from different drugs and alcohol but what do they give you when you have become addicted to valium.  I took valium to detox at home for alcohol and it worked great, 3 days and no w/d's, that was a few years back. I never dreamed of getting addicted to valium yet here I am.

[Mandapanda17]

I guess being scared will help me taper this **** and be DONE with it. I was using almost exactly the same amount of 10mg hydros as you were for most of my 4 years. Only had gone down to 6 for the last month of usage. Gotta get off the xanax NOW.. but slowly and that is cruddy...ugh!!!

[novics]

I also heard the Xanax can increase/cause depression which I am really fighting now on and off to begin with at the 30 day point in my recovery. (Again I was using 12-14 10/325's a day before) Scared is smart manda.

[Mandapanda17]

thats why I'm scared...

[novics]

During my wd's my shrink trying to "help" me actually caused me nothing but problems and I even wound up in the ER one night because of something he prescribed. The Xanax is very addictice Manda be very careful and the wd's are pure hell from this drug.

[Mandapanda17]

thanks! I knew there was a prob. with lexapro somewhere in there, I'd read it before. I'm more concerned about the xanax now than anything else...

[Mandapanda17]

what if I've been taking xanax for 6 months...  .25 mg for about that time and then the last two weeks about 1.5mgs a day? should I try to skip days? or keep taking it every day and taper?!

[avisg]

Your medication check has detected interactions involving LEXAPRO and 5-HTP, and identified at least one medication with an orange risk rating. This means you may require closer monitoring of your medications in order to reduce your risk of serious side-effects (click on each drug for more details).

[ali3674]

Its ok to take amino acids with Lexapro, yes.  Also, I would continue on the xanax to take the edge off, but only when needed, not every day.  If you take xanax everyday, you will need more and more and more to get the same result. Xanax is fine to take as needed, like maybe two-three times per week.   You are not crazy, your body is going through the normal events of one who is stoping narcotics.  At the hospital, we give valium or ativan for withdrawal, and xanax is similar to those.......
I understand the insurance glitch, however, its important to keep calm and have good sleep and rest.

[worried878]

I go to AA instead of NA just because I felt more comfortable with the group of ladies there...NA was good too...was just not my home...sometimes u have to go to several different groups until u find the one that works for you.  most AA groups are glad to accept NA people as most are addicted or have been addicted to either or in the past

[Mandapanda17]

thanks :) I'll look into it, my friend goes to AA and I think that would even help me too!! I'll ttys :) 12 days clean!! whoohoo!! take care.

[Marebears]

I KNOW WHAT U R GOING THRU. MY ADDICTION WAS 1ST HEROIN THAN PILLS{OC'S} WELL THAN GOT PREG. & STARTED  A METHADONE PROGRAM. LET ME TELL U SOMETHING GIRL THAT NOTHING COULD REPLACE MY RELAPSE PREVENTION GROUPS. I GET MORE OUT OF NA AND WOMENS GROUPS THAN ANY PSY I HAVE FOUND.AND THEY R FREE MOST OF THE TIME. IF U WANT TO TALK SOME MORE LET ME MORE!!!!!!

[Mandapanda17]

I could definitely stop lexapro. only been on it for 5 days. Its for generalized anxiety disorder..its an SSRI. I have a HARD time with the diet part of it, been eating better, but still not good at all. I may try what you did, seems like it worked great for you. thanks for all the info :) LOL, ironically enough I think my roomate and I got sick from eating burger king last night, i thought I was still having the runs on day 10...it was the food. :) off to bed, but I'll be here tomorrow :)

[broknbck]

sorry, i do not know what you can and cannot do on that drug lexapro? can you stop taking the lexapro? what does it do?

all i know is i quit and starting taking l-glutanate, l-methionine and l-theanine(which acts like valium) and within the first week i had crystal clear thinking, my emotions were all coming back, and by 3 weeks i felt pretty normal again. maybe it was because i had tappered off slowly (1 month) but i had not felt that in like 4 years. my memory had even gotten better.

i also elimanated all toxins going in, bad for you food and was only eating and drinking like organic stuff. if your body is not busy trying to digest and get rid of bad stuff you are putting in it, than it has the time to start healing things that are damaged. my diet has slowly been going to #ell lately and i really feel it. sluggish, and foggy headed again. ??????

[Mandapanda17]

I like the sound of the WITHOUT drugs part of it...thanks! :) I'm pretty sure I do have a biological predisposition for anxiety. My mother is the most anxious person I've ever met, yet shes never been on meds, just dealt with it, and my brother was on lorazepam for almost 4 years because they believed he had HPPD and social anxiety disorder. geez, some family I come from....no wonder I became an addict!!!! Just seeing my brother go through what he did with lorazepam should've been my first indication about the benzos...live and learn I guess! ttys :)

[marcatj]

i personally would suggest seeing a mental health expert.

they can likely help you get to the root of your anxiety and a number of other issues.  WITHOUT drugs if it's the right doctor, and assuming you don't have a biological predisposition to anxiety, depression, etc (which most don't - it's often past issues, not dealt with.)

in fact, i would strongly suggest trying it if you've never tried it.

[Kova]

yes, that was well put.

[Mandapanda17]

awesome :) you definitely got that across. I believe I need to work my way off ALL meds and let my body heal itself and get all the way back to normal. I'd rather at least wait until 90 days has passed and then assess how I'm feeling mentally again. I've been down this road of AD's before and I'm not sure it ever helped, maybe worsened the situation. thank you very much. tapering xanax time...:)