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New "laws" for doctors who write scripts for Benzo's??

I just called my incompedent doctors office to have the nurse contact me regarding my script in January for my xanax's that i had to TAKE BACK to them due to the doctor put the year 2011 ....it was for my REGULAR 3 month visit and I get 120 with 3 refills aLWAYS have.....
When I brought the script with the wrong year to get a new one with the RIGHT DATE....I just took it and walked out headed to my pharmacist and had it filled. My pharmacist whom I've been going to for many years said they only gave you 1 refill....
so he called them and they said "We will note it so when its time for her march refill she can come in and pick up anothr script with the correct refills.
WELL I was just informed by the stupid receptionist when I asked her to have the nurse call me to discuss my script issue from January...I was told "Well I know Dr. Jacob had to sign a form as she can only give patients 30 days worth and NO REFILLS.....

I KNEW IT...all due to ms WHITNEY HOUSTON having XANAX Bottles in her room that this was gonna prevent patients like myself to continue with what ive been getting for 11 years.
Im so sick of all these movie stars who die and have xanax in there system that the decent patients get punished for it.....

has anyone else been told of NEW laws in effect with benzo's amount and NO longer get refills not even 1??

What a joke.....
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Avatar universal
I just moved to a new state, and have been on benzodiazepines for years (50 years, to be exact), one (diazepam aka Valium, for 50 years for my muscle control [spasms] ) and the other for 20 years (lorazepam aka Ativan for anxiety [low dose, 0.5 mg.]). And when I changed Drs. back home, (WA state,) they were ALWAYS very accommodating when it came to my scripts, none of them wanting to be the one who took me off my meds that have worked for me for SO LONG. I never abused either benzo, never sold them, nothing. Now that I'm in a new state, and having to get a new Dr., she said she "doesn't fill ANY benzodiazepines, that I'd either have to see a psychiatrist or a neurologist. (I do have a disability that affect my motor control and speech, a lot like Cerebral Palsy, hence the diazepam). I had lived in TN for a short period and the neurologist changed me from my diazepam to klonipin and that just put me to sleep. I had to cut the dose in half myself, but it still did nothing for my muscle control. So this time I chose a psychiatrist, since it was a psychiatrist that put me on the lorazepam. She said she could fill my scripts ONCE, but she wants me to see her associate for his opinion. I don't have that appointment until later this month. So we'll see what the associate has to say..... So it's NOT just Xanax that's being targeted. I can't help but wonder if this is a " Red state" thing. Btw, WA state is "Blue".
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You were prescribed valium and ativan both?  That's kind of unusual. Sadly, the benefits of those drugs for many are outweighed by risks. Sadly, it was another Sackler family blunder in the way the advertised them, marketed them to physicians so that they were over prescribed. This finally caught up to things and now they are frowned upon unless for an acute situation. For many, that is appropriate but obviously, for others, that's preventing them from taking something that has helped them. (your case). In all honesty, I would begin to broach the idea that you may need to wean off because it's going to get harder and harder to obtain. The mere fact that someone put you on two different ones is going to flag you, unfortunately. Let us know how the appointment goes and sorry as I'm sure this is very upsetting.
Yes, I am on both, for very different reasons, as explained above. I know it's unusual, every time I have to go to a new pharmacist, they play Dr, and say "You're on BOTH diazepam AND lorazepam??" (Like I didn't already know this.) It's very frustrating sometimes, because I have a "visible" disability as well as an "invisible" one. They obviously don't think I know what I'm taking, or for what reason. When I'm at a new pharmacist, they don't know a thing about me and they presume a lot. Until they do get to know me, that is. Since my parents died (2 years apart, I've had to move 3 times (twice in WA, and then to Alaska)and each time, a new pharmacy.
My appointment is this week. To say I'm nervous is an understatement.  I don't know if anything I say about my meds will make me sound like an addict.

Wish me luck. LOL
Well, the thing is, they are the same class of drugs. So, basically, you are taking a high dose of that class of medication. In the drug world, that's how we see it. Not like this SSRI works for this and that SSRI works for that . . . just that you are taking two SSRI's that work on the same pathways and it's a high dose. It's always a red flag with controlled substances. I'm not saying you are wrong .. . . don't get ME wrong with that. But just saying it will always make people pause and they will begin questioning it. Bodies don't need to be known personally to understand the science of how medication works. :)  At least that's what they think.

It's really hard to have a 'different' situation in a world where the whole class of drugs is frowned upon. That frowned upon part makes it hard because then it probably always feels like you are making an argument to receive the current level of treatment you've been on. I personally think that doctors should use the 'frowned on' to not start new patients along the same path but those on it, if they have no history of abuse, increasing dose, and have relief should be left alone. That's how I feel.

And that stinks that you have to watch your words and we know you do. Doctors have a lot of power with prescriptions and you just want to feel better.

Let me know how your appointment goes.
You're right about them being in the same class, but why can't Drs prescribe case by case instead of believing that if a person is on an "iffy" medication, and have been for awhile, they're automatically assumed to be an addict. I'm not blaming the Drs, perse, it's not JUST the Drs that are at fault. It's mostly the "Big Pharma" saying, "It's safe and effective.  Not addictive". That's how the Opioid epidemic started and how the benzodiazepine being cautiously given is going too. They started giving out OxyContin willy-nilly and *suddenly* some of their patients are getting hooked on it, taking more and more to get the same effect that it gave them in the first place. So the FDA (I believe) said, " No more.. You can't just give them out like that." So Drs said, "Ok then. No more" to their patients, with nothing else. So many of these people turned to other sources, illegal sources. Just to control their pain. (Both real and imagined). So they take ALL opioids out of the equation. The same is happening with benzodiazepines, because some patients got addicted to Xanax and started selling them, taking more than needed etc. Just because meds are in the same class, doesn't mean they do the same thing. They might do SIMILAR things, the side effects might be similar, but they all have differences. Comparing a bar of Xanax to a LOW DOSE of Ativan (0.5mg) is like comparing high dose of Fentenyl with a low dose of morphine.

Oh and btw, benzodiazepines are NOT SSRIs. I'm on those too with my depression and anxiety disorder. Also, why do you say I'm on a high dose? Just curious.
Personally, I appreciate big pharma. Without them, we'd not have all the medications we have to choose from. Whatever doctor used two drugs from the same class to treat you was likely in the wrong. Doctors don't get a ton of medication training and make mistakes. They shouldn't have put you on two different benzos.

A drug in the same class work the same way. Same receptors in the brain. :>)  A dose of one benzo plus the dose of another means you are a high dose benzo patient. That's just reality. They may have different names but their molecular structures are very similar and they work the same way. Half lives can be different and things like that but they have the same mechanism of action.

I know benzo's aren't SSRI's. I have a son who had a major mental health issue and was hospitalized for not wanting to be alive anymore. They asked about benzo's for him and we chose not to. Short term gain for potentially a long term problem. I think that is how many look at benzo's now. When initially, they weren't viewed as much for their down side which is tolerance and addition.

I'm not saying everyone gets addicted to them. That would not be accurate. A case by case look at usage is appropriate, I think. Rather than just cutting people off.

How did the appointment go?
The appointment went well.  Better than I expected, really. The psychiatrist I saw was a specialist in addictive medication, and we went through all the advantages and disadvantages of the types of anti anxiety meds and decided to keep me on the Valium (Diazepam) for my muscle spasms (muscle control) and wean me off the Ativan (lorazepam) and start Seroquel, and see how that goes trying to control my anxiety. I don't have a clear picture of that yet, as I just started with ½ 25mg tablet once a day, yesterday. So far it's just making me tired and lightheaded.

The fact that I told the specialist that I was open minded and willing to try something else, told her that I wasn't addicted to the Ativan, but more like, nervous about trying something new, especially when it's been the only thing I've been on for my anxiety and has worked so far, but the fact that I was on 2 benzos didn't sit well with anyone. They're keeping me on the Valium because there's "not much out there for muscle spasms , or muscle control" (quoting from the specialist), so they want me to see a neurologist for that.

That's about it for now. I see a psychologist on Thursday for "talk therapy". I hope he's ready, because I've got A LOT to talk about.

Btw, I don't think I mentioned before, but the last....7 years has been really rough. First, my brother (who was living with my parents and I while he went through rehab (was doing very well with that) got lung cancer, went through chemo and radiation and beat the lung cancer, but it matastisised (didn't spell that right) to his brain. They tried a procedure called the gamma knife, but it didn't work and he died. A year later, my dad died from sepsis (another long story there) and then my mom and I moved to a independent living community. She got lung cancer 2 years later and she died. I moved to a "regular " apt with my grandson who has his own psychological disorders, and that's a  LONG list. That didn't go well, so when the lease was up there I moved again to another independent living community and was told I could go on Medicaid when I did the spend down etc. Come to find out, they were lying the whole time and when it came time to start getting ready for that, I didn't qualify (they knew that the whole time) so I started looking into "affordable housing" not knowing that there are waiting lists years long. That's how I ended up in Alaska with my only living close relative, my sister. She wasn't aware that the "affordable housing" is not just a few months either, even though there's way more up here. She asked the other day if I've heard anything, I told her that, yes, I've called and nothing has changed, it's still a year or two. She told me, "When I hear that it's up to 2 years before you can get into an apartment, I don't know if I can do that. I miss my life." (She's lived on her own for years and years.) And if I'm being honest, I don't know if I can live with her that long either. We've never really gotten along good, it's more like a good tolerance of each other, but she's not as tolerant as she used to be.  It's not a good arrangement, but it could be worse too.

(So sorry about the length of this. It's way more than I planned on saying.)
Wow, you have definitely been through some big life things in a pretty short period of time. A lot of loss, grief, upheaval, uncertainty. That's so hard! I can relate to an extended period of difficulty. With my own 'stuff' and some heartbreak, I've had a crummy few years too. Know that I do understand. How any ONE of those things is gut wrenching. All of it piled together? You are one strong lady. I'm saddened by your sister. I guess we can all understand a change in our living situation as in someone has moved in when we were used to being on our own. Truth, I lived alone a long time and got married late. When my husband moved in, I felt very stifled. Like, my husband!  Loved him dearly but had grown accustomed to my own space. And timing for things. Even noise he made was like whoa. Then I got used to it. Your sister may get used to you being there, Truly, this could happen. I'd just try to be as respectful as possible. But guess you are having a hard time too. In the states, do they not have public assistance when income to live on your own isn't available. Section 8 housing is something in my area and I know they work with private landlords so it's not like bad places. I was involved in renting a one bedroom apartment recently and there were many people looking for a space for a senior relative. But don't know if your health is such you can't really live alone until assisted living. So hard. I know as a stranger on the internet, I can't solve anything. But am just spit balling here. wishing I could.

Sounds like you got with a great doctor. They are sympathetic to you and will help you .

My son took seroquel. So, for many, it's a great medication. My son took a low dose and I don't remember which now but it was low. He had sedation. Sometimes it was a blessing as he fell into bed fully ready to crash for the night. But if he felt groggy during the day, he didn't like that as a high school student. It does take us time to get used to a medication and I always advocate for giving it a chance. I hope it works. There are many in that class. Abilify is another that many really like. And there are many others.
Avatar universal
I spent about 45 minutes answering your fine question. Unfortunately, they claimed an error had occurred. I will  Edit -  Gabapentin gave me a jerky movement disorder in 2008, 2 consecutive doses, I yelled, “My life is screwed!” It even got worse when it destroyed my facial expressions.
My understanding PCP, allows me 3, 0.5 mg, of Alprazolam per day. It can’t stop nerve vibrations, but it will stop an uncontrollable laughing or crying spell.
Hopefully no one will take it away from me.
My Brain MRI results show a round non-enhanceable lesion in my hypothalamic gland. “Must of been born with it.” Too bad I found proof, that I would have been a very short person, instead of my 5’8 height. They had decided to not validate me, so Supratentorial, crazy, nuts follows me around like the plague that never ends.
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Avatar universal
YES.  At last prmary care visit a few days ago, to renew my Alprazolam RX, I was presented with a 3 page form to initial and sign, along with the doctor. ALSO with this new state "law" we benzo prescribers can be called without notice, to come in for a urine test and bring our bottle of pills so they can count how many are in it!!!!  Can you IMAGINE?? I was highly offended. Happily, though, I am on my last tail of weaning off them. I always took a very low dose. AND they wanted a urine sample before I left, which I could not provide because I peed before I got to doctor's. I could not pee and was told to come in the next day to pee and until them could not get my RX filled.  However the pharmacy called and said my RX was ready. So?  I am not picking it up. Hoping I can finish my wean off plan over the next couple weeks.  Good luck everyone with this new state requirement. Even my doctor seemed uncomfortable with it. But they are required to do this now.
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I get clonazapam prescribed and just got 5 refills..  Sounds like a drug contract for someone who maybe has red flags to the doctor.  Which might just be getting prescribed Xanax no fault of yours.  It’s bad enough having to wait exactly 30 days before you can fill it.  Xanax isn’t prescribed for long term use usually anymore.   I was switched to clonazapam 1mg a day after I quit Xanax.  This might be a new requirement in your state though.  It isn’t in my state but I did go through something similar with methadone.  It’s getting to the point where ant drugs that people have become addicted too they don’t want to prescribe.  
Avatar universal
I don't use xanax, but I do take Klonopin, so it is still a Benzo.  They changed mine a long time ago so I could only get it one month at a time.  Now today I went, and found out they can only give me enough for one per day- I use them "as needed" for anxiety and for restless leg syndrome.  One .5 mg tablet isn't going to do that.  I turned down these other long term medications like antidepressants and stuff because I've been on them before, then the nurse practitioner seemed upset with me because I didn't want long term medication with definite side effects, but instead wanted something "addictive."  I just felt like she was drawing some really conclusions about me, and I felt offended.  I am in Indiana, and they have gotten really strict here on anything considered a controlled substance.  I understand the issue with opiates, but this isn't an opiate.  I know technically it is addictive, but not at the low doses that I take.
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I'm certain this isn't any gov't policy.  I'm on benzos and have been for tons of years, though I wish they hadn't gotten me on them.  I get a month's supply.  I get 5 refills.  If you only take your benzo as needed, and you don't need them regularly, they're not actually addictive.  While antidepressants aren't technically termed addictive, anyone who has tried to stop taking them knows they really should be treated with the same care as addictive drugs.  And you're right, benzos aren't as effective in my opinion for anxiety as antidepressants because they stop working in a short period of time whereas antidepressants work all the time, they do have fewer side effects, sedation being the main one.  My take is, nurse practitioners are very very lightly trained.  Regular docs are very lightly trained.  Psychiatrist are the ones with the most training and experience dosing these types of meds because that's pretty much all they do all day, and even then we've all had ones who were clueless.  I've been around a long time -- meaning I'm getting old -- and every few years there's a crackdown on one drug or another.  Right now it's opiates, in a year it will be LSD -- again.  A year later it will be something else.  You just have to roll with it, and that often means finding a different doctor who knows the drug and you and that will almost never be a general doc or a nurse, because they are bound by the policies of the place where they work.  Psychiatrists usually work alone, so they're not bound by anyone but themselves.  Good luck.
And I should add, a lot of the people dying from opiates are dying because docs give out these meds way too often, and that's also true for drugs for mental illness.  I get flack here for repeating it, but most people with an anxiety or depression problem can fix it without medication.  Some can't.  But docs give them out like candy, and diagnose us with things we don't have all the time.  It's the nature of how medicine is practiced in the US.  People with real illnesses too often get written off as having mental problems, and people with grief or hormonal problems or temporary stresses are put on drugs as if they're harmless.  A recent study showed that a considerable percentage of people with a simple sprained ankle were given opiate pain killers.  So there's that.  But there's also those who really do need the opiates because there's no fix for what ails them, and many people with anxiety problems or depression for whom therapy and other changes don't work.  Cracking down on them pushes them into the black market for drugs, which is where the deaths happen most of the time.  Ah, well, for you, I'd find a psychiatrist and stick with him or her.  When they know you, they get to trust you.  Peace.
It is true that in Indiana the legislature has passed very strict laws about opiates.  I understand the issue with opiates, but they are also not offering alternatives.  I don't take opiates. I don't need them.  I do take the small amount of  Klonopin.  I've never had an antidepressant help with anxiety, in fact sometimes they made it worse. I also do not consider myself clinically depressed. I am going through issues of loss and grief.  If someone lies in an area where there is medical marijuana that would be a good option for both pain and for depression and anxiety.  They just don't have it in the state that I am in.
Actually, I've been looking into that, and there might just be a marijuana product that is legal -- CBD oil.  The FDA has recently approved a drug that is basically this oil, and it isn't from the marijuana plant, it's from industrial hemp, so there's almost no THC.  That leaves it in an odd middle world where the DEA still considers it illegal and the FDA apparently doesn't.  Which means you probably can buy it on the internet and while it might not be as effective against pain as THC, it might be as effective or more so for anxiety, as THC highs often cause anxiety in people.  I also live in a state without medical marijuana, but apparently it's okay for me to buy CBD oil on the internet if I can find a reliable supplier as it's in that weird middle ground now because you can't get high off it.  Don't know if I'm going to try it or not, but thought I'd mention it as it is becoming more and more researched.
And I don't see how the opiate situation applies to your use of clonazepam.  While it can be abused, the most dangerous thing about it is stopping it, which can cause seizures if you stop abruptly and you're been taking it daily, as I was told to do all those years ago.  But for you, taking it occasionally, it's pretty safe.  So are opiates, actually, if you only use them occasionally, and most opiate users do not become addicted to them.  I feel bad every time this happens, because while it's great when somebody finally decides it's a good idea to oversee what doctors are doing, given the poor health outcomes in the US, it's still so sad for those who really need these meds and can't get them.  It seems to be very hard for Americans to find the middle ground between prohibition and overuse.
Avatar universal
I get three refills but not on Xanax but on kolonipin. But I went to the doctor and was told a new story. I have been on every pain med known to man because I fell 30ft off a building and then 4 years later I was in a near death car accident. I was so tempted to abuse my pain meds to try and kill the pain but never did so I got a dr to prescribe methadone to manage my pain. Never abused the methadone or the kolonipin and 2 days ago I went to the dr and he told me a law had been passed that if you are on methadone that you can't be prescribed any benzodiazepines and any other pain meds because so many people have been passing away. I have been looking trying to find this law. I was getting 120 kolonipin a month and in March of 2015 they cut me to 60 a month and 2 days ago they cut me from 60 1mg to 30 .5mg a month in order to take me off completely. I have terrible anxiety issues. If I had not had them about a month ago when I was having 3 implants put in then I would have jumped up out of the chair and told him no way. But about 15 minutes of taking 1mg of my kolonipin I was just fine. I go to groups to help me with my anxiety and it helps in some occasions but when it's really bad it's only the medication that helps. Don't get me wrong I do not take them every day but when my exercises that I learned in group do not work I can take 1mg of kolonipin and about 15-30 minutes later it gets me on a level plain. I am not saying that I need them every day but I would hate to think that if I did need it that I would not have it because of all these people that abuse them for fun and make it hard on us people that need it. The doctor also told me that it leads to premature altimers disease and I feel that it should be up to the patient whether or not they are willing to take that chance.
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Avatar universal
People die in their sleep who don't take anything at all.  Going without sleep, trying to sleep with chronic pain, these things can lead to diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and immune system issues to name a few.  Is that OK? To me, NO...not when there is something out there to help them.
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I liked your comments. I had a doctor for 15 years that totally trusted me not having any reason not too. Panic Disorder with Agorophobia, PTSD, ADHD and chronic pain from 5 congenital spinal deformities. I was on Xanax about 1.5 mg per day as needed. I took as little as possible making a 30 day supply last for 40 days.
Once that was under control I started a small business that required ADD meds. I started with 10 mg to see and increased to 30 where I stayed. i declined pain meds due to side effects and my work (electronics repair, vintage collectables--tube radios, etc) kept me moving and busy which helped with the pain due to light, variable activity. I took Vicodin for kidney stones, a tooth repair and during a flight to Kauai'. 12 hours in a seat would be intolerable.

This worked for 15 years until she retired. New doctor, same company: "Why do you need all these pills?" Why was your doctor giving you Naproxin when you can buy it? All accusatory. I had no ice that Naproxin was the same as alive or whatever and after I explained all as well as the success of my business which is constantly growing and I am now selling paintings that I make and junk sculptures made from recycled electronic and mechanical parts. I sell these in my shop.

She seemed to do a little about face after I explained my situation until one time when they messed up the benzo script requiring me to go back early. She asked "why are you back early? Are you taking more because your dad is sick?' (kidney removal) I said I came back because they failed to write the benzo scripts on my last visit. Easy to check obviously but it seems like she did not. She simply wrote more scripts saying very pointedly looking at me sternly "I do not want this to happen again!" I was thinking, yeah, me neither you incompetent b but I bit my tongue because I realized she had stereotyped me because of her mistake and chose not to apologize but to pretend that it was my mistake. Crazy! shortly after that she started trying to push Effexor on me telling me that the benzos would stop working soon after 15 years without Effexor to help them along!?!? I told her my dad has been on them since 1965 and they have continued to work. Her reply: "You are not your father". New doctor time.
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I think the hardest thing is the way doctor's offices talk to you.  It feels like they are accusing you of something when you are just doing what you always did.  I had a message that before I could get any more Klonopin I had to make an appointment.  I actually had stopped taking them at that point so I didn't make the appointment, but I've had a lot of crap in my life recently so I thought I could use some of anxiety, but I also use them for restless leg syndrome. So I made an appointment and went in expecting to just need to sign the necessary paper work.  Instead it was like the nurse practitioner didn't even seem to know why I was there.  She kept telling me she wanted me to take anti-depressants.  I was on those things for years, and it is very hard to get off of them. For the restless leg syndrome she wanted to give me something else but you have to take that more than once a day every day.  I don't like taking medicine on a regular basis, just when I need it.  Then the nurse practitioner was upset with me and saying that it seemed like I only wanted to take stuff that was addictive.  She was missing the whole point. I only want to take the minimum of medicine possible, which means I don't want to take something every day if I don't need it.  Instead she kept focusing on that I only want something addictive, when the small amount that I take isn't going to be addictive.   I understand that providers are under more pressure about prescribing some medications, but what really matters is how they talk to the patients.  I get tired to being treated suspiciously when I'm not doing anything wrong.
Avatar universal
I feel your pain.  I have been on 90 Xanax a month for 26 years.  The only time I changed psychiatrists was if they retired or moved.  I had also been on methadone for a back issue.  Due to "state laws" which hopefully someone can clarify for me for the states of KY and OH, doctors may lose their liceses if they prescribe narcotic pain meds and benzos together.  Even though I was on these 2 medications together for over 10 years and never abused them and was never in medical danger.  I had to choose which drug I felt I needed the most.  I feel that is an invasion of my personal rights.  Since I've been on Xanax 4 over 26 yrs and suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, I felt I needed my Xanax more so I went through PURE HELL detoxing off of methadone.  Now, my psychiatrist has dropped me to 2 .5 mgs a day.  I feel he may even be trying to taper me all of the way off.  If I find that to be true, I do not know what I will do.  I feel your pain my friend.  I'm trying to find out the actual state laws and if these laws are only for Xanax or all benzos.  I know so many people who's doctors have been tapering them of Xanax, and thought it was because they were also prescribed pain meds but my friends dr told him that they are trying to stop prescribing Xanax all together because there have been recent deaths by people who take them at night and do not wake up.  Obviously, these people are abusing their meds, or are on too high of a dose, or are mixing them with another drug or alcohol.  ANY DRUG has the potential to be fatal if misused.  To those of you who share my concern, please post a comment.
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Avatar universal
I have almost the same thing going on now with my Xanax and having to go to the doctor once a month.  This is crazy.  I'm on disability for my severe anxiety disorder and have been on Xanax for 20+ years.  Now this once a month visiting the doctor thing has just added more anxiety to my plate.  I feel this is a total discrimination for a person diagnosed with anxiety, which is a mental disorder, so people with mental disorders are being discriminated against.  

Vickie
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Thank you for replying to my post and asking about my taper & how I'm doing ...means allot!!
Yes I am at 17 mg's now until  Tuesday I will taper down to 15mg's...and yes I am having a few issues that come alone with Tapering off methadone but nothing that is SO bad that I feel will cause me to Stop the taper...or cause me to fail...I am IN THIS FOR TILL the end...NO more excuses this is the REAL DEAL now and my faith & Gnarly's advice, prayers, are my guide to being free.....
I just feel I have to give you and whom ever else may read this some insight on the Xanax's I've taken for 11 years---My Story---
True, I have been taking Xanax's for 11 years all due to my severe panic /anxiety I suffered with for some time ...countless doctors using me like a cadaver, an experiment for them to just rape my insurance, NEVER listened to WHAT I was telling them  such as my symptoms, having to  take my husband in with me to have him provide the doctor with  stories of FIRST hand he has had to watch  me endure , the shaking, Exclusion of my family & friends, the inability to drive, carry on a conversation-Take my THEN 4 year old to a park for that matter ....that is just "Some" of the symptoms I experienced for a good 18 months...all day- everyday...,   and if it hadn't have been for the Psychiatrist for actually taking the time to hear me look over my records and he was just sickened by the number of "antidepressants they gave me which I never needed...
He knew I did not have depression ( at least NOT then) but I was becoming depressed due to feeling like I was all alone ( thank God for  this wonderful forum-+as this was 1999-to 2001) No one cared doctor wise that is...
When he prescribed Xanax he told me of everything about the drug..good and BAD ...
I'm only giving you an insight on my past ...so you know what I went thru and how I will be forever grateful that this doctor finally helped me.
its no different than the pain meds....they're prescribed, some people need to take them allot longer, others, like myself only needed to be on them for a short time But the unfortunate abuse of this drug has caused countless deaths ( a dear friend of my sisters was just found dead Friday night she had abused Oxycontins and Valiums for many years and was an alcoholic) and over run Treatment clinics due to SOME people wanting to change and become clean & sober....
But just like so many drugs  people use it and HAVE used it to get HIGH, mixing it with pain meds....But for Some reason when I used pain meds & the amount of pain meds I took ...I would only take 1 or 2 of my xanax's day becuz the sick addict that I AM was too afraid of taking anything that would cause my HIGH I was on from my  pain meds...
so My SICK thought process was "oh Kim, don't you dare take the xanax or at least not what you're prescribed to take just take less as I can not loose this feeling I have I just took  20+ percs, all my Roxy's and Oxy's" Cant waste that HIGH....all the cash I spent....
Now that I'm in a methadone treatment clinic- on the dose I'm at, speaking with my own doctor about "mixing the two" all my OWN research as well, I am NOT in any danger....
There are so many that take Xanax's or "THE BARS" to get a feeling of being high along with methadone milligrams of 100 or more...And YES they are playing Russian Roulette every single day.... I NO longer wish to play that game and haven't for over 305+ days now.....

So yes taking benzo's and meth even Suboxone Can be deadly IF the addict is taking MORE than prescribed or mixing it with Alcohol---IF the Addict does not want to gain controll back of their lives??? I want that ....So I will not take more than prescribed nor mix it with alcohol ( last alcoholic drink I had was in 2008)

I get upset "NOW" when I hear of a death whether it be a person in the spot light or just someone like me...an addict. My sister called me just last night to inform me of an employee of her husbands wife fell asleep and didn't wake up...she mixed her usual cocktail of Oxycontins, Valiums, Imitrex & Jack on the rocks.....Another one Gone

I know you weren't expecting a BOOK but I have always felt I have to give people a mental picture of the H3LL I've been thru in the past....Where I've been with Doctors But mostly WHERE I am NOW.....

I have not Now Nor have I ever abused xanax's. I have never like many Past friends that LOVED to take more than 1 and go out drinking....I have NEVER even done that because 1 single glass of wine with dinner and I feel the effects and I don't like it.?? Go figure , an Addict NOT liking the Buzz you get from mixing them with alcohol??
But for what ever reason, maybe those 18+ months I suffered with Anxiety/ Severe Panic attacks I realized xanax  "TO ME"  is like any person who suffers with any type of condition that requires daily medication.I will continue taking it as prescribed I will continue to work on my mental state of mind every day as I know the work doesn't stop once I take  my last dose of methadone....I know the POWERS of Xanax and what can happen if abused....I KNOW I want my life to be one that can live on Xanax's as PRESCRIBED ...continue with my Yoga, Educating myself on what I can do to remain a free of pain meds never ever think for a second I'm "OK"....I am and will always  be An addict ...just one that knows she will never play with her life the way I did  in the past.

Again Sorry for the NOVEL but...maybe someone will gain something from my story???
Kim
Helpful - 0
1416133 tn?1351123217
The Dr.'s have to do that - they're protecting you even if it doesn't feel like that, they are.  Addiction issues are tricky - just because you've been taking them for years doesn't mean they aren't supposed to be careful.  Too many people are dying from this drug.  How are you doing with your tapering?  I know you've wanted to get off all the drugs - this might be a good thing and maybe the Dr. can start to wean you off the benzo's too?  I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that taking methadone and benzos is a deadly combination.  Please be careful okay?
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1 Comments
I know the life I had without Xanax I  couldn't go outside drive nothing. Because  of my terrible panic attacks. They gave me Xanax I have been really good. Now they want to take them away. It's not the pill it's the pill stopping my panic attacks.  I don't feel nothing when I'm on Xanax all I know it takes my panic attacks away. I'm going to go back in my house I will feel like I can't breath all day and stay in bed and sleep until I die.
Avatar universal
I had the same issue at the beginning of the year..very frustrating!!uhg
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Avatar universal
I understand GOVERNMENT regulations....but what about patients who only HAVE one doctor and only takes one medication, who over the 11 years have had to switch doctors only 3 times due to insurance changes and the doctor not participating in that insurance.

I have letters from BOTH doctors prior to the one I have now, that was in my file letting them know I NEVER called in my script early, lied about "they were in my Jeans and I washed them"...No BS just been a patient with my Xanax's never causing any problems.
I am so sick of the BAD patients making it hard of the ones that have been exeplemtary patients...
I did not ask these past doctors to write these, my current doctor told me they were IN MY FILE....
Why can't the one like me get a "free pass"??? be left alone....now I have to call in my script EACH month to a doctors office that is over booked and understaffed...and its in a very up scaled area...I began going to her due to the fact If I had a sinus infection or an emergency I could be seen...TODAY I called due to the past 2 weeks of mild depression, crying, feeling blue, and guess what I cant get in until MARCH 15th???? FOR DEPRESSION symptoms???
just pitiful...
OK Im done.....cuz there is nothing for little ol me to do but RANT which gets me KNOW WHERE!!!! just more pi$$ED off
Helpful - 0
757137 tn?1347196453
I have the same situation with my doctor. He follows govrernment regulations.
Helpful - 0
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