NO INSURANCE! Please help me!!! Are my meds making me sick?

[chloearditi]

I have narcolepsy and am currently taking 60mg adderoll and 60mg valium/day to counteract the anxiety from the adderoll. I have been very tired and think I need to taper off my valium. I was thinking of tapering 5/mg every 10 days of the Valium down to 20-30/mg and see how I feel. Is this safe? I cannot talk to my doctor due to insurance problems.

Also I should mention that, in the past 2 weeks I have been having major dizzy spells, shortness of breath, extreme confusion, tingling in my extremities, and not making sense when I talk due to the confusion. I had to quit my job and stop going to school. I have been bed-bound for a week. Also, month ago, I completely lost my appetite (which has never happened before). I went to the hospital, EKG is clear, and the doctor told me to get off the Valium because I was on way too much and it was the cause of all my problems. I am going to follow up with a primary as soon as my insurance is good. But could all these symptoms be a result of the medications I'm taking, I am a little skeptical?

[chloearditi]

thanks for your advice. Yeah I need to get in touch with somebody. I will start with the pharmacy but also an on-call doctor if I can. I was unfortunately allergic to Provigil. :(

[JGOODMAN]

I agree with Laurencia - and I would also ask for the prescribing doctor to call you for a telephone consultation... any reputable doctor will.  That may be a good time to mention that you've lost your insurance in addition to your job and activities at school as a result of your current condition.

I'm not sure why a doctor would prescribe Valium to someone with narcolepsy - stimulants like Adderall can often leave someone feeling strung out, burnt out, and even more tired in the long run... versus something like Provigil (aka modafinil) which is non-narcotic and promotes awareness and wakefulness.

[laurencia131]

I would talk to your pharmacist.