[steelfang]

I was given zyprexa to help me sleep or tone down my anger. I was prescribed 2.5 mg as needed but sometimes take up to 3x this dose to bring me back down. It feels right but I worry i am back on the road to substance abuse. In the past I have had problems with snorting my stimulant medication to boost my exam performance.

I was wondering if any of you can relate. I feel bad about this sometimes.

[splitimage]

You're not alone in this. I know I have taken more than my prescribed dose of Seroquel to knock me out.

The major problem I have with it, is if you do it often enough, you run out of your prescription early, and I know my pharmacy won't fill a renewal before 30 days - period. So you can really get stuck.

Plus if your Dr. finds out about it, they're likely to be really pissed off.
splitimage

[vans1974]

Yes...I too used to abuse Ritalin for the same reason! Now take a ton of OTC stimulating products for fatigue and a boost! Addictions/obsessions will always be a battle for me since I suffer with an addictive personality disorder

[archipelago]

I have on occasion had an impulsive moment where I downed sedatives to knock me out. I did share this because my doctor is also my therapist. He didn't show signs of anger or concern but he did prescribe something safer that I couldn't abuse. And he limited the number of refills so that I regularly have to check in with him to get it called in. That way it is monitored. But as I said, this was impulsive during a time of unusual stress, which I don't do anymore. I do think this is actually pretty common so I wouldn't make it worse for feeling bad about it. We are all doing the best we can.

[gayleggg]

I don't but my husband abuses his adderal and Allegra D. He always runs out before he can get refills. I have to guard my pain medication because he has been known to help himself to them. Even though he suffers when he runs out its not enough to stop him and he doesn't see he has a problem. Go figure.

[Pierro]

After 7 months I have just been allowed in the last few weeks to get my medication every month. Previously I was abusing them so they would only give them to me every week. You are not alone.

[steelfang]

It's good to know I'm not the only one who does this. Most people on here are so intent on recovery that I was afraid to ask.

I'm even thinking of exaggerating some of my ADHD symptoms when I next see my pdoc to get more Ritalin. Horrible, I know....

[Ash89]

My doctor only prescribes me.one months worth of xanax and.warned me that if I use them more than twice a week obviously my current meds aren't working right. I use them in two weeks and don't ask for more for a few months. It's awful because.then when I could really use.one they aren't there and I can't ask doc for more.

[steelfang]

Originally Posted by Ash89

My doctor only prescribes me.one months worth of xanax and.warned me that if I use them more than twice a week obviously my current meds aren't working right. I use them in two weeks and don't ask for more for a few months. It's awful because.then when I could really use.one they aren't there and I can't ask doc for more.

Dude be careful with that stuff. It's really addicting. I have friends who had physical withdrawal symptoms when they tried to switch to another benzo.

I hope you find the right med combo soon.

[luckyl3]

this isn't scare tactic, this is what i've seen.
xanax withdrawal can be worse than heroin withdrawal. stuff is crazy addicting....you can play with it for ages (as in not every day) and then one day you suddenly feel REALLY restless, POUNDING heart, everything feels off, wrong, like the universe is twisted inside out - then you take a pill and it's all good. it's hard to stop this cycle once it starts and once it starts......god help you.
up here, dr's won't Rx it for more than 4 days at a time.
depending on how long you're addicted, w/d can last up to a year. it's the kind of withdrawal that includes a host of awful physical/mental symptoms along with actual audio/visual hallucinations and siezures (end up in the hospital for them, you will lose your drivers license).
it just isn't worth it.

to the op
i can relate.....tho the most *abusable* things my docs would write for were trazadone and seroquel.....disgusting~

if you've been a drug abuser....it's always going to be there. 10% of the population is prone to getting addicted....period. doesn't matter what kind of treatment you get, what kind of group you go to - so don't feel bad. feel empower'd. in my mind the first step in realizing you're in this group - you will always be this way.
if you have psychoactive medication, anything that can create a buzz - doesn't matter if your doc Rx'd it, you will be prone to abusing it.

it's a shite hand to be dealt for sure...but don't beat yourself up over it. that's the oldschool way of doing things. know what you did, why you did it, and carry on. dragging yourself down serves no purpose other than to drag yourself down. this life is just too short.

last thing - you ever wonder'd if your dose is too low? maybe you should be on a little bit of a higher dose so that you don't have to up it 3x with stress and anger? have you ever talked to your doc about it?
there's a very big difference between feeling well and substance abuse....you shouldn't have to "abuse" your meds to get the desired (and hopefully wanted by/from your doc) effect of mental wellbeing...

[thickntired]

I watched an episode of Drugs Inc about New Orleans. After Katrina ppl raided homes for pills. One if the pills they sold on the street was seroquel.

The big problem with going over the dosage is building a high tolerance and it's a vicious circle of needing more and more that works less and less. Also, it can damage your liver and raise sugar levels causing diabetes.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[likewater]

Originally Posted by gayleggg

I don't but my husband abuses his adderal and Allegra D. He always runs out before he can get refills. I have to guard my pain medication because he has been known to help himself to them. Even though he suffers when he runs out its not enough to stop him and he doesn't see he has a problem. Go figure.

It's possible to abuse allegra d? Wow. I never knew. I drink like 6 diet cokes a day.

[thickntired]

@likewater. I used to drink a ton of diet coke to stay skinny and I got really bad kidney infections. Now I drink water

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[inkangel69]

Originally Posted by steelfang

I was given zyprexa to help me sleep or tone down my anger. I was prescribed 2.5 mg as needed but sometimes take up to 3x this dose to bring me back down. It feels right but I worry i am back on the road to substance abuse. In the past I have had problems with snorting my stimulant medication to boost my exam performance.

I was wondering if any of you can relate. I feel bad about this sometimes.

I can relate. When I'm having a really hard time I take a way more of my clonazepam than i should just so I can go to sleep and i always feel guilty the next day. If you're finding an increased dose of Zyprexa is helping, I'd tell your prescriber. At 2.5 mg you have plenty of room to go up

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[allme]

Yes I also abuse my meds....mostly my sleeping tablets but at one time I was abusing them all

[IndieVisible]

If I do not get switched from Xanax to Klonopin, I might, because xanax just does not cut it for me. Wears off way too fast. I find I need to take it more often even with Zoloft! I hate taking over the prescribed amount. Should not have to!

[reesecups]

Funny. I've been on Xanax for probably 20 years. I've OD'd on them and as soon as I got out of the psych ward, 2 different pdocs would prescribe a 1- 3 month supply immediately. Now that I have a new pdoc, in a new state, just last week, I took 10mg at once and about six hours later I took 6mg. Not not ending to off myself, but just wanting to get over the awful feelings I had.

This pdoc is the first one who refuses to give me more than a week's supply at a time. I'm only supposed to take 1 mg up to 4x daily. But if I'm in pretty bad shape, I will take 2. But I do not usually exceed the max dosage for the day.

There have been exceptions. But for the most part, I try to behave. And now I'm not going to have much choice.