Florida

Oh I don't understand this state of Florida. They make it so difficult to get help here unless you have money. I finally got to see a psychiatrist today and she tells me I'm all doped up. Wants to take me off of clonazepam, temazepam, and vyvanse. I don't care about temazepam, but to take the only med that actually works, clonazepam, and put me on hydroxyzine or buspar? I've tried both and they don't work for me. Disappointed and don't know what to do.

Am so sorry about all this.
Just taking the klonopin away would put me in a homeless shelter, in another state. Hydroxyzine only makes me sleepy. Ativan only takes the edge off.
Really hope you get this sorted. Maybe try another pdoc.
Take care.

So what did you two decide as a first step? Was doc able to review med records before appointment? Sometimes how well a drug works or doesn't work is affected by other drugs being taken.

No, she did not see records before appointment and still hasn't seen them. She just saw what meds I'm on. We changed Welbutrin to effexor and that was it. She said if I wanna be happy I will have to come off all other meds. Sounds kinda odd to me. Not what I wanted to hear. Did not have time to discuss further.

Unfortunately, it's not just Florida. I'm in California and been on k-pin for 20 years. Every p-doc I see nowadays, it's like their *** is on fire to get me off the klonopin. When I think back on how excited they were about prescribing it way back when, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Somebody must be losing money on benzos.

Yep, that's how they are here. Saying clonazepam and vyvanse are addicting. Clonazepam is the only thing that has worked for my anxiety. I am from Colorado so this change in healthcare is very upsetting. Low quality but don't have insurance so I don't really have a choice but go to these cheap docs. They don't seem supportive and act like I'm on drugs. Only the prescribed ones. I'm already s******l. Taking me off of stuff while in this state of mind will only add more stress. They seem to think it will all just go away. She said if I wanna be happy it is all up to me. Like it's so simple. Confused.

Just thinking it might help to get involved in some DBT therapy. That really has made a huge difference for me because it's given me skills to work with when my emotions get disregulated, & when I'm really feeling distressed about stuff. It also helps to teach/reinforce mindfulness so that we can help make better decisions by looking at the big picture. Honestly it's the only therapy that wasn't a waste of my time & money over the last 20 years.

But I had problems not being able to take meds in the first place because of horrible side effects so life was pretty messed up until I got into this therapy....LOL....I came from California & moved to KY which I thought might be a rather backward state but I found I had better help here through the community mental health care than I ever did in the private care I had in Calif.....go figure.

However my Calif pdoc was into alternative meds which was good because he got me onto the EPA Omega 3 for depression & it worked like a miracle with no side effects as the other meds I tried had.....so I hold onto that when my depression gets higher which hasn't happened because my living conditions (away from a bad marriage) have so improved my outlook on life in the first place.

hmmm well it sounds to me like she heard your concerns. Welbutrin to effexor makes sense. Effexor is designed to treat more of your symptoms with one medication, instead of using a bunch of different ones. You need to have that going first before tapering one of the then redundant ones away.

I know it's frustrating, and confusing, and you want to feel good. I want you to feel good too. So does the doctor.

Yes, she did seem like a good woman. That is a quality I saw in her. I will see what happens during next visit. Hopefully effexor will help.

I don't blame you one bit! It IS confusing!! I'm confused, too...a few years ago I had a p-doc urge me to go UP on my klonopin dose. Fortunately, I refused because I was already concerned about the tolerance I knew I had developed. Now the past 2 p-docs I've seen are exceedingly anti-benzo and are rushing me to get off the k-pin. I saw a neurologist a few months ago who acted like I was dirty scum for being on klonopin exactly as prescribed. I'm more than pleased to get off the stuff, buuuut slowly. I'm also terrified of benzo withdrawal syndrome, which NONE of these MD's seem to acknowledge as VERY REAL. The whole mess seriously affects my trust in doctors, I'll tell you what. And I do believe big $$$$ is involved.

this scares me because im on clonazapam and without it i'm psychcotic. i just don't hope any doc don't take me off it.

I hope not, avlady. But you might want to check out other options. I fear that benzos (especially klonopin) are headed the way of opiates...like, they're really cracking down on prescribing and dispensing klonopin. And MD's treat patients who take benzos like we're rabid addicts. It's scary and it's darn annoying.

PoppyRoad is right. They even UA me when I need a refill. I feel it's only a matter of time before I have to come off it. Unless I miraculously find an understanding psych, like my last one.

Pretty sure all the hoopla with the benzos is more due to politics than science. Any meds now that have addictive actions are under scrutiny and are blamed for the addiction problems and the switch back to heroin. It's as if politicians can't understand the difference between taking something for a medical reason and taking medication for its high, two different reasons, and not a reason to persecute doctors. Doctors are liable for malpractice if they prescribe too much, or at all. There is a reason they've been prescribed for so long they often work. They did have a sedative effect on me but they also made me moody so I didn't like them, but almost always when I was in the hospital they put me on them. Because my symptoms bothered them.

sidestepper is correct.

In Florida, we have an AG (Pam Bondi) that has been engaging in political posturing by "cracking down on the pill mills." Any medication that is deemed to be addictive has become taboo. Walgreens doesn't even stock Oxycontin anymore, and politicians are pressuring psychiatrists to wean people off of benzos. Consequently, heroin use has skyrocketed.

The real reason people abuse drugs is because they want to escape a life that they feel sucks. To illustrate, what do hospitals give patients who are in extreme pain? Morphine, which is pure heroin. If the political theory of addiction is correct, then all of those hospital patients that are given morphine will become addicts. But that's not the case.

I live in Florida, and I have chronic pain and anxiety (I was injured by an IED in Iraq), but I receive my healthcare from the Veterans Administration (VA). I'm fortunate that the VA prescribes painkillers and benzos very liberally (that's because Florida's AG has no influence over the feds).

Benzos, in moderation, really help people, and will not turn them into drug addicts.

I read someplace or another than 1 in 4 people prescribed pain medication becomes an addict....well that's 3 out of 4 that don't become addicted! What ever I was reading was trying to make the case that ERs shouldn't prescribe pain meds? Nope just let everyone be in pain! What twisted thinking.

Oh by the way I was on a ton of pain medication before my surgery, I felt like a second class citizen or a criminal the way doctors treated me( except for the pain specialist) the pain doctor had to jump though countless hoops to treat people. I was in a catch 22, doctors telling me that spinal fusion was a way to stick it to Medicare/ Medicaid and others telling me I was abuseing drugs. If I hadn't been on the meds I probably would have killed myself from the pain. Turned out I really did need the surgery my spine was offset and digging into my nerves. I was on morphine and fentanyl patches...but funny thing I'm off now and haven't touched heroin.

Excellent posts, sidestepper and kindness. Thank you both.

LauraBeth I see that you changed your profile name. I've been trying to do that but can't figure out how. Would you mind telling me how you did it?

Send a PM to Christina86 she is a moderator and she can assist you in making a name change

I'm sorry- I should have mentioned that I PM'd you yesterday, Robcalher.