Unmonitored self medication tends to be a bad thing. You could have a bad reaction that could become serious if no one is checking on your progress. You are also depriving yourself of a chance to get some cognitive therapy along with the pills. It is true that pills alone tend to lead to better outcomes than cognitive therapy alone it is also true that pills plus cognitive therapy trumps both. If cost is an issue check to see if your community has a group that can help. You might even qualify for social security benefits.
It made sense without actually thinking about the meds -- I was thinking of long-term because I figured if it's used that long it wouldn't have as harsh of health complications. Somehow I forgot that the long-term ones take time to take effect and wouldn't work in a one-time situation.
In any case, I was more thinking something like trazodone or anything milder that can be used only when necessary.
Most drugs have some unfortunate consequences. There's no such thing as a free lunch. You'll only want to take them if the alternative is worse.
Schizophrenics take lithium even though it damages their livers because the alternative (extremely early death due to suicide or accident) is worse than the consequence (slightly less early death due to liver failure). People accept transplanted organs even though they have to suppress their immune systems for the rest of their lives for the same reason.
Re: TANSTAAFLdropkickpuppyNovember 20 2008, 18:20:39 UTC
Ooh! My all-time favorite side-effect was on lithium (and Seroquel).
I stopped having distracting (but sane) conversations in my head, but began conflating shadow people and soup while at a restaurant. I thought I was being very rational and self-aware for realizing this broke the rules of reality, and was confident my friends would appreciate me proactively talking about nihilism to seperate the two.
I forgot- teeny, tiny does of Marinol work well too, and are more fun than Clonopin.
I second Phil. Popping a clonopin once in a while is fine (and better than becoming a total alchy), but if this is a long-term, recurring thing, you don't want to touch any prescriptions without therapy to supplement it.
I've been on half a dozen things (yayayayyy hypomania!) and always been a fan of Wellbutrin for long-term management. It's only good for mild symptoms, but it doesn't have horrific side effects. Pretty much everything else makes you (and your dick) into a useless zombie.
You might also consider Lunesta, or clonopin before bed. Getting quality sleep made a huge difference for me.
And seriously: If you don't have insurance, get a fukkin case worker already! It's one of those gay perks we all get, like free airline upgrades and buttsecks.
I have used Klonopin as a sleep aid as it is basically a sedative. This was maybe off-label, but was prescribed to me for this purpose. It definitely works as an anti-anxiety drug, mostly because you are too drowsy too care. Its effects last a little too long for my taste -- when I take it at night I feel groggy the next day. For me it kicks in between 30-90 min after taking it.
If you're actually looking for something to cope with the occasional acute situations, honestly you might try a little pot.
And I also agree with psychoanalysis or therapy. I've been in therapy for a year, and it's helped me understand some major anxiety that I've had and give myself enough control to leverage myself out of it. Granted, my life is "slowly" changing, but there are a number of situations that I completely avoid now because, through therapy, I've recognized patterns of thinking that used to get me into deep shit.
I agree that you should seek a therapist to do cognative therapy. I beleave that this is better than drugs. My training tells me this. I think you will see the benefits of seeing a therapist instead of taking drugs. Just my 2 cents
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You may want to check for drugs that treat "Social Anxiety DIsorder" for longer term use.
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In any case, I was more thinking something like trazodone or anything milder that can be used only when necessary.
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Schizophrenics take lithium even though it damages their livers because the alternative (extremely early death due to suicide or accident) is worse than the consequence (slightly less early death due to liver failure). People accept transplanted organs even though they have to suppress their immune systems for the rest of their lives for the same reason.
Reply
I stopped having distracting (but sane) conversations in my head, but began conflating shadow people and soup while at a restaurant. I thought I was being very rational and self-aware for realizing this broke the rules of reality, and was confident my friends would appreciate me proactively talking about nihilism to seperate the two.
I forgot- teeny, tiny does of Marinol work well too, and are more fun than Clonopin.
Reply
I've been on half a dozen things (yayayayyy hypomania!) and always been a fan of Wellbutrin for long-term management. It's only good for mild symptoms, but it doesn't have horrific side effects. Pretty much everything else makes you (and your dick) into a useless zombie.
You might also consider Lunesta, or clonopin before bed. Getting quality sleep made a huge difference for me.
And seriously: If you don't have insurance, get a fukkin case worker already! It's one of those gay perks we all get, like free airline upgrades and buttsecks.
Reply
If you're actually looking for something to cope with the occasional acute situations, honestly you might try a little pot.
Reply
And I also agree with psychoanalysis or therapy. I've been in therapy for a year, and it's helped me understand some major anxiety that I've had and give myself enough control to leverage myself out of it. Granted, my life is "slowly" changing, but there are a number of situations that I completely avoid now because, through therapy, I've recognized patterns of thinking that used to get me into deep shit.
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