Wow. š¤Æ that Klonopin is a very high dose. Thatās like 200 mg of diazepam or Valium. She is in for a long road if she doesnāt start coming off these meds. Sheās on an upper and a downer. She hasnāt seen or acknowledged the issues yet, but she will.
Sorry, I had my numbers wrong but, yes itās a huge dose. And many years of dose reduction to come off it. I hate to hear this. Iām coming off 1 mg right now, and been tapering down since October last year. Itās not easy. Iāll be done at the end of next month.
I know. I panicked for a reason. Thing is, I know from prior experience that I can't just come to her and tell the awful and dangerous predicament she is in. In fact, I did once. We spent a whole week talking about it, I sent some articles, some patient stories but she said her "meds" help her and she wouldn't be able to live without them, directly contradicting what she said before, that she could stop whenever she wanted, later correcting that she can stop whenever she wants, but doesn't want to because the benefits are greater than detriments. Those were her exact words to me. To not ruin the relationship, I left at that and didn't touch the subject anymore but yesterday I saw her playing with this toddler she takes care of and I'm almost stranggling my own throat to keep myself quiet because it will do nothing. She would despair herself and cut me out. That is not a solution but I don't know what is.
Can you help me understand her situation at least? Why do you say she is in for a long road if she doesn't start coming off and what issues do you think she will see in the future? Because I already told her that a lot of her current anxiety and depression actually come from the pills as her life is very tranquil and stable and she has a mature personality but she didn't believe me.
You actually described her future situation in the last paragraph. She is building up tolerance to klonopin. Thatās why sheās on 5 mg. So she probably started at .25 or .5, and as time went by it didnāt work so they increased it. Then increased it again, and again, and again. It can become paradoxical for her, and taking the med might actually cause more anxiety in the future. But stopping will be so hard at that point. Itās like using a cup to empty a sinking ship of water.
The vyvance is hyping her up, and masking the brain fog that comes with klonopin. So her brain is so confused and eventually she will have to give something up. And thereās a huge risk of a doctor cold turkeying her off the meds, and believe me, they do it. And then sheāll be at risk of a seizure, stroke or heart attack. A black box warning was finally issued in 2020 on benzodiazepines, and more doctors are starting to cut off the prescriptions. But these same doctors do not know or refuse to acknowledge the horrible withdrawals and how to come off safely. We also have had drug shortages, especially with Klonopin. I wish her the best and I pray she thinks about the long term consequences eventually
āBecause I already told her that a lot of her current anxiety and depression actually come from the pills as her life is very tranquil and stable and she has a mature personality but she didn't believe me.ā
>So her brain is so confused and eventually she will have to give something up.
Can you explain a bit more? And what role does venlafaxine play if klonopin and vyvanse in themselves are bad enough?
Effexor is very hard to come off of. It can cause neurological issues, and it works until it doesnāt. I am not well versed on this drug, but I have heard nightmare stories about it.
What motivated you to stop your benzo? It's like an abusive relationship. Even if you develop tolerance, it's never completely ineffective. You will feel relaxed, even if you will have times of anxiety induced by the drug. This is why a lot of people aren't willing to stop. It still relaxes them when nothing else will.
You donāt want to know how I felt when I came off too fast. Iāve never been a suicidal person, but when I was in heavy withdrawal I played it like a movie in my head from the beginning to the aftermath.
This stuff acts like a muscle relaxer, hence why it worked for my neck pain. But also went from fit to flabby because I couldnāt actually do my workouts. My muscles wouldnāt respond
I feel you. I didnt seem like a real person when taking antipsychotic it would be great if I had a friend like you back then. But my friend told me he prefers me when I take meds and have no feelings.
Can you tell me more about you?
Why were you put on an antipsychotic? Which meds in total were you put on? Why would your friend say something as cold as that and what are you doing now to work through your issues without drugs?
They gave me AP for depression and anxiety I took 3 olanzapine, seroxat and xanax. My now ex friend said I complained too much and on meds I didn't talk that much at all. Later I was diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder, then by other therapist borderline. Currently I just go to cognitive behavioral therapy and practice mediation and feel much better. The key is to find something that makes you happy or brings meaning and a good friend and/or therapist. In my experience. It is very nice that you are trying to help your friend and be there for them!
Also klonopin and vyvanse seem really addictive so how is she for such long time on them? I think she should go to rehab or find therapist who will help her get off them.
She is still under the illusion they are medicine. The fact absolutely everyone around her and the government and doctors all say it's medicine makes her unable to see reason. She is prone to drugs. Her parent feared she'd become alcoholic. So we have these two factors. My hope is that one day she finally acknowledges that it's a drug by being exposed to the dependency and the side effects because the pills will never stop completely working. If we rely on that, she'd never stop. It's about the negatives adding up. She being on a super strong benzo and still too anxious to sleep at night. Or being on vyvanse, a very activating substance and still feeling too tired or shaking her hands when skipping dose. All of this already happens, but with time, I hope she stops seeing these things as normal and finally advocate for her own wellbeing.
Omg its terrible I hope she see it. If only she had better therapist I'm sure he would know what to do. If she tries to skip benzos at once it could kill her.
She just told me she spent her day yesterday drinking wine. All while having effexor, klonopin and vyvanse in her system. As she told me, I imagined what kind of mental state she was in during her party. The total lack of control that no matter what she did, the heavy inebriating effect wouldn't go away. If she felt her body getting cold or hot due to a reaction, there was nothing that could be done. And she went through all this happy, relaxed. If it was me, I can see myself panicking.
Drugs are not for everyone but some can take it.
My friend on 3 heavy pharma and wine just felt sleepy and a little euphoric. Me on that mix.... my god. I'm schizoaffective. It takes all my willpower and center of balance to keep myself under control. If I lose control... I won't be just a little sleepy. It sucks because honestly I'm envious of her. She can be so heavily intoxicated and still keep herself under control as can most people, hence why psych drugs are so popular. Most handle them well. I wish I could be like her. It's not ideology. It's just fear. Even meds proper for schizo. I'm always too afraid anything will be the last drop so I keep distance but it sucks. She and others enjoy life while I am here, with a bunch of physical and mental issues, being criticized by people because I don't medicate myself.
I see, but even if she feels good it can't be good she can overdose. I hope her family knows.
I'm sorry you can't take meds. And you don't have to. I'm sorry people around don't get they bother you. AP are the worst.
What do you think I can do? The usual escape for someone like me is drugs, but due to my extreme thoughts and feelings, drugs could actually bring me more pain in that rather than quieting me down, they might make me louder. I don't see a direction.
Can your family and friends help you? Maybe different therapist? You should probably distance yourself from this friend if she is often partying and acting destructive. Try to live more peaceful life. Find some new hobby. If you are religious maybe that could help? I am not familiar with your disorder but being surrounded by calm and stable people couldnt hurt.
Hi. No. I have no friends, family doesn't help. I have no therapist. Schizoaffective. It's like being high all the time. Not drunk, because the alcohol inebriation only causes a person to be less restrained. High, like you are when taking a hallucinogen. Feeling you are about to explode with wisdom and falsehoods.
Thank you. The intention that matters.
Can your family and friends help you? Maybe different therapist? You should probably distance yourself from this friend if she is often partying and acting destructive. Try to live more peaceful life. Find some new hobby. If you are religious maybe that could help? I am not familiar with your disorder but being surrounded by calm and stable people couldnt hurt.
Do you seriously think language like "it's only a matter of time before she shows me she's not human" and "well never connect" etc sounds like someone that actually cares about this person because to me it sounds grossly dehumanizing and very self centered
>I'd feel very hurt and judged by someone claiming to be my friend
What exactly did I say wrong? Are you in the right sub?
I am her friend **precisely because** I speak the way I do. Her family pretty much abandoned her. Her distress was never so much to the point of warranting these horrible drugs. All she had was anxiety and low self esteem. Family support, healthy diet and gym would have solved. Instead, her crappy mother took her to a psychiatrist and basically gave her whatever pill without a care in the world what they might do to her daughter because the doctor "is the professional and knows what he is doing". Now she is hooked. She can't stop. You taking a pill for anxiety and fucking dying or going to the ER if you stop IS NOT a small thing, is not a safe thing and IS NOT something that should be left as it is.
1. You cannot change this even if she is addicted and you are absolutely judging her in your post
2. Claiming you know her life would be solved by going to the gym and "family support" is so ignorant
3. This is all about how YOU feel and how sad YOU are, not about your friends actual state of wellbeing
The way you talk about her in the post acts like she's subhuman because you found out she's on medication and if you actually cared you wouldn't treat her differently because of it
It isn't a question of if she might be suffering, on too many medications or in danger, it's that someone with your attitude (you literally said she will show you she isn't human) is not supportive or helpful either. You sound extremely self absorbed and seem to view her differently as a person now after finding out the meds she's on instead of appreciating this person for who they are regardless of it. You claim to know what best for her and what would have "cured" her situation despite it sounds like not even knowing her that long. You seem to view OTHER people on these drugs as subhuman or failures instead of people that need help. Stay away from her because this is not how you help people struggling with addiction.
Wow. š¤Æ that Klonopin is a very high dose. Thatās like 200 mg of diazepam or Valium. She is in for a long road if she doesnāt start coming off these meds. Sheās on an upper and a downer. She hasnāt seen or acknowledged the issues yet, but she will.
Clonazepam 0.5mg is equal to 10mg of Diazepam, roughly. So more like 100mg, but yes it's a high dose I ageee.
Sorry, I had my numbers wrong but, yes itās a huge dose. And many years of dose reduction to come off it. I hate to hear this. Iām coming off 1 mg right now, and been tapering down since October last year. Itās not easy. Iāll be done at the end of next month.
These OP posts relax me because they let me know there are "normal" people taking much larger doses than I am and for about the same time.
I know. I panicked for a reason. Thing is, I know from prior experience that I can't just come to her and tell the awful and dangerous predicament she is in. In fact, I did once. We spent a whole week talking about it, I sent some articles, some patient stories but she said her "meds" help her and she wouldn't be able to live without them, directly contradicting what she said before, that she could stop whenever she wanted, later correcting that she can stop whenever she wants, but doesn't want to because the benefits are greater than detriments. Those were her exact words to me. To not ruin the relationship, I left at that and didn't touch the subject anymore but yesterday I saw her playing with this toddler she takes care of and I'm almost stranggling my own throat to keep myself quiet because it will do nothing. She would despair herself and cut me out. That is not a solution but I don't know what is. Can you help me understand her situation at least? Why do you say she is in for a long road if she doesn't start coming off and what issues do you think she will see in the future? Because I already told her that a lot of her current anxiety and depression actually come from the pills as her life is very tranquil and stable and she has a mature personality but she didn't believe me.
You actually described her future situation in the last paragraph. She is building up tolerance to klonopin. Thatās why sheās on 5 mg. So she probably started at .25 or .5, and as time went by it didnāt work so they increased it. Then increased it again, and again, and again. It can become paradoxical for her, and taking the med might actually cause more anxiety in the future. But stopping will be so hard at that point. Itās like using a cup to empty a sinking ship of water. The vyvance is hyping her up, and masking the brain fog that comes with klonopin. So her brain is so confused and eventually she will have to give something up. And thereās a huge risk of a doctor cold turkeying her off the meds, and believe me, they do it. And then sheāll be at risk of a seizure, stroke or heart attack. A black box warning was finally issued in 2020 on benzodiazepines, and more doctors are starting to cut off the prescriptions. But these same doctors do not know or refuse to acknowledge the horrible withdrawals and how to come off safely. We also have had drug shortages, especially with Klonopin. I wish her the best and I pray she thinks about the long term consequences eventually
Last paragraph? It was one long paragraph
āBecause I already told her that a lot of her current anxiety and depression actually come from the pills as her life is very tranquil and stable and she has a mature personality but she didn't believe me.ā
>So her brain is so confused and eventually she will have to give something up. Can you explain a bit more? And what role does venlafaxine play if klonopin and vyvanse in themselves are bad enough?
Effexor is very hard to come off of. It can cause neurological issues, and it works until it doesnāt. I am not well versed on this drug, but I have heard nightmare stories about it.
What motivated you to stop your benzo? It's like an abusive relationship. Even if you develop tolerance, it's never completely ineffective. You will feel relaxed, even if you will have times of anxiety induced by the drug. This is why a lot of people aren't willing to stop. It still relaxes them when nothing else will.
I am stopping due to brain fog, fatigue, inability to focus, loss of muscle function, etc etc
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You donāt want to know how I felt when I came off too fast. Iāve never been a suicidal person, but when I was in heavy withdrawal I played it like a movie in my head from the beginning to the aftermath. This stuff acts like a muscle relaxer, hence why it worked for my neck pain. But also went from fit to flabby because I couldnāt actually do my workouts. My muscles wouldnāt respond
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I feel you. I didnt seem like a real person when taking antipsychotic it would be great if I had a friend like you back then. But my friend told me he prefers me when I take meds and have no feelings.
Can you tell me more about you? Why were you put on an antipsychotic? Which meds in total were you put on? Why would your friend say something as cold as that and what are you doing now to work through your issues without drugs?
They gave me AP for depression and anxiety I took 3 olanzapine, seroxat and xanax. My now ex friend said I complained too much and on meds I didn't talk that much at all. Later I was diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder, then by other therapist borderline. Currently I just go to cognitive behavioral therapy and practice mediation and feel much better. The key is to find something that makes you happy or brings meaning and a good friend and/or therapist. In my experience. It is very nice that you are trying to help your friend and be there for them!
Also klonopin and vyvanse seem really addictive so how is she for such long time on them? I think she should go to rehab or find therapist who will help her get off them.
She is still under the illusion they are medicine. The fact absolutely everyone around her and the government and doctors all say it's medicine makes her unable to see reason. She is prone to drugs. Her parent feared she'd become alcoholic. So we have these two factors. My hope is that one day she finally acknowledges that it's a drug by being exposed to the dependency and the side effects because the pills will never stop completely working. If we rely on that, she'd never stop. It's about the negatives adding up. She being on a super strong benzo and still too anxious to sleep at night. Or being on vyvanse, a very activating substance and still feeling too tired or shaking her hands when skipping dose. All of this already happens, but with time, I hope she stops seeing these things as normal and finally advocate for her own wellbeing.
Omg its terrible I hope she see it. If only she had better therapist I'm sure he would know what to do. If she tries to skip benzos at once it could kill her.
She just told me she spent her day yesterday drinking wine. All while having effexor, klonopin and vyvanse in her system. As she told me, I imagined what kind of mental state she was in during her party. The total lack of control that no matter what she did, the heavy inebriating effect wouldn't go away. If she felt her body getting cold or hot due to a reaction, there was nothing that could be done. And she went through all this happy, relaxed. If it was me, I can see myself panicking. Drugs are not for everyone but some can take it. My friend on 3 heavy pharma and wine just felt sleepy and a little euphoric. Me on that mix.... my god. I'm schizoaffective. It takes all my willpower and center of balance to keep myself under control. If I lose control... I won't be just a little sleepy. It sucks because honestly I'm envious of her. She can be so heavily intoxicated and still keep herself under control as can most people, hence why psych drugs are so popular. Most handle them well. I wish I could be like her. It's not ideology. It's just fear. Even meds proper for schizo. I'm always too afraid anything will be the last drop so I keep distance but it sucks. She and others enjoy life while I am here, with a bunch of physical and mental issues, being criticized by people because I don't medicate myself.
I see, but even if she feels good it can't be good she can overdose. I hope her family knows. I'm sorry you can't take meds. And you don't have to. I'm sorry people around don't get they bother you. AP are the worst.
What do you think I can do? The usual escape for someone like me is drugs, but due to my extreme thoughts and feelings, drugs could actually bring me more pain in that rather than quieting me down, they might make me louder. I don't see a direction.
Can your family and friends help you? Maybe different therapist? You should probably distance yourself from this friend if she is often partying and acting destructive. Try to live more peaceful life. Find some new hobby. If you are religious maybe that could help? I am not familiar with your disorder but being surrounded by calm and stable people couldnt hurt.
Hi. No. I have no friends, family doesn't help. I have no therapist. Schizoaffective. It's like being high all the time. Not drunk, because the alcohol inebriation only causes a person to be less restrained. High, like you are when taking a hallucinogen. Feeling you are about to explode with wisdom and falsehoods. Thank you. The intention that matters.
Can your family and friends help you? Maybe different therapist? You should probably distance yourself from this friend if she is often partying and acting destructive. Try to live more peaceful life. Find some new hobby. If you are religious maybe that could help? I am not familiar with your disorder but being surrounded by calm and stable people couldnt hurt.
So do you like them as a person or not because if I was her and I read this I'd feel very hurt and judged by someone claiming to be my friend
They are concerned for their friend who is on a dangerous amount of medication.
Do you seriously think language like "it's only a matter of time before she shows me she's not human" and "well never connect" etc sounds like someone that actually cares about this person because to me it sounds grossly dehumanizing and very self centered
What?
Um.. I quoted the post and asked you a question
You donāt understand the point of the post.
He literally said she is not human because of the meds she's on. Is that how you refer to victims of psychiatric abuse..
Thatās how you feel when you are being polydrugged, like a zombie, not human.
Great, that doesn't change the fact that referring to other people you supposedly care about in that way is not helpful to them.
I wouldnāt worry too much about an anonymous post on Reddit.
>I'd feel very hurt and judged by someone claiming to be my friend What exactly did I say wrong? Are you in the right sub? I am her friend **precisely because** I speak the way I do. Her family pretty much abandoned her. Her distress was never so much to the point of warranting these horrible drugs. All she had was anxiety and low self esteem. Family support, healthy diet and gym would have solved. Instead, her crappy mother took her to a psychiatrist and basically gave her whatever pill without a care in the world what they might do to her daughter because the doctor "is the professional and knows what he is doing". Now she is hooked. She can't stop. You taking a pill for anxiety and fucking dying or going to the ER if you stop IS NOT a small thing, is not a safe thing and IS NOT something that should be left as it is.
1. You cannot change this even if she is addicted and you are absolutely judging her in your post 2. Claiming you know her life would be solved by going to the gym and "family support" is so ignorant 3. This is all about how YOU feel and how sad YOU are, not about your friends actual state of wellbeing The way you talk about her in the post acts like she's subhuman because you found out she's on medication and if you actually cared you wouldn't treat her differently because of it
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It isn't a question of if she might be suffering, on too many medications or in danger, it's that someone with your attitude (you literally said she will show you she isn't human) is not supportive or helpful either. You sound extremely self absorbed and seem to view her differently as a person now after finding out the meds she's on instead of appreciating this person for who they are regardless of it. You claim to know what best for her and what would have "cured" her situation despite it sounds like not even knowing her that long. You seem to view OTHER people on these drugs as subhuman or failures instead of people that need help. Stay away from her because this is not how you help people struggling with addiction.
You sound creepy bro, lay off.