HELP! "Plumber" to Visit

[flyinbroke]

Your creditors have never given you a free ride in your life. Stop giving them free rent in your brain.

[frogger]

Stop giving them free rent in your brain.

This might help:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tinfoil+hat

[anime-chicka]

Dude, you have *got* to calm down. Far be it from me to suggest this, but if you haven't already seen a doctor, see one. Get some anti-anxiety meds and relax.

The world is not out to get you.

BTW, xanax rocks.

[OhioFiler]

Dude, you have *got* to calm down. Far be it from me to suggest this, but if you haven't already seen a doctor, see one. Get some anti-anxiety meds and relax.

The world is not out to get you.

BTW, xanax rocks.

Now THAT is funny!

ApresMoi, have you considered writing a who dunnit novel?

[bulletproof77]

and tell the cops who are checking out those PI's out front to also run a background check on the plumber....maybe he's planting "bugs".....and a phone tap..

[Xue]

Dude, you have *got* to calm down. Far be it from me to suggest this, but if you haven't already seen a doctor, see one. Get some anti-anxiety meds and relax.

The world is not out to get you.

BTW, xanax rocks.

I'm not trying to start a fight, but I must respectfully disagree with your advice on taking "meds" and also that "xanax rocks."

I urge extreme caution and discretion when considering any medication, especially one for anxiety and/or depression.

The half-life for Xanax is short... on the order of 6-20 hours. Halcion is the only similar sedative that has a shorter half-life (and that one has even more problems). Thus, it doesn't stick around long. It is also quite lipophilic, meaning that it quickly gets into the brain. So, it has a quick on, quick off way of working. Sounds great, right?

The quicker a drug works, especially one which makes you feel good in some way, the more addicting it is, as the cause (taking it) and effect (feeling it) are close in time, making it very reinforcing. This is fine if you just take it on those rare anxious moments where you need something to get through it. However, since it works so quickly, many folks start taking it more and more often, until it gets to the point that they are taking it daily. Then they start taking it as soon as they feel it wear off. Before you know it, you are taking it 3-4 times per day. Now, that's not the big problem.

The big problem is all because of your brain's laziness. See, your brain makes it's own natural Xanax-like substance, called GABA. GABA works by inhibiting the brain's natural tendency to speed up. It's like a brake pedal, where the accelerator is stuck in the pedal-to-the-metal mode. GABA keeps your brain from over-working. Xanax (and other sedatives, and alcohol) works by acting like GABA in the brain (sort of). If you start taking it daily, your brain starts thinking "I guess I don't need to make so much GABA because this Xanax stuff is here, so I'll only make 20% of what I usually make." It takes a week or more for your brain to stop making the GABA (which is why just a few days on Xanax won't lead to much trouble), and a week or more for it to start making it again when you stop taking the Xanax.

Here's where the trouble begins. If Xanax wears off in just a few hours, but it takes a week for your brain's natural Xanax to kick back in, what happens in the interim? Withdrawal. What does that feel like? It feels like a panic attack, but worse. High blood pressure, rapid heart beat, tremors, confusion, delirium, hallucinations, seizures. What do folks do when they feel a panic attack coming on? Take another Xanax.

As a hospital-based physician, I see lots of folks, often older, who wind up with severe withdrawal problems from Xanax. It's usually because they run out of the drug, decide to cut back or stop taking it, or something else happens (eg, stroke, get sick) and they forget to take it. Or they don't tell their surgeon they are on it, and 2 days after their hip surgery I get called because they are hallucinating.

Some prescribers think it is a good antidepressant (it's not). Or that, because of the short half-life, it's not as addictive (it is).

So, here are my rules of thumb about Xanax:


Avoid it.

Keep the doses small.

Do not use in older folks or forgetful folks (more likely to forget it, thus more likely to have problems).

Do not use in anyone with a history of alcoholism or addiction (yes, that means you have to ask).

Tell folks to avoid from daily use.

If they are on it, warn them that stopping it suddenly, even for a day or two, can result in confusion, hallucinations, seizures, and even death.

http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com/2007/02/why-docs-dont-like-xanax-some-of-us.html

[frogger]

Jack Daniels works for me.

[OhioFiler]

I'm not trying to start a fight, but I must respectfully disagree with your advice on taking "meds" and also that "xanax rocks."

I urge extreme caution and discretion when considering any medication, especially one for anxiety and/or depression.



http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.co...ome-of-us.html

You do a disservice to the readers with this type of scare tactic. Are you a physician? Medications taken under supervision of a doctor are fine.

[ApresMoi]

I will read this once I get my hands free from the straight jacket.

I'm not trying to start a fight, but I must respectfully disagree with your advice on taking "meds" and also that "xanax rocks."

I urge extreme caution and discretion when considering any medication, especially one for anxiety and/or depression.



http://psychiatrist-blog.blogspot.co...ome-of-us.html

[tigergem]

ApresMoi!

You can't be special because I am special. There is only one of us allowed to be special and you aren't it.

I'm not trying to brag, just trying to help.

So... did it help?

PS: I also take xanax sometimes. Does that mean Xue will be coming over to lecture me? Maybe disguised as a plumber? What if I say I don't have indoor plumbing?

Oh ApresMoi... you could try that. Tell them you had the plumbing removed because it was invading your privacy. I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting xanax then, too.

Just don't try to be special or you and I will have issues. (Just kidding.)

Seriously, I enjoy your posts, but I wish you would quit worrying so much.
We don't have debtor's prison in this country!

Best of luck to you!

[Xue]

You do a disservice to the readers with this type of scare tactic. Are you a physician? Medications taken under supervision of a doctor are fine.

I actually do have a pharmacy degree from the University of Santo Tomas.

What exactly did I write that was a "scare tactic" and "disservice"?

"I'm not trying to start a fight, but I must respectfully disagree with your advice on taking "meds" and also that "xanax rocks."

I urge extreme caution and discretion when considering any medication, especially one for anxiety and/or depression."

What is so wrong with what I typed?

Again, what is wrong with this statement, "I urge extreme caution and discretion when considering any medication, especially one for anxiety and/or depression."?

What I questioned was, "Get some anti-anxiety meds and relax." Is anime-chicka a physician? OhioFiler are you a physician? Does being a physician make one a god of sorts? Does being a physician mean one can prescribe legally a drug such as xanax over an internet forum?

Why get so upset and attack me?

What helped my insomnia/anxiety much more has been

1) Minimising caffiene intake

2) regular aerobic exercise

3) consultation with a naturpath and an acupuncturist.

There is at least one acupuncture protocol that probably triggers GABA as powerfully as any oral medication.


Yoga, has also helped. So again, what did I write or post that was so offensive?

Finally, the words posted were written by a licensed medical professional, ie a medical doctor, specifically a psychiatrist. I even posted the link. Perhaps we get upset because the truth hurts, so to speak?

[ApresMoi]

Now THAT is funny!

ApresMoi, have you considered writing a who dunnit novel?

Hee Hee. Mebbe.

[ApresMoi]

I am looking forward to getting my life back. But worrying about a frozen bank account and other stuff and whether I would qualify, it's all been too much.

You have to admit, there's a huge learning curve for BK. In retrospect, it seems simple, but the fact is, it's not! There's a lot of learning and, yes, anxiety. It can only get better from here. Thanks all.

Btw, the below advice really is good advice. But I'm not above taking a pill if it can help. I am VERY careful with all medications, even aspirin (which I can't take at all because it annoys me).

Whew, and such a relief to know I am not special. But I SWEAR those were PIs or some type of investigators. Since I aint' a fraud, they'll have to look somewhere else!!

Not a fun month. No where but up from here.

************************

What helped my insomnia/anxiety much more has been

1) Minimising caffiene intake

2) regular aerobic exercise

3) consultation with a naturpath and an acupuncturist.

There is at least one acupuncture protocol that probably triggers GABA as powerfully as any oral medication.


Yoga, has also helped. So again, what did I write or post that was so offensive?

Finally, the words posted were written by a licensed medical professional, ie a medical doctor, specifically a psychiatrist. I even posted the link. Perhaps we get upset because the truth hurts, so to speak?[/QUOTE]

[BKorbust]

I second the use of Jack Daniels.

[backtoschool]

You do a disservice to the readers with this type of scare tactic. Are you a physician? Medications taken under supervision of a doctor are fine.

Xanax can have a lot of side effects. For instance a correlation between Xanax and sleep apnea and/or asthma has been found. Xanax raises serotonin levels which can inhibit breathing. This can be quite dangerous.