Welcome LaBear!
This is an interesting thread for me because I also suffer from GAD - generalized anxiety disorder. I take Buspar and also Clonazapam at .5 mg. When I got my script for the Nal, the FNP didn't have a problem with me taking all three meds. Although an interesting thing happened to me last week. I ran out of my Buspar (Buspirone) on a Friday. I called a refill in only to find out that my refills were gone and they would have to call the doctor for more. Long story short, the doctor didn't call it in in time for me to get my refill for the weekend. So, needless to say, I abruptly had to stop the Buspar. Even on Monday they still had not taken care of my refill. But the interesting thing is my anxiety (which manifests itself with me in my stomach as a gnawing pain) actually improved! It makes me wonder if somehow on the dose I was taking with the Buspar that maybe I was experiencing some of the rebound anxiety you mentioned while on Clonazapam. But for whatever reason, I feel better now that I am not taking the Buspar at all. I did experience some muscle twitching in my face which after looking on the Internet, it said you can get that from Clonazapam withdrawal and those classes of medications (which I don't know how to spell), but didn't see the same for Buspar withdrawal. So I don't know what to really make of it all, other than for now I am happy to be on one less medication. I was up to almost the max dose when I went off - 15 mg in the morning and 10 mg at night.

I have a follow up appt. with my FNP this Friday and would like to ask some questions. I will report back if she has anything interesting to say about it.

too much drug use, really.

It's actually better being a functional member of society and part of the work force than being drug-free and institutionalized. (I am not exaggerating).

Bob

WOW !! Now that really is a thought !!

Hi all, gee guess I struck quite a nerve here. I think that most people who drink are basically self medicating. That's just my opinion including myself of course. I suffer from anxiety disorder to the full extent. I am sure I have a touch of OCD and also PTSD and who knows what else. There was a time when I was bed ridden reclusive and had agorophobia for many years. I am lucky to be here to tell the story. My case was a true example of someone who the doctors overmedicated. I did a lot of research and before the internet also. I didn't have any help and actually found a hospital after contacting a doctor who was on 20/20.
Barbara Walters had a special on Xanax and it's addictive affects, etc. I contacted the show and on my own admitted myself to this hospital which I thought was like Betty Ford. Low and behold it was not. I spent 3 weeks in detox in a mental institution and it saved my life. I am sure I was very near death. I was in with patients who had diagnosis's as long as one's arm.
It was a terrifying and amazing experience but I came out with PTSD. I was however free of every drug and brainwashed against taking any either. I went on like that for a year and because of the severity of the anxiety I relented to taking the Klonipin after my therapist begged me for months. It has worked well for me, but I will not take another pill. These doctors in my opinion over perscribe causing the problems that the meds are supposed to prevent. I hope this helps any of you who are on medication to always question it. It is wonderful Virgil that you were able to get off the Busbar and feel better. If I were you I would see how it goes without.

Bob I hear what you are saying also and that is why I take the Klonipin. It is a must. The low dosage that we take is not good with liquor but I do not feel I will overdose either. The doctors know my situation and I am being careful with all of this watching for symptoms, heart rate, bp, etc. Doing the very best that I can at the moment.

My experience with Valium began after I had a severe back injury in 1984. Valium is an excellent muscle relaxant and was prescribed for that. It worked great! Today, I have very little back discomfort and I am nearly fully functional physically, all due to the muscle relaxant Valium, which I only took when there were back spasms. So because of the past 25 years, I know the drug very well.

After my lightning strike in 1989 and I started to get severe anxiety problems, I noticed that alcohol alleviated the anxiety problem. Valium also helped when I was in need of back relief. By 2004, my manic disorder was overwhelming and I sought psychiatric assistance. By then I was addicted to alcohol and was treated for alcoholism. Valium was prescribed as well as other meds because I had experience with Valium and knew that this drug was to be handled with great care.

I am very sensitive to the amount of Valium I take each day and my psychiatrist knows this. So much so, that my psychiatrist trusts me with adjusting my dosage. He doesn't push meds on me and happily allows me to try different meds as I do research and discuss options with him. He is a big fan of Campral, which I took for a year and a half with absolutely no results. Therefore, I was finally put on Naltrexone, where I could finally try the Sinclair Method for alcohol addiction extinction.

However, I still must take Paxil and Valium to stay sane enough to work. I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

Bob

Hi LaBear,

I was only on Buspar for a very short time but I seem to recollect that it is supposed to be fast-acting. I didn't feel any benefits so discontinued its use. During that time, I was drinking daily (as I still do). And herein hangs a problem because alcohol can reduce the efficacy of certain drugs. It's a catch 22 situation, isn't it? Ideally, I would stop drinking when prescribed certain medications but I've not been able to do this other than the times when I have been admitted as an in-patient to hospital. I'm still on medication, but not Buspar.

All the best,

V.

Hi all,

I can't speak about any of these drugs as I haven't tried them. I'm surprised to find, however, that I have an amazing amount of physical stress in my body, accompanied by emotional sadness, as my alcohol consumption lowers. I hadn't been aware of that b/4 - no doubt b/c I masked these symptoms with alcohol consumption. But I'm realizing it is this uncomfortable sensation that actually drives me to the bottle. When I first started experiencing it, I assumed it was light withdrawal - but really, my consumption is down to a point where that should not be an issue most of the time.

I'm very curious about baclofen as an adjunct therapy with TSM. My only hesitation is that I understand once you start using it, you must be extremely careful not to quit suddenly as that can cause terrible withdrawal effects. Wonder if I went somewhere and forgot my pills? Wonder if I got in an accident and couldn't explain this to the medical personnel on hand? It seems like quite a risk to take - so at least for now, I'm going to stick with Nal alone.

Bob I can relate to everything you are saying here. I have been in therapy for years and have suffered from anxiety, etc also. I am careful with the current meds and my doctors know it. Unfortunately my experience with Topamax and Naltrexone was introduced to my primary by me and she accepted this as a let's see plan! I am really on my own. My therapist knows very little about this and doesn't give it much hope. I feel pretty much alone with all of this other than here. I took my Nal last night and drank to the point of blackout and am very disgusted today. I also have a terrible hangover. Everything is as if I never took the Naltrexone. I hope I am not the 20% that it does not do anything for. Worried