benzos and anxiety meds

[james1321]

hi, just wondered how many lorazepam u would have to take in a day to get addicted? i only use them on really bad days but lately ive been taking one every night for aroud a week because ive been getting palpitations at night. also when i went a and e for anxiety chest pains they said they wanted me on a betta blocker because i get pretty worked up and get a really high heart rate but i cant have them because i have asthma. just wondered what meds people can recommend, my main symptoms is chest ache/pressure, shortness of breath and palpitations.
chees rs guy

[dazza]

Two types of addiction:

Psychological and physical.

Physical is where your body chemistry gets used to the drug and when you come off it, your body screams out for it.

Psychological is where you think / believe you need it since it has become a habit.

I understand that it takes a LOT to become addicted. Like, taking the recommended dosage for a few years.
However, you really must try to cure the cause of your anxiety and not keep masking it with drugs.

Benzos should only be used when life / anxiety symptoms get TOO much to bare and that there is NO other, natural way to beat it.

The fact that your palps only occur at night says something quite profound. It says that you have a panic / scared association with night time... and it is this that needs addressing.
When, exactly, do your palps occur? before bed or actually in bed? can you feel yourself getting anxious when they occur?

Tried distractions like TV, reading and so on?

[dazza]

By the way... anxiety related palps are completely and utterly harmless, just like a muscle twitch.

They only last a few seconds at a time and do not interrupt the normal pumping action.

If blood wasn't circulating properly you'd know about it... you'd be losing consciousness, severe squeezing / crushing pains in chest, sweating and so on. Yeahhhh... I knowwww... anxiety can also cause similar symptoms but believe me, REAL heart problems are very different.

Best cure for palps = stop thinking about them... keep your mind distracted away from the worry

The heart is a very sensitive muscle, it needs to be in order to work with the small electrical signals which govern it's rythmn. During times of high anxiety / fight or flight... adrenalin increases sensitivity and tries to speed up the beat / warning messages passing through the nerves can "tickle" the heart.
Because of this increased sensitivity - laying on your left side (bringing your heart / left side / left lung / various nerves) closer together can tickle the heart.
Lay on your right side with your left arm away from your chest such that you apply least amount of squeezing to your chest area.
But most importantly... if you feel yourself getting anxious, open your eyes / focus on something in the room / thinking about something nice and maybe even sit up. This helps alleviate the anxiety, in turn suppressing any anxious reaction within your body / mind.