Disgusted.

[likeophelia]

I have a severe anxiety probems. I was taking klonopin for around 3 years off and on and it really seems to help. I can get up and not be scared. I am so tired of struggling.
My doctor of 3 years just retired and I got a new doctor. He is cutting me off my Clonopin saying I need to taper off. I don't know what to do. What do you think? It seemed to help me so much..I am so sick of living like this.

[MiST]

Try and see this as a positive thing. Do you really want to be reliant on drugs forever or do you want the power and control yourself to deal with your anxiety.

All the tools you neee are within you, you just need the right information and tools.

[The Intolerable Kid]

Maybe you should consider changing physicians. I was able to explain my position to me doctor when he tried the same thing. One of the effects of my anxiety is severe stomach problems, without my stomach meds I would be in agony. He said a simple change in diet would solve everything. I told him he didn't understand and I was able to have him continue the prescription. If he hadn't, I would've possibly changed doctors if I had to.

[Anne1221]

It seems to me there are a lot of people who take benzodiazepines, because they need them. But, you want to take them as infrequently as you possibly can. Have you tried an antidepressant yet? They help a lot with anxiety.

[Anne1221]

And yes, I do agree, try another doctor. At least one who will listen to you and work with you.

[likeophelia]

I have taken many antidepressents since i was 14. I am 24. I have been a guinuea pig

[likeophelia]

So far they have been the only things to help me. to be human. doctors like to think i abuse them. No. im struggling. im battling.

[likeophelia]

the problem is my physician was great and knew what i needed. This new guy wants me to cut me off completely. Thats Kaiser for you though. They see you as an "addict"

[likeophelia]

drugs are a band aid yes i know! Very much so. But at this time in my life... I know it helps. What I really want is to be a normal human being without these horrors. When i have my clonopin...Thats who I am. I am OKAY. I just want to be a normal happy or regular person. My demons over ride me. Also, I have been in therapy since I was 5 years old. I am 24 years old. I just want help and normalcy.

[likeophelia]

You seem like a good and intelligent person I can talk to. Yes, I believe the tools are in me. Somewhere. I have been in therapy since I was 5. I have seen psychiatrist and hypnotists. I will not give up ever. I just hate the person I am and dont understand why I have to live this life.

[JenXO]

Your best bet is switch doctors if you're unhappy. If it is working keep taking it but keep this in mind don't become reliant on pills to solve your issues forever trust me. I did not get put them on Ant-Anxiety pills at all because of the potential abuse of the drug. I also know how you feel with being a guinea pig.

[gypsylee]

Hey there,

I've been battling severe anxiety for 20+ years. I now truly believe for me, and others, it's an actual chemical imbalance (lack of the GABA neurotransmitter). Environment is important too, obviously, but sometimes my anxiety becomes full-blown panic and it's unbearable and I can't control it with natural methods. In that state I will compulsively drink alcohol, which makes it a million times worse, but is so easy to get my hands on. So for me it's sometimes a choice between benzos and alcohol and I know which is safer. So my approach to meds at this point is if you need them, you need them. Anxiety can be SO debilitating that it's like denying a diabetic insulin.

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Breez]

Medication can help but it also creates dependency. As someone who have worked in a hospital for the past 5 years, I know what a person can become when their life depends on medication. I know it's incredibly difficult to let go but like your new doctor said, tapering off as you start to work on your anxiety with your own power will be the best medication there is. I suffered from SA for many years too (to the point that I couldn't leave my room and walk across the dorm to use the toilet). I hated myself and I was in so much agony conflicting between self-loving and self-hating. I became so sick and tired of feeling anxious all the time. So I decided it had to stop. I worked really hard everyday, trying one small thing at a time. I was glad I've become someone I am today.

I know you can do it. Give yourself a shot at a free life. Be brave and take that step. Cheers!

[gypsylee]

the problem is my physician was great and knew what i needed. This new guy wants me to cut me off completely. Thats Kaiser for you though. They see you as an "addict"

Most people are addicted to something.. Eating, shopping, gambling, alcohol, sex etc etc. Here in Australia most doctors absolutely freak out about prescribing benzos. I've told them straight out - if I don't have something to take the edge of this panic I will go out and buy alcohol. It's a bit of an ultimatum but it's the truth. I've been hospitalised for alcohol-induced pancreatitis twice, so which substance is the more harmful? If you can get by without meds then sure, that's the ideal. Some of us simply can't and it's not a weakness or a character flaw - it's a chemical imbalance that can be mild in some people and severe in others.

[RoderickLariviere]

Most of the time we get addicted to these antidepressants, your doctor can only help you to reduce your medicines and help with your anxiety. You need to give him some time.