Benzos

[emtw12]

what are benZos and what do they do? seen people keep them in there bag wen they are out and about :/

[Strawberry]

Benzodiazepines are anti-anxiety medications that give fast relief to anxiety/panic attacks. They are highly addictive so it's not recommended to be used for a long period of time so some people choose to use these only when they absolutely need to (that's why they keep it in their bag just in case of a surprise panic attack). The common ones are Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin. I was prescribed Klonopin because that is one of the benzos which is not as fast acting but is longer lasting and I am supposed to take it at night time if I can't sleep (thank God I don't need to use it). I prefer SSRI's which take a little bit longer to kick in and has some dependency but not as addictive as the benzos.

[emtw12]

Thankyou. does a doctor prescribe them or can you buy them from a pharmacist? never heard of them

[Strawberry]

Thankyou. does a doctor prescribe them or can you buy them from a pharmacist? never heard of them

I don't think you can buy them from a pharmacist. They are really addictive so I think the only way you can get them is by the doctor or the psychiatrist. I don't think doctors will prescribe you this instead refer you to a social worker if they think you have anxiety or depression, a psychiatrist may prescribe these if he or she really thinks you need them. I don't recommend using it unless you really absolutely need to, ofcourse by the supervision of a doctor. Plus let them know if you ever had drug or alcohol addiction.

[futurebound]

I don't think you can buy them from a pharmacist. They are really addictive so I think the only way you can get them is by the doctor or the psychiatrist. I don't think doctors will prescribe you this instead refer you to a social worker if they think you have anxiety or depression, a psychiatrist may prescribe these if he or she really thinks you need them. I don't recommend using it unless you really absolutely need to, ofcourse by the supervision of a doctor. Plus let them know if you ever had drug or alcohol addiction.

Social workers don't deal with medication lol! Only a GP/psych can prescribe benzodiazepines. But strawberry is right, only use them if your anxiety is chronic and your experiencing suicidal thoughts. Also, nothing wrong in having a one week course of diaZepam to collect your thoughts and have some relief.

Social workers are only involved in long-term complex care cases :) not always, but usually just complex

[Strawberry]

Social workers don't deal with medication lol! Only a GP/psych can prescribe benzodiazepines. But strawberry is right, only use them if your anxiety is chronic and your experiencing suicidal thoughts. Also, nothing wrong in having a one week course of diaZepam to collect your thoughts and have some relief.

Social workers are only involved in long-term complex care cases :) not always, but usually just complex

Oh no do not take these when you are having suicidal thoughts, if you are having suicidal thoughts call 911 or a suicide prevention hotline or tell someone close to you so they can take you to the emergency room!

Yeah social workers can't give medication, I meant that usually when the GP thinks that you may have depression or anxiety or any other mental illness he or she usually refers you to a social worker who refers you to a psychiatrist if needed, a psychologist or both.

What you said about using one week of benzos can be okay, I might try this but I am too scared of it being so addictive but I am getting TIRED OF MY OCD!!

[u4ea]

Yup, benzos are scheduled 1 drugs - you'll only get the prescription from a MD.

[futurebound]

Oh no do not take these when you are having suicidal thoughts, if you are having suicidal thoughts call 911 or a suicide prevention hotline or tell someone close to you so they can take you to the emergency room!

Yeah social workers can't give medication, I meant that usually when the GP thinks that you may have depression or anxiety or any other mental illness he or she usually refers you to a social worker who refers you to a psychiatrist if needed, a psychologist or both.

What you said about using one week of benzos can be okay, I might try this but I am too scared of it being so addictive but I am getting TIRED OF MY OCD!!

Benzo can create more anxiety in OCD and phobia disorders due to the rumination of thoughts. Diazepam is good for OCD, but lorazepam is quite potent so one might worry about the effect it has as it can b strong.

That's just my experience anyway. It's also indicated on the leaflet as not always appropriate for phobia disorders

[DodgingRain]

I take lorazapam. I don't really find it that strong. Often I take several. From what I've read it takes a while to become addicted. Generally its more than 2 weeks of constant use before you might even run into issues.

I carry it with me most of the time but I don't use it much, I think I've gone through about 50 pills in 3 years and sometimes I take as many as 4 pills (.5mg each).

[mykids12]

I carry mine with me. Was only prescribed .5 mg but I usually take half of that and it doesn't seem to help. Problem is when I take a whole one it makes me very very sleepy and unable to function so I'm at a loss here.