About the Valium (with response)

[Guest guest]

Annette said:

<<, I got the prescription for Valium 2mg. How should I got

about trying it out. >>

** Follow the instructions on the bottle and see how that goes.

You said:

<< You must know I have a history of responding very

extremely and oddly to medications. >>

** I've noted no odd reaction at all in what you've told me. I wouldn't

expect you to feel any diffeently than you do given your history.

You said:

<<I truly believe the prednisone did

this to me because this wasn't the case before. >>

** THe case before what? You abruptly stopped an antidepressant and then

dropped Neurontin almost as quickly. I believe the prednisone played a rile but

at this point is responsible only for a very small percentage of what you are

experiencing.

You said:

<<I read something about

Valium that said it could actually increase agitation in a small number

of cases. I believe it said it could take a few weeks for this to

develop. This scares the bejeezus out of me. This crappy Neurontin

already has me on edge. >>

** Yes, and sometimes airplanes fall from the sky on to people's homes and

tractor trailer trucks crash into people's living rooms while they sit watching

TV. I'm not being insensitive; I'm trying to illustrate a point.

You said:

<<How can we safely test this? The last thing I

need is to be hooked on something that makes it worse.>>

** Test it by following the instructions on the label.

Go to a place like www.rxlist.com where you can find drug monographs. Look

up Tylenol. Look up aspirin. Then look up ibuprofen. Have you ever taken any

of these? Do you worry about what they will do? If you actually looked at the

drug monographs for these OTC analgesics and/or anti-inflammatories, you'd find

a significant number of possibilities for adverse effects.

The most important thing you can do every day is to catch yourself when you

are basing your thoughts and concerns on your emotions rather than your

intellect. You will only bring more harm to yourself by allowing your emotions

to rule your feelings, ideas, and daily life. The last thing anyone needs in a

difficult situation is to be navigating through it with emotions being at the

helm.

It will take some real work to alter your way of responding because this is

ingrained in you. You'll be amazed at the difference in how one feels when

taking control of the emotions and not allowing them to drive your feelings,

actions, and decisions.

People might be a litle puzzled when I say that you should not allow your

emotions to drive your feelings. Most people tend to think of the two as being

the same. They're not. For more on this, do a search in the message archives

for CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). We were going to have an online CBT

group but I ended up too ill to keep up with what I already had and could not

take on more. That's changing. I'll talk more about that within the next week

or so. I'm going to be testing a couple of online services that allow for group

meetings, voice chat, etc. and include white board capabilities, file sharing,

and other things I need in order to do the various groups I have in mind. CBT

101 is one of these groups (there will also be a newcomers'group, a group for

people who stopped taking psychotropic drugs too quickly and too long ago to

reinstate, a group for what might be termed advanced recovery. and a few others.

The goal behind the groups is to serve more people more fully than could be done

day-to-day in the mailing list.

You said:

<<I am having periods during the day when the anxiety is not there. I

still feel like crap (not eating, alternating constipation and

diarrhea). I'm so exhausted yet it's hard to sit. Could this possibly

be the beginning of me stabilizing at this level? PLEASE GOD!>>

** It may well be. :-)

You said:

<<Interesting meeting with my pill pusher today (psychiatrist). He, of

course, concurred with the Mayo guys and told me that I would feel

better in a few weeks if I went the ECT way. It sounded so wonderful.

You really want to believe it, especially when you're really

suffering. I almost had to slap myself to snap out of it.>>

** It just shows how little most people think for themselves regardless of

the amount of education they have. ECT achieves its effects is by damaging the

brain. It is an absolute lie that should be ciminal that physicians have

control over ECT and are able to bring about desired positive alterations in

people's brain chemistry through the use of it. The truth is that they have no

idea what will happen each time they assault someone with this procedure. It is

impossible to tell the difference between an acute brain injury from a strong

blow to the head and the injury caused by ECT.

Petr Breggin, MD in his book " Electroshock: It's Brain Disabling Effects "

tells of findings published in medical journals of ECT causing cerebral

hemorrhages, fibrosis, cortical atrophy and edema. The book also covers the

reality of the memory losss so common with ECT. Breggin alo wrote that ECT

always produces an acute organic brain syndrome. A number of neurologists agree

with him on this.

This is why I speak so passionately of not allowing emotions to drive

feelings and actions. This will hardly ever have a good outcome. In fact, it

is most likely to result in tragedy that was completely avoidable had the person

learned how to process through a difficulty or challenge in order to make

beneficial choices.

Hang in there, Annette. You'll get through this. Please don't expect

miracles from the Valium. This is not a cure. The effect we are seeking with

this is to just take the edge off the anxiety making you more comfortable each

day.

How was the Valium prescribed to be taken? Please let me know in the next

24 hours how you feel.

Regards,

[Guest guest]

>

> Annette said:

>

>

> << You must know I have a history of responding very

> extremely and oddly to medications. >>

>

>

> <<I truly believe the prednisone did

> this to me because this wasn't the case before. >>

>

> said

> ** THe case before what? You abruptly stopped an

antidepressant and then dropped Neurontin almost as quickly. I

believe the prednisone played a rile but at this point is responsible

only for a very small percentage of what you are experiencing.

>

**Amen, sister. I'm buying the standard line. When I think back

to my withdrawal from Lexapro I felt NOTHING and was starting to feel

better and going back to work. This wouldn't have been the case if

it had been the steroid.

said

> ** Yes, and sometimes airplanes fall from the sky on to

people's homes and tractor trailer trucks crash into people's living

rooms while they sit watching TV. I'm not being insensitive; I'm

trying to illustrate a point.

>

***Bahahaha! Feel free to verbally kick my rear. I am somewhat

tramatized by all this stuff and tend to obsess. I swear once this

is all over, it's going to be extremely difficult for me to EVER take

ANY med. again.

>

said.

> The most important thing you can do every day is to catch

yourself when you are basing your thoughts and concerns on your

emotions rather than your intellect. You will only bring more harm

to yourself by allowing your emotions to rule your feelings, ideas,

and daily life. The last thing anyone needs in a difficult situation

is to be navigating through it with emotions being at the helm.

>

>

> It will take some real work to alter your way of responding

because this is ingrained in you. You'll be amazed at the difference

in how one feels when taking control of the emotions and not allowing

them to drive your feelings, actions, and decisions.

>

*** Once again Amen sister. Every now and then I need to slap

myself. I completely panic and lose it. I start imagining all sorts

of horrible things. I'm going to be completely disabiled for life.

I can feel this stuff damaging my brain. Every lapse I have is

because of mental deterioration due to the drugs (forgot where I

parked the car today...done this at least a million times in my life

but today it was because of the drugs). Can you say GET A GRIP!

I am seeing a psychotherapist who likes to tease me about this. I

think your other group sounds great. I am eager and willing. Most

of all please take good care of yourself. There are a lot of us out

here who desparately need you! I will try the Valium and let you

know. Thanks.