need opinions

[luvmyfam]

I'm not even sure where i should post this.

18 months ago my husband downed alot of alcohol and a bottle of ambien (sleeping pills).
At the time he was taking lexapro. They believed he was depressed due to severe tmj. So bad he could hardly talk.
he was also drinking terribly.

He has come a long ways since then. He had surgery and a lot of therapy and his tmj is doing much much better.

But lately he has been having a lot of stress at work and not sleeping well. His psych prescribed lexapro and abiem.

I am so mad at them I feel like I could hit them. Why would they prescribe him a medicine he took an entire bottle of?

I do trust my husband, but the fact was that I swore I would never have it in my house again. The thought of him having it just brings back horrible memories and I cannot relax. Why would they prescribe that to someone who downed a bottle of it not even 2 years ago? I feel like going down there and screaming at them but I wouldn’t do that to my husband.
My husband says to trust him and he is not the same as he was back then. I truly believe that. I do trust him. But I just can’t get over it.

Please give me your thoughts on this as I am really bothered by this.

[meli2005]

I can see why you are bothered by it. I think there might be a better drug for someone like him, maybe like Trazodone or something like that. I hope he continues to stay sober and not drink with the Ambien. I think experiences like you describe leave us scarred for a while. It is hard to trust and it takes time to rebuild the trust. Is your AH in AA? I hope so. Everyone has stress and we all have to learn our own ways to deal with it. Unfortunately, life is not always easy..

[ccgirl]

I'm very sorry for your situation. In April I tried to commit suicide. I used a bottle of klonopin. It was not that this particular drug was preferred by me; it was just what was available. I guess what I'm trying to say is the ambien is not the problem. Your husband needs to find a way to deal with his stress. I found a wonderful therapist, and I started walking. I tell myself it will never happen again, and my husband worries too, but the partner of the ill person can only do so much. The rest is up to him.

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by luvmyfam

Lately he has been having a lot of stress at work and not sleeping well. His psych prescribed lexapro and abiem. Why would they prescribe him a medicine he took an entire bottle of?

Because it's harmless, LVF. He'd have to go to a lot more trouble than that to kill himself on escitalopram oxalate & zolpidem alone (even together).

They're really terrible suicide drugs. LOL It's never a guaranteed thing when you get into mixing alcohol with combinations like this--all bets all off.

But MY point is - don't obsess over the Lex & Am. If he should ever become suicidal again, the presence or absence of these medicines is not going to make him any less of a danger to himself.

TCD

[ranae1221]

Is the doctor that prescribed these the same one that gave him the ambien before? if not, does this doctor even know about the history?

i do agree with TCD, if someone wants to harm themselves, they will find a way, with or without presricption medication handy.