Panic attack...meds "break" sobriety streak?
 

I just had a really bad anxiety attack, and have actually been having them for the last 2 weeks. It's been terrible. I have some lorazapam that was given to me in March after my last ER visit. I'm considering taking one if I have another episode, but I don't want to break my sobriety streak. What do you guys think? These were given to me by the ER doctor and the label says to take "as needed". I don't have any desire to "get high"...I just want to feel normal. When I have an anxiety attack it feels like a heart attack...extremely unpleasant.

I want to get in to see my doctor to address this ASAP (I've been on zoloft + xanax before for depression/anxiety), but it's friday 4:55 PM and of course he's not there. I just called. He's going on vacation for 2 weeks.

*shakes fist*

Would taking the lorazapam constitute breaking my continuous sobriety?

Different people feel differently about this, but in my personal opinion, I wouldn't consider your sobriety being affected if you aren't taking the meds to get high. I mean, come on...are people supposed to suffer just so they can say their sobriety date is unaffected? Forget that nonsense.

That's how I feel too. I drove home somehow and feel kinda shakey still. Haven't taken anything yet...

Thanks for your reply.

The only sober time I count is my own.

What meds I take and for what medical issue
have nothing to do with alcohol.

:hug:

Lorazepam = Ativan (benzodiazepine)

Have benzo's been a problem for you in the past? Are they your 'drug of choice'?

My own experience is to try and 'gut it out', get through the hard time with the thought in mind that the lorazepam is there if you need it. Sometimes just knowing it is within reach is comforting.

Would it constitute a relapse? Not if taken as prescribed, in my opinion.

(I've always said that I'll take benzo's before I'd drink, and/or before I'd shoot myself.)

not an AAer disclaimer blah blah blah

if they're a prescribed medication, and you're taking them as directed, it's nobody else's business.

I'm with Suki and Carol D.
D

I'm with Dee. That's what I was going to say. if you are taking somehing for the prescribed reason in the prescribed amount I wouldn't consider it abuse. The warning on alcohol tells us to avoid all the things we were doing. i never saw a beer can that said 'drink till you act like a total ass'

Lol.

D

Might be a good idea!

I certainly can't say if its right or wrong to take them, but if you want an opinion, I'd suggest being VERY careful with them. I say this because I had bad experience with them. Lorazapam was like alcohol in a pill form for me. It was hard not to abuse them for me. I couldn't resist eating them like candy. When I realized what was happening I had to flush them down the toilet and not renew the prescription. I explained to the doctor and he was able to give me something else that didn't have that effect and I've been fine ever since.

I would try praying and going to a meeting,then it would not be necessary to take the pills
thats my experience

Here is information on Lorazepam. I am not an addict or alcoholic, but I've avoided this medication. Among benzodiazepines, lorazepam has a relatively high addictive potential that can occur within 2 weeks of use. This article says 1 week. Can you go back to the ER and get a prescription for Zoloft instead?

Lorazepam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In my opinion, as long as you're not abusing them, but only taking them as needed you should be alright. Do be careful tho, the benzos are very addicting.

Lorazapam has some potential for abuse, however, it's not as bad as Xanax. If used only in emergancy situations I think you will be okay.

Tib

we should not let doctors come into AA and we should not take AA to doctors
what I mean by that is we should focus on staying sober and leave the medical advice to doctors,who are more qualified to examine us and administer medicines.Doctors are a outside issue.Sometimes alcoholics can find a way to tell people it`s ok to take ...whatever.. when it is the doctors place to do so.I would think if it interferes with my sobriety I might want to try someone else to get a 2nd opinion(hopefully a Dr who knows about addiction/alcoholism) or to find something else that works.I`m not pointing a finger at anyone here just to clear that up.I have friends in AA who has PTSD and they seek outside help and are doing great.Sometimes it is nessacery

while i was an active alki i ended up abusing benzos. Anxiety or depression is no longer an issue due to a lot of work i have done cognitively, coping tactics, changing my thinking etc. But early on in recovery i did take sleep aids just to take the edge off so i could sleep and reset so to speak. Because i know if i didn't it would escalate. But that was just me, just be very carefully what ever it is you decide to do.

Hi PaperAnchor

How are you feeling today? I ask because usually, panic and anxiety attacks will pass. I remember this, and then I recall the vicious cycle of having one attack, it ending, and the worry over the next one. Its a very uncomfortable, draining way to feel and i am sorry you are going through it. It will get better though.

The longer I have been away from alcohol, which is a brain and nerve poison, the better able I have been to watch my own anxiety attacks arise, fall, and subside. I now trust in them going away more than I did in the past.

That said, in my first and second years of sobriety I realised that I needed prescription medication to manage my anxiety and depression and I never considered that by doing so I was not sober. I stayed diligently focused on my recovery, on Steps 1-2-3 daily, and proceeded to take steps 4 - 7 as soon as I felt able to. At the completion of Step 5 my anxiety attacks diminished to nearly nil.

But to answer your original post, I feel that taking prescription medicine for anxiety and panic disorder may really be beneficial for you, and that it is better sometimes to accept help from a medical doctor than it is to white knuckle it or to suffer needlessly.

as long as you remain honest with yourself and accountable to another human about your use of the medication, and stay openminded to the suggestions of others in sobriety, and are willing to consider trying a combination of things in addition to the lorazepam such as AA meetings, Stepwork, and therapy for ongoing support, you will continue to recover well.