Stung

So… I know someone on here can give me the quick rundown, what do ativan and campral do? My alcoholic husband drank again today, he said it's because he's having withdrawals and can't detox on his own (this is a whole new stage of alcoholism he's entering/experiencing) and thus went to urgent care tonight where he was prescribed those two meds.

My crystal ball says that RX drugs will likely lead to a whole new **** storm of addictive issues. Or maybe I'm just being a pessimist. Doesn't really matter, but curiosity has me, well, curious.

TIA

MissFixit

ativan is a fast acting short term anti-anxiety med. it takes effect within about 20 minutes. it helps with anxiety especially panic attacks.

a's use it for withdrawal to calm them down.

NYCDoglvr

When he's in detox, taking meds prescribed by a physician are fine. He's not taking them on his own. Is he going to a rehab? If not he should find a physician specializing in addiction and get in a program, like AA.

MissFixit

short term use is not a big deal, but he shouldn't drive on it.

my ex used to mix with alcohol months after rehab. it majorly amplifies the effects and sometimes they get crazy. psycho babbling.

Stung

He's not in detox, he went to urgent care and they gave him an RX and he's at Safeway waiting to pick them up on his own. He said that the physician gave him enough ativan for two days with no refill.

He went to inpatient rehab for 30 days and got out at the end of September. He's currently in outpatient rehab, has a sponsor and does attend AA. He was working with his sponsor last night on Step 1 work.

He knows everything that he could do to get and stay sober, but obviously isn't actually implementing those tools/changes in his life. But he says that he wants sobriety more than anything. I just feel sad for him.

MissFixit

he is staying elsewhere, right?

Stung

YES! Oh resoundingly yes! And I laughed after I read that.

He won't be here for quite some time. We are an active addiction free zone. No exceptions.

torquemax777

Campral I think may make it so you don't get buzzed (alcohol won't give the desired effect) either that, or it is an anti craving drug. Either way, all pills are like a diet pill: if you don't change your behavior, you'll gain all the weight back- or in the case of the alcoholic, they will go back to drinking. My AH tried all of them: he always returns to drinking.

NWGRITS

Agree with torquemax. Unless he really starts digging into why he can't cope with life like a normal person, he's just trying to plug the holes in the Titanic with bubblegum.

Stung

Million dollar question. It's like he hasn't realized that attending self help stuff isn't the whole program. It's like going to college and expecting to graduate just because you went to every class. There is a lot more involved than just showing up.

guava

I love that analogy!

Campral is prescribed after someone stops drinking to prevent future cravings. My STBXAH has been on and off of it for some time without success but the published reviews for the drug are actually pretty good. I hope it helps your husband!

redatlanta

Campral is supposed to help return to brain to normal which should help with cravings.

Ativan is a benzodiazepam. Benzo's act on the same region of the brain the alcohol does. There is some controversy about using it in alcohol detox obviously it can become a replacement, and on their own Benzo's are highly addictive. Since your husband was only given 2 days worth that wouldn't be a concern to me.

Hope it works out for him. How are you doing Stung?

MissFixit

Side note: I was prescribed Ativan for a year following the break up and did not find it to be addictive at all. I asked the doc about it beforehand and like many things he said that short term it I did not need to worry. But, I am not an addict.

It has been or was a common drug to receive for withdrawal symptoms. Also, its effects don't last that long.

SeriousKarma

When I first read your post, Stung, I read that your husband had been prescribed ativan and Campari. I thought, "Well that's not good".

Whether camprel or Campari, what concerns me is your "crystal ball". I suspect you're not simply being pessimistic. We often can sense relapses in our addicts long before they can. Probably because they don't want to. I found living on that quicksand one of the most difficult things about living with an A.

How are your boundaries and detachment principles holding up? I know, for me, at this point I'd really be wanting to jump in and micro-manage.

CodeJob

Thanks for sharing about the girls' Halloween the other day! You have the funds for a good housing boundary and I'm really thankful for that with his relapse. Peace to you!

LexieCat

Meds are often prescribed to help with detox. They aren't dangerous at the level prescribed.

Of course, they also won't do anything to bring about sobriety--that is on the alcoholic.

Detox is EXTREMELY uncomfortable, and the meds can help with the urge to pick up a drink just to relieve the discomfort.

Stung

I dunno. I can't do anything about any of this. I let him know that we love him even if he doesn't love himself. That's all I can do. Then he thanked me for being so kind and supportive and asked me to not be mad that he drank. I'm not mad that he drank - none of this has anything to do with me and I'm just getting so tired of hearing him doing the same thing over and over and over again.

I have to say, it would be so much easier if he would just pick something and do it. Or if he was a complete and total bastard even when he's not drinking. He's actually a really wonderful person when he's trying and it makes me sad that he cannot just love himself enough to make his own sobriety his organizing principle.

hopeful4

Ativan is addictive in and of itself, so it's very good that the dr only gave him enough to get through a panic. The other is supposto help with withdraws.

I am sorry Stung. I hope he gets ahold of his addiction and beats it.

Stung

P.S. He's afraid to take the ativan anyway. My crystal ball did not see that coming. Thank you, universe, for showing me that I need to mind my own business and stop pretending that I'm clairvoyant.

atalose

In my opinion "tools" like Adavan and Campral used in a controlled environment like a medical rehab facility can be good. But put into the hands of a on the fence attempting to recover alcoholic is usually not good.

If that little voice inside of you is saying something is not right - listen to it.