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Telling your doctor you're an alcoholic...

Old 05-01-2009, 01:52 PM
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Telling your doctor you're an alcoholic...

Hi again ...I was just wondering if before or while going to AA anyone here went to there doctor and told them they were an alcoholic, and asked for meds to ease the withdrawal symptoms? I'm not asking for medical advice, but I was curious if D.R.'s normally prescribe something to ease the psychological withdrawal symptoms....I don't have any physical ones, but I am having extreme depression, crying , restlessness, irritability, just an overall feeling of dread..etc....And also, can anyone recommend any natural supplements/foods to make the psychological withdrawal a little bit more bearable? Thanks.
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:12 PM
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A regular doctor likely would not prescribe or should not but you may need to see a therapist to deal with the emotional aspects and they might recommend something. I was already on anti-depressants when I quit drinking and then my psychiatrist provided something stronger to get through the first few months of sobriety. Any time I go to a doctor now I tell them of my problem with alcohol because it may help explain a problem I'm having and I want them to know my addictive nature so they don't give me anything addictive.

Judy
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:17 PM
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Originally Posted by jamdls View Post
A regular doctor likely would not prescribe or should not but you may need to see a therapist to deal with the emotional aspects and they might recommend something. I was already on anti-depressants when I quit drinking and then my psychiatrist provided something stronger to get through the first few months of sobriety. Any time I go to a doctor now I tell them of my problem with alcohol because it may help explain a problem I'm having and I want them to know my addictive nature so they don't give me anything addictive.

Judy
Yeah, I figured an M.D. wouldn't prescribe anything...I'm not seeing a psychiatrist now, and I hate just picking one out randomly...I usually like to make an appointment with someone who comes recommended..Not sure on how to go about picking one out.
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:19 PM
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I've read here where a lot of people went to their doctor and explained that they wanted to detox from alcohol and the doctor gave them something to help. I went to a medically supervised detox center and spent 6 days there. I never even felt myself detoxing, the meds were that good. I would highly recommend that if at all possible.
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted by suki44883 View Post
I've read here where a lot of people went to their doctor and explained that they wanted to detox from alcohol and the doctor gave them something to help. I went to a medically supervised detox center and spent 6 days there. I never even felt myself detoxing, the meds were that good. I would highly recommend that if at all possible.
Thanks for bringing detox up...I have a question about that actually...Does there have to be a certain amount of time from the time you had your last drink to get detoxed...In other words, my last drink was last Friday...Would I still require detox? Or is it only let's say if you had a drink in the past 12-24 hours and it's still in your system? And is it just for physical symptoms, because I don't have those, or psychological also? I'm curious how this works.
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:33 PM
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Please read the link below ....

Post Acute Withdrawl - Relapse Prevention Specialists - TLC The Living Center

It has info that is very interesting about
what you are....I think....going thru.

Congratulations on your sober time....
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:37 PM
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Technically, you should be mostly detoxed from the acute issues.. there's a lot of other detox or post-acute withdrawal that has less to do with physical craving, and more to do with longer term withdrawal from the toxicity of alcohol use.

I don't use AA, so I can't speak to that part of your question. I also didn't use any medication to get sober, or to stay sober. I was fearful of turning to yet another 'substance' in my life, and sought other assistance through individual counseling.

I think if you tell your doctor what/how much/how often/for how long you drank, and are very very honest, you should get a very honest medical answer back. You might get back that physically, your withdrawal is past the most acute stage and that OTHER ongoing supports to KEEP you sober should be sought out. If you wanna take the med route, though, most psychiatrists seem rather willing to write scripts for this or that.. you probably should think about that a bit...do you want to depend on something else? You've done well so far, and been thru the roughest part.. I bet you can do this with the right supports in place, without any drugs.. but of course that's your choice.

Good luck with what you do!
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:37 PM
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wow carol is so fast, i was going to post and then look up the PAWS stuff thank you!
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:50 PM
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Originally Posted by CarolD View Post

Please read the link below ....

Post Acute Withdrawl - Relapse Prevention Specialists - TLC The Living Center

It has info that is very interesting about
what you are....I think....going thru.

Congratulations on your sober time....
Thank you Carol that link is very helpful...I still have to read the whole thing...I got up to part two..but this really struck a chord with me, and I think it's really important I follow this part...

Self-Protective Behavior

When all is said and done, you are responsible for protecting yourself from anything that threatens your sobriety or anything that triggers post acute withdrawal symptoms. Reducing the stress resulting from and contributing to the symptoms of post acute withdrawal must be of prime consideration for you. You must learn behavior that will protect you from the stress that might put your sobriety in jeopardy. This self-protective behavior is behavior that will enable you to be firm in accepting your own needs and not allowing other people or situations to push you into reactions that are not in the best interest of your sobriety.

In order to protect yourself from unnecessary stress, you must first identify your own stress triggers, those situations that might bring about an overreaction from you. Then learn to change those situations, avoid them, change your reactions, or learn to interrupt them before they get out of control.
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Old 05-01-2009, 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by flutter View Post
Technically, you should be mostly detoxed from the acute issues.. there's a lot of other detox or post-acute withdrawal that has less to do with physical craving, and more to do with longer term withdrawal from the toxicity of alcohol use.

I don't use AA, so I can't speak to that part of your question. I also didn't use any medication to get sober, or to stay sober. I was fearful of turning to yet another 'substance' in my life, and sought other assistance through individual counseling.

I think if you tell your doctor what/how much/how often/for how long you drank, and are very very honest, you should get a very honest medical answer back. You might get back that physically, your withdrawal is past the most acute stage and that OTHER ongoing supports to KEEP you sober should be sought out. If you wanna take the med route, though, most psychiatrists seem rather willing to write scripts for this or that.. you probably should think about that a bit...do you want to depend on something else? You've done well so far, and been thru the roughest part.. I bet you can do this with the right supports in place, without any drugs.. but of course that's your choice.

Good luck with what you do!
Thanks for your input flutter...I would rather not be on meds, but it's getting really hard to cope with the way I am feeling now...Something to take the edge off is what I might need...I wouldn't want to be on anything for a long time, just something for now to make it through the early stages...I will ask the D.R. what she thinks...I'm not a big fan of meds, but sometimes if you need them, you need them.
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Old 05-01-2009, 03:09 PM
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Your doctor should be able to prescribe medication for you. It's not that big a deal. He should most definitely know you're an alcoholic, though. I've found that most GP's don't know much about alcoholism. I had to educate mine. But don't let that stop you. Go see the guy and ask. The worst he could do is refer you to a shrink, but you'd end up getting your meds anyhow.
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Old 05-01-2009, 04:50 PM
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I took herbs like valerian, scullcap, and chamomile tea to help with the anxiety. Also evening primrose oil helps. Lots of fluids and vitamins, especially the B vitamins. Medically supervised withdrawal is the best way to do detox, but the physical symptoms should be over within a few days to a week.

Just don't pick up another drink today. Stay sober for today, that's all. Tomorrow do the same. This addiction can be overcome.
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Old 05-01-2009, 07:58 PM
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I would suggest you go to see a doctor and if he suggests a shrink then at least you have someone to start with. It sounds like you are in a lot of psychological pain and rather than toughing it out and risking it becoming too much I would seek help for that if I were in your shoes. But only you know how intense it is for you.


If you want to try some natural things you could go to see a natural therapist as well as your doctor.

I took st johns wort to help with the depression side of things - its worked really well for me. Just keep in mind that you cannot take that and pharmaceutical anti-depressants at the same time so if you then decide to see a shrink you will have to wait a week (at least) to let the SJW leave your system before starting what he prescribes. B vitamins are really important for energy production, nervous system function and can be depleted in alcoholics.

take care!
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Old 05-01-2009, 08:25 PM
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I take naltrexone. It may or may not have helped with curbing cravings— I have nothing really to compare it to. I have no side effects and everything is going well and ultimately it might have something to do with the medicine.

Just a note, this is not advice to not tell your doctor, but when you do tell your doctor they can put it in your file that will go to insurance companies. If you ever have to get insurance in the individual market (which is happening more and more now with people losing jobs) you are likely to get denied. You might just want to mention that you would prefer for your doctor to keep it somewhere in your file that won't get transmitted to your insurer unless you don't forsee health insurance ever being a problem.

Naltrexone is cheap if you are uninsured (like me, because I am one of these people who has been rejected even though I am 27 and completely healthy ) It costs $40 a month from Costco pharmacy.
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Old 05-01-2009, 08:25 PM
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Naltrexone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 05-01-2009, 09:08 PM
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Originally Posted by least View Post
I took herbs like valerian, scullcap, and chamomile tea to help with the anxiety. Also evening primrose oil helps. Lots of fluids and vitamins, especially the B vitamins. Medically supervised withdrawal is the best way to do detox, but the physical symptoms should be over within a few days to a week.

Just don't pick up another drink today. Stay sober for today, that's all. Tomorrow do the same. This addiction can be overcome.
Thanks for the suggestions...I haven't had any physical symptoms...The only time I've had those is when I drank really heavily and stopped for a few days...My withdrawal is all psychological..But I will look into the natural supplements you've suggested...I do like using herbs and natural supplements, I think they can be great for you...just wasn't sure which ones would be useful right now.
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Old 05-01-2009, 09:09 PM
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Originally Posted by sfgirl View Post
Thanks hun, I will look into it...
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