Thoughts on Prescription drugs
 

So I'm 15 days sober and this is my second Sober Saturday. Last night was a little difficult but I made it through with support from my husband (who still drinks moderately) and my yummy pineapple drink. However, last week I got myself to a Psychiatrist because well, I've got issues. A child that starts drinking at 12/13 yrs old and continues on a life of self destruction has issues and I need to face those demons. Anyway, she prescribed Naltrxone for dependence, which is the one I'm questioning, and Trileptal for mood swings (which i definitely need). I'm going to a therapist in April (long waiting list) to talk about my demons, who seemed to appear in my early childhood and never went away. Does anyone have any experience/thoughts on this? I've never been on prescribed meds before so I'm a little freaked out. But if they help?

Happy Sober Saturday to you all! Life is better without Alcohol!

A small dose of a prescription SSRI changed my life for the better. IT has been a godsend. I also am seeing a doctor to talk to about my issues, because yes, I have some.

SSRI: selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor. Anti depressant.

I'm glad you are also feeling better thomas11. Life can be hard for some of us. :grouphug:

When I was going through post acute depression and mood swings I was tempted to get prescribed medication to help me weather the storm. I decided against it because I thought it would be opening up another can of worms. I didn't want to wean myself off alcohol only to become dependent on meds and being subject to whatever side effects they may have.

I meditate, practice mindfulness, and see a LCSW once a month. For me that is preferable to introducing more chemicals to my body.

I had depression since my teenage years, and I finally had to get that properly diagnosed and treated before I could begin recovery.

I have medicine that I take as needed for anxiety. When my mom died in December I had a severe panic attack, and felt like I was having a heart attack, I was having a difficult time, I took something everyday for a few weeks.

Prescriptions are meant to address specific physical or mental issues, and if you take them as prescribed I feel that's fine.

Glad you are here, sober and seeing a psych. My psych is crucial in my recovery. Once I stopped drinking, we could address my issues in all ways including the right med regimen.

Naltrexone for cravings was useless to me when I kept drinking on it - however, I did take Antabuse (the drug that makes you ill, and can be fatal, if you drink while taking it) for the first 90 days of my sobriety.

I take lamictal and paxil, and I have Ativan (a benzo so closely monitored) for anxiety, which has proven to be my core issue. At first, where you are, I saw my psych once a month (probably 2-3 times the first month or so, actually) and now every 3 mo as my med regimen is stable with 90 day periods.

Meds are not a cure for alcoholism, correctly prescribed and monitored they can be a major tool, and getting the right ones and doses might not happen with the first go round, and they all take some amount of time to take effect...there are lots of other things I use to sustain my strong recovery.

My view is that using everything available to us that promotes a good sober life is a great idea.

Chrissy, I quit drinking alcohol c/t 11 months ago. I quit taking benzos 12 months ago c/t. Personally, I believe that if you eat a clean balanced diet, exercise, drink lots of water, meditate and basically live a balanced life, your body will heal. It has too! My advice is do your homework before taking meds.

Chris,

Meds are another addiction. But, if I need them, I need them.

I will always crave the buzz. I get it these days through coffee, moringa, exercise, doing good deeds, etc.

My job requires strict requirements so if I went on most post drinking meds, I was legally done with my awesome carreer.

I suffered like I can't explain. This suffering caused ptsd. But, after all this time i am way way way way better.

Being this clean is unlike anything I can ever recall. Being a super clean ex drunk adult is extremely liberating.

I trust my feelings and decisions 100% and take full responsibility for the damage I have done to myself and others as I made my way to this day in my precious life.

I only get one go at physical presence on this planet, I plan to do the 50 years or so stone sober. I don't want to miss another minute.

Proudly sober.

Happy Saturday.

Thanks for the therapy.

Thanks for all of your input. I just want to be happy and healthy, finally, and if the Rx helps me it's what I have to do for now with the goal of getting off of them down the road. I have some things to work through first but I'm on the right path.

Delilah1, I'm sorry for your loss. My mom died in 2012 after a 2 year battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Since I'm an only child and no family left it all fell on me. I spun even further down after that.

Happy Sobriety for all of us in this crazy world!

Prescription meds help me a lot. I take meds for depression and bipolar and it makes a huge difference in my mood.

An SSRI probably saved my life. It was like life preserver that kept me from drowning long enough to learn how to swim.

I can only speak for myself on this one.

I'm a dual diagnosis. Alcohol addiction and major depression or bi-polar. My docs are still trying to figure out what will help me. All I know is my depression started when I wasn't drinking and without treatment, I started self medicating. It did not turn out well on that route and if I continued that path I had no chance of getting better...or even being here to get better.

So I am open to whatever helps me live a decent life and stay sober. I just try to be honest with everyone involved whether it's my doctors or my addiction support.

It's your journey to find out what will help you be the best you. All I know is whatever that leads to, you will find many people just like you that will support you.

I wish you the best dear.
xoxo

One day at a time. Trusting healthy gut instinct is important in all things.

I've experienced and have known others with amazing results from naturopathic methods. I also know many with good results from conventional therapies.

Whatever it takes! Good luck. :)

Not all drugs are bad and not all meds are addictive :)

I've not taken naltrexone but I'm on a butt load of prescription meds now - it is what it is - if I want a decent quality of life, I have to take them.

I think, if you're honest with your doctor about your past, and you've discussed all the options and they still think a particular med is right for you, you always have the right to take or refuse that advice.

I've come to trust my doctor and there hasn;t been a bad decision yet - but in the end it's up to you Chrissy.

D

I've been on Naltrexone for 8 months since I got sober last July.

It has no apparent side effects, my current insurance covers it 100%, and it seems to work. I really don't have cravings, per se. Sometimes when I see happy people enjoying alcohol I feel regret and maybe a little longing for the apparent camaraderie, but I really never have random urges.

I have close friends and family members who have benefited from antidepressants. I took a wait and see approach myself when I quit drinking in terms of taking something for my anxiety. But it turned out that quitting booze pretty much reduced my anxiety to manageable levels. However, I'd definitely go on medication if that changes.

I was worried about Naltrexone side effects but that was totally unfounded. I'm glad my doc convinced me to try it.

I'd like to counterbalance this by reminding people that, among several psychotropic medications, antidepressants save people's lives. If you have heart disease and don't cooperate with your treatment, including taking life-saving medications, then one among the narrow range of possible outcomes -- none of which are good -- soon becomes reality.

Depression is a lethal medical condition that affects at least thirty-five million people in the United States alone. It makes the ride to relapse both predictable and as simple as blinking your eyes. Clinical depression can destroy a person's health, trigger behaviors that are self- and other- destructive, and convince the people who are suffering that they are losing their minds. In true cases of major depression, therapy alone rarely makes a lasting, meaningful difference, although it does provide the person seeking help with yet another perceived failure in life.

Depression contributes to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, suicide, and the emergence of other psychiatric conditions. It wrecks your immune system and accelerates the aging process. It is a condition, an often protracted way of being, of suffering, that can take months and years to resolve. And no one can know with any confidence what if feels like for the person who is suffering.

When it was first introduced, aspirin was considered to be a wonder drug, a miracle cure. There was a time when alcoholics in AA forbid the use of aspirin because they were concerned that, working as well is it did, it must have had some kind of as-yet undetected toxic effect on people's brains and behaviors. All it did was relieve pain, lower blood pressure, and help people to sleep better at night.

I take a low dose beta blocker to help with physical symptoms of anxiety. Have done for 4 years, works as a god send for me.