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I have Bipolar Disorder/Psychosis NOS and PTSD 4, and must tolerate ceaseless loud Meniere's Disease along with serious hearing loss ongoing. I've been sedated/maintained on 6 mg. Ativan per day for over a decade - Will this be cut off/reduced ?


My doctors agree with me about NEVER increasing Ativan, (I am a former Psych nurse and know how abused this benzdiazapine is, but it is crucial to support my heart status (r/t noise + etc.). So anyway, on and on...Will they be likely to deny me - and others in severe, needful medical status? Why should truly needy med patients pay a price for abusers? Also, I HAVE to note that I believe that NO gov't employee with any status is ever denied what they want (including better care/insurance). They are special, right?

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My newest Psych won't Rx benzos at all. It took me some time to realize that he has a point. He's young, btw, barely out of med school, so I get the feeling this is the new school of thought, that habit forming anti-anxiety meds won't be Rx'd unless it's for acute reasons. And you know what...? This is correct, and good, and in line with how our bodies and brains work, imho. Google "A Neuroscientist Explores The Biology Of Addiction In 'Never Enough'" for more about why it's good to challenge our brains to come up with natural solutions for mental discomfort.


Hydroxyzine and other non habit forming anxiety meds are still being Rx'd. There are tools available, just perhaps not the ones that have side effects that counter their value as a long time treatment. I'm sure there are numerous psych docs still out there that will Rx any amount of benzos you want, though.

Just some thoughts. I feel for ya, very much so. I weaned off a 2-year, daily Klonopin regimen a few years ago. There are guides online, like The Ashton Manual, for how to do a withdrawal and also there are online support groups specifically aimed at benzo withdrawal -- in case you want to check them out. :-)
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Doctors who overstep those guidelines are up sh*t creek without a paddle if patients or patients' families later have any kind of even vaguely actionable problem; and although I wouldn't know I imagine the major insurers can get pretty threatening with anyone whose prescribing isn't en règle, too.

Puffbucket, talk to your prescribing doctor about these very stressful worries and find out what s/he is thinking. If there are going to have to be changes, the sooner your doctor starts working on a new strategy with you the better. What you don't want is to fall off a cliff.
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I thought the cut back was on pain pills, not anxiety meds.
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I think you will continue to receive your Ativan. It is not a narcotic. Fortunately it’s been around along time and not very costly as other meds given for this purpose.
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Shane1124: That noise you just heard is my long-winded sigh of relief. The only way to survive the devastating torment of PTSD for so many of us, is suicide. I experienced torture and extreme head trauma resulting in permanent brain damage. (Some physicians have hypothesized that this is what contributed to my Meniere's and increasing deafness.)

As my hearing gets worse - and I have experienced a profound loss of hearing over the last year, the unending loud noises of Meniere's will be all I hear. 24/7, forever. - You can well imagine what pure hell life will be if Ativan is cut off.

Your words gave me great comfort.
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As long as doctors treat the CDC’s guidelines as law (and many doctors in this country are and it’s creating a crisis for those truly in need), patients will be denied their medication. These guidelines are meant to stop abuse & addiction but they are really just punishing the people who NEED the medication. The addicts are still getting their fix on the streets while patients are being denied their medication. Wish I had better news for you. My husband is one who has been affected by this and has suffered in severe pain from a significantly herniated disc because of doctors who treat the guidelines as if they are the law. And no, government employees don’t get what they want. They aren’t special.
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puffbucket Mar 2019
worriedinCali: I merely meant those in the upper echelons of gov't: Congress, etc. ...I understand everything you're saying and am still confounded. I lost a neighbor to suicide r/t a back injury, intractable pain without surcease. It would seem that Big Pharm would put up a fight because they stand to lose so much money.
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