#Benzodiazapines are dangerous | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

anotherpapercut · 8 months

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Genuine question re: your last post about wearing a blondie t-shirt and coke in your nose. How can you do cocaine and not be addicted? I thought it was super addictive? Also doesn't weed and coke cancel each other out? You don't have to answer if you don't want to!

hey bud! no worries I am always happy to answer questions! so the short answer to both of these is pretty much no. but I'm also gonna give you the long answers if ur interested!

coke of course CAN be addictive, I personally am friends with a couple people who were addicted to coke at one point, but it's actually far less addictive than many other drugs prescription or not and it's of course dependant on the person. for instance, many people may find prescription anxiety medications like Xanax to be more addictive, and addiction to drugs in that class (benzodiazapine) are actually really dangerous, but many people are able to use these safely as well. it's also a pretty safe drug to take, provided it's pure, you are taking proper doses and you're not doing it all the time. I personally have only had it a few times because I barely feel anything with it due to chronic fatigue and stuff lol. and I know lots of other people who've tried it at clubs or parties and never really thought about it again!

basically, if like it's something you're interested in trying, be cautious as with any drug prescription or not. make sure it's from a reputable source, test it (for impurities) if you're not 100% sure it's been tested by someone you trust, research the proper doses and interactions with any other drugs (again prescription or not) that you are taking, and do it with a person you trust in a familiar environment. if you're prone to addictions then it might be something you want to skip, but again it's actually not quite as addictive as a lot of other drugs so if you're being safe with it it's a lot easier to step back from (this is based on experience my friends have had, I personally have never experienced any type of craving or addictive feeling with cocaine!)

second question: I have actually never heard this before lol! I'm guessing this is based on the fact that cocaine, like other amphetamines, is an "upper" while weed is a "downer". there aren't very many drugs that straight up negate each other (altho there are some! SSRIs like Zoloft will make MDMA and LSD pretty much entirely ineffective!) like that, it's more just that they change each other. so first of all the coke residue is actually from last night lol so it's not still affecting me, but when I did take it, it made me feel more awake and alert like caffeine would. while weed has a relaxing and sometimes sedating effect, the coke balanced that part out, and amplified the more stereotypical effects like laughing and talking (weed makes me talk A LOT lol) because of the added energy. generally mixing drugs with opposite effects will work like this. mixing weed and alcohol for instance is a really popular combination (often referred to as a "crossfade") because of how the weed will counteract the nausea and often like jitteriness and stuff associated with alcohol

I know this was a long as hell answer but I hope this helped to clear up your questions! feel free to ask me any other drug related questions, I'm always happy to research anything I don't already know :)

edit: was doing some research bc this question interested me and came across this like. suppressed 1995 study from the WHO kdbdksndn???????? do with this article what you will I suppose

#fun fact about one of my friends who was addicted to coke in his early 20s tho: he has a hole in his nose from it that whistles sometimes #everyone i know who was addicted to it also was able to get off of it with relative ease as compared to more dangerous things #like the friend w the hole in his nose was also addicted to heroin which was much more difficult for him #and actually becoming addicted to benzodiazapine medications had some really extreme withdrawal effects #you can actually die if you try to quit them without proper weaning and everything. thats why jordan peterson disappeared for a while #somehow he is a psychologist who was prescribed Klonopin and didnt know it was addictive?????? so he was taking a MASSIVE dose #and then tried to quit cold turkey bc ig he cant use google???? and he like almost died and had to go to russia and be put in a coma #then came right back and continued being the douchiest guy in America #drug ed

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thenightnurse · 4 years

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Mac Millers Overdose; A Case Study

Mac Miller was and is one of my favorite rappers of all time. A man that everyone respected, both within the hip hop landscape and within society as a whole. His willingness to speak about his ongoing depression and drug addictions made it possible for others to discuss their own issues publicly. His songs have definitely helped me at several dark moments, especially The Divine Feminine during my freshman and sophomore years of college, and when I almost failed out of nursing. With his posthumous release of that album Circles, I would like to take a minute and discuss the circumstances of his death.

I mean him no disrespect, all I have is love for the man.

On September 7th, 2018 Mac Millers personal assistant found him unresponsive in his home studio. His assistant began performing CPR on him until the paramedics arrived where he was pronounced dead. The coroner determined that he had died from an accidental drug overdose due to a “mixed drug toxicity of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol”. I am going to focus primarily on the fentanyl, as that, compounded with alcohol was probably the main cause. Cocaine would cause a stroke rather than an overdose.

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever. Opioids are a class of drugs that are found naturally in the opium poppy plant, and produce pain relief. Most drugs are based from plants, which is why natural medicines work. Plants such as the poppy plant, marijuana, tobacco, Bael, Tulsi, Henna, Lavender, Neem, etc., all have medicinal properties that we have then “perfected” to make our own drugs.

Well in our brains we have some proteins called opioid receptors that are attached to nerve cells thoughout the body notably in the brain and spinal cord. The opioids attach to these receptors and block the pain message, but they block more than just these pain signals, they also block the presynaptic dopamine transmitter (these are big words you don’t need to know), which is part of the mesolimbic system (the system responsible for rewarding yourself and making you feel good), and when this is inhibited dopamine (the molecule responsible for making you feel good) is released. Since the presynaptic dopamine transmitter is blocked, you keep more dopamine out and about which means you stay feeling good for longer and for a lot stronger.

You know how we have an heroin epidemic throughout America? Well fentanyl is basically a synthetic version of that, but it is literally 50 times more potent. Think of methamphetamine and dextroamphetamine (the majority compound of adderall.) We derived amphetamines from ephedra, a plant from China. If you chew it it’ll help treat your asthma and congestion, its where we get ephedrine from (which I’m about to take to help with a cutting cycle to lose weight real quick, I can talk about it later). So like heroin, we get dextroamphetamines from nature and it is just slightly tweaked and cleaned up. Then we take it and alter its molecular componenents on the 5th carbon group and now we have this drug which is 50 times more potent and dangerous. That’s the same thing with fentanyl and heroin. Fentanyl is like the meth of opioids.

3 mg is enough to kill the average male.

So remember how I said that there are opioid receptors throughout the entire body? Well there are µ-opioid receptors located on the surface of neurons in the brainstems respiratory center, the place responsible for how you are able to breathe without thinking about it. Well it also slows down those receptors which is what causes respiratory depression. Well when you breathe less you get less oxygen and that’s kind of necessary for living. In fact it can lead directly to respiratory arrest, which is where you stop breathing altogether.

Alcohol works on the same receptors to also depress respiratory functions, and so taking them at the same time multiplies the effects of each other, creating a much stronger high, but also a much higher risk for respiratory depression.

That is what ultimately and tragically killed Mac.

Now this is not at all what Mac was expecting. Earlier that week Mac had actually purchased pills of what he thought was oxycodone, while in reality it was fentanyl counterfeited as oxycodone, as they have a similar effect, but fentanyl being much easier to produce. He proceeded to snort the laced pills along with Xanax and cocaine, (Xanax, a benzodiazapine I can go into detail later, along with many personal anecdotes), where he soon after met his untimely young death. Rest in peace Mac, much love forever. Circles is an instant classic and I’ll be bumping it all night long.

As a general disclaimer, do not advocate the buying and using of drugs for hedonistic purposes. That being said, here are some tips to make sure you stay safe while doing so.

If you ever buy drugs from online, always go with the assumption that it is not what you actually want. I can almost guarantee you that if you purchase from the Empire Market that your Xanax and Ativan is always going to be just fentanyl pressed with corn starch. The same goes for adderall or any amphetamines, it will be either cocaine or meth (probably meth) pressed with corn starch. This is most definitely not from personal experience. There are many reagent tests you can do at home to verify the drugs yourself, in fact there are test strips for almost every drug that you can purchase off of any common website to check your own drugs. Always carry Narcan and Flumazenil if you are ever to engage in such activities with friends to ensure you can revive them. Stay safe.

#Nursing #Mac Miller #Circles #CPR #Fentanyl #Overdose

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nycphotosandvideos · 3 years

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Christan Frazier Interviews 🏥Dr. Auerbauch former Cancer Oncologist ‎@MarijuanaDoctors.com who now prescribes cannabis prescriptions to a wide variety of patients dealing with various physical and mental health conditions from ulcerative colitis/chron's disease, cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, diabetes, anxiety, depression, cancer and more. if you are curious about the benefits and side effects of cannabis then you are going to want to tune in to this 🎥📹. We discuss Cannabis, CBD, THC and how it can affect your body. If you are thinking about trying cannabis for the first time this video was created for you. If you have been a regular cannabis user but don't understand how it affects your body then please watch. Since cannabis has been legalized opioid use has gone down. Cannabis can be a great alternative to benzodiazapines, opioids and other pharmaceuticals can have dangerous withdrawal side effects and increase risks for suicides. Check out the Cannabis Blog on https://j.mp/2XE5nfY Christian Frazier

#christianfrazier #cannabis #medicalcannabis #medicdispensaries #themarijuanadoctor #medicalcannabiscommunity #420education #trulieve #potpapi #cannabisreviews #cannabisresearch #cannabiz #sunshinecannabis #cresco #floridacannabis #floridacannabisnews #dispensary #dispensaries

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interventionalcoholabuse · 3 years

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FAQs about Benzodiazepine Addiction

Benzodiazepine addiction is a dangerous and challenging condition to treat. Benzodiazepines are depressant drugs that work on benzodiazepine receptors in the brain, slowing down activity in the central nervous system and producing sedative effects.

Among the benzodiazepine addiction frequently asked questions are these:

Wy are benzodiazapines abuse?

Benzodiazepines are increasingly abused because of their euphoric effects and ability to produce relaxation. When people use these medications for recreational purposes, they may take high doses, combine benzodiazepines with alcohol or other drugs, grind up the pills and snort them to get an immediate effect. In addition, benzodiazepine users who stop taking these medications may experience benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms which can be difficult to overcome. This is among the benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms frequently asked questions, so this is how it happens.

What benzodiazepines are readily available?

Benzodiazepines are often prescribed as sedatives and sleep aids, including benzraxapam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), Librium, Dalmane, or alprazolam (Xanax). These benzodiazepines are easy to get, but they have a high potential for abuse and benzodiazepine addiction frequently asked questions.

Other benzodiazepine prescriptions frequently asked questions are:

What benzodiazepine is prescribed most?

The benzoxazepam prescription that is written out the most often by doctors is alprazolam. Alpoxazepam benzodiazepine addiction frequently asked questions statistics are high because it can lead to physical dependence and benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms, making this drug one of the most commonly abused in America.

People who are looking for benzoxazepam may try different benzotriazepam for sale before finding effective one. Benzodiazepines without acetaminophen (Tylenol) benzotriazepam for sale are more effective because they do not contain the chemical that makes people sick when benzodiazepine addiction is present.

Another benzodiazepine frequently asked questions about prescriptions:

What benzodiazepine prescription is being written out most?

The benzodiazepine benzoxazepam prescription is being written out the most often. Still, it can be difficult for doctors to prescribe benzotriazepam because of benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms that occur as a result.

How long do benzos stay in your body?

These medications are fat-soluble, and they can stay benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms in your body for a long time because of how they are stored. Benzodiazepines can stay benzoxazepam for up to 30 days or even longer, so benzodiazepine addiction can lead to benzotriazepam withdrawal symptoms when people try to stop taking these medications.

Benzodiazepines may be prescribed quickly, but benzaxzepam and benzodiazepines with acetaminophen (Tylenol) benzotriazepam are considered benzodiazepine addiction benzotriazepam for sale because benzoxazepam that they have a high potential for abuse.

How can benzodiazepines be used safely?

Benzodiazepines are often prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep problems. Still, benzodiapsone addiction can easily occur if the drug is used benzodiazepine addiction benzotriazepam for sale for an extended period benzoxazepam time or at benzodiazepines without acetaminophen (Tylenol) benzotriazepam. Benzodiazepines may be prescribed for short amounts of benzprazepam, but benzaxzepam and benzodiazepines benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms benzotriazepam for sale acetaminophen (Tylenol) benzodiazepine addiction are considered benzoxazepam because they have a high potential benzixzepam abuse.

To know more about benzodiazepine addiction, frequently asked questions, asked the experts, do some research.

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therecoversite · 6 years

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Warnings of “Replacement” Drug abuse Lingering, DEA says

New Post has been published on https://www.therecover.com/warnings-of-replacement-drug-abuse-lingering-dea-says/

Warnings of “Replacement” Drug abuse Lingering, DEA says

Now that opioid medication prescribers are being met with dead ends from prescription limits to unemployed pharmaceutical reps, it looks like the opioid crisis is at the end of its reign. But in its place have come in substitutes that have the capability of becoming just as abused as their shamed counterparts.

FDA Officials Douglas C. Throckmorton, Scott Gottlieb and Janet Woodcock released a letter last month in The New England Journal of Medicine, warning the public that since the curbing of the opioid amounts have gone into place, new replacements have made their way into the spotlight.

“We must be aware that any decisive actions taken to reduce prescription opioid abuse and stem the tide of overdose and death can have unintended consequences, including prompting people to turn to alternative, potentially dangerous substances,” the officials wrote in the letter.

The newest popular medications are non-opiates, medications like gabapentinoids, which are used to treat seizures and neuropathic pain; loperamide, an over-the-counter treatment for diarrhea; benzodiazepines, which are used to treat anxiety; and kratom, a plant-based supplement with psychoactive effects that can enhance mood and offer pain relief.

Benzodiazapines are already known to have addictive qualities; Kratom has been on the FDA and DEA’s radar since 2016. Despite cries from Kratom’s supporters for its health benefits, chances of the substance being banned are becoming increasingly more realistic. The lesser-known Gabapentin medication gets users high in a way similar to benzo’s, but users say without the memory lapse. Loperamide is used to help with opioid withdrawals but not completely, only enough to stave off pain until the users DOC can be obtained.

But medications like Gabapentin are not known to all doctors for their misuse, prescriptions have began to increase and it’s caught the attention of pharmacists and substance abuse monitoring networks. But because it is not a controlled substance, it’s not illegal for someone who’s prescribed to it to possess it.

The authors concluded the warning with a message of preparedness, “We will need to understand and be ready to respond to such challenges. The right approach to regulating these substances is best determined through a multifaceted system of pharmacovigilance, using various tools to mine traditional and new sources of epidemiologic data, assess products’ pharmacologic properties, and evaluate the social contexts in which substances are being used.”

It seems like addicts will find ways to get high no matter what, but to keep unnecessary overdoses down being aware of the potential problems is step number one. We’ve already learned that taking away the supply doesn’t remove the demand, but having access to treatment and support programs will be the answer should a new wave of addiction come in to take opiates place.

Source : The Recover Newsroom

#Featured

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ulrichfoester · 4 years

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Inpatient Detox Centers Near Me (You) for Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol, Drugs, Prescription Drug, Heroin, Opiate Methamphetamine Inpatient Detox Near Me

Overcoming drug or alcohol dependency is a serious endeavor that is typically kick-started via an inpatient detox program. Phase one of recovery must include a safe, supervised detox and withdrawal process where the individual seeking treatment for addiction will find adequate medical support. An inpatient detox facility offers the highest level of care, so searching for an inpatient detox center near me is the first crucial step toward freedom from addiction.

Not all inpatient detoxification programs are alike. Some detox programs use pharmaceutical interventions to assist with the intense discomfort or pain that accompanies withdrawing from the substance. These programs may prescribe benzodiazepines such as Ativan or Valium to ward off the anxiety and restlessness that is commonly experienced in detox. Other programs may also use anti-craving drugs, such as naltrexone or suboxone, to block opioid receptors to reduce the risk of relapse. Still other detox programs are entirely holistic, using amino acid therapy, mindfulness training, meditation, exercise, nutrition, and acupuncture, to name a few methods.

The type of program you decide on is often selected based on the specific substance that one is addicted to, the length of time and severity of the addiction, general health, whether there is an accompanying mental health condition, and knowing the desired outcome you are seeking. If the goal is to be entirely free from drugs, then a holistic program would be the right choice, so that one addictive drug isn’t replaced with another. However, if the goal is to survive after a string of relapses, then the medical interventions are possibly the better option.

What to Expect at Inpatient Detox Centers Near Me

An inpatient detox center is a facility that houses the client through the duration of the detox and withdrawal period, with the priority being to stabilize the client. Detox procedures differ based on the type of drug or alcohol dependency involved. Detoxing from alcohol or benzodiazapines can be extremely dangerous, so very careful monitoring will be the detox protocol. Regardless of the drug being detoxed, the medical provider will prescribe pharmaceutical drugs and/or over-the-counter medications to assist with unpleasant symptoms such as stomach upset, headache, fever and chills, anxiety, muscle aches, and sleep disturbances.

Most drugs are detoxed out of the system within one week, although it varies depending on the drug and the severity of the addiction. The inpatient detox center near me will provide as much intervention as needed to prevent the client from leaving detox and potentially relapsing, making every effort to get the client into the next stage of recovery treatment, the therapeutic phase.

Alcohol Detox

An inpatient alcohol detox is taken very seriously. Alcohol detox can introduce some unpredictable and serious withdrawal symptoms that can pose a medical emergency situation. As the body attempts to adjust to the absence of alcohol it can become destabilizing to the central nervous system.

The degree of severity of the withdrawal symptoms is dependent on such factors as:

Length of history of heavy alcohol consumption

Average amount of alcohol consumed daily

Age of the individual

General health status of the individual

Coexisting mental health disorders

Alcohol detox symptoms will generally surface within 6-12 hours after the last alcoholic beverage. The withdrawal symptoms will process through three distinct phases within the first 48 hours before beginning to subside. The severity of the symptoms will depend on the above factors.

Stage One

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

Sweating

Hand tremors

Nausea

Vomiting

Insomnia

Irritability

Headache

Anxiety

Stage One

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

Sweating

Hand tremors

Nausea

Vomiting

Insomnia

Irritability

Headache

Anxiety

Stage Two

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

Disorientation

Seizures

Hallucinations

What Are the Delirium Tremens?

The delirium tremens (DTs) involves a sudden escalation of withdrawal distress on day 3 or 4 of the detox process. The DTs are always considered a medical emergency, as coma and death can result. About 5% of individuals going through alcohol detox will experience the DTs, but among those 5-10% will not survive.

Symptoms of the DTs include:

Severe mental confusion

Full body shakings

Fever

Extreme agitation

Shallow breathing

Hallucinations and delusions

Seizure

Coma

Death

To treat the DTs, the individual will be hospitalized in the ICU and placed on an intravenous drip with escalating doses of diazepam with titration of phenobarbital. Electrolyte imbalance is also restored through the IV. If the benzodiazepines and phenobarbital are not effective, the individual may need mechanical ventilation and possibly propofol or ketamine.

Benzodiazapine Detox

Detoxing from benzodiazepine, drugs that include Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, or Valium, also requires close supervision. The detox and withdrawal process should involve a scheduled tapering process where the individual will slowly wean themselves off the drug. This is necessary, as approaching benzodiazepine withdrawal cold turkey can have fatal consequences. Because of the tapering process, the benzo detox can take 2-3 weeks, depending on the length of benzodiazepine abuse history and the usual daily dosing. These factors also influence the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms emerge 10-12 hours after the last dose and include:

Irritability

Shaking

Sweating

Difficulty concentrating

Headache

Heart palpitations

Nausea, retching

Diarrhea

Mood swings

Weight loss

Insomnia

Tingling in arms and legs

Twitching

Memory problems

Muscle and joint pain

Panic attack

Anxiety

Drug cravings

Suicidal thoughts

Next Steps After Detox

After completing the medical inpatient detox program, the focus shifts toward obtaining addiction treatment. Addiction recovery programs are offered in either outpatient or inpatient settings, with the moderate to severe chemical dependency or addiction benefiting from the inpatient programs.

Rehab will involve a comprehensive approach that encompasses several treatment elements, including:

Individual psychotherapy. One on one talk therapy allows individual to work on dysfunctional thought and behavior patterns and underlying emotional issues.

Group counseling. Group sessions provide an opportunity to share personal experiences, struggles, fears, and goals, which engenders peer support.

12-step programming. A.A., N.A. or a non-12 step program may be included in the rehab program.

Medication-assisted treatment. Use of naltrexone, buprenorphine, or methadone for reducing cravings and risk for relapse.

Psychoeducation. Educating the individual about how addiction develops and how to avoid relapse.

Holistic therapy. Relaxation-enhancing activities such as yoga, mindfulness, art therapy, or massage therapy.

Exercise and nutritional counseling. Regular exercise, outdoor activities, and other recreational activities rounds out treatment.

Finding Inpatient Detox Centers Near Me

When someone battling addiction decides it is the right time to reach out for treatment, the first order of business is to locate an inpatient detox center nearby. This can be a perplexing and anxiety-provoking process, as there are so many options available making it difficult to know which way to turn.

Once you begin the process of selecting a treatment center it helps to enlist the help of a locator service that can provide much needed guidance and reduce stress levels. In addition to finding a good match for your detox needs, a reputable locator service can also assist with the financial questions you might have. Insurance policies can be checked to determine benefits, as well as financing options introduced.

The Treatment Specialist Can Locate Inpatient Detox Near Me

The Treatment Specialist offers just this kind of assistance in locating the right inpatient detox center for your needs and budget. The team of specialists are standing by to help match each person’s unique situation with the detox program best suited to offering treatment.

The Treatment Specialist works with a wide network of high quality inpatient detox facilities nationwide. Our treatment specialists will conduct a free confidential assessment of your needs as well as an insurance verification of benefits and coverage, key steps to finding the perfect center for you. Allow our team to help match you with the appropriate inpatient detox near me program by contacting us today at (866) 644-7911

The post Inpatient Detox Centers Near Me (You) for Drug and Alcohol Addiction appeared first on The Treatment Specialist.

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callcenterguy-blog · 5 years

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Seizure Meds

I spent my whole life working out and being healthy with the exception of the fact that I did drugs on the weekends. I was in great shape from lifting weights and doing bjj. Out of the blue I started having full tonic clonic seizures in 2007. The first one happened inside Wal Mart. I had just picked up my kids after work. Our weeks were long because of work, the kids homework, and jiu jitsu. The kids and I used to all train together. We also had softball or basketball going on at the appropriate times of year as well. Bottom line was that by Friday night we were all really tired.

Our Friday night ritual was to go to Wal Mart and buy a bunch of junk food for dinner and go home and watch movies until we passed out. We had to be at jiu jitsu class at 9am on Saturday morning so this was a perfect way to spend our Friday nights together. I remember opening the glass door in the mil aisle to get some soy milk. The next thing I know I woke up on the ground surrounded by parameds with my mouth full of blood and my kids crying. I thought somebody had jumped me because of all the blood. I had pretty much bitten my tongue in half.

I was totally out of it. I could not tell the parameds what my name was or my address of who the President was. I remember asking the guy what happened and he looked at me and said, “Sir, you just had a massive seizure.” Up to this point in my life I had never had any medical problems at all except allergies and asthma when I was a kid and severe insomnia as an adult. I looked at the paramed guy and said, “I have been training hard and I have insomnia. I must have just fallen out. I was in the Marines. I will be fine. I just need to go home and get some sleep.” He informed me that I was not going home but instead to the hospital. At first I tried to refuse to go but they informed me that I would be sedated and strapped to the gurney. He said, “You are going to the ER sir.”

At the ER the doc on duty gave me a medication called Keppra. They ran a full battery of tests and everything came out fine. There was nothing to indicate that I had epilepsy. They asked about a number of potential causes. To this day, I believe they were caused by a blow to the head I took from a shower curtain rod about two weeks prior to that, The reason I felt that and still do to this day is that when I was hit with that rod I but my tongue in the exact same spot I bit it when I had that seizure. I mean the EXACT SAME spot. Each time I had a seizure I bit my tongue in that same location. It would turn black and purple every time I bit it. It was extremely painful to say the least.

So I started taking the Keppra. About two weeks later I was talking with my girlfriend on the couch in my apartment. She looked at me all worried and said, “Baby what made you bring that up all of a sudden?” I said, “Because you asked me about it.” She replied, “Honey something is really wrong. We haven’t been talking at all. We have been laying here watching a movie. I think those medications have done something to you.”

At the ER, they had ran every test for seizures except something called an EEG. Two days after this event with my GF, I got a call at work from my boss. He was the owner of the company and I had worked in the children’s ministry with him at church for 7 years. He called me up on the phone and he said, “Chris, do I have you full attention?” I said, “Yes, of course.” He said, “I just got off the phone with Julie from accounting. You are completely out of it. Something is very wrong with the meds they gave you. You are to hang up this phone and then immediately I want you to call a neurologist and set an appointment to have that EEG done and a consultation about those meds. Then you are to immediately call your GF and have her come pick you up and take you home. If she cannot take you home then you are to call me and I will come get you. No matter what you are not to drive a car off this property. Are we clear?”

I went to the neurologist and did the EEG. The results came back as completely normal. They decided that my seizures were caused from severe sleep deprivation because my insomnia was so out of control. I was prescribed 4mg of ativan per night as a sleep aid. If you know anything about benzodiazapines you would know that amount of ativan would send most people to bed for 2 days without the ability to get up and function.

I walk around day-to-day as a giant ball of stress and anxiety. Back then you could add anger to the mix as well because I had a toxic marriage and my wife was a drunk who verbally insulted me every opportunity she had. I would lay in bed at night with my wheels turning so hard that I would never sleep more than an hour at best. It took ton of meds to put me down. Even then I did not sleep all that well so the doc felt it quite plausible the sleep deprivation was the cause of the seizures. He put me on seizure meds and that is where things really started to go down hill for me.

I experienced the highest levels of side effects from the seizure meds: hallucinations, inability to speak at times, complete disorientation (had to navigate with a compass while driving because I could not recognize the streets even though they were the same ones I drove on daily), randomly falling asleep at work, or just overall being out of it and stupid. The first seizure left me with a speech impediment for about 6 months and my ability to do math in my head was completely gone.

The next five years of my life were horrible. I would go to the neurologist and be accompanied by my GF, or a best friend or my dad. We would all sit there and tell him that the meds had me completely screwed up. He would change the meds or the dose. I would still be screwed up and then get angry and frustrated and quit taking them. Then I would have another seizure. From 2011-2013 we honestly did not think I was going to live much longer.

In February 2014 I was living with my GF, whom I loved very much. She was an incredible person, highly intelligent and one of the most beautiful and sexy women I have ever known. She told me one day that those meds made emotionally unstable and I was a danger to anyone I was around. We split up, obviously.

I made the decision to stop taking them. I told my neurologist and he said I was going to die. I told him that I would maybe die if I quit taking the meds but that I would 100% for certain die if I kept taking them. I opted for the maybe and quit. I luckily have not had a seizure since July of 2014, but the brain damage from those meds is still alive and kicking. I am emotionally unstable and suffer from depression and basically manic symptoms. One day I am on top of the world and the next day I am working hard not to succumb to the thoughts of suicide. I have never been the same as I was before taking them and seriously doubt that I ever will be at this point. It is what it is.

#thisisyourbrainondrugs #seizuremedsandinsanity #insaneinthemembrane #insanity

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thetreatmentspecialist · 6 years

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Inpatient Detox Centers Near Me

What to Expect at Inpatient Detox Near Me

When detoxing from alcohol, benzodiazapines, or other substances, the process can be very dangerous and hard on the body. Careful medical monitoring, medication to manage withdrawal, as well as a stress-free environment in which to detox in is essential. Inpatient detox center near me provides these essential factors and sets a foundation for recovery after the program, avoiding relapse.

Once you begin the process of selecting a treatment center, it helps to enlist the help of a locator service that can provide much needed guidance and expertise on which treatment center is right for your needs and conditions. The Treatment Specialist is your treatment resource, and can also help with any financial, insurance, or financing questions you might have.

#detoxification #detox #medical detox #addiction #addiction treatment #inpatient care #inpatient detox centers #rehab

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tortuga-aak · 7 years

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A startup wants to create a platform for nervous people and 'imposter syndrome' sufferers to quickly get prescriptions for a cardiac drug that can calm anxiety

Alissa Ambrose/STAT

A San Francisco startup called Kick is planning to bring the beta blocker propranolol to a mass market to help people who need a confidence boost.

Using Kick, people will be able to obtain a prescription for propranolol by filling out an online and video chatting with a doctor.

Founder and CEO Justin Ip has raised an undisclosed amount of funding and hopes to launch in California in the next few months.

Ip said he chose propranolol because it’s a cheap generic drug with few side effects and a long history of off-label use.

Doctors say giving out prescriptions without intensive screenings could be dangerous and might trivialize social anxiety.

The pill works like magic, people who’ve used it say, to quell their anxiety around public speaking.

For decades, doctors have written off-label prescriptions for the heart drug propranolol to help anxious musicians, poker players, and tech executives calm their racing hearts and still their trembling hands before a big performance.

Now, a San Francisco startup called Kick is planning to bring the beta blocker to a mass market — a plan that’s giving some psychiatrists and psychologists anxiety of a different kind.

Kick wants to become a telemedicine platform that makes it easy for nearly anyone who needs a confidence boost — before a first date, perhaps, or a big work presentation — to get a prescription for propranolol. They just need to pass a screening by filling out an online form and interacting in some way with a physician — the current idea is a video call.

As for the medication itself, Kick has reformulated the traditional pill into a minty lozenge, like an Altoid, that dissolves in your mouth, releasing 10 milligrams of the cardiac drug. The company wants to make it available in different colors and flavors, like watermelon.

“Our hope is to try to de-clinify the whole experience,” said Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist in private practice in Silicon Valley who has a stake in Kick and expects to prescribe propranolol through its platform.

The concept does not sit well with some mental health professionals.

Wikimedia Commons“That’s a horrible idea. It’s a horrible idea!” said Stefan Hofmann, a psychologist who directs the social anxiety program at Boston University.

“No, you shouldn’t do that,” Hofmann said. “You want to do a very thorough assessment with a patient before you prescribe a psychoactive drug of any kind. You can’t do this via the internet.” (Hofmann, it should be noted, has ties to a competing business model of sorts: He advises a startup called SilverCloud that markets online cognitive behavioral therapy programs for anxiety and other conditions.)

Even physicians who sometimes prescribe propranolol for performance anxiety were critical of Kick’s pitch. Dr. Franklin Schneier, a psychiatrist who co-directs Columbia’s clinic for anxiety disorders, warned that Kick’s plan to repackage propranolol like Altoids “trivializes both the condition of social anxiety and the treatment of propranolol.”

Or as Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke put it: “To suggest that propranonol is entirely benign and equal to an Altoid, I think, is a really dangerous notion.”

To suggest that propranonol is entirely benign and equal to an Altoid, I think, is a really dangerous notion.

That’s because although propranolol is an old drug with a strong safety profile, it still carries a real risk of side effects, ranging from lightheadedness all the way up to reports of congestive heart failure and the serious allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Justin Ip, Kick’s founder and CEO, called these “legitimate concerns.” But he also characterized the fields of psychology and psychiatry as “relatively reticent to change” and “against anything that’s new” — even though there’s an acute need for innovation, given the severe shortage of mental health providers, particularly in rural areas.

Ip declined to compare his minty pills to candy, saying that “feels too fun.” But he said it was important to repackage the drug to reach a wider market of people who might not seek traditional psychiatric treatment but could benefit from propranolol if they saw it in a new light. (He also plans to offer a normal pill as an alternative to the lozenges.)

He pointed to other ways this is being done in more powerful drugs, such as an ADHD medication repackaged as a fruity chew — a move that also drew sharp criticism from some in the medical community.

Ip hopes to launch in the next few months in California, home to a vibrant culture of self-experimentation with pharmaceuticals, and then expand to other states. He expects a prescription to cost about $50 out of pocket.

A treatment for anxiety that’s fallen out of favor

Many people are afraid of public speaking. But when it gets severe and persistent enough, it’s codified in the DSM-5 as a type of social anxiety disorder specific to performance. About 15 million adults in the U.S. are believed to have social anxiety disorder, often undiagnosed and untreated.

ScreenshotThose who do seek treatment have a few options: Cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves talking to a therapist or completing online exercises.

The class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Paxil and Zoloft, which block the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter that regulates anxiety. Benzodiazapines like Xanax, which relieve anxiety by enhancing the effects of a neurotransmitter called GABA in the brain.

Then there are beta blockers like propranolol, which take a different tack. They suppress the autonomic arousal associated with fear — meaning no more racing heart. No more shaking hands.

Many psychiatrists embraced beta blockers for social anxiety and performance anxiety in the 1970s. But they’ve since fallen out of favor

Many psychiatrists embraced beta blockers for social anxiety and performance anxiety in the 1970s. But they’ve since fallen out of favor.

and are not considered a first-line treatment, in part because they aren’t as effective for people whose anxiety doesn’t manifest in mainly physiological ways.

“Bringing up propranolol is resurrecting a dead body,” said Hofmann, the Boston University psychologist.

Ip said he chose propranolol because it’s a cheap generic drug with few side effects and a long history of off-label use. He also pointed to a 2015 study that found that people who are afraid of spiders had a significant reduction in their anxiety after taking propranolol and being exposed to tarantulas, compared to people who were only exposed to the tarantulas or only took propranolol.

Still, anxiety experts caution that propranolol is a powerful drug. (It’s usually taken at a higher dosage than Kick is planning on.)

It’s not recommended, for example, in people with asthma, and doctors take caution before prescribing it in people who have a history of arrhythmia, low blood pressure, or an elevated risk of fainting. Lembke, the Stanford psychiatrist, said she’s had patients who experienced withdrawal symptoms when they stopped taking propranolol after months or years.

“It’s a serious cardiac medication. I don’t think it’s something that should be prescribed lightly,” she said.

Propranolol isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat social anxiety or performance anxiety. But because Kick won’t be manufacturing the drug (the company worked with a compounding pharmacy to reformulate the pill as a proof of concept), it won’t be subject to FDA rules restricting off-label marketing by manufacturers. Still, Ip’s being careful to comply with regulations.

bsabarnowl/Flickr“The way I think we’re going to message this is: Fear gets in the way of living your best self and achieving what you want to achieve and reaching your full potential, especially around the things that you value the most,” Ip said. “So what if there was a cure for that that involved an app and potentially a prescription drug?”

He envisions reaching not just people nervous about public speaking, but those who are shy. Or who fear going to the dentist. Or flying on a plane. Kick’s website also pitches the drug as a good bet for professionals experiencing “imposter syndrome” — meaning they worry they don’t deserve their seat at the table. It’s meant to be taken about an hour before the anxiety-producing event.

Kick’s website pitches the drug as a good bet for professionals experiencing 'imposter syndrome'

Kick is Ip’s first health-related business venture. His background is in consumer tech products; he previously worked on an app for finding hiking trails.

He developed an interest in mental health after he ruptured his Achilles tendon and found himself unable to walk and in an emotional rut.

Ip, who’s raised an undisclosed amount of venture funding, launched the first iteration of Kick in June. It’s an app that sends users a “kick of the day” to help them tackle their fears. Monday’s advice: “Eat a dinner item in the morning” — and then reflect on how breaking the rules made you feel. Ip worked with psychologists to design the content, which he said combines tenets of exposure therapy, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Ip hasn’t yet figured out, he said, whether the telemedicine platform will be part of this app, a different app, or part of the company’s website. But he suspects that however he launches, he’ll tap into an eager market.

After all, Dimitriu, the psychiatrist working with Kick, already prescribes the drug several times a week to clients in Silicon Valley. He’s even taken the drug himself before big presentations. But he says he’s mindful that it’s not appropriate for everyone and will take care in screening online clients.

A ‘magic pill’ jump starts a career

Before he became a high-powered tech CEO, Jim Safka was a high school kid so nervous about speaking in front of the classroom that he’d stay home from school.

Jason Smith/Getty ImagesLater, as a young assistant brand manager promoting Molly McButter butter-flavored sprinkles, he was so terrified about speaking during an advertising meeting that he could only get out a few words.

Safka tried everything he could think of: Taking an SSRI. Popping Xanax. Downing a few beers before big meetings. None of them worked.

Then, when he was about 30, a doctor prescribed him propranolol. He tried it at a regular meeting, and felt so confident, he even volunteered to speak.

It was literally like a magic pill to me.

“It was literally like a magic pill to me from that point on,” Safka said. And it marked “the beginning of the acceleration of my career.”

Safka rose through the corporate ranks, becoming CEO of Match.com and Ask.com in the 2000s. For about a decade, he took a 20 milligram dose of propranolol three or four times a week, an hour before he made a TV appearance, gave a speech, or ran a big meeting. He never experienced any side effects.

Eventually, Safka found, he rarely needed propranolol. Now 49, he’s working in nonprofit fundraising, as the founder of a new project to aid the victims of the recent Mexico City earthquake.

He’s also a fan of Kick’s vision of offering propranolol to the masses.

“I honestly believe it changed my life,” Safka said. “I hope that other people can realize that it’s available.”

Though he rarely uses it, he still keeps propranolol pills in his briefcase. Just in case.

NOW WATCH: This is what happens to your brain when you take Xanax

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From Viagra to Valium, the drugs that were discovered by accident

From Alexander Fleming onwards, the lives of millions have been transformed and saved by treatments that scientists were not even looking for

When scientists in New Zealand discovered that a meningitis vaccine fortuitously protects against gonorrhoea, they were benefiting from an unpredictable force responsible for some of historys most striking medical breakthroughs: serendipity.

So many things have been discovered by chance. The German writer, scientist and all-round polymath Johann Wolfgang Goethe, a discoverer himself, wrote: Discovery needs luck, invention, intellect none can do without the other.

Viagra

In pharmaceutical giant Pfizers laboratories in Kent, a failed treatment for angina accidentally became a billion-dollar erectile dysfunction blockbuster, and the worlds most famous blue pill.

During early clinical trials of sildenafil, now better known by its trade name Viagra, male volunteers taking the pills consistently reported unprovoked, long-lasting erections. After further investigation, it turned out that Viagra, designed to relax blood vessels around the heart to improve blood flow, was having the same effect on arteries within the penis. Since its commercial release in 1998, it has been used to improve the sex lives of millions of men worldwide.

Incidentally, the 2007 Ig Nobel Prize, awarded annually for that years most useless research, was awarded to three Argentinian scientists who discovered that Viagra helped hamsters recover faster from jet-lag.

Penicillin

Returning to work after a month-long Scottish vacation in 1928, pathologist Alexander Fleming made a discovery in a discarded culture dish, which he had unintentionally left open to the elements on a window sill in his laboratory at St Marys Hospital in London.

In Flemings absence, the dish, growing the dangerous bacteria staphylococcus aureus, had become contaminated with an air-borne mould a type of fungus. Fleming noticed that, near the blue-green strands of fungus, growth of the bacteria had been stopped in its tracks.

Fleming had inadvertently stumbled across the first antibiotic, which he called penicillin.

For his accidental discovery, he shared the Nobel prize for medicine in 1945 with Florey and Chain, Oxford chemists who perfected the process of penicillin mass production in time to treat infected battlefield injuries sustained in the second world war.

When I woke up just after dawn on 28 September, 1928, I certainly didnt plan to revolutionise all medicine by discovering the worlds first antibiotic, or bacteria killer, Fleming later recalled. But I suppose that was exactly what I did.

Heart pacemaker

New York engineer Wilson Greatbatch invented the worlds first implantable heart pacemaker but he didnt mean to.

While trying to build a device to record heartbeats in 1956, he accidentally installed the wrong type of resistor into his prototype which promptly began to emit regular electrical pulses.

Realising these pulses were recapitulating the electrical activity of a normal heartbeat, Greatbatch immediately saw the potential of his device. After two years of refinements, his design for a pacemaker that could be implanted into the heart was patented in 1960 and soon went into production. Life-saving descendants of this first device now improve the lives of over half a million patients with slow heartbeats every year.

Stomach ulcers

In the 1980s, two Australian doctors were ridiculed for suggesting that stomach ulcers were caused not by business lunches and stress, but by infection with a common bacteria. Barry Marshall, a gastroenterologist and his pathologist colleague in Perth, Robin Warren, noticed that stomach biopsies taken from their ulcer patients all contained the same spiral-shaped bacteria, called helicobacter pylori.

To prove their hunch, Marshall deliberately downed a pint of foaming helicobacter broth that hed grown in his lab after isolating it from the stomach of one of his patients. Within a week, he had rampant stomach inflammation which was then completely reversed by taking antibiotics.

Their discovery has also meant the virtual eradication of a type of stomach cancer caused by helicobacter infection.

For their work (and presumably Marshalls bravery), Marshall and Warren were awarded the 2005 Nobel prize for medicine.

Antidepressants

Several classes of antidepressants owe their discovery to chance, from iproniazid, which was initially used to treat tuberculosis in the 1950s, to the tricyclics of the 1960s, which stemmed from an experimental treatment for schizophrenia and the more recent breakthrough involving the use of ketamine.

Valium

The entry-level benzodiazapine was developed in the 1950s by a Polish immigrant in the US, Leo Sternbach, from discarded chemical compounds he had synthesised 20 years earlier in Poland when he was working on experiments to create new dyes.

The dyes were a failure. The benzodiazapines quickly became the most popular prescription drugs in the US.