hi ..been sober for 3 months now..went cold turkey .. still battling along though ..been on alzam for years but when i stopped drinking the doc said to up my intake of alzam to 6 p/d 1mg
also started me on prozac {lorien} 10mg for 1stweek and then 20 mg 2nd ifeel like shit on prozac so im stopping them today ..paranoia set in ....reason for prozac was for heavy panic attacks..any advice welcome
Way to go on 3 months sober, that's an accomplishment, be proud!!!
I haven't had any experience with detoxing from pills. I'd really suggest getting a doctors opinion before going cold turkey on them. Its great that you were able to quit booze cold turkey, but if your docs prescribed these pills and your taking them AS prescribed, well, the best i can suggest is even ot get another doctors opinion.
Hopefully someone will be along here that has some experience with what you're going through.'
im thinking about a second opinion... fist 1 was a pychiatrist.. il, speak to him again tomorrow
how long you been sober? all i know this is my second attempt at this ...the first was about 4 years ago did well then ...for about a year ...blew it again nows my second time this time its hard...havnt been to any meetings though my wife has been to alanon... shes been great and very supportive ..hope all is well with yourself and well done to you !!!!
The second opinion is a good idea. Try to find a specialist in the Mental heath and addiction field. Meds aren't a bad thing if you need them. I went cold turkey on the booze myself. I was on celexa and the doctor told me to quit. I did and got into a big mess. I was nuts, plain and simple. Thru the progam I found a new doctor, a specialist and he changed some things around and i feel like a new person. I was just thinking how god works thru people. I found a new good friend and he hooked me up with a wonderful doctor. It's a blessing. He also told me that god put ME in his life and how good it was, because his best friend died. Hang in there. It will get better Much better.
hi Steve....i'm working on day 347...one at a time. but if you got up earlier than i did today then you have more than i do!!!
Well i have to say...i'm really glad you made it back alive!!!!! Lots of us don't!!!
I was just reading the other day about a man who drank for the last time...literally!! his family found him dead, laying on the floor. thats the true bottom to this disease, in my opinion...
I would strongly suggest going to an AA meeting!!! I can't live without them..literally. AA has saved my life...face to face support, experience, strength and hope. I can't explain the gratitude in my heart for the program.
Please don't stop your meds abruptly...talk to your dr and let him know how the prozac is affecting you...perhaps you need a different med. Too many times people stop their medication and then the roller coaster starts all over again. I almost died because I thought I was smarter than my dr and did it(partly cuz I wanted to drink and knew it was dangerous to do so on medication). So I stopped taking the medication and went out and drank. It was not a pretty sight.
After finding AA, I came to the realization that the medication allowed me to turn off the stuff going on in my head long enough to find sobriety. I was sober for 2 yrs and talked to my dr about weaning off the pills...we did so, under the dr monitoring...but I also realize that if I do need to go back on them, it's ok. It's not weakness, it's just my chemical makeup.
last nite was my 1st nite at AA...!!!I was nervous at first and then started to settle down..
after poping half an alzam i was fine... and listened with great interest at the 12 steps
ect... it was great to be able to hear i was not alone on this one....and also relating and identifying with all the people arround me....from all cultures and walks of life...wow it really reaches all ....this boooze thing got no mercy...like the sea its huge.
i really felt some warmth and took home with me a great deal more understanding than before
i went!!!thanx to all who inpired me to go ...
also went to my new doc today and she changed my med ...so things hopefully will start getting better now...she explained more in detail about what was going on with me ..she also wants me to tapper off the alzam...she put me on cipralex 20mg+serequel 5mg p/d 3times p/hope all this works ...however long it takes ....
Hi Steve ... keep going to those meetings. Try to go every day if you can for a few months. It's amazing what that can do to get us back in balance. Try to make some contacts at the meetings and let them know you're just coming back, need help and would like some phone numbers. It's easy to drift in and out of meetings, not really get involved, feel good for a while, then end up back where we were (or worse usually). I've found that change takes some effort. Also, don't forget to eat well, exercise a bit, rest and if you're prone to anxiety avoid too much caffeine intake. Pick up some of the AA books and literature at meetings and read them. Get a subscription to the AA Grapevine, our "meeting in print". Just my suggestions. The changes made will be worth the effort and maybe even save your life. They saved mine and this is what's worked for me for 14 years. I was 31 when I started coming to AA.