Hey Pinkfreud - that is a great site. I read it for a while and
learned a lot. Excellent recommendation.
Canchaser, I wonder if you realize that your question implies a bigger
issue than how to deal with the withdrawal symptoms? If you are
finishing your medication before you are eligible for a refill, you
need to have a discussion with your doctor about that.
In some cases, a doctor may be undertreating or ineffectively treating
a condition if the patient is running out of medication early. In some
conditions, for example chronic cancer pain, under-medication has been
shown to be inappropriate, and sometimes resulting from a value
judgement or inattention on the part of the physician. See this link
for one of the many descriptions of this problem:
http://www.whocancerpain.wisc.edu/eng/13_2/pain.html
On the other hand, running out of medication early can be a sign of
dependency, particularly when coupled with withdrawal symptoms. Rather
than treating the symptoms, it may be more appropriate to seek medical
advice about the cause of those symptoms and develop a strategy for
dealing with them. Dr. Ashton deals with the symptoms of dependency on
this page:
http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzdep.htm
The answers you find here may be very helpful, but they are no
substitute for a frank discussion with your health care professional.
Best Regards,
Alan Kali |