Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Udie on December 06, 2002, 01:53:28 PM
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I don't know why I'm posting this here. But somebody may find this warning useful in the future you never know. I can't say they are all bad, but they few that I have come across in the past 6 months seem to be only glorified drug dealers. Poison dealers should be more like it. Last August they overdosed and almost killed me with depakote. Then to "cure" the anxiety brought on by the depakote they put me on xanax and quickly I was up to taking 4mg of it a day, that's a lot. Within 2 months I was thoroghly addicted to a new drug which makes pot look like a childrens candy cigarette.
Last week I figured I had had enough and quit the xanax. This week has been Hell. I have been in full blown physical withdrawal since last Monday morning. Crawly skin, chills, cold sweats the whole 9 yards. And to top it all of this past Tuesday at aproximately 10:05 am I entered a whole new category in life. One second I was sitting at my computer at work, the next instant I'm turned around at my desk and there is a paramedic at each arm holding me up in my chair asking if I'm ok. I said "what happened" They said "you had a seizure" I said "no I didn't" :D Then they took me to the hospital for a catscan and other test to see what happened. The day is a blur but the doc at the hospital told me that I had suffered a "Grand Mal Seizure" caused by withdrawal from xanax. (a posibility my shrink never informed me of) From what I can tell, this is the worst kind of seizure you can have. My co-workers said they thought I was dead. They said it was a 10 minute full blown spaz out foaming at the mouth seizure. I bit a nice hole through the inside of my bottom lip. And bruised my shoulder and neck from the 6' fall I took. There was a good chance that I wouldn't wake up from it either, thank GOD I did :)
So now I'm in this whole other classification of life. Thanks doc! Just wish I would have listened to the 2 or 3 emails I got from this group that warned me of shrinks. Stay away from them if you have the choice, they are no good and will leave you addicted to something. LOL! My doctor (shrink) has been out of town for 2 weeks so I had to deal with the doc that handles his emergencies. His cure was the "wein" me off the xanax with some other drug. When I looked it up it said once you start taking it you have to keep taking it or you WILL have seizures.:confused: This was his "quick cure" he even wrote me a script for it, but I refuse to put anymore drugs in the old piehole.
One thing they never tell you in school is how much a seizure hurts the 2 days after you have one. I felt like I had been playing football for 3 solid days. EVERY muscle in my body ached, even my jaw. Things have been "off" since then too. Hard to describe, I think it's residual withdrawal simptoms though the doctor at the emergency room said that the worst should be over.
update over :)
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Christ Udie! Glad you're okay.
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Udie, I'm fond of you, and I'm really sorry to hear this happened to you and really glad to hear you are OK now.
But you need to DO WHAT THE DOC SAYS.
If you don't follow his directions, you can't blame him or his profession for what happens.
Your story reminds me of my uncle. He thought he was smarter than the doctors too. "Hell I don't need this stuff."
Well that was before he made a bomb threat to his workplace and ended up in jail.
He's dead now, as a direct result of his mental illness.
Please man, find a better doc and DO WHAT HE SAYS.
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Unless you have an emergency, research everything. You could become proficient in you condition as well as any doctor - learn the same things from the same books. Especially since you are concentrating on your case.
You can find people with the same conditions, papers, books, articles, etc.
I am not advocating avoiding doctors but understanding everything they do to you.
Doctors are worse than automechanics. My wife an I researched stuff related to pregnancy/childbirth and I can tell you most of the doctors will harm you or perform unnecessary proceduresm often for their benefit ("I play golf on Saturday, let's induce birth or have C-section Friday at 4:30..."). Other doctors too besides Ob/Gyn.
Only when you need immediate or surgical intervention you have no choice and have to entrust yourself to the doctor. Everything else - study yourself.
Oh, yea - good luck. One day at a time and it will get better.
miko
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G-Luck Udie, glad you are turning optimistic. Watch out cause there are some clueless doctors who tend to be very trigger happy when it comes to medications.
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If the doctor would not tell you the side-effects or that you should expect such things as a 10-minute seizure and keep driving your car, it really illustrates importance of knowing what is being done to you!
I speak from my experience. Several times we stopped doctors from doing great harm to myself and my wife and other family for no good reason.
Not by treating ourself but by finding better doctors who completely agreed that the course suggested by other guys was complete and dangerous idiocy.
Doctors are as different as programmers. There are great ones and there are incompetents or those with poor expertise in your area - but still willing to "give it a shot" rather than refer you to a better specialist.
miko
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Holy Cow Udie! Glad to hear you are okay. Seizures are really serious..you gotta get a decent doctor. If you need help with finding one I have some connections.
Let me know,
Curv
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Miko I deleted my post sorry. I just get emotional about this because of what happened in our family.
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I get in this because of a family member similary afflicted.
In the end the doctor was right and finally found the right meds.
still, I think a second or third opion is the way to go.
To totally ignore medicine and 'do it yourself' is probably NOT the way to go.
Good luck Udie, we're wishing you the best man.
Wlf
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Hang in there Udie
glad you hear your doing okay despite the doctors
gotta agree with Animal on this one
& best of luck sir
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Good lord Udie. Miko is right, Dr.'s are certainly useful (in fact, necessiary) but you always have to look out for yourself because few medical professionals are really going to give your case 110% (it would seem you're lucky with 75% anymore) and there is a lot of shooting from the hip. Have you tried a psychologist? They are more conversational and less chemical in approach. hang in there.
Charon
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Good luck Udie :)
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"You had a seizure."
"No I didnt."
ROFL!!!!
Seriously Udie - glad youre ok - hang in there, and listen to your doctor - some are good, some are bad, but they all know more than you do.
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Gran Mal is serious toejam.
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Crap Udie, glad you still around man! :eek:
As far as that shrink, you should film his reaction when you come into his office.
with a baseball bat and a big grin in your face. :D