Question

[[Fa...]]

I an a new member but am posting and looking for support for my mother.

 

My question is regarding getting help for my 65 year old mother. She has been I'll for over 30 years and now that I have had my own experience with accidental addiction to Valium and am 6 weeks benzo free, I believe a huge host of her health problems (insomnia, chronic neck and back pain, OCD, easily overstimulated, irritable and combative at times, electric shocks, muscle tension, poor memory and focus) may be related to inter-dose and tolerance withdrawal. She has been on sleep medications, depression medication, pain medication and benzos here and there for 30 plus years. She tapered from a higher dose of lorazepam about 10 years ago after upped doses left her bedridden and zombi-like. She has had such chronic insomnia that she recently started on 1mg Xanax, and I believe she may have reached tolerance as she tells me she gets anxious (and pain sets in) a few hours before taking her nightly dose. I have recommended switching to Valium and tapering using the Ashton schedules. I'm concerned about how she will do and find there is little support in the medical community. All that said, is there any advice on finding the right Dr, psychiatrist or treatment center to help her or is following Ashton the best route? She may need help with sleep and depression during the taker and post taper. She may also need to continue pain meds as the withdrawal will intensify her pain.

 

Secondly, where should I be posting new topics?  I keep going back under introduction because I'm not sure where to go to make posts and get replies.

 

Thanks much!

[[me...]]

Hi Faithnotfear73,

 

I replied your pm about where to post, and moved this post to this board since your mother has not yet tapered off Xanax.  Her symptoms do sound like typical benzo tolerance or withdrawal symptoms to me.  Of course, it's always a good idea to be checked out by a doctor to rule out other possible causes.

 

Does your mother want to taper completely off benzos?  If so, I would suggest that she join this forum along with you. We have many members in their 60's (I'm one), and she'd be welcome here.  We also have members of all ages who have been on multiple medications for many years, unfortunately this is not unusual nowadays.