Will drugs be cut off/ limited in life-risking situations?

Shane1124: That noise you just heard is my long-winded sigh of relief. The only way to survive the devastating torment of PTSD for so many of us, is suicide. I experienced torture and extreme head trauma resulting in permanent brain damage. (Some physicians have hypothesized that this is what contributed to my Meniere's and increasing deafness.)

As my hearing gets worse - and I have experienced a profound loss of hearing over the last year, the unending loud noises of Meniere's will be all I hear. 24/7, forever. - You can well imagine what pure hell life will be if Ativan is cut off.

Your words gave me great comfort.

I think you will continue to receive your Ativan. It is not a narcotic. Fortunately it’s been around along time and not very costly as other meds given for this purpose.

My newest Psych won't Rx benzos at all. It took me some time to realize that he has a point. He's young, btw, barely out of med school, so I get the feeling this is the new school of thought, that habit forming anti-anxiety meds won't be Rx'd unless it's for acute reasons. And you know what...? This is correct, and good, and in line with how our bodies and brains work, imho. Google "A Neuroscientist Explores The Biology Of Addiction In 'Never Enough'" for more about why it's good to challenge our brains to come up with natural solutions for mental discomfort.


Hydroxyzine and other non habit forming anxiety meds are still being Rx'd. There are tools available, just perhaps not the ones that have side effects that counter their value as a long time treatment. I'm sure there are numerous psych docs still out there that will Rx any amount of benzos you want, though.

Just some thoughts. I feel for ya, very much so. I weaned off a 2-year, daily Klonopin regimen a few years ago. There are guides online, like The Ashton Manual, for how to do a withdrawal and also there are online support groups specifically aimed at benzo withdrawal -- in case you want to check them out. :-)

I thought the cut back was on pain pills, not anxiety meds.

Doctors who overstep those guidelines are up sh*t creek without a paddle if patients or patients' families later have any kind of even vaguely actionable problem; and although I wouldn't know I imagine the major insurers can get pretty threatening with anyone whose prescribing isn't en règle, too.

Puffbucket, talk to your prescribing doctor about these very stressful worries and find out what s/he is thinking. If there are going to have to be changes, the sooner your doctor starts working on a new strategy with you the better. What you don't want is to fall off a cliff.

As long as doctors treat the CDC’s guidelines as law (and many doctors in this country are and it’s creating a crisis for those truly in need), patients will be denied their medication. These guidelines are meant to stop abuse & addiction but they are really just punishing the people who NEED the medication. The addicts are still getting their fix on the streets while patients are being denied their medication. Wish I had better news for you. My husband is one who has been affected by this and has suffered in severe pain from a significantly herniated disc because of doctors who treat the guidelines as if they are the law. And no, government employees don’t get what they want. They aren’t special.