Stress Center Peer Support

Has anyone taken clonazepam and if so, how long have you taken it?

egriff wrote:

Arlenez wrote:

JR5 wrote:Great attitude NHWS I was stuck in the med trap for too long also but feels great to be beyond it now. YOu definitely need tools and some effort but I can tell you the payoff is soo worth it. I still do the TEA form exercise and the Counter exercise from the CBT book by Sam Obitz and the transformation in my attitude and life has been remarkable. I have no doubt you will feel the same way too

I agree JR5, the TEA forms have helped me immensely. I didn't use the counter exercise as much and have not used it since I first read this book, but I am still using the TEA forms and they are a blessing.

Give yourself a pat on the back Arlenez
Keep using the TEA forms and you will continue to feel great if your experience is at all like mine has been with them!

Ditto what everyone else here has said. You don't have to be on meds forever and TEA forms in the book by Sam Obitz http://www.tao3.com are a great way to transition off of meds I'm living proof of that

I keep hearing about this Sam Obitz book in many of the posts.
It must have made quite an impact in many persons lives to
have such positive feedback. I will consider reading up on
this while working on the program. I am currently reading
Lucinda's book, From Panic To Power.
Lynda

barefoot: I have been on clonazepam for 5 years.

I was on Paxil from 2003-2006. I took myself off of the Paxil in 2006.
Dumb idea to take myself off of the medication without consulting my doctor first.
Less than a year later I had a "breakdown". Since then I have read many stories
about folks that have tried and tried to break the Paxil habit and they absolutely could
not wean themselves off of this particular medication.

The doctor that prescribed me the Paxil was my Primary Care Physician, not a psychiatrist!
What do Primary Care Physicians know about antidepressants? I took a quick quiz about depression
in his office and then he took the prescription pad out and prescribed the Paxil. I only had to visit
his office once a year to get the prescription renewed. There was no follow up visits throughout
the year to check on my progress or how I was reacting to the medication. My advice to anyone,
do not trust a Primary Care Physician with prescribing you psyche meds. Go to a psychiatrist instead.

Is anyone on as many drugs as I am? I feel like I am the only person out there that is on
six medications at the same time. The amount of medications is ridiculous and I have been
taking them for about 5 years. I am sick of taking so many pills. My health insurance expires today.
I take bupropion, seroquel, lamicatal, abilify, clonazepam and lunesta. For the past 6 weeks I have
been slowly lowering the doses of some of my medications. I am very slowly reducing the doses
in the hopes of eliminating them altogether. I have enough medications to last probably six months
if I reduce the doses gradually. I could never quit "cold turkey", I have heard too many bad stories
about that. I see my psychiatrist again in April 2012 and I will continue to communicate with him
my need to be medication free. I am on Session Three of the program, my second time around.
I will complete the program this time and I will stay with it and I will be med free !

Hey Lynda I was on a ton of meds for several years before getting off them all several years ago. I know it is disheartening to be on so many but if you learn coping skills while you are on them you will be much more likely to stay off them and feel great like I have. Also, I replied recommending the TEA forms and Sam Obitz's book to you on another thread a few minutes ago

WW: Thank you for the advice. It is my goal to become med free within the next six months.
I have enough meds to last six months right now. I am VERY slowly lowering the doses. I no longer
have health insurance, so that is a REAL incentive to achieve this goal ! I know that if I take
the program much more seriously this time around that I can have the successes that I so dearly
deserve. I am just like everyone else, I just want to be happy, to be comfortable in my own
skin. To have purpose and dignity.

So, what is the difference between MOOD DISORDER and BI-POLAR?
Are the meds the same for both? My doctor has never said that I was bi-polar,
but I think he used the words "mood disorder". I am taking Lamictal, Seroquel,
Bipropion, Abilify, Clonazepam and Lunesta ! I have been taking some of these meds
for five years and I still don't know what all of them are for I don't like to
get on the computer and go crazy looking up meds and diseases, that causes too
much stress and anxiety

L

Good job LyndaLu I believe being proactive in our treatment is the key to success. Bi-polar and mood disorder are very different. Although CBT is helpful for many with Bi-polar disorder it is an inherited disorder and requires stabilizing meds along with treatment. Most mood disorders can be effectively treated with CBT or other forms of therapy. I still counter my thoughts in my TEA forms almost everyday. They really do retrain your brain to think more objectively and eliminate all the static in your head that causes all our problems.