Home Drink & Drugs
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.

Temazapam (mal-prescription?)

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
get this?

a friend of mine has just been put on an SSRI for what has been diagnosed as (as you might expect) Serotonin depletion.

only thing is; before they saw the doctor who made this diagnosis, their regular doctor had put them on a course of Temazapam straight away, which, as you might expect, had made them alot worse and resulted in symptoms (which have subsided since the stopping of this drug) such as anxiety when alone, recurring unwanted thoughts and several others i dont remember presenting themselves.

Am i over-reacting when i say that i was REALLY fucking worried when i got off the phone to them and they told me they were on Temazapam? Im so glad she's off it, talk about a rush prescription exaccerbating a condition :shocking:
«1

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Temaz can be used for patients who are suffering from severe nervousness, and can be used effectively for that. But they are a blunt tool and really arent a stunning option, especially when valium would have done a better job.

    I dont know how badly the affected your friend, but Temaz in of itself isnt a drug to be that scared of. People were put on valium for years and years without any really serious side effects.

    It is quite physically and mentally addictive though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It is quite physically and mentally addictive though.

    :yes: but thats not what scared me, it was the idea that this blunt instrument was brought in so swiftly in her case and as such her doctor completely failed to diagnose a condition which is hereditary in her family.

    She was'nt particularly nervous, just presented with insomnia as the primary symptom. I was just worried about the speed with which she was booted onto this drug.

    Subsequently have found out that many of the symptoms she is describing are similar to when i stopped taking E, if fact they are so similar its scarey in some cases.

    I also cant believe that her first doc said nothing about aerobic excercise as a complementary treatment, as i havent actually heard anyone including my Mum, Dad and others who have been diagnosed with a minor depressive illness that hasnt had that recommended to them.

    In my case at least it was the one thing that helped me ahead of all others, although i hasten to add that i wasnt ever put on an SSRI because i refused to take any money from the NHS for something that was my fault (guilt tripping myself constantly was obviously one of my symptoms).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If she presented with insomnia then its a bit drastic to put someone on a benzo straight away, I worked with my doctor for ages before he gave me zopiclone and thats not physically addictive.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If she presented with insomnia then its a bit drastic to put someone on a benzo straight away

    yeah, just a bit :yes:

    especially when you consider the fact that all the other symptoms such as recurring thoughts keeping her awake and depression could be either results of insomnia, or a co-symptom of an umbrella condition (as has been subsequently diagnosed) such as Serotonin depletion. Seems like a rush to treat the most chronic symptom. And it made her alot worse.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its not an entirely bad script really, someone presents with troublesome insomnia which is exaserbating her possible mental health issue, I can sort of see why you might want to give the person a couple of weeks of good sleep.

    Was it a night time script, I presume so.

    Its the fact that the GP used benzo's as first line treatment which would concern me, but there is a sort of reasoning there.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    im not crying scandal or anything, but get this; she'd been taking Nytol for 4 weeks continuously and he didnt say anything either, which i found weird seeing as how their tolerance level skyrockets so quickly, and so renders them ineffective.

    I was just concerned that, while giving someone temazapam, she didnt suggest exploring other avenues to help the other symptoms. It was just the immediecy and isolation with which this was prescribed that was worrying me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Certainly, if I was the GP it would prick my interest to know someone was using Nytol for 4 weeks.

    Though I wouldnt be that bothered, its completely pointless as a sleeping drug anyway, I dont know anyone who gets any effect from it.

    Obviously if someone comes in presenting those symptoms the ideal situation would be to give them an appointment with a proper mental health worker and then perhaps some CBT. But we all know thats just plain not going to happen.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    mmm we've had lectures about CBT in pharmacology, and its been mentioned in broadly favourable terms. its just so bloody time consuming and expensive in terms of expert personel needed to apply it on a large scale in the NHS.

    Nytol; keeps mosqitos at bay but does fuck all else. :yes: like Kalms
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Definately, it requires someone specialy trained and they are normally very expencive because of this. It can be very effective in terms of negative thought patterns though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    have'nt heard much in terms of recurring thought patterns though...for example my mate has parts of songs or words repeating in her head, which in turn makes her afraid of bed/sleep patterns of behaviour and listening to music.

    I did suggest that she might be able to listen to something like a classical symphony or something like that, which doesnt have any distictive phonetics (in the lyrics) or sounds (for example riffs or drum patterns)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I did hear some interesting research recently saying that one of the first treatments GP's should try for insomnia suffers is to get them to stay awake for a whole night. To force them into exhaustion, apparently in a lot of cases thats enough to break the cycle.

    Benzo's arent a treatment for mental health problems though, they might form part of a mix of things to help, but they just mask the problem.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Benzo's arent a treatment for mental health problems though, they might form part of a mix of things to help, but they just mask the problem.
    and possibly exaccerbate by this function :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well indeed, they become an easy answer, your mind becomes less used to coping with worry and stress so it is less able to.

    That and full benzo withdrawl can be fatal, though I doubt that applies in this case.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i should very much hope not. I note that despite suffering chronic insomnia during the immediate stages of stopping E, i was never offered anything to help me sleep. Presumably because of my presented behaviour of recreational drug use, but i really did resent it at the time.

    Anyhoo, my mate's been put on an SSRI and so it should start to take effect within 2 weeks. Im pleading with her to get some excercise too...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    SSRI's by themselves may do some good, but they are FAR more effective if used with mental health treatment or lifestyle changes.

    I only get sleeping pills because my GP knows me, knows my problem and has I've done everything else.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :yes: and i keep shouting it from the rooftops at every opportunity but aerobic excercise can and has been proven to be one of those factors.

    i cant emphasise the dramatic effect it had on me, in mood, thought, sleep, waking up, motivation...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Certainly, it really helps you sleep better for one. I know a lot of people who have been depressed (two close mates who've attempted suicide) and a lot of it stems from not sleeping properly, it gives you too much time to think.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    mmm certainly...that was always the one thing about E that fucked with my head...i CANNOT STAND not sleeping...worst thing ever :crazyeyes

    hopefully these will do something for her though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You get used to not sleeping well after about a year or so, I'm kind of settling into a routine after about 3 or 4 years of not sleeping longer than 4 hours in a stretch.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    oh dear... well im at least glad its got easier, its not a nice thing im sure.

    You've actually got me thinking about another friend of mine actually...hmmm
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm not saying its great, I'd love to sleep better, but well you've got to get on with it havent you.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    mmm i suppose so...im addicted to sleep too much though...i mean seriously addicted...some days i need a crowbar to pry my arse outta bed.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Last night was a good example, I went to bed at about 11.15 ish. I probably fell asleep at about 11.45pm, I was then up at 3.20am and was awake till about 4.30am ish.

    Then I was up at 7.15am for work.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    arrrgghh broken sleep i cant stand it :no:

    does it bother you as much these days, i mean is it something you get used to?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You sort of get used to it, I spend quite a bit of time with my cats in the early hours.

    I'm still exhausted all the time though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i'll bet.

    how long has this been going on if you dont mind me asking?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Basically since I gave up using lots of amphetamine. Which was about 4 and a bit years ago.

    But having said that it wasnt all that good before then, and two of my family suffer from it in the same way.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    has the condition improved/deteriorated over time?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its stayed about the same, it gets a little better if I exercise LOADS but it never really improves.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    mmm as in wear yourself out properly.

    you need to get out raving again, the best part (if you arent beaned up or hooving up the ching) is getting up the morning feeling FUCKING GRRRREAT! like tony the Kellogs tiger :D
This discussion has been closed.