Sorry, don't mean to bother you I heard about your PM overload but I've had this question pondering in my brain for awhile. I believe you mentioned somewhere that taking xanax sparingly will make DP worse in the long run? Is this true and how did you find this out? I take xanax usually on the weekends the days after nights of drinking when my DP is at it's worse. Now I know the drinking makes it worse cuz I've experienced it, but will that have a long-term affect on it? And for the xanax... it's my security blanket. Before, when I was on effexor and provigil I used it a lot more, but now that I'm on klonopin I don't need it as much. Also when I wasn't on anything I would have really bad panic attacks(caused by my DP) and would end up in the emergency room... and they would give me xanax which would help calm me down a lot. So I guess my biggest question is... will taking xanax occasionally and/or drinking occasionally doom me to DP hell forever? I'll understand if you don't answer, maybe someone else could help me out? Thanks all for reading.
Question for Janine
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Sorry, don't mean to bother you I heard about your PM overload but I've had this question pondering in my brain for awhile. I believe you mentioned somewhere that taking xanax sparingly will make DP worse in the long run? Is this true and how did you find this out? I take xanax usually on the weekends the days after nights of drinking when my DP is at it's worse. Now I know the drinking makes it worse cuz I've experienced it, but will that have a long-term affect on it? And for the xanax... it's my security blanket. Before, when I was on effexor and provigil I used it a lot more, but now that I'm on klonopin I don't need it as much. Also when I wasn't on anything I would have really bad panic attacks(caused by my DP) and would end up in the emergency room... and they would give me xanax which would help calm me down a lot. So I guess my biggest question is... will taking xanax occasionally and/or drinking occasionally doom me to DP hell forever? I'll understand if you don't answer, maybe someone else could help me out? Thanks all for reading.
G
Guest
·Yes and no. It's not that sporadiac benzo-taking will make it Worse per se, but it can make it linger. Any med like xanax, valium, etc. or even sleeping pills (Ambien, etc.) that play with your state of consciousness will invite dissociation.
Think about it: a sleeping pill FORCES the state of consciousness to alter before it's ready. Not sleepy? Take this and you will be lured into shifting consciousness (waking to sleep) - or, feel nervous? Take this and you will be chemically encouraged to stop what you're doing/thinking right now and shift into a different state of self-awareness.
When that happens on an irregular basis, the part of the brain that dissociates will react with "well...gee, this can just happen any old time, it seems...better keep the Dissociative Door oiled and swinging freely."
[The brain does not actually make sarcastic little remarks of observation, grin....just Janine trying to make a point.]
I honestly don't recall where I first heard this - but I know my own psychiatrist said to either take valium same amount every day or don't take it. The unpredictable amounts was a terrible idea for a mind trying to stabilize, etc.
And I've read numerous places over the years that ANY chem that alters consciousness is clearly a bad idea for dissociatives unless it's taken on a very fixed regimen every single day - allowing the brain to "accept" its chemical changes as status quo rather than "uh, oh, here comes another leap into altered consciousness again..."
Peace,
Janine
Think about it: a sleeping pill FORCES the state of consciousness to alter before it's ready. Not sleepy? Take this and you will be lured into shifting consciousness (waking to sleep) - or, feel nervous? Take this and you will be chemically encouraged to stop what you're doing/thinking right now and shift into a different state of self-awareness.
When that happens on an irregular basis, the part of the brain that dissociates will react with "well...gee, this can just happen any old time, it seems...better keep the Dissociative Door oiled and swinging freely."
[The brain does not actually make sarcastic little remarks of observation, grin....just Janine trying to make a point.]
I honestly don't recall where I first heard this - but I know my own psychiatrist said to either take valium same amount every day or don't take it. The unpredictable amounts was a terrible idea for a mind trying to stabilize, etc.
And I've read numerous places over the years that ANY chem that alters consciousness is clearly a bad idea for dissociatives unless it's taken on a very fixed regimen every single day - allowing the brain to "accept" its chemical changes as status quo rather than "uh, oh, here comes another leap into altered consciousness again..."
Peace,
Janine
G
Guest
·Yes and no. It's not that sporadiac benzo-taking will make it Worse per se, but it can make it linger. Any med like xanax, valium, etc. or even sleeping pills (Ambien, etc.) that play with your state of consciousness will invite dissociation.
Think about it: a sleeping pill FORCES the state of consciousness to alter before it's ready. Not sleepy? Take this and you will be lured into shifting consciousness (waking to sleep) - or, feel nervous? Take this and you will be chemically encouraged to stop what you're doing/thinking right now and shift into a different state of self-awareness.
When that happens on an irregular basis, the part of the brain that dissociates will react with "well...gee, this can just happen any old time, it seems...better keep the Dissociative Door oiled and swinging freely."
[The brain does not actually make sarcastic little remarks of observation, grin....just Janine trying to make a point.]
I honestly don't recall where I first heard this - but I know my own psychiatrist said to either take valium same amount every day or don't take it. The unpredictable amounts was a terrible idea for a mind trying to stabilize, etc.
And I've read numerous places over the years that ANY chem that alters consciousness is clearly a bad idea for dissociatives unless it's taken on a very fixed regimen every single day - allowing the brain to "accept" its chemical changes as status quo rather than "uh, oh, here comes another leap into altered consciousness again..."
Peace,
Janine
Think about it: a sleeping pill FORCES the state of consciousness to alter before it's ready. Not sleepy? Take this and you will be lured into shifting consciousness (waking to sleep) - or, feel nervous? Take this and you will be chemically encouraged to stop what you're doing/thinking right now and shift into a different state of self-awareness.
When that happens on an irregular basis, the part of the brain that dissociates will react with "well...gee, this can just happen any old time, it seems...better keep the Dissociative Door oiled and swinging freely."
[The brain does not actually make sarcastic little remarks of observation, grin....just Janine trying to make a point.]
I honestly don't recall where I first heard this - but I know my own psychiatrist said to either take valium same amount every day or don't take it. The unpredictable amounts was a terrible idea for a mind trying to stabilize, etc.
And I've read numerous places over the years that ANY chem that alters consciousness is clearly a bad idea for dissociatives unless it's taken on a very fixed regimen every single day - allowing the brain to "accept" its chemical changes as status quo rather than "uh, oh, here comes another leap into altered consciousness again..."
Peace,
Janine
What if you take klonopin the same dose daily for a year or two, then stop, but then start taking regularly again a year later? You know... instead of like an every other day thing. Probably the same answer huh, the brain does have a memory. Oh well. I'm pretty sure my DP is gonna linger forever anyways. Goin' on about 16 years now.
What if you take klonopin the same dose daily for a year or two, then stop, but then start taking regularly again a year later? You know... instead of like an every other day thing. Probably the same answer huh, the brain does have a memory. Oh well. I'm pretty sure my DP is gonna linger forever anyways. Goin' on about 16 years now.
G
Guest
·No, no PeaceDove, that's fine.
It's the DAILY, the day to day screwing with the brain's sense of constancy that will keep you in a habitual withdrawal state. That is what invites dp/dr.
I'm not saying at ALL that you're "stuck with it" - please don't hear it that way. What I am saying is that when anyone is day to day CHANGING the amounts of meds they take, or taking a med for a week or so, then no meds at all for several days, then another one when "they need it" etc...that is likely going to make the dp stay with them.
If they STOP doing all that, the dp will not stay just because they once did that.
I used to misuse valium myself - for probably over ten years. I would take as much as "I needed" when i needed it, then try to quit, take very little, then take more, etc. THAT is not good. But it didn't do any permanent damage to me at all.
Also, and this is a very important part of it too: there is a psychological component to that kind of dosing. If we are taking meds only "as needed" well, think about it: we end up constantly watching our mental state to see IF we "need any" at any given moment. That alone makes dp worse.
Only when we're taking the same amount of a med the same time every day can the poor brain get used to it - and the self-awareness has no need to tune in to "see if I need any right now."
Peace,
to Peacedove, grin,
J
It's the DAILY, the day to day screwing with the brain's sense of constancy that will keep you in a habitual withdrawal state. That is what invites dp/dr.
I'm not saying at ALL that you're "stuck with it" - please don't hear it that way. What I am saying is that when anyone is day to day CHANGING the amounts of meds they take, or taking a med for a week or so, then no meds at all for several days, then another one when "they need it" etc...that is likely going to make the dp stay with them.
If they STOP doing all that, the dp will not stay just because they once did that.
I used to misuse valium myself - for probably over ten years. I would take as much as "I needed" when i needed it, then try to quit, take very little, then take more, etc. THAT is not good. But it didn't do any permanent damage to me at all.
Also, and this is a very important part of it too: there is a psychological component to that kind of dosing. If we are taking meds only "as needed" well, think about it: we end up constantly watching our mental state to see IF we "need any" at any given moment. That alone makes dp worse.
Only when we're taking the same amount of a med the same time every day can the poor brain get used to it - and the self-awareness has no need to tune in to "see if I need any right now."
Peace,
to Peacedove, grin,
J
G
Guest
·No, no PeaceDove, that's fine.
It's the DAILY, the day to day screwing with the brain's sense of constancy that will keep you in a habitual withdrawal state. That is what invites dp/dr.
I'm not saying at ALL that you're "stuck with it" - please don't hear it that way. What I am saying is that when anyone is day to day CHANGING the amounts of meds they take, or taking a med for a week or so, then no meds at all for several days, then another one when "they need it" etc...that is likely going to make the dp stay with them.
If they STOP doing all that, the dp will not stay just because they once did that.
I used to misuse valium myself - for probably over ten years. I would take as much as "I needed" when i needed it, then try to quit, take very little, then take more, etc. THAT is not good. But it didn't do any permanent damage to me at all.
Also, and this is a very important part of it too: there is a psychological component to that kind of dosing. If we are taking meds only "as needed" well, think about it: we end up constantly watching our mental state to see IF we "need any" at any given moment. That alone makes dp worse.
Only when we're taking the same amount of a med the same time every day can the poor brain get used to it - and the self-awareness has no need to tune in to "see if I need any right now."
Peace,
to Peacedove, grin,
J
It's the DAILY, the day to day screwing with the brain's sense of constancy that will keep you in a habitual withdrawal state. That is what invites dp/dr.
I'm not saying at ALL that you're "stuck with it" - please don't hear it that way. What I am saying is that when anyone is day to day CHANGING the amounts of meds they take, or taking a med for a week or so, then no meds at all for several days, then another one when "they need it" etc...that is likely going to make the dp stay with them.
If they STOP doing all that, the dp will not stay just because they once did that.
I used to misuse valium myself - for probably over ten years. I would take as much as "I needed" when i needed it, then try to quit, take very little, then take more, etc. THAT is not good. But it didn't do any permanent damage to me at all.
Also, and this is a very important part of it too: there is a psychological component to that kind of dosing. If we are taking meds only "as needed" well, think about it: we end up constantly watching our mental state to see IF we "need any" at any given moment. That alone makes dp worse.
Only when we're taking the same amount of a med the same time every day can the poor brain get used to it - and the self-awareness has no need to tune in to "see if I need any right now."
Peace,
to Peacedove, grin,
J
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