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Will I Look Like A Drug Abuser For Asking My Doctor For Xanax (alprazolam)?

November 23rd, 2009 admin 4 comments

I have a very severe panic disorder that sometimes keeps me from doing things I have to do, like go buy groceries at the store, get my hair cut, or go pay bills. At home, I am fine. Not depressed, anxious, or anything. It is just when I go out in public that I get panicky and start to freak out–once I remove myself from the situation, I am fine again.
To deal with this, I was prescribed Alprazolam back in October, to be taken as-needed. I don’t use the medication at all unless I have to leave the house for some reason, like to buy groceries, and then I carry it with me just in case I need it.
I was given 15 pills back in October, and now, 4 months later, I still have 4 left. So I only used 11 pills in 4 months–I think that goes to show I don’t abuse it.
But as I am starting to run low, I am going to be needing some more, and am going to make an appointment with my doctor this week for that purpose. But the problem is, I know Alprazloam is a drug that is widely abused by some people, and it carries a certain stigma with it that makes some doctors not want to prescribe it for that reason. And it is going to look awfully suspicious when I go there and specifically ask for Alprazolam as the sole purpose of my visit. I’m afraid the doctor will think I am a drug abuser and tell me no.
But here’s the thing: I refuse to take daily anti-depressants or other, more long-term anxiety medications such as SSRIs. Because unless I am out in public, I am fine. At home, nothing bothers me. The reason I have panic attacks is because I was the victim of a violent crime, and going out in public places stirs up old memories and causes me to freak out. But I don’t want to subject myself to long-term medications when I am just fine when not in public. I like being able to take a pill to control the panic attack SPECIFICALLY, since that is my problem, not depression or anxiety in general.
I am thinking of bringing my current bottle of the medication with me to show the doctor I still have some of it left, as proof I am not abusing it. I just don’t know what he’s going to say if I go in there and tell him I’m seeking Alprazolam–do you think he, or any other doctor, would say no? I have my bottle, filled in October, for 15 pills, with 4 of them left…shouldn’t that be enough for them to know I am not an drug abuser and simply like having it on standby? I do need to be able to go out in public every now and then, and the Alprazolam is the only thing that helps.

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