Ativan

[anna]

The first time I quit drinking I had migraines and if I didn't have a miigraine I had a headache and the shakes. I'm trying it again and my doctor gave me a 7 day prescription of Ativan. I was wondering if this helped anyone?

[angussdundee]

Hi Anna, I just came back from a meeting where someone else was asking all about medications so when I logged on here and read your post I thought I might as well reply to you. Welcome to AASL.
I'm not a doctor so I would never comment on what or why a doctor would prescribe a certain kind of medication to a patient.
But I do remember going to a doctor many years ago who prescribed Ativan for the anxiety and depression I was suffering from.
Of course, being an alcoholic and a substance abuser I took the Ativan along with my alcohol which is obviously a very dangerous thing to do.
Some years later and still suffering from anxiety and depression I went back to that surgery expecting to get a similar prescription but this time it was a different doctor who saw me. She looked at my case notes, then she looked at me and she said.... "I won't be prescribing any medication to you". "Why not" I asked. "Because your an alcoholic and a substance abuser, and if I give you medication your likely to take it along with your booze.... won't you".... She was of course dead right....
Then, she went on to hit me straight between the eyes with the truth about alcoholism, Bang, Bang, Bang, one hard fact after another. "You may well be anxious and depressed" she said, "but take away the booze and It'll get better, because anxiety can best be eliminated by eliminating it's cause and the cause of your anxiety is the alcohol that you pour into yourself on a daily basis".
She then pulled out an AA meetings list and handed that to me and asked me if I would accept a twelve step call from one of her recovering alcoholic patients. She told me that she had no pills or potions that would make me stop drinking but if I attended AA on a regular basis, kept an open mind, cleaned house and trusted in God then my life would improve.
I took the meetings list, then I reluctantly accepted her offer of a twelve step call and d'you know what? it has saved my life.
Eventually, my anxiety and depression lifted and only once in the last 13 years have I had to attend a doctor for depression and even then I did not need or want to drink.
I found out that the best lines of defense against anxiety and depression are activity. Get to as many AA meetings as you can and share whats going on in your life. Get out of the house and take a walk. Go to the library, the video store, the hairdressers, window shop etc etc.
Only our own doctors know if we should be prescribed medication or not, but I have no hesitation in suggesting to anyone who has a history on alcohol abuse to attend Alcoholics Anonymous and take regularly, a very large dose of what you find there.... ;)

Anguss.