Expert: Sara Lavoie - 11/12/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi I have a question maybe you can help me any suggestions will be a great help.im 31 i have been taking sleeping pills,ambien,cold medicinces ,tranqulizres,vicoden and xanax.i take what ever will put me to sleep.but the problem is i have to take alot now for it to work.last night scared me before going to bed i took 2 10mg ambien,2coldmedicines,2seroquels,1hour later i got up without me nowing and took alot of pills my pill bottle was empty when i woke up.and now i keep having thses tremors were i jump a mile high,my heart is racing so fast,very dizzy i feel so sick im really nervous i dont want to tell anyone i feel stupid..what should i do....thanks so much for your time..carolyn

ANSWER: Hi Carolyn,
First-I understand what youre going through, however. it seems to me you may have a bit of a prpblem with sleeping meds-are you an insomniac? I ask, becaise I am, and have taken ambien before, but not with anything else.  Second, you should not be mixing all these medicines together-theyre all central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and too many at the same time can kill you.  When it comes to Xanax, you have to go and get some medical attention, as coming of xanax (and esp. a lot of it) will cause seizures, and all the other problems youre experiencing.  When you get to the Emergency room, or to a dr., you need to explain to them youre coming off of a high dose of sedatives, and are scared you may have a seizure-they take anything to do with that, and heart problems very seriously, and can prescribe you a medicine you slowly taper off of to prevent the xanax seizures.  I seriously reccomend you go and get some help with your addictions, as this really concerns me-because you shouldnt be taking so much medicine to sleep, and esp. not be taking meds that are used for pain, or psychosis for sleep.  You will surely not make it.  I am not sure if you see the problem you have, or if it is unknown to you, or if you are in denial.  I need more information from you about those things.  Do you want help?  There are plenty of meds to take that arent addictive to sleep-and you can take ambien alone-but you need to speak with someone about it.  I cannot provide medical help, but if you know, or think you have a problem, then we can get through this.  Please, let me know what youre looking for, ok.  Specifics can help me to better give you support, guidance, and move you in the right direction.  
Another thing is, that because you take all these things so much, youve built up a tolerance to them-which again, concerns me-as you must have been doing this for sometime.  Please, let me know if you want to change, or get help, and please get to the ER or your doctor soon-It is very serious, and if you dont, you may seize, or one night your body may reject all the drugs, and you could die in your sleep.  Let me know what youd like for me to help you with, if youre ready-as I am always here for anything, to support and guide you.  I really do care about my people on here, and am genuinely concerned for you.  Take Care, Sara

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Sara
       This is carolyn from MA.i went to high point friday.everything went good.there going to set me up into inpatient as soon as they can.but i don't no about im so nervous how long do they usually keep you.they told me not to take anything but they gave me valium to take for 5days.why did they just give me enough for 5 days.im having alot of anxiety and still having the tremors at night.sara i did a really stupid thing last night i never ever drank before.never..yesterday i was having so much anxuety and thought i was going to loss it.so i drank with this guy.when i came home my sister said i was like in a coma and couldn't waken.i must have pass out i took some pills with it.i will never do that again...i will be intouch with you ......thanks sara have a good day ....carolyn

Answer
Hi Carolyn,
Well, first let me tell you, you are being very brave, and as scary as this may be for you-please understand that it may seem frightening, and confusing, but it is never that bad.  The reason why it is scary is because you dont know anything other that using right now.  It is scary to make a change-and it always will be-it is for everyone.  The diff, between you and I (as addicts) compared to someone "normal", is that those other people know how to cope with these feelings, and addicts, they usually cover them up with medicines etc.  You will be ok-and I will offer you my strength, and hope to get you through this.  What day will you be going in? I would be more than happy to offer you my number as long as I know youre really going to go, and give this a shot.  I would be more than willing to give you this so you can call while youre there, and talk about anything youre going through.  Let me know-I live in NH so the calls wont be a problem at all.  

Yes, the reason why you passed out, and suffered a black out is b/c you cannot mix alcohol with valium, or any benzos for that matter.  That worries me, as it is very EASY to die when you do this-youre shutting down your CNS (central nervous system) and that is very dangerous.  Youre more apt to die in your sleep or in a coma when you do it.  PLEASE dont do that again-and another reason why my number will come in handy, is so when you do get through treatment, youll have a "sponsor" of sorts to guide you through these episodes.  I still have a sponsor-and it is very imp. when it comes to recovery.  You let me know what youd like to do, and I would also likie to send you some reading, so let me know.  In the next question, mark it private, so I can give you my e-mail and number, and no one else can see it, ok.  

Take care, and remember youre douing the best thing possible-and it is a huge step-youre working through it, and that is amaziong.  The reason why they only gave you a small amount of valium, is that they want to keep you calm while coming off the other meds, and theyre only for use until you come back in there.  Remember though, that if you continue to use your other meds, to tell them the truth when you get there-so they can give you enough meds to make you comfortable while detoxing.  Dont short change yourself, and be honest-and if at ANY TIME you feel uncomfortable, or as if youre being treated badly, you can always transfer somewhere else.  Just give it a try at first though, ok.  Sometimes it may seem like these detoxes dont help b/c you may still feel yucky, but it is suppossed to feel that way at first.  If it was an easy thing to do, more people would use and detox over and over again-and never feel what they need to feel-the detox is suppossed to show you how you no longer want to feel.  I hope this has helped, and let me know what youd like to do next, ok.  No worries, and remember it is an addict way of thinking-when you focus on the future, and make everything out to be bad-when you dont reallyt know for sure yet.  Take care, and I am very proud of you-you should be proud of you too!  Take care, Sara