Since November, I've been nursing a light (2mg) Valium habit to stave off the anxiety and daily dizzies I've been having since then. Some days when things weren't going so well I'd take another and a zofran to get through. My local ENT had been providing the prescription until I called yesterday to refill. I got a call back basically saying that they would refil it one more time but then I was cut off. Additionally, I would need to go to the place they referred me to which is 30 miles away. I've been there twice but they were not super helpful in forming a treatment plan, but they made sure to run all the tests they could think of. When I called the other spot to make an appointment, the receptionist immediately doubted I actually had MM, and when I spouted off the long list of symptoms and the fact that I had been there twice and spent a fat hunk of change, she begrudgingly asked why I need to come back. So yeah, not really feeling like going back there just to hear them ask me if I'm watching my sodium or not. So far I haven't been able to find any other ENTs in my area that are covered by my insurance. Good times, good times.
Sorry you had such a crappy experience with the receptionist.Haven't had Valium in years but used to love it. Very addicting.If they don't come up with a treatment plan you will have to wean off it on your own.You are on a low dose but it will take some getting used to. I'm sure you've heard about how it is not good long term for our balance systems as the brain never learns to really compensate for our balance problems. You will probably do better without it balance wise. The anxiety is a whole nother thing. Deep breathing ,relaxation tapes whatever,exercise whatever you can do to get through it. As we all know this condition can create heaps of anxiety which is not what we need. I used to be really active on this board and now that I have had some hard times I am back.But when I left,I stopped taking all my vitamins,did trigger point work on myself,relaxation tapes,and stopped reading the board as it was provoking all this anxiety for me as well. One of the other things I did was to try to stop doing the what if's? What if this happens what if I get vertigo here,always something to worry about which I realized helped to keep me in a constant state of anxiety. Learning to roll and go with it. Very easy to say and not that hard,ok it's challenging at first but it can be done.And trying to keep my sense of humor was another thing. Laughter is very healing and relaxing. I see from the few posts I have read of yours that you have a wit! Good luck!Keep us posted.
In terms of anxiety I think that energy could be productively repurposed. Fight or flight. It’s a decision ultimately.
Because of the opioid crisis, many states have enacted regulations that sanction doctors for prescribing controlled substances (including benzodiazepines like valium) under certain circumstances. The providers have to be careful to document the diagnosis and reason, make sure it falls within specific guidelines for prescribing, and are expected to uncover "drug-seeking behavior" and refer accordingly. In some cases the patient is required to sign a contract before getting a prescription written, and that contract is flagged in the medical record. These regulations have put providers between a rock and a hard place in being able to treat patients with legitimate and complicated needs.
mgbphoto, I have been going threw something somewhat similar, and as Claire said, it's all a jump-scare reaction to the opiod crisis. Every doctor I've seen goes threw some steps that seem to be determining if I want drugs or to collect disability. It's irritating to be treated like that but stay strong, they are reacting to everything they do being under a microscope. For valium at a low dose, you might have better luck with seeing a psychologist. I saw one and explained that I couldn't sleep because my ears were constantly ringing so loud, and he wrote me a script saying it would both help me sleep and possibly stop the ringing. Seeing him was the best experience I've had with doctors.
Thank you all for the responses. I'd love to do a taper, but from what I've read I don't have enough left to do it properly. And, I wouldn't have anything in case of a flare up. I'm just mad that they dumped me to the curb, stopping just short of actually saying "Don't come back" after they were the ones who initially suggested the drug. I have several other resources that I think would prescribe me the med in the future if need be. I'm going to a yoga class in a couple days and have started some meditation and deep breathing. There's nothing more I want than to be free of the drug that I never imagined would be prescribed in the first place. James, your suggestion of staying away from the board is why I don't go near the Facebook MM boards. Honestly I think that might be what triggered my anxiety to begin with. This board is constructive however and any doom and gloom is tempered with knowledgeable responses. On the other hand, as Pupper and I discussed, I think the vast majority of MM sufferers frequent those boards so it might make a good place to start an awareness drive.