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Suffering From Anxiety. Prescribed With Alprazolam. What Can Be Done To Get Cure?
Question: Hello Dr Grief. My name is XXXXXX I am on SSI and have no insurance or prescription coverage. Recently, a man I testified against as a teenager was released from prison and is on an ankle monitor as a high risk sex offender. His family has managed to torment me since the first time he came up for parole and I refused to testify. I am suffering from extreme anxiety and have taken to using a prescription called Alprazolam that I am occasionally able to get from a family member. I would like to find a doctor who is not out to judge me and tell me to go see a shrink for $450/hr plus the meds. A friend told me of your doctors and that you were straight honest doctors. I'd like to see for myself.
Thank you for taking the time to read my request for help. XXXXXX
Thank you for taking the time to read my request for help. XXXXXX
Dear XXXXXX
Thank you for choosing XXXXXXX for finding answers to your questions. I will try to work with you today on your post. I wish to understand few things about you as we discuss here.
First of all, let us set a clear goal for our interaction. And for me to be able to help you in a better and a more useful way, would you please write your thoughts about some questions I have mentioned as follows?
1) Are you seeking help for finding a way of how you can deal with the anxiety/fear, without having to use Alprazolam or visiting a Psychiatrist for consultation? If so, we can certainly discuss more about the anxiety and fear you are experiencing.
2) Can you write more about the actual anxiety you have? For example, what is it that you are anxious about? Or are you actually carrying fear (of being harmed by the offender himself)?
3) Are there any realistic chances of the offender or any of his family members actually harming you in some way? Has anyone followed you or kept an eye on you recently?
4) If there are chances of harm, do you have any protection provided by the authorities?
Please write back with your thoughts and more details if you wish to share.
Alprazolam, as you know, can help you reduce the symptoms of anxiety. But it won't succeed in eliminating the fear. In situations where there is actually no realistic threat, fear and anxiety can be reduced via cognitive modification through therapy. In your situation, however, if the threat is real, we may have to think more than just therapy and cognitive changes. It is important that we have a specific goal to work towards.
Meanwhile, take care.
Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD
Thank you for choosing XXXXXXX for finding answers to your questions. I will try to work with you today on your post. I wish to understand few things about you as we discuss here.
First of all, let us set a clear goal for our interaction. And for me to be able to help you in a better and a more useful way, would you please write your thoughts about some questions I have mentioned as follows?
1) Are you seeking help for finding a way of how you can deal with the anxiety/fear, without having to use Alprazolam or visiting a Psychiatrist for consultation? If so, we can certainly discuss more about the anxiety and fear you are experiencing.
2) Can you write more about the actual anxiety you have? For example, what is it that you are anxious about? Or are you actually carrying fear (of being harmed by the offender himself)?
3) Are there any realistic chances of the offender or any of his family members actually harming you in some way? Has anyone followed you or kept an eye on you recently?
4) If there are chances of harm, do you have any protection provided by the authorities?
Please write back with your thoughts and more details if you wish to share.
Alprazolam, as you know, can help you reduce the symptoms of anxiety. But it won't succeed in eliminating the fear. In situations where there is actually no realistic threat, fear and anxiety can be reduced via cognitive modification through therapy. In your situation, however, if the threat is real, we may have to think more than just therapy and cognitive changes. It is important that we have a specific goal to work towards.
Meanwhile, take care.
Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hello Doctor,
To answer your questions;
1)yes, given my finances, I am not looking to go to a Psychiatrist. As I mentioned I am seeing a therapist/ counselor occasionally and she work with my fear, and anxiety in the best way she can. She felt going back on the Alprasolam is going to best for a while but as she mentions, she's not a doctor.
2)regarding the current state of my anxiety, I struggle with sleep, and sleep with a firearm under pillow . These are all because I have had problems with him directly ( or his family) before his release and currently. The last time was three weeks ago. I have made many reports over the years and had many restraining orders in place. This last one the judge gave me for three years and said come back and I ell renew it for you as long as he is alive. However, the problem I'm learning with a restraining order is you must provide the offender with an address ( namely your own) so he know where he has to stay five hundred feet from. He just laughed in my face.
3)I thank I might have answered number three in two.
4.)the fear in fortunately is eminent and the police are aware of a few beatings I've taken but although I was always about to Identify him he had an airtight alibis from a friend, relative and anyone he seems to have convinced he's innocent. However, twelve men and women that sat on my jury finally made him pay and he spent the bare minimum of 17.5 yrs in prison. That was the Stae of California's law at the time or the strike would have put Hume away forever.
So, back to your question regarding the meds. I have very limited recourses and feel that when I was using that medication I was at least able to function half- way normal in life. My therapist has been extremely helpful in keeping things low cost. She recommended trying an online doctor based on things she'd heard from other clients. Is this a prescription you are willing to provide under these circumstances?
Best,
XXXXXX
To answer your questions;
1)yes, given my finances, I am not looking to go to a Psychiatrist. As I mentioned I am seeing a therapist/ counselor occasionally and she work with my fear, and anxiety in the best way she can. She felt going back on the Alprasolam is going to best for a while but as she mentions, she's not a doctor.
2)regarding the current state of my anxiety, I struggle with sleep, and sleep with a firearm under pillow . These are all because I have had problems with him directly ( or his family) before his release and currently. The last time was three weeks ago. I have made many reports over the years and had many restraining orders in place. This last one the judge gave me for three years and said come back and I ell renew it for you as long as he is alive. However, the problem I'm learning with a restraining order is you must provide the offender with an address ( namely your own) so he know where he has to stay five hundred feet from. He just laughed in my face.
3)I thank I might have answered number three in two.
4.)the fear in fortunately is eminent and the police are aware of a few beatings I've taken but although I was always about to Identify him he had an airtight alibis from a friend, relative and anyone he seems to have convinced he's innocent. However, twelve men and women that sat on my jury finally made him pay and he spent the bare minimum of 17.5 yrs in prison. That was the Stae of California's law at the time or the strike would have put Hume away forever.
So, back to your question regarding the meds. I have very limited recourses and feel that when I was using that medication I was at least able to function half- way normal in life. My therapist has been extremely helpful in keeping things low cost. She recommended trying an online doctor based on things she'd heard from other clients. Is this a prescription you are willing to provide under these circumstances?
Best,
XXXXXX
Dear XXXXXX
Therapy can help you deal with anxiety and fear in the long run. I suggest you contuniue therapy as your mainstay of dealing with this situation. However, after reading you reply, I understand your fear is based on some real evidences and imminent threat. There must be places / situations when the threat is more than other times. What you should focus on achieving is how you can deal with the anxiety even when you are relatively safe.
Alprazolam has addiction potential. With regular therapy, the need for Alprazolam should decrease gradually. Unfortunately, I am not able to prescribe it online to you. You might want to find a Psychiatrist who is licensed to prescribe online in your region.
Would you like to discuss more about the anxiety and fear?
Take care.
Therapy can help you deal with anxiety and fear in the long run. I suggest you contuniue therapy as your mainstay of dealing with this situation. However, after reading you reply, I understand your fear is based on some real evidences and imminent threat. There must be places / situations when the threat is more than other times. What you should focus on achieving is how you can deal with the anxiety even when you are relatively safe.
Alprazolam has addiction potential. With regular therapy, the need for Alprazolam should decrease gradually. Unfortunately, I am not able to prescribe it online to you. You might want to find a Psychiatrist who is licensed to prescribe online in your region.
Would you like to discuss more about the anxiety and fear?
Take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
What I would like to say is that I am surprised yet again not. This website is misleading because it tells you something COMPLETLY different when they're taking your money. You seem like a good doctor. Why would you involve yourself something so misleading. I told you I was on SSI. But hey my loss. You didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I told you from the very beginning what I need yet it took me to give you an incredibly personal life story to get the answer you could have been straight forward with me on the very first exchange. Thanks... I now have more trust in doctors than ever. And please don't respond.
Dear XXXXXX
I am sorry if my responses did not help you. Since you mentioned that you are looking for a doctor who would not direct you to a psychiatrist, and you wanted to see if the doctors here are straight and honest, it was my attempt to know if you wanted more help than just the prescriptions, as you had not mentioned clearly in your original query that you are looking for prescriptions. Also, you had not mentioned in your original query that you are seeing a therapist.
These facts prompted me to try to help as much via this interaction as possible.
I am sure the website certainly does not promise online prescriptions, especially when the doctors are not placed in your country. And I had to respond to this reply since the query needs a resolution. I can understand your reaction, but I would request you not to generalize certain beliefs to all professionals in the field.
I believe there is a refund facility available which you can avail. Please contact the site admin and you will get the refund.
Thanks and take care.
Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD
I am sorry if my responses did not help you. Since you mentioned that you are looking for a doctor who would not direct you to a psychiatrist, and you wanted to see if the doctors here are straight and honest, it was my attempt to know if you wanted more help than just the prescriptions, as you had not mentioned clearly in your original query that you are looking for prescriptions. Also, you had not mentioned in your original query that you are seeing a therapist.
These facts prompted me to try to help as much via this interaction as possible.
I am sure the website certainly does not promise online prescriptions, especially when the doctors are not placed in your country. And I had to respond to this reply since the query needs a resolution. I can understand your reaction, but I would request you not to generalize certain beliefs to all professionals in the field.
I believe there is a refund facility available which you can avail. Please contact the site admin and you will get the refund.
Thanks and take care.
Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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