[esmicz]

i was wondering if a doctor new that a patient had a history of drug abuse, would they prescribe these meds seeing how they can be abused, because my husband is a recovering addict who was addicted to prescription painkillers and his psyciatrist prescribed both these meds to help him sleep because he has depression and trouble with insomnia. i just want to make sure he is being honest with his doctor of his history of addiction and am afraid he will abuse or be addicted to these meds.


Thanks to anyone who can answer this with the correct knowledge.

[lokiklown]

I would say if your doubting your doctors decision to most definately seek a second opinion from another doctor.

[ARTIST658]

Originally Posted by esmicz

i was wondering if a doctor new that a patient had a history of drug abuse, would they prescribe these meds seeing how they can be abused, because my husband is a recovering addict who was addicted to prescription painkillers and his psyciatrist prescribed both these meds to help him sleep because he has depression and trouble with insomnia. i just want to make sure he is being honest with his doctor of his history of addiction and am afraid he will abuse or be addicted to these meds.


Thanks to anyone who can answer this with the correct knowledge.

Hi Esmicz,

You are right to be concerned about these medications! I am NOT a doctor, but I do have extensive knowledge about these drugs.

First off, I want to say is that there is no way to know IF your husband was honest or not with the psychiatrist. Unfortunately, far, far too many doctors (especially psychiatrists, as I've seen) are too eager to offer a prescription, without true understanding or appreciation for the disease of addiction. So it is within the realm of possibility that your husband was honest with him, but the doctor went ahead and prescribed anyway. This is a huge pet peeve of mine - how little most doctors understand addiction - but it's not at all unusual.

Lorazepam is a benzodiazepene, also known as Ativan. This class of drugs is highly addictive. Yes, highly. If you husband had trouble with prescription drugs in the past, in my opinion, he needs to stay far away from this drug.

Personally, I absolutely loathe the benzodiazepene class of drugs. Over the course of my life, I was prescribed several of them. I have to say that the absolutely worst detox I ever experienced was when I stopped taking the last one, which was klonopin. I didn't think I was addicted - in fact, I took it exactly as prescribed, 3 x daily. But my body was quite dependent, after a few years of this. The detox was nothing short of 21 full days of constant panic attacks. (I'd never had one before!)

I've learned from my medical director (an M.D., very knowledgable about addiction) since then, that the benzodiazepenes are NOT intended for long use over an extended period of time. Addiction is that likely. They are meant for short-term use, basically, during a crisis situation.

The other medication, zolpidem, is also known as Ambien. I do not have the extensive experience with this drug myself, but knowledge of it via my work. (I am a housemother for a long-term treatment center for women. In other words, one thing I do is dispense the meds! So I have a good deal of knowledge, via our pharmacists.) This is a drug that we, as substance abuse specialists, do NOT permit our clients to take. Although it is not clearly classified as "addictive" in the same sense as Ativan, it is considered, "Likely to cause dependency." That says quite enough for me.

There are many other medications that are far, far safer to help a person with insomnia. Many of the women I work with at the treatment center struggle with sleeplessness. The number one recommendation of our medical director is "trazadone" - which I take, myself. It was originally an anti-depressant, but has been found to be a very effective sleep medication. I swear by it - restful sleep, with absolutely no drugged feeling. It is not addictive.

I, too, would have grave concerns about your husband taking these medications, if he is clean from past abuse. Personally, this is what I'd do: I'd call his doctor myself. Yep. The doctor may not be able to reveal ANY information to you, due to confidentiality, but you can certainly tell him of your husband's history and your serious concerns about these drugs. Hubby may get mad, but to be honest, this can be an issue of life and death. Ask the doctor to keep your name confidential, but simply to keep this information in mind, when treating your husband.

Taking drugs like these, in recovery, is nothing short of playing Russian Roulette with your addiction's bullet in the chamber. I would never risk it.

God bless,
Ruth