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New here. Thought we had made it through the worse....
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<blockquote data-quote="MissJuneBug" data-source="post: 710363" data-attributes="member: 21628"><p>SWOT, thank you so much for the kind words. You are right, substance abuse can look a lot like mental illness (I guess in a lot of ways it is). </p><p></p><p>What is confounding about this is during high school (before any drug use - he generally stayed home on weekend nights instead of going to parties) he complained of anxiety, depression and feeling extremely tired no matter how much he slept (and he slept a lot on weekends and after school or football practice). In fact, despite having a large group of friends, he so rarely went out that we worried about him. He now says it was to avoid the drinking and weed because he was too scared to try it. Obviously that mindset changed when he got to college.</p><p></p><p>So, in his case, he did have those mental health issues first. Unfortunately, anxiety and depression go hand in hand with Narcolepsy. He sees a well-known Narcolepsy physician who publishes a ton of research on it. She said they think it's because with Narcolepsy you stay in R.E.M. sleep and never get to deep sleep and it adversely affects mood and attention. It's like being awake for days on end. The pity is he was given sleep medication that allowed him to get deep sleep. Unfortunately, it is also used as a recreational/club drug (illegally manufactured). On the internet people talk about how great it is and non-addictive.... not true at all. It can be very dangerous and addictive. It's actually one of the most highly regulated prescription drugs in the US. So, at some point, he started using it in tiny doses during the day to relieve his anxiety and he developed an addiction to it. We finally notified the pharm co and his doctor last summer and he was cut off.</p><p></p><p> Interestingly, when he is drinking or using something, he is very talkative, very open and honest and nice to be around. Sober, he is extremely quiet, withdrawn and moody.</p><p></p><p>But he is on multiple medications for anxiety, depression, sleep and stimulants to stay awake during the day. It feels like he is on way too many medications (6-7 daily) but he won't allow me to go with him when he sees his psychiatrist monthly. We do, however, keep his medications locked in a safe and he gets a week at a time. I'm convinced that he takes a much higher dosage of some of his medications than prescribed. </p><p></p><p>I agree about cutting them loose and letting them deal with life on their own. He's scared to death to do that (he's told me that on a number of occasions). Due to the anxiety and the feeling tired all the time, he's afraid he won't be able to handle a job. That's why I've been pushing for several years to ramp up treatment via IOP or an IP rehab. He needs to learn good coping skills to deal with the anxiety. Unfortunately, as you said, using non-prescribed drugs or substances doesn't allow therapy and prescription medication to work properly.</p><p></p><p>I've been able to significantly reduce my own life-long anxiety and depression issues through medication and many years of cognitive behavioral therapy. It does work!</p><p></p><p>PS. I always enjoy your posts!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MissJuneBug, post: 710363, member: 21628"] SWOT, thank you so much for the kind words. You are right, substance abuse can look a lot like mental illness (I guess in a lot of ways it is). What is confounding about this is during high school (before any drug use - he generally stayed home on weekend nights instead of going to parties) he complained of anxiety, depression and feeling extremely tired no matter how much he slept (and he slept a lot on weekends and after school or football practice). In fact, despite having a large group of friends, he so rarely went out that we worried about him. He now says it was to avoid the drinking and weed because he was too scared to try it. Obviously that mindset changed when he got to college. So, in his case, he did have those mental health issues first. Unfortunately, anxiety and depression go hand in hand with Narcolepsy. He sees a well-known Narcolepsy physician who publishes a ton of research on it. She said they think it's because with Narcolepsy you stay in R.E.M. sleep and never get to deep sleep and it adversely affects mood and attention. It's like being awake for days on end. The pity is he was given sleep medication that allowed him to get deep sleep. Unfortunately, it is also used as a recreational/club drug (illegally manufactured). On the internet people talk about how great it is and non-addictive.... not true at all. It can be very dangerous and addictive. It's actually one of the most highly regulated prescription drugs in the US. So, at some point, he started using it in tiny doses during the day to relieve his anxiety and he developed an addiction to it. We finally notified the pharm co and his doctor last summer and he was cut off. Interestingly, when he is drinking or using something, he is very talkative, very open and honest and nice to be around. Sober, he is extremely quiet, withdrawn and moody. But he is on multiple medications for anxiety, depression, sleep and stimulants to stay awake during the day. It feels like he is on way too many medications (6-7 daily) but he won't allow me to go with him when he sees his psychiatrist monthly. We do, however, keep his medications locked in a safe and he gets a week at a time. I'm convinced that he takes a much higher dosage of some of his medications than prescribed. I agree about cutting them loose and letting them deal with life on their own. He's scared to death to do that (he's told me that on a number of occasions). Due to the anxiety and the feeling tired all the time, he's afraid he won't be able to handle a job. That's why I've been pushing for several years to ramp up treatment via IOP or an IP rehab. He needs to learn good coping skills to deal with the anxiety. Unfortunately, as you said, using non-prescribed drugs or substances doesn't allow therapy and prescription medication to work properly. I've been able to significantly reduce my own life-long anxiety and depression issues through medication and many years of cognitive behavioral therapy. It does work! PS. I always enjoy your posts! [/QUOTE]
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