Friday, December 13, 2013

Xanax not so good, says the cardiologist

He discouraged me -- strongly -- from staying on Xanax. Darn. Says it's OK for a week or so but long term it's a bad idea. Also he's making me do a stress test, the kind with the radiation scan afterward. I hate that. Oh how crappy old age is!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The miracle cure: most prescribed drug in the US

The ER visit a couple of weeks ago - and the resultant 18 hours in the depressing hospital environment -- seemed like a heart issue. And that gets your attention & my husband's, too. But more and more, I'm convinced it was an acute anxiety attack. Some doctors call it panic attacks, which strikes me as a misnomer. Well anyhow, I had another episode a couple of nights ago & decided to start taking Xanax day and night during the stressful period I'm in (at least).
Turns out it has been a godsend.
And although I already knew that Xanax (and its generic clone) is the most-prescribed drug in America. Now I can see why. It's only been two days of my full-time regimen, and I hear from a very good friend that she did this for TEN YEARS, and looks back on it as a pleasant time of her life. (She went off about 4 years ago to take a lesser anti-anxiety drug that supposedly is less "addictive.")
Hmmm....
Seeing my cardiologist in a couple of days, will run this by him. But I might also take it up with my long term primary care doc, a woman with whom I have a good rapport.

More to come........

Sunday, December 1, 2013

R & R

We just spent two sweet days in a cabin in the woods, at Murphin Ridge Inn (75 miles east of our home in the city of Cincinnati). My husband and I both felt our anxiety and stress disappear. The place has miles of hiking trails, and at times you can get away from any human sounds at all. While I do love my fellow people, we live where traffic and ambulance noises are almost ceaseless, so this peace and quiet is a soul-strengthening relief.
Ah but back in the thick of things now -- I have about 135 students in four classes (I'm a professor at the University of Cincinnati), for whom I have to come up with final grades between now and December 15th or so.
Better get to it...........
Sunrise amid Amish farmland