Hey Bubba, I've been thinking. The way this intro reads, especially when you say things like "just one" it sounds like (for you) the experience of quitting nicotine has given you a ton of anxiety and depression. However, I think there is a different angle here, one that most of us are familiar with, and that is the self-medicating component of nicotine addiction. Nicotine is an anxiolytic - like Lorazepam. Most of us have self-medicated with nicotine for years. But when you remove your maintenance drug for anxiety, you're still left with the anxiety and/or depression. You're 70+ days in and there is no nicotine in your system, so you're left with the anxiety and depression - and probably the first time you've ever had to face that head on without nicotine as a crutch. Anyhow, I think this explains why you feel this way so long after having killed the can.
Oh, and that comment about taking out the "addiction" in you. This is 100% true.
I am an addict. I'll always be an addict. Today I sit at 1622 days quit and I am no longer an addicted addict. In other words, I am an addict, but I am not addicted. And this is why I post roll every day like my life depends on it ...because it does.
This is my question, I have been pondering this for awhile. I am going to ask the question but not check back till later tonight. I need to go enjoy the day with my family. If nicotine is the same type of drug as lorazepam am I making the healing process take longer if I take that drug? I have not taking that for a few weeks, but if I get overly emotional I am supposed to take it. Please give me your thoughts or ideas. Enjoy your day!
Saying that nicotine and lorazepam are both anxiolytics mean that they both can reduce anxiety. But they're not really the same kind of drug-- nicotine is an alkaloid, while lorazepam is a benzodiazepine. They work in different ways, by affecting different parts of the cells in your brain. I don't know that there's any way to say definitively, but my suspicion would be that using lorazepam as needed is not going to be a major disruption in the healing process.
But even more importantly, you gotta keep yourself healthy and in a good place mentally! If your doctor has recommended taking lorazepam when things get tough as a part of helping you be your healthiest self, then you should heed that advice. Plus, I would think that improved emotional state would be helpful for staying strong in your quit!
Stay strong brother, we're all here for you! Hope you have a great memorial day.
So, Koba is right in that nicotine and lorazepam are different drugs, different classes and work differently in the body, affecting different receptors. The therapeutic effect, however, has some similarity and that being short-term anxiety relief. Lorazepam, and other benzos are used for short-term relief of anxiety, however, if you require long-term or more chronic relief, the treatment of choice are antidepressants, and most commonly seretonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft, etc. Moving on from Steak the R.Ph.
To your question, are you making the healing process longer by substituting the anxiolytic properties of lorazepam in place of nicotine. My impression (which is purely my impression and is as good as the next guy's), based on all that you've written is that you have some sort of mental health issue, like anxiety or depression. You've self medicated with nicotine to aid with whatever is causing that and now that you're close to 3 months removed from nicotine, you're dealing with a root issue at hand.
You keep blaming nicotine for your anxiety/depression, like quitting nicotine is the reason you have anxiety and depression. Thing is, if you were popping lorazepam instead of dipping and then suddenly stopped the lorazepam, you'd be blaming lorazepam for your anxiety and depression. The nicotine is out of your system now ...you gotta stop romancing it like it's going to solve your problems, when its actually going to kill you. Difference between lorazepam and nicotine, is that lorazepam (when used under the direction of a physician) is safer. So, treat the anxiety. Treat the depression. Drugs to treat that stuff take 3-4 weeks to get a therapeutic effect and a similar amount of time for side effects to wane.
Time to man up and face the music. Treat the underlying issue and not the symptom
