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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 17:56:16
My mother´s doctor is currently gradually lowering her regularly perscribed doses of diazepam. She is currently living outside of the US and plans to return (relocate). She may not be totally "off" diazepam by that time and I would like to know what she can do, so that she doesn´t find herself forced to totally stop taking this medication when she arrives in the US. Thank you in advance for any help!
Posted by desolationrower on November 22, 2008, at 18:04:56
In reply to Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 17:56:16
That can be very dangerous. I'm not sure what teh law is as far as bringing medication with you when you enter, that would be one thing to research. You might also try to call and find a her a doctor to see so she has an appointment when she arrives so she can get care right away.
-d/r
Posted by yxibow on November 22, 2008, at 18:57:23
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by desolationrower on November 22, 2008, at 18:04:56
> That can be very dangerous. I'm not sure what teh law is as far as bringing medication with you when you enter, that would be one thing to research. You might also try to call and find a her a doctor to see so she has an appointment when she arrives so she can get care right away.
>
> -d/rYou are allowed to bring in 90 days worth of prescription drugs imported into the US, assuming you are a US citizen -- actually I think that applies to non-US citizens who are currently taking medication.
A quote from the US embassy in Stockholm, for example:
"You may bring medication into the U.S. for personal use only. You cannot bring in medicine for friends or family. To be able to bring any kind of medication into the U.S. a doctor's note, or the original prescription, is required. The doctor's note should state the name and quantity of the medicine you are bringing into the U.S. It cannot exceed the quantity needed for your stay in the U.S. The note must also affirm that the medication is only for your personal use. It is also important to keep the medication in the originally dispensed-container."This is for a 6 month stay like for Canadians, not permanent residency, so if your mother, I don't know what country, is applying to for permanent residency, it will be a longer process than I assume titrating off of the Valium in the first place and it will be gone anyhow. At least 90 days or more considering bureacracy, which is the greater worry here.
http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/greencard.html
I assume you mean Diazepam, Valium.-- Jay
Posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 19:06:32
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by yxibow on November 22, 2008, at 18:57:23
Yes, Valium, she is currently at 30 mg/day. Intake pattern 20mg - 0 mg - 10 mg.
Posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 19:09:44
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by yxibow on November 22, 2008, at 18:57:23
My moher is a US citizen.
Posted by Phillipa on November 22, 2008, at 19:10:14
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 19:06:32
Is she a resident and permanently staying if so find a benzo friendly doc. Love Phillipa
Posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 19:19:37
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration » Salty Dogg, posted by Phillipa on November 22, 2008, at 19:10:14
Thank you for your message, Phillipa!
How could she go about finding a benzo-friendly doc in FL?
Posted by Phillipa on November 22, 2008, at 20:35:17
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 19:19:37
How old is your Mom? I had no trouble here when moved as had been on benzos for more than half my life. No doc is going to just stop a benzo that I've ever heard of that would possibly cause seizures. Could you make some phone calls? Love Phillipa
Posted by yxibow on November 22, 2008, at 22:24:35
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by Salty Dogg on November 22, 2008, at 19:09:44
> My moher is a US citizen.
Then she should have no problem as I described above, labeled container, note from doctor, all the strip searching through the TSA, etc, when she flies in. Very annoying but completely feasible.
-- Jay
Posted by desolationrower on November 22, 2008, at 23:24:21
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration » Salty Dogg, posted by yxibow on November 22, 2008, at 22:24:35
> > My moher is a US citizen.
>
> Then she should have no problem as I described above, labeled container, note from doctor, all the strip searching through the TSA, etc, when she flies in. Very annoying but completely feasible.
>
> -- JayThat applies to schedule IV drugs?
-d/r
Posted by yxibow on November 23, 2008, at 16:31:04
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by desolationrower on November 22, 2008, at 23:24:21
> > > My moher is a US citizen.
> >
> > Then she should have no problem as I described above, labeled container, note from doctor, all the strip searching through the TSA, etc, when she flies in. Very annoying but completely feasible.
> >
> > -- Jay
>
> That applies to schedule IV drugs?
>
> -d/rI believe so, the doctor's note will explain all about it, so your mother (pardon the sardonicness) doesn't look like a drug smuggler. Schedule IV agents are in the US 6 refills anyhow. Necessary medication is necessary. Nobody is going to block insulin or phenytoin or AZT ?
-- Jay
Posted by Vincent_QC on November 29, 2008, at 12:11:16
In reply to Re: Lorazepam dosage titration, posted by desolationrower on November 22, 2008, at 18:04:56
> That can be very dangerous. I'm not sure what teh law is as far as bringing medication with you when you enter, that would be one thing to research. You might also try to call and find a her a doctor to see so she has an appointment when she arrives so she can get care right away.
>
> -d/rThe Ashton Doctor give good advises on the dose reduction in her book...
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm
I think your mom will not have any custom problem with the Diazepam, if the bottle have the sticker with her name on it...
The Professor Ashton give tons of informations on benzo's drugs. It's a bible for me, since I had so many problems with that "sh*tty" drugs.
One advise from my own experience, tell your mom to follow the dose reduction programm write by the Ashton Professor. If seh take 20 mg/day of valium(diazepam), she need to reduce to a maximum of 1 mg/week her intake of Diazepam. So she will be able to be free of it after only 20 weeks. Sometimes it can take 2 weeks to reduce of 1 mg, especially at the end. The Ashton Professor also give a good substitution charts between all the benzo's drugs that exist... Since the newer benzo drugs are much more powerfull than the older ones, you will be able to see that a simple 4 mg/day of Clonazepam (Rivotril) is the same as 80 mg /day of Diazepam (Valium) !!!
In that book, you can also see by yourself what kind of dammages a drug like this can do on a person. That's a lot interresting.
I use a lot the charts substitution of the Doctor Ashton to switch from Clonazepam to Diazepam, or Xanax to Diazepam, or Lorazepam to Diazepam...The Doctor recommend to always switch to Diazepam to stop a benzo drug, since it's one of the more long acting benzo drug that exist...stay more than 20 hours in the blood as Diazepam, and have a lot of active metabolites that stay more than 300 hours in the blood also, so with the Diazepam, you don't feel the need to take again and again your pills after only 2 hours, like it always happen with the Xanax or Ativan drugs...REmember than the less time the benzo drug take to enter into your blood stream and the less time he act on the gaba receptors, the more addictive it will be...So change to a long acting benzo drug is the best option in my opinion.
A lot of people say that Diazepam do nothing on them...I know what you are atlking about...like I write before, it's less powerfull so a 10 mg pill of Diazepam will act like a 0.5 mg pill of Clonazepam...that simple like this, so yes it's less effective on anxiety...and remember that Diazepam is more sedative and give more headache at the begining...but this 2 side eccefts fade away after 2 weeks or less normally. In fact, since i'm stable again at 20 mg of Diazepam /day, I have a insomnia problem, even if I take 15 mg at bed time...and only 5 mg in the day.
Regular Doctor recommend to stop benzo drugs on 3 or 4 weeks, or a reduction of 10 % of the dose by week but that's not a good way...if you want to have terrible cognotives impairements like I had in the past, do it more fast (not able to speak, not able to write with a pencil, hands shake, muscles spams, panic attacks, sweating, vertigo...and the list go on...). I don'T wish this to my worst ennemy.
That only my advise...maybe i'm out of subject again...i'm sorry...but I wish good luck to your mom, i'm sure she will be able to do it ;-)
This is the end of the thread.
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