med recovery in AA

[Guest guest]

Hi. From time to time someone here (sometimes me) mentions how no one in AA wants to hear about the possibility of not taking meds. So I just wanted to share what happened yesterday, and I welcome input from anyone (Casey?) about what to say to people in AA. I spent six hours at the AA New Year's alcathon yesterday which in itself is a marvel b/c I am such a recluse. I made a point of introducing myself to anyone I didn't know. I ended up talking to two women and one of them mentioned bi-polar and the other one mentioned anxiety attacks. They are both on a boat-load of medicine. One of them keeps drinking and smoking pot b/c the anxiety is so intolerable and the meds aren't helping. Her husband has 20 years in AA so she is not new to the concept of recovery. The other one has

had brain aneurysms and brain surgury, went to California to legally get medicinal pot, and is hooked up to IVs for lymes disease. She is on neurotin, klonipin, and took herself off Abilify two weeks ago. She thinks the pot is no longer working and is turning on her. Both of them want to get off the medication, but the woman with Lymes disease is not capable of cutting or titrating or really doing anything to care for herself. She was about 95 pounds with huge eyes and totally spaced out yet desperately in need of help. I told her to keep track of her symptoms following the Abilify cold turkey, that she may have to reinstate and that she shouldn't make any other changes until the Lyme's treatment is finished. She is already on fish oil, so I suggested she increase it. She said even a small dose of Abilify makes her wired and crazy so I pray she survives the cold turkey. She was only on it since March. My God, did I get in over my head. The other woman knew all about half-lifes and meds in general. She has no internet access but is a little better-functioning. She has had seizures from cold turkey med withdrawal in the past. ANYWAY, my point here is that when it comes to people in AA being willing to get off meds, it is not going to be the high-functioning people taking one drug and going to work every day. It is not going to be ones to whom I can just say make 10% reductions and take supplements. The ones who want to get better are going to be people in despair, who have tried everything else and been totally incapacitated at the hands of the medical profession. Some of them don't even have internet access, so I can't send them here. I cannot say anything further about meds or supplements to the woman with brain surgery b/c she

is such a complicated case and I could do damage. But the one with the anxiety, I would like to suggest the calcium and magnesium to her, and find out if it is anxiety or panic b/c maybe she could take the homeopathic remedy for panic. I have to remember that the bottom line in AA is to stop drinking and then take care of other problems over time. My job is to support people in not drinking. But it breaks my heart b/c I believe the not drinking would be so much easier for them if they hadn't been abused by medication.

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