<p>Get on Xanax. It helped me through grad school and working a very stressful job working 80 to 100 hour weeks. You’d be surprised as to how many people working stressful jobs are on Xanax.</p>
<p>^ Google “Why Docs Don’t Like Xanax (some of us)” and “Alprazolam-Induced Panic Disorder: Discussion”, although you may not have access to the latter.</p>
<p>I take it in moderation, not on a daily basis. I also take less than my doctor prescribes because only I know what my body needs. But yes, dependency is a problem, and like any other drug your body can become used to it to the point where you have to up the dosage.</p>
<p>don’t “get on xanax.”</p>
<p>None of us can dx your daughter, though, as parents we can tell you we are sorry she is where she is and sorry you feel the way you do, right now. There is no way we can have any idea what is going on, right down the fact that she might even have some sort of gastrointestinal thing going on that is actually needing to be taken care of medically. We just don’t know.</p>
<p>Seeing all the appropriate medical and therapuetic professionals seems to be good advice. Getting a second opinion if necessary, from a medical professional, also seems like good advice, as does getting this deemed medical, in the case of a leave. If it is anxiety, she will benefit by the knowledge that she can go back when she is ready… no hurry, no pressure.</p>
<p>In the meantime, remember to take care of yourself. Do what you can do and don’t drive yourself into the ground attempting to rush the process. From here on out, it’s just life. There’s no stopwatch running, no prize for crossing the finish line faster. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>“like any other drug…”</p>
<p>^^ Did you read it?</p>
<p>^^ Yes, Xanax displaces your brain’s production of GABA so it takes a week or more for your brain to adjust when you go off it. That’s unlike other drugs. But, like other drugs, I know a few people who have upped the dosage a lot to get the same effects from when they first started taking it. There’s a risky problem with dependency issues and growing tolerance.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that you should immediately get on drugs (although I guess my previous posts suggests that). Speak to a psychiatrist first and see what he recommends.</p>
<p>But I will say that a lot of physicians are eager to medicate, so if they do prescribe it, you can reduce your own dosage accordingly. If I were listening to my doc about his dosage, I would be asleep all day. Xanax is basically a tranquilizer and you need the right amount for you so that you can keep working and actually think.</p>
<p>And “The half-life for Xanax is short… on the order of 6-20 hours. Halcion is the only similar sedative that has a shorter half-life (and that one has even more problems)…”.</p>
<p>I had a crisis my senior year in college. Anxiety runs in my family, and I started having what turned out to be gallbladder attacks. It took 6 months and 3 trips to the ER for them to figure this out (and they wouldn’t have if my friend hadn’t been shadowing my doctor and seriously fought for me)… Anyways during these nights of attacks anxiety developed. It got so bad that I did not go to class and I could not work on group projects or take exams in class. My professors were super understanding, and let me take everything from home. I got an immediate appointment with the school psychology department at student health and I leaned on my roommate (who also has anxiety) and my head RA. I also started getting checked out by a doctor and nothing turned up before the final ER trip.</p>
<p>I would also suggest trying phone psychologists. My healthcare plan has access to free phone psychology sessions. Your health care plan might have this and it would be immediate. If her professors aren’t willing to let her work without coming to class, then she should take a medical leave of absence. Contact her dean, you’ll need to be in touch to take a medical leave of absence and they’ll do what they can to make accommodations so she can stay. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Also my psychologist (I only met with her once) refused to medicate me immediately, if that is a concern. She taught me breathing and thinking techniques to become aware and calm down an anxiety attack (of course, once it gets to a certain stage, there is nothing you can do about it). I still have not gone on medicine, though my anxiety is getting worse this fall so I am considering it now.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear of your DD’s troubles. It sounds like the stomach rumblings are not the cause of the anxiety - time to see a professional. Best of luck.</p>
<p>A psychologist, may have a doctorate, but they are not a medical dr & cannot write prescriptions.</p>
<p>OP, I am right there with you. I know the panic you are feeling, and think you’ve had some sound advice (specific drug recommendations not withstanding). As “crisis” often means danger to herself or others, demanding immediate treatment may not work if she is not a threat to anyone or herself. A pdoc is the best person to manage psychiatric medications if they’re needed, but they are not the only doctors who can prescribe them. In our case, the initial diagnosis came from the therapist (anyone who takes insurance has to be able to diagnose), and the first appointment was with the family doctor, who did prescribe a medication. The wait for the psychiatric specialist was about a month (delay due to class schedule and not entirely the fault of the doctor). That first appointment with the pdoc could be a long one, not something that can just be squeezed in to an already full schedule. </p>
<p>I imagine as a nursing student, she had a complete physical before starting the program. Because nursing is sequenced so heavily, taking a leave may set her back a full year. Not saying don’t do it if she needs to, just saying be aware that she may be out more than a semester. You also need to have an idea of what you will do if she comes home. Is she so debilitated that she’ll need time to do nothing? Or will she really need the structure provided by school or work? It’s a question for the therapist.</p>
<p>I agree with those who suggest that the OP let her D come home on a medical leave of absence, so that she can get treatment for the severe anxiety she seems to be suffering from. She can always return to school, and a semester or even a year off will have no negative effect on her academic course in the long run.</p>
<p>My son did this, at the beginning of his sophomore year. It was the best decision we ever made. He got treatment – first talk therapy with a wonderful psychologist, and then, after a few months, medication to supplement the talk therapy. The first few months of the leave were spent just focusing on the therapy. After some months, S got an internship at a research lab in a local hospital, which he continued up until it was time to return to school. </p>
<p>This time off was wonderful for our son. He is now starting his senior year, and is doing great. To this day, I am still so grateful to the Dean of Students at his school, who was so helpful when we reached out to her. </p>
<p>Truly, a medical leave of absence can be a great solution for a young person who is suffering from anxiety or depression.</p>
<p>Hope OP is getting the advice that you need. I can only imagine how scary this must be to hear this from a child.</p>
<p>As with other advice, treat this as a crisis and get an appointment immediately.</p>
<p>Please let us know how it is going.</p>
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<p>I reread my post. I suggested they consider a class of drugs. Considering is different that doing. I also urged them to get an appointment with a psychiatrist (as opposed to going to an internist and just asking for a drug like Xanax). I explained why a short-term intervention might be helpful in light of getting through classes and that it might be something a psychiatrist “might” suggest – and I have known psychiatrists who work with students to give short-term benzos to help them get through a crisis so it is something they might want to think about before an appointment and they might want to educate themselves about along with learning about SSRIs – these are drugs that a psychiatrist might suggest and that they may want to research in advance. If my post read as if I was saying “She should find some Xanax and take it” then allow me to clarify. Is it worth being informed about and considering as an option? Yes, along with other options, it is probably worth considering. But let me be clear – I am not suggesting self-medicating with a friend’s xanax, I am not suggesting marching into a doctor’s office and demanding it. I am suggesting seeing a psychiatrist and getting solid medical advice from someone who does psychopharmacology and I am suggesting being informed about how certain classes of drugs work so that they can make an effective team with a psychiatrist. Suggesting anything else on an Internet message board would be unhelpful and inappropriate.</p>
<p>I am a licensed mental health professional and a college professor. Listen to your daughter. She can get better and finish her studies. She can pick her “type” of treatment when her problems are properly understood (evaluated by a mental health professional.) Her school should have someone that you can call (a vice-president for student affairs, a on campus clinic health director.) Even if she has to take time off from her studies, she can return. Often, ignoring the problems only make it worse.</p>
<p>I hope OP’s absence means urgent efforts are being made to help this girl, not that OP simply doesn’t like the the fact that no one is agreeing with her that the daughter should be pressured to stay at school.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your kind words and advice and thank you for all the nice messages. </p>
<p>I called the head of counseling at the college and the best he could do was an appointment with the nurse practitioner tomorrow. I was unable to find anyone she could see today. Family doc was unable to help out of state. In the meantime, my daughter is going to see the dean of nursing to talk about a medical leave. </p>
<p>I’ll post again tomorrow once I know more.</p>
<p>Bolete - Thanks for the update. It is terrific that your D reached out to you for help. Take it day by day.</p>
<p>Dear Walker1194,</p>
<p>My daughter has endured a similar situation. I’ll make this as short as I can. She was diagnosed with
IBS, but there really isn’t anything they can give them. My daughter at that point was developing an eating disorder, so I didn’t know which came first. Was she not eating because she had pains and gas, or was she
having gas and pain because she wasn’t eating.<br>
My daughter was very academically inclined and no smoking, drinking, or drugs. I thought that
by 18 it was a breeze. Then it went downhill. She attended UCSD for one year and then transferred
to Dartmouth. She spent a year there and did very well, but her anxiety was increasing and soon she had to take a medical leave of absence. This has been going on for 5 years, I hate to say.
I’d get your daughter all the help your insurance will pay for including a psychiatrist.<br>
My daughter was just accepted to Columbia as an attempt to return, however, she became overwhelmed and changed her mind. My daughter likes the sound of attending an Ivy League school, but in reality, I
think she’s too scared. She’s always been at the top of her class and when surrounded by all the other
students who were at the top in their classes, she pushes herself so much she has severe anxiety attacks.
I would take her to a doctor as soon as possible, maybe she’s creating an unjustified fear of failure, because she wants to remain at the very top. I’d try to keep her in school, but too much pushing may not
work. Maybe a school which she doesn’t think she’ll have as much pressure. Anyway, it is serious.
I didn’t realize it at the time for my daughter and thought it would be a one quarter delay, but now, I just don’t know. I wish you and your family the best. Sincerely, Cheryl</p>
<p>Bolete, thanks for the update, and please keep us posted. You’re going to get through this.</p>