Kevin Bailey2 said:Rivotril is "weaker" in the sense that you don't get that high, drugged-out feeling (which, if I'm being honest, I actually liked sometimes with Xanax 😛 😁). But it actually works more intensely. It clears the fog in your head without you even realizing it's happening. It hits my motor skills, too. Without it, I'm a total klutz. As soon as I realize I'm struggling to even hold a glass, I'll take a quarter—like half a milligram.
Normally, I'm at the max daily dose: 6mg a day split into three 2mg doses. But I usually break those down differently depending on how I feel. Sometimes I'll take a full dose in the morning, sometimes a half in the afternoon, sometimes just a tiny bit. My psychiatrist actually suggested this approach—just adjusting based on how I'm feeling.
With Xanax, I used to feel totally wasted... basically non-functional. Rivotril is more like a stabilizer; it almost lifts my mood. I can't even put it into words. On Xanax, I could do nothing but sit there and smoke cigarette after cigarette... If I have housework to do, I make sure to take Rivotril so it can steady my brain. Again, hard to describe. Once it kicks in, I just look around the apartment, see where things belong, and clean up the mess without any stress or agitation.
I'm curious, though—how does all this affect your role as a mom? Do you ever worry that your child might notice, or that you won't be able to be fully present when you're doing things with them?
Basically, almost all the hospitals—except for the private ones, though they have some around here too—are covered under Medicare, so you don't end up paying anything out of pocket 😉
I’m not sure what kind of confusion you guys are talking about. Before July 15th, the process was pretty straightforward: you’d either pay your copay at the pharmacy or to the doctor, then just send over the original receipt, and they’d reimburse you directly into your account right away. If you were at the hospital, it was even easier—you didn't have to pay anything upfront at all.
Since July 15th, most pharmacies have started stocking those card readers for the FDA, so it shouldn't be an issue anymore. If you happen to run into a spot that doesn't have one yet, just go ahead and pay out of pocket, and they'll refund you immediately. Or, you could always just call their toll-free number to ask which nearby locations have the equipment ready. Since this change only went into effect on July 15th, I'm guessing not every single place has caught up yet—like maybe some of those smaller independent pharmacies.
Kenneth Scott41 said:I suppose I should address what Kevin Bailey2 mentioned earlier. It’s an interesting perspective, though perhaps a bit more optimistic than I’d personally care to be about how things usually play out. Looking at the current situation, it seems like we're all just navigating a rather complicated landscape, isn't it? One might think that certain patterns would eventually lead to a clearer outcome, but I suspect reality tends to be much more messy and unpredictable than our theories suggest. Maybe I'm being too cautious, or maybe I've just seen this cycle enough times to know that nothing ever goes quite according to plan. Regardless, it’s worth considering how these shifting dynamics might affect us in the long run.
I sometimes find myself wishing my brain functioned anything like a Windows operating system—specifically, if I could just trigger a system restore to some specific date in the past. It would certainly make things easier if I could just roll back the clock whenever things start getting messy.😛 I suppose I would have gone back to taking it if that 1mg dose of Xanax had hit me hard enough to make me struggle through a simple conversation. It’s just one of those things... honestly, redcrane22, I find myself feeling a bit envious of you. If you can actually drift off from just 1mg of Xanax or 10mg of Valium, it suggests your brain hasn't quite learned how to react to benzodiazepines yet. My own neurochemistry feels like it's been completely torn apart by now; I've reached a point where even higher doses of Xanax or Valium don't seem to touch me anymore.🙄 I couldn't catch a wink of sleep last night, so I ended up taking a Dormicum in the middle of the night, but honestly, it didn't do a damn thing. I eventually dragged myself out of bed around 7:00 AM feeling like a total zombie, mostly because I had to rush to the bathroom—it felt like my bladder was being kicked by someone. It took me about thirteen minutes just to finally finish up, which was an ordeal in itself. I was sitting there, completely lost on what to do next, when it finally clicked... I realized I’d forgotten the cap.😁 I downed a glass of water, popped my pills, and finally managed to drift off. I ended up sleeping right through until about 3:30 in the afternoon. 🙂 Honestly, forget about Dormicum; it’s a total rip-off. It costs an absolute fortune, and yet, I guess it barely even does anything at all.
Oh, Miligram, 😍 I’m doing a bit of a mix myself. 😁 One day it’s Sanval, the next it’s nothing, then maybe some Xanax, then Diazepam, and so on. That’s why everything feels sort of 🤣 to me. I’m fully aware of what would happen if I did exactly what you're doing. There was actually a period where nothing seemed to work for calming down or sleeping, so I just made a clean break and started doing this instead. 😁
restlesstrucker15 said:It really comes down to the individual. Even now, Sanval can occasionally knock me out, but Zan never worked for me, not even the very first time I took it. It's the same story with Cerson and Fluzapam...
Then you have those people who sleep like babies after taking just one tablet or 10 mg of diazepam.
In any case, my psychiatrist tells me to start with sleep hypnotics rather than anxiolytics, since that isn't their primary purpose. He suggests rotating through different hypnotics every three weeks if they are used long-term, and if things go truly south—meaning the insomnia becomes the primary issue—then we move toward sedative antidepressants or antipsychotics.
Personally, I just lack that "click" needed to drift off. It doesn't matter if I stayed up all night previously or if I was physically exhausted that day; even after taking Normabel, the result is the same: I lie there half-dead in bed, but falling asleep? There is absolutely no chance. I can shut my brain off, sure, but I can't sleep.
Autogenic training doesn't help me at all, at least not right before bed, because I find myself having to concentrate too hard on the process, which prevents me from relaxing.
The issue isn't actually about whether I'm physically active enough; it's all in my head. I've found that being more active helped me fall asleep easier for maybe three or four days, but then my body simply adjusted to the increased activity, and I found myself right back at square one.
I’m in the exact same boat. Honestly, I’m not sure why Bluzara thinks they’re identical.
That second part applies to me too. A single Helex or 10 mg of Diazepam is all it takes for me to drift off.
Kevin Nguyen3 said:I wouldn't bother; honestly, it's essentially just more of the same as Sanval. You might feel a slight shift at first—or maybe you won't—but really, what's the point in testing it? It’s still being manufactured by General Mills.
You say it's just like Sanval, but I was actually told that Zan is meant for long-term insomnia, whereas Sanval works in the opposite way.🤷
And one more thing—with Zan, I didn't feel much of anything when I first started, but with Sanval, I was acting all restless and doing things I wouldn't even remember the next morning. But again, that was just during the initial phase.
Jason Vaughn482 said:Honestly, I highly doubt anything would actually help me. Every single night, I have to set my radio to a sleep timer because while I can't stand the dead silence—noises tend to grate on my nerves—I find the steady hum of the radio soothing. Yet, despite the background noise, sleep remains elusive because my mind simply refuses to stop racing.
Oh, it just hit me—I used to take Zan a long time ago. I'm not even sure if they still carry it anymore. It’s really more of a long-term solution for sleep issues. If I remember correctly, it takes a little while to fully kick in, though I can't say for certain.
I totally get where Jason Vaughn482 is coming from. He wants to ditch Calixt because it’s turned him into a complete zombie—he just has zero motivation for anything, especially first thing in the morning.
As for you, Jason Vaughn482, I get the feeling that "sleeping" to you means dragging yourself out of bed at 10 or 11 AM. But if you happen to wake up around 6 or 7, suddenly you’re claiming you can’t sleep. Honestly, what if you just wake up once or twice during the night? That’s just life; even regular folks deal with that sometimes.😁
What's the harm in getting up at 6 AM and maybe going for a stroll, a quick jog, or even just catching some TV or getting lost in a good book?
casualwolf12 said:Forget the adults—it’s the baby birds you have to watch out for. Those little fledglings are the real stars. You’ll see them hanging around the bird feeders during the first couple of months, and honestly, seeing them just melts my heart every single time. 🤣🤣
They’ve got those tiny little bodies paired with these absolutely massive feet. 😂🙏
Aw man, now I really need to go see that for myself.
I’m definitely going to take your advice to heart, so I'll let you know how things turn out 😉
The two of them have been together forever—nearly 30 years now. My dad spent most of his career working in Washington, D.C., while she stayed back in my hometown. She used to be such a close friend of my mom's, too 😁 But honestly, anyone who knows her—whether they went to school with her, worked with her, or were just close to her—always says the same thing: "Man, what a nightmare, she's such a piece of work." So, I know deep down this isn't coming from my side It’s just baffling how someone like that can have such a massive influence over a person who used to be so smart, kind, and genuinely funny You know, a few years back, my dad invited me to tag along with him to Rome. He was heading there on a business trip for a few days and wanted some company. I was so excited, and we actually had a wonderful time; it was truly 😍 Then I found out later that she was originally supposed to go, but she ended up breaking her leg and couldn't make it. I don't know, I guess my excitement for the whole trip just sort of dipped a little bit once I realized that 😬
Thanks again for trying to help me navigate this. If I'm being honest, though, my biggest fear is that my dad might start loving me a little less because of how I feel about his wife
I was wondering if anyone could help me out here...
A buddy of mine who works on merchant ships has been taking 5 mg doses of Valium, but now he’s thinking about switching over to Prazosin instead. His logic is that Valium stays in your system for such a long time that it might show up on his urine screen when he goes in for his medical clearance to get back on the ship. He wants to avoid any unnecessary headaches during those pre-employment physicals. Are there specific tests they run for diazepam and other types of pills? From what I understand, the standard drug screens usually focus on things like marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, methadone, heroin, and suboxone...
I totally forgot to mention when I was talking about my dad... he was always doing that thing where he’d point out my flaws, but you know, it was always super subtle and actually felt constructive...
So, if I had messed up just one question on a test, he wouldn't even call me out directly... instead, he’d just turn to the rest of the class and ask if anyone actually got a perfect score, and if someone did, he’d just give this little cleared-throat sound... like, "hmm-hm." He wouldn't be picking on me or anything, but he’d definitely drop those comments about how it only happened because I lost my focus or didn't go to the nurse when I needed to or whatever...
That definitely laid the groundwork for my future perfectionism, which can be an amazing tool to have in your kit, but I guess it can also turn into a pretty dangerous thing later on in life...
unknown...
This is honestly killing me because it just keeps reminding me of my dad, so I have to mention... 😁 It’s always those kinds of questions, you know... everyone just looks my way like they're waiting for a chance to pity me, from the judgmental types to the people who act all pale and sickly, even the bottom-feeders, all because of how thin I am and this constant, nagging fear that I might just lose consciousness one of these days... 😕 So, even though we’ve totally changed how we deal with things, people still feel this weird, constant need to comment on me like I'm some kind of statue just standing there... 😁
unknown...
I feel like I can speak freely here. Honestly, if he has a kid with this other woman, she probably can't see past her own nose, and to her, you’re just some obstacle she’d rather prune away. It's such a textbook situation, but knowing that doesn't make it any less gut-wrenching for you. Men often drift away from their kids when they leave their wives, and while that clearly isn't happening with your dad, his wife seems to have this totally warped view of everything. There's nothing you can do to change how she thinks, and you already know that... If I were in your shoes, I’d try to just tune her out and focus entirely on being there for my dad as much as I possibly can. I know you just want to erase her from existence like an eraser, and even though you can't actually do that, you can get pretty close by just ignoring her presence and putting all your energy into him.
So, it looks like there are more of us out there.🙂
And what you said about the other part is so true. Just a quick side note, though—they don't actually have kids together; she has a son from a previous marriage. And yeah, I really do try to look the other way or just ignore her, but her influence on him is just massive. Though, really, that's on HIM, unless she's somehow cast a spell on him, 😬 which doesn't sound entirely impossible.
Here's a perfect example: My dad invites me over for lunch, so I go. Lunch isn't even finished yet, and I pick up a newspaper to flip through for a bit, and she snaps at me, asking why I'm holding a newspaper instead of a broom to help sweep the patio.😲 And mind you, he only invites me over once a year. Being the "nice girl" I am, I just quietly picked up the broom just to please my dad. Looking back, I should have just told her to go fly a kite.🤣
He’s been there for me my whole life, helping me out and doing whatever I ask, but lately—maybe for the last seven years or so—I’ve realized he just seems focused on finding flaws. He’s constantly nitpicking everything about me and my son, his grandson
It’s anything from pointing out a blemish on my face (like, why would you even mention that??) to asking what’s wrong when I’m feeling under the weather. It’s like he just refuses to see the good stuff I remember one day my little guy was eating a tomato, and it was so juicy it was dripping down his chin, and my unknown looks at me and asks why on earth the kid is drooling while he eats 😲
I honestly don't know what's gotten into him. We’ve never really been the type to sit down and have deep heart-to-hearts; we just don't have that kind of dynamic. Plus, he's become quite reserved, especially when he’s around his awful wife. And believe me, that isn't just my take—everyone feels it, even her own son I just can't forgive him for letting her run the show like this. He is a completely different person depending on whether she’s standing next to him or not. It’s wild. Back in the day, whenever he wanted to give me money, he’d always go through these elaborate hoops just to make sure she didn't notice. He should have just stood his ground and said, "Here you go," and if she complained, he should have simply replied, "This is my child, and I'm giving it to her" I just wish he'd wake up I would never dream of doing anything to hurt him. Heavens, no! But the way he acts when she's around is just... not normal God, if you're listening, please help pull him away from her negative influence 🙂