Mildly embarrassing question: who to see for prescription?

Lindsay

Hi all,

I say this question is mildly embarrassing because I think I've already begun to absorb the "medicines are bad" philosophy of all my friends here in India (who make fun of me for taking an Advil when my head hurts! Ah well).

But here goes: I get incredibly nervous when flying. I have no idea why -- I know it doesn't make sense, and planes are super safe! Anyway, my doc in the US gives me a prescription of Xanax every couple of years, and I take one before a flight if I feel like I need it. Naturally, I forgot to get it refilled before I came here -- only realized this when boarding the plane to Delhi. (Duh!)

Since I have four (4!) plane trips coming up over the next few months, I thought I would make an appointment to see a doc so I could get a prescription. But what sort of doctor should I see? Would a general practitioner dispense it, as in the USA, or would I have to go to a psychiatrist?

Also -- I ask this more tentatively, hoping not to give offense -- since in my experience Indians are much less likely to think of medications like this as a good option, should I expect opposition from the doctor in asking for a prescription?

Nick-H

If my quick Google has led to correct results, Xanax = Alprazolam.

No need to see a doc, you can buy it from any pharmacist. Ask for Restyl*.

Yes, I know that shouldn't be the case, but it is, and if one pharmacist won't sell it to you, there will be six nearby that will.



*15 0.25mg tabs, Rs15.5 --- I have a strip in front of me that was not prescribed!

namaste_cat

Lindsay, a general practitioner would prescribe it for you, I think. In my experience Indian MDs are just as happy to write a prescription as American ones, so you shouldn't face any problems if you have a legitimate need for a drug. Fortunately (or unfortunately), finding any drug at a local pharmacy is rarely a problem in India with or without a prescription!

Lindsay

Really?? The chemist by my house must be some sort of exception, then -- I walked in there last week for three tablets of painkiller and he immediately asked for the prescription! Happily, I did have a prescription, as I'd come straight from the hospital.

(That was *such* an awesome start to the week, btw. Note: proceed cautiously when first using machines in foreign gyms.)

EDIT: Just saw your reply, Namaste. Okay, I'll try Nick's approach, and if it doesn't work (or if I end up too embarrassed to try it and chicken out), I'll make an appointment with a GP!

Nick-H

I'd suggest that you forget all about the embarrassment. It is not like asking for this drug is admitting that you have incredibly smelly farts, or even that you have some deep psychological problem .

Restyl (hence the name, I suppose) is used as a mildish sleeping tablet by many people in India. I use it when I do not want to be, or circumstances don't allow of my being, my usual nocturnal self.

If you ask for 200, or multiple strips of the higher dosages, they may treat you with suspicion, because they might suspect you of being suicidal. Ask for the four that you need --- that rules out suicide. Yes, people here buy pills by ones and twos. And ask by the local name, with a Rs10 note in your hand, like this is normal to you.

Lindsay

OK. I can do that! Cheers, Nick!

Eastern Mind

How well does Xanax work? I take trazadone for sleeping. But if I get woken up by teenagers in the house, or am unable to sleep on a plane when I take it, the situation is far worse than if I hadn't taken it at all. I become zombie like stupid. (far stupider than my usual self.)

Nick-H

I don't know. Well, I have googled it, like any other drug or medicine that I take, and I have noted that the side effects are not negligible and that it can be addictive, although that seems to apply to the higher dosages, and, for me, a dosage of .5 instead of .25 makes me feel more zombie-like than sleepy.

Oddly, drowsiness is listed as a side effect, so it apparently does not work as a sleeping tablet for everyone.

Lindsay

Yeah, my GP warned that it could be very addictive. Apparently taking it every day for two weeks is enough for some people to get hooked. I'm not sure why you'd want to take it so regularly. It's not "fun", just makes you calm. (For "fun," I turn to Old Monk. )

rebeccam

Hi LIndsay. If your need is primarily to sleep, why not just take a 25 mg Benadryl (Diphenhydramine)? It's over-the-counter in the USA; should be easy to get in India.
The other question: How LONG are your flights? If less than 4 hours, yes, you'd probably still be drowsy upon arrival, whatever you take, assuming you pop the pill an hour before boarding the plane.
Best wishes for happy and restful travels!

Haylo

"Side effects" can be extremely useful; I love travelling but suffer from extreme travel sickness, so my GP prescribed something usually used for anxiety (which happens to have mild drowsiness as a side effect) to be taken in conjunction with a particular over the counter travel sickness medication (which also has mild drowsiness as a side effect). Taken together, they knock me unconscious for at least 12 hours, which allows me to travel all over the world.

Only problem is, they leave me narcoleptic* for another 12 hours.

__________________
The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful - E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

rebeccam

Wow, Haylo. Unless you WANT to be narcoleptic for 12 hours, taking just the anit-nausea meds (likely Meclizine or Dramaine brands or generics) may be sufficient, without the additional anti-anxiety med
The "travel sickness" meds are in the same "family" as Diphenhydramine, mentioned above. Taking something else on top of that --no wonder you feel like something knocked you flat on your back!

Haylo

Nope, dramamine etc is definitely not sufficient, that's why I finally ended up consulting my doctor in desparation as a last ditch alternative to cancelling an imminent long trip after the organisation I was traveling with changed its plans to a long distance ferry crossing at the last minute.

These days I'm perfectly okay flying for a few hours just with dramamine etc, but without being knocked out, over night ferry crossings and transatlantic flights leave me feeling extremely ill, not just during the travel, but for several days afterwards. While being drowsy for 24 hours sounds like a high price, it's nothing compared to the state I'd be in without them.

That is the whole point, apparently. My doc told me that while I was flat out, I wouldn't be sick, and he was absolutely right.

Put it this way, I've been horribly ill on a canal boat while it was still moored... Heh... after two days of feeling wretched, I finally felt well enough to eat and actually enjoyed the third day on the canal - only to feel ill all over again when I got off the boat and onto dry land that evening! Apparently you adjust or something..

Nick-H

Quite peculiar that I have a sleep problem; most of my life I had a waking-up problem! Without boring you with the details, or entirely hijacking the thread, it began with a period of intense anxiety a couple of years ago, and is coupled with a natural tendency towards being nocturnal.

Confession time: yes, I regularly take these things, but never more than one 0.25mg in one day. If I stop taking them, nothing happens, except I don't sleep until about 5.00am, and don't wake until about 12.00 or 1.00pm. Now, I'm not working, so there are many ways in which that is not a practical problem, but it is very antisocial, even within the home, having a wife who is almost always fast asleep by 10.30pm, and who can be awake as early as 6.00. It still sort of works out, because she spends her morning hours doing prayer, meditation, reading and so on.

It comes in handy when I visit UK, because I don't need to change my biological clock --- but, suddenly, it fits with UK day/night! At least it does as long as I'm not there long enough to go nocturnal again.

Anyway, I am looking into alternatives. I sometimes use a herbal mixture (valerian, skullcap) which knocks me out fairly well, but doesn't keep me asleep through any night disturbance. I've been thinking of trying melatonin, but haven't been able to get it yet.

I noticed (from his sign) that the ENT man I'm currently seeing for clogged-up ears also treats sleep disorders. The final confession is that I have a sneeking suspicion that any doctor will say, "Get more excercise; get physically tired out"

I sometimes take one pill for a ten-hour flight. Then it is not a total knockout, but does seem to make the flight go a lot faster! In principle, though, I think it would be a lot safer to be ready for anything on a plane, not doped up.

Haylo, I was seasick on a boating pond as a kid. Twenty years later, I was a keen sailor, with very little effect on the stomach. I love that feeling that the earth is rolling under your feet that you get when you've been afloat for a few days, or even hours .

I read that Nelson suffered dreadful seasickness for the first seven days of his trips

Haylo

That is good news, and you're right, my motion sickness also has definitely lessened with my recent spate of frequent travelling. In fact I'm banking on it, because in a month's time I'm being extremely rash and taking the Trans Asia Express for the three day journey from Istanbul to Tehran - for £37 for a sleeper, I couldn't resisit the opportunity! Erm... WHY do I do these things?

Yeah, but at least he wasn't dumb enough to only ever take six day trips!

EDITED TO ADD: That sounds awful, I really didn't mean that it's good news that you were ill as a child, honest!