I am skeptical regarding the drugs prescribed to me. Kindly help.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I have a panic disorder and severe insomnia worsened by my anxiety. My doctor prescribed me Ambien 5 mg or Zolfresh 5 mg at night, Paxil-CR 12.5 mg at night, Etizolam 0.5 mg twice a day and Divalproex 500 mg once in a day. I also have suicidal ideations when I do not sleep well and gets panicked. Out of all, I did not take Zolfresh, but was able to sleep well in the last two days by the combination of others. I have a period of panic attacks, but they are a few. I really want to ask if the prescribed drugs might be overdose as the main problem with me is major depressive disorder and panic attack brought out by not sleeping well. I am skeptical regarding the drugs prescribed and I want to know the side effects due to a combination of those.

Answered by Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through the query and understand your concerns.

If your diagnosis is panic disorder, anxiety and major depressive disorder, then the prescription of Paxil CR (Paroxetine) and Etizolam is completely on the line of treatment and I do not feel anybody should raise any doubt.

Regarding Divalproex 500 mg, it is not a medication used to treat the above mentioned disorders. It can be used for conditions such as aggression, mood swings, irritability, suicidal thoughts and others.

Considering that you have the suicidal thoughts, it can be said that it was indicated when you last met your psychiatrist. I request you to discuss the reason for prescription of Divalproex 500 mg on your next visit. I also state that it is not something unusual when you have suicidal thoughts.

Regarding the Ambien or Zolfresh (Zolpidem), the only use of this medicine is induction of sleep. Since you are able to sleep with other medications, I feel it can be stopped without further questioning.

In case you have difficulty with sleep, then it can be taken on need basis. So, it can be said that there is no need to take Zolfresh on a regular basis.

My advice about future courses, if you have good control with your symptoms, then please discuss with your doctor to reduce the dose of Divalproex in near future.

If you still have symptoms and crossed more than four weeks with current medications, then there is need to up the dose of Paxil-CR. We can take up to 60 mg of Paxil in a day when necessary.

Since Etizolam is Benzodiazepine a call should be taken to decrease the dose of Etizolam when your condition is stabilized.

For further doubts consult a psychiatrist online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/psychiatrist

Was this answer helpful?

Dr. Ashok Kumar Choudhary

Geriatrics

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