My Script for Xanax is running out :-(

[cocteau2x]

Hello,

I am currently taking Xanax as needed and have a prescription for 2mg x180 (2 month supply) written to me in the USA March 29 2016.

I am in the process of tapering off it so I do not take all the doses I am "allowed" per the prescription.

I have a photocopy of the prescription with me ... the pharmacy in USA takes the original when they fill it.

after reading many posts on this topic ..

... am I correct that I can just go to a government hospital ... I am closest to Banglamung Hospital

and see a doctor there .. and he/she could help me get more?

Will my prescription be enough info for them?

Will they be able to fill the whole 2 month supply?

Thank You for your help.

[cocteau2x]

Wow .?.. 71 views in 2 hours?

And no one knows anything?

I'm a blowfish!

[gamini]

you can get it at most private hospitals without any problem especially the large ones. you will have to see a doctor which may cost 300 to 500 baht. they will give you a prescription for 3 months supply of 1 mg tablets. But I get 0.5mg and take half one. Government hospitals are very wary about sleeping tablets and I have never been able to get them at a government hospital but they gave me lorapazam instead

[Sheryl]

You can see a doctor at any hospital but no guarantee they will prescribe this and if they do, they will certainly not give you 2 month supply at one time. One month would be max and might be less. This drug is tightly controlled in Thailand and hospitals limit the amount they dispense.

More likely to succeed at a private hospital and be sure to see a psychiatrist specializing in anxiety disorders but even then be prepared that you will get limited amount and nred to make repeat visits for refill.

There are non-adddictive alternatives to benzos for the management of anxiety. I can recommend a psychiatrist specliazing in addiction problems who would help you graduallly wean off xanax and onto a bettter (non addictive) alternative if you want.

[donnybay]

Out of interest, do you get any side affects from long term use? its supposed to be very hard to come off Xanax

I took it for a few days once, and yes it felt great, but took me weeks to stop wanting more

[alfalfa19]

If you are serious about getting off this drug, and I hope you are, the only sensible way to do it is with a qualified doctor's supervision. I have a lot of experience with this, and i won't bore you with the details, but i stopped taking them suddenly, and suffered greatly for months. A gradual taper, under doctor's supervision, is the only way to do this. This stuff is easy to get in thailand, don't make the mistake of increasing your intake because it's so readily available in great quantities.

[fstarbkk]

Wow, 6mg a day would pretty much render me comatose! Alprazolam (Xanax) is indeed widely available in Thailand. The local generics are cheap and effective in my experience. But if you are/ were on that kind of dosage, you most definitely want to taper off under qualified medical supervision.

[Sheryl]

A post has been edited to remove reference to illegal activity.

It is illlegal to obtainthis other than from a hospital pharmacy on prezcription.

[evilebxxx]

3 months of acute benzoic withdraw – 12 months 0f hell – 3 months of hellish withdraw – getting worse not better each month – 18 months of benzoic hellish expected.

Out of interest, do you get any side affects from long term use? its supposed to be very hard to come off Xanax

I took it for a few days once, and yes it felt great, but took me weeks to stop wanting more

[PocoLoco]

Go to bumrungrad, the idiotic doctors at the mental health / psychiatry clinic give out benzo's like candy. Guaranteed to get your fix there.

Edited July 23, 2016 by PocoLoco

[evilebxxx]

3 months of acute benzoic withdraw – 12 months 0f hell – 3 months of hellish withdraw – getting worse not better each month – 18 months of benzoic hellish expected.

Out of interest, do you get any side affects from long term use? its supposed to be very hard to come off Xanax

I took it for a few days once, and yes it felt great, but took me weeks to stop wanting more

[mango124]

Acquaintance said he got 20 Xanax for 200 baht from Doctor...uses them to help with jet lag occasionally.

[Airalee]

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

[evilebxxx]

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=54.0

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

Lifed from BB - At 3 years I was still living a nightmare. The good news, even though at 4 years I though I would never heal at a 5 years I finally had a decent amount of improvement.

I now firmly belive all improve and improve to the point of a navigable life.

Edited July 24, 2016 by evilebxxx

[Airalee]

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=54.0

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

At 3 years I was still living a nightmare. The good news, even though at 4 years I though I would never heal at a 5 years I finally had a decent amount of improvement.

I now firmly belive all improve and improve to the point of a navigable life.

Yes, it definitely takes time. I was prescribed 1mg klonopin for many years and it took me about 8 months to taper off. I was free for 5 years. Currently, because of a botched turbinate surgery, some nights (maybe 50% of the time) I need 5mg of Valium in order to sleep and I'm already dreading the inevitable taper. And 6mg Xanax is equivalent to 120mg Valium. I couldn't imagine what it would be like (or how long it would take) to taper off that much. Quitting smoking cigarettes was a walk in the park compared to quitting benzos.

Benzobuddies.org is a great place for information and Dr. Ashton's taper schedule is pretty much the bible when it comes time to wean off. Quitting cold turkey is very very VERY dangerous.

[PocoLoco]

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=54.0

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

At 3 years I was still living a nightmare. The good news, even though at 4 years I though I would never heal at a 5 years I finally had a decent amount of improvement.

I now firmly belive all improve and improve to the point of a navigable life.

Yes, it definitely takes time. I was prescribed 1mg klonopin for many years and it took me about 8 months to taper off. I was free for 5 years. Currently, because of a botched turbinate surgery, some nights (maybe 50% of the time) I need 5mg of Valium in order to sleep and I'm already dreading the inevitable taper. And 6mg Xanax is equivalent to 120mg Valium. I couldn't imagine what it would be like (or how long it would take) to taper off that much. Quitting smoking cigarettes was a walk in the park compared to quitting benzos.

Benzobuddies.org is a great place for information and Dr. Ashton's taper schedule is pretty much the bible when it comes time to wean off. Quitting cold turkey is very very VERY dangerous.

There are other meds than benzos that can help with sleep. Think about the z-drugs like ambien etc. These also have a withdrawal period but not so extreme as with benzos. The problem is that any GABAergic compound will cause tolerance after a while, and recovering from that can take a long time.

You know that every time you get on a benzo it will be more difficult to come off? I'd taper the diazepam asap if i were you.

[cocteau2x]

You can see a doctor at any hospital but no guarantee they will prescribe this and if they do, they will certainly not give you 2 month supply at one time. One month would be max and might be less. This drug is tightly controlled in Thailand and hospitals limit the amount they dispense.

More likely to succeed at a private hospital and be sure to see a psychiatrist specializing in anxiety disorders but even then be prepared that you will get limited amount and nred to make repeat visits for refill.

There are non-adddictive alternatives to benzos for the management of anxiety. I can recommend a psychiatrist specliazing in addiction problems who would help you graduallly wean off xanax and onto a bettter (non addictive) alternative if you want.

I have no intention of getting in to a Doctor/Patient relationship with a new doctor here. I have a great doctor in the USA that I have been seeing for 40+ years. I am not about to get a new doctor that wants to start all over at the beginning .. my history with mental illness is toooo long and Too complicated.

Also, after working as a nurse in the ICU at The University of Iowa Hospitals and clinics for 10 years I know fro experience that some doctors are MUCH BETTER than others. The chance of running in to some "know it all" (as in not bothering to listen to me .. the patient ) docotr here in Thailand is great.

I know my body .. and I know what I need to do. My last prescription was written in March... I hardly ever take more than 1-2 Xanax a day .. and only if I need them ...

Actually I am probably at the point I can just go cold turkey .. but, why suffer when I do not have to. Yes, I am fully aware of the risks of stopping these meds .. and I I am not worried about it.

I really can take care of myself. :-)

Doctors sometime forget they are working for YOU ... and they do not know everything (maybe surgeons are the exception ...) especially psych doctors .. and Internists (some of the most worthless doctors there are ... :-) ... too many doctors think they know what is best for the patient without really talking with them and listening (but, many people want that ... someone to tell them what to do)

I will just continue to get the meds from the USA and deal with it that way ...

Thank You for all your advice and comments everyone.

Edited July 25, 2016 by cocteau2x

[kbelyeu]

You can see a doctor at any hospital but no guarantee they will prescribe this and if they do, they will certainly not give you 2 month supply at one time. One month would be max and might be less. This drug is tightly controlled in Thailand and hospitals limit the amount they dispense.

More likely to succeed at a private hospital and be sure to see a psychiatrist specializing in anxiety disorders but even then be prepared that you will get limited amount and nred to make repeat visits for refill.

There are non-adddictive alternatives to benzos for the management of anxiety. I can recommend a psychiatrist specliazing in addiction problems who would help you graduallly wean off xanax and onto a bettter (non addictive) alternative if you want.

I have no intention of getting in to a Doctor/Patient relationship with a new doctor here. I have a great doctor in the USA that I have been seeing for 40+ years. I am not about to get a new doctor that wants to start all over at the beginning .. my history with mental illness is toooo long and Too complicated.

Also, after working as a nurse in the ICU at The University of Iowa Hospitals and clinics for 10 years I know fro experience that some doctors are MUCH BETTER than others. The chance of running in to some "know it all" (as in not bothering to listen to me .. the patient ) docotr here in Thailand is great.

I know my body .. and I know what I need to do. My last prescription was written in March... I hardly ever take more than 1-2 Xanax a day .. and only if I need them ...

Actually I am probably at the point I can just go cold turkey .. but, why suffer when I do not have to. Yes, I am fully aware of the risks of stopping these meds .. and I I am not worried about it.

I really can take care of myself. :-)

Doctors sometime forget they are working for YOU ... and they do not know everything (maybe surgeons are the exception ...) especially psych doctors .. and Internists (some of the most worthless doctors there are ... :-) ... too many doctors think they know what is best for the patient without really talking with them and listening (but, many people want that ... someone to tell them what to do)

I will just continue to get the meds from the USA and deal with it that way ...

Thank You for all your advice and comments everyone.

There is no need to start a new doctor patient relationship. Visit any of the government hospitals.. tell them you need meds, visit the doctor for 10 minutes, collect your meds, pay and off you go all in less than 30 minutes.

Just a note.. they will not give out more than a 30 day supply.

Kurt

[robblok]

It depends where you are----- I still have friends that buy across the counter in Issan, but even that seems to be drying up a little.....if your in Pattaya, you may find some where with older stock.

Yes i used to be able to get it over the counter too at certain pharmacies around nana.. but that has dried up too.

[Sheryl]

More posts discussing illegal activity have been removed.

I think the original question has been answered -- have to get this at a hospital, which will involve a short consultation with a doctor, and will not get more than a month supply at a time. Some doctors may hesitate to supply it. Having a medical certif/summary from doctor back home will usually help in that respect.

Please note that it is illegal to bring in more than 30 day supply with you when you enter the country. While the quantity aspect is usually not strictly enforced for prescription meds (as long as it looks consistent with personal use), meds that are controlled substances will be looked at more closely.

Also please note that for bringing in xanax it is required that you have a medical certificate that states:

Your name and address
Diagnosis
Name of the medication(s) and "reason that those medications were prescribed for the patient's treatment"
Prescribed dosage and total amount prescribed
Physician's name, address and license number.


Closed.