Hi there I'm new to this forum. I've suffered from anxiety for many years now, i think it all started when I suddenly lost my father 8 years ago when I was only 26. After his death I was given citalopram and bromazepam (a drug similar to Valium that's commonly used in Italy where I'm from). I was on citalopram for a year and taking occasionally bromazepam (like once or twice a week). I tried other antidepressants like fluoxetine for a bit but stopped when I thought I was better and never really looked after my mental health I know it's wrong. I moved to the U.K. 3 y ago with my husband and kid and have developed a dependency to weed which I think made me even more anxious. Recently i cut down dramatically on the week, like smoking once or twice a week as opposed to every night but I've been taking some bromazepam to sleep at night. I've been getting bromazepam from Italy when I go and visit but never really abused it except for the occasional 10/15 drops to help me sleep. I never mentioned this to my gp that I probably saw twice in three years with the same anxiety issue. At first I was given sertraline which I took for a few months but then I stopped. I went back for my anxiety 2 months ago and I was advised to contact the NHS time to talk support group which I never followed through. I booked an appointment with my gp a few weeks ago and I'm due to see him in a few days but in the meantime I suffered what was a terrible loss for me. 5 days ago I had to put my beloved dog to sleep as he suddenly got kidney failure, he was 12 years old and I loved him more than anything in this world (not counting my son and husband of course). This sudden loss left me completely distraught and for the past 6 days I've been finding comfort in taking my drops. My anxiety is up
The roof mixed with terrible grief. I am desperate. I had 2 (small!) bottles of bromazepam left and went through half of one in 6 days. I even had my mom send me more from Italy (they give it very easily there) by post and now I'm panicked it might get stopped at customs. My experience with gp here is not very extensive however I have a feeling they don't like giving you benzodiazepines. I don't know what to say to my gp as I know he will probably just give me citalopram or something similar but i need something to relax me when the panic that I lost my furry baby suddenly hits me. I've even been buying otc Codeine with paracetamol and I take about 4 tablets a day (never more than the recommended dosage). My question is what can I say to my gp, being honest about my recent use of benzodiazepines? I'd be happy if they gave me something similar that would help me tackle the panic attacks I'm getting and help me sleep although I know that Valium or Xanax would work for me. Even with my night drops I wake up several times and can't sleep. What's your experience with gp giving you Valium or similar? I also had Xanax in the past and found it helped. I know I have a problem with addiction but right nor I really need to go through this loss and then I can take care of that. What would you do
In my place? Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for any reply i really appreciate it