Kurt Codean
Member
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2015
- Messages
- 350
I want to share an experience I had while I was experimenting with Beta Blockers that wound up putting me in the hospital for 4 days. I think I got the idea that Beta Blockers could be used off label to treat anxiety from watching an episode of House. Sure enough I looked it up and read on Wikipedia that Beta Blockers are sometimes used off label for anxiety/stage-fright. The real purpose of Beta Blockers is to treat people who have high blood pressure. Beta Blockers lower your blood pressure. Me being pretty much an idiot decided to give this a try when I realized by mom had a bottle of Atenolol (a beta blocker to treat high blood pressure) in her medicine cabinet. I was thinking that maybe it would have a benzo effect like cl0nazepam or zanax, and would ease my anxiety. The problem was I was also taking 100mg phen0barbital pills that I procured from an online source in an attempt to self medicate and treat my insomnia. I took one Beta Blocker at night before bed and didn't really feel anything unusual, but I also either took phen0barbitals during that same day or a day before, i don't quite remember, but I do know that Phen0barbital has a long half-life and stays in your system for a while. The following day I decided to give the Beta Blocker another go. This time I took one as I was on my way out of the house to do some grocery shopping. What happened next was one of the worst experiences of my life. My memory of what happened after I went out is really shady even today, I vaguely remember walking the streets in my area, but the next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital room completely disorientated, not knowing where I was or how I even got there. The hospital called my mom and she was there when I woke up, which was like 2 days later after I left to do the grocery shopping. Apparently I was asleep or in a coma for 2 days straight. When I finally woke up it was the strangest feeling, it was kind of like being born into the world for the first time. I had no idea where I was. I later learned that while I was out I went to a burger king and at some point fainted and was pretty much out cold in the store lying face down. I don't remember any of that and somehow I managed not to mangle my face when it hit the ground because I didn't have any facial bruises or lacerations. But after i came too and realized what had happened I tried to get out of the hospital bed an leave but nurses restrained me. I was in an out of consciousness for a day or two after first waking up and slowly regained my strength. But by the time I was able go to the bathroom on my own I ended up collapsing once I got near the toilet. It was quite an embarrassing situation, but i was so dazed that I wasn't really feeling too embarrassed. I guess my motor functions were weak at that point because I was in bed for so long. It took me another day or two to be able to finally check out from the hospital and go home. But not before the Hospital psychiatrist paid me a visit and asked me if I was suicidal. I said no but honestly I may have been. I couldn't open up to the psychiatrist because my mother was in the room and I didn't want her to know what was going on with me. I told the psychiatrist I was just trying to get high and not suicidal and that what happened was an accident. I really didn't intend to kill myself but this was a very dark time in my life where I really didn't feel too enthusiastic about life in general. I basically said what I needed to say just to get out of there and let my mom get back home and not worry about me. They asked me if I was in any rehab program and I told them that I was, but I stopped going and they told me to go back to it. I said I would but I never did. That was the last time I experimented with any substances for which I had no idea what effects it would have or how it would interact with any other meds in my system. I've been super careful since then to not mess with anything that I had no experience with. The last thing I needed was another trip to the hospital and my mom worrying about me. Also I'm glad I don't remember the part where i fainted but I thought about it later and that must of freaked the other customers out. So I felt a little ashamed that this happened to me and that I may have possibly traumatized others who witnessed this. Also I remember having $300 in my wallet when I left the house before I passed out, because I just got money back from a tax return, but when I checked out of the hospital and put my clothes back on, I only had $40 in my wallet. I think one of the EMTs must of taken some of my money, which is not surprising considering the area where I live in. It could of been a nurse or someone else, I have no way of knowing because I was unconscious for a couple of days. I figure it was someone who worked at the hospital because if it was someone off the street why would they leave $40? My thinking was whoever took it had some mercy on me and left me enough money so I could take a cab home form the hospital.
I honestly don't know if this was from the Beta blocker alone or if it was from an interaction with the phenobarbital in my system. They did a tox screen on me and they found barbiturates and beta blockers in my system. So word of advice be careful using Beta Blockers for off label use unless you really know what you are doing. I for one will never touch that stuff again unless a doctor prescribes it to me if I have high blood pressure some day in the future.
KC>
I honestly don't know if this was from the Beta blocker alone or if it was from an interaction with the phenobarbital in my system. They did a tox screen on me and they found barbiturates and beta blockers in my system. So word of advice be careful using Beta Blockers for off label use unless you really know what you are doing. I for one will never touch that stuff again unless a doctor prescribes it to me if I have high blood pressure some day in the future.
KC>
