Posted by Shyone on June 21, 2010, at 2:38:04
In reply to Re: Xanax, Benzodiazepines, and Breathing Problems » Shyone, posted by violette on June 20, 2010, at 11:56:50
Hi Violette,
Thanks so much for your response and advice. I think I finally pinned down the source of my problem. As I mentioned before, I noticed that there's a definite connection between my cat getting close to me and my coughing and shortness of breath. I don't care if the allergist said the tests she gave me were negative. All I know is how I feel. The other two cats I had in my life seemed to do the same thing, and because I was on a Benzodiazepine around the same time, where as you said it depresses breathing, it made my growing irritation to each cat's dander worse.
My dilemma now is that I love my cat who's 12 years old and could easily live 6 to 8 more years. The thought of putting her to sleep simply kills me. I also don't want to poison myself with allergy shots to the protein she produces -- if they would even work. I miraculously almost breathe perfectly when I wear a surgical type face mask, even though it's not very comfortable to have to breathe that way. So that convinces me even more that it's the cat.
I'll see if I can get someone in my building to take care of her for money, plus food and litter, while I see if there's a difference; and permanently if necessary, so I can visit her regularly and make sure she's well taken care of. I just hope I can afford it. I pray that I can find such a person who's decent and responsible. No matter what, it will kill me. But keeping the cat will literally "kill me!"
I just hope that this would solve the problem and that it's not something more serious that's going on with me, like Pulmonary Hypertension for example, COPD, or who knows what else.My other problem is that I have high blood pressure after recently leaving the hospital where I had to get a pacemaker for a very slow and irregular heart beat. The doctors think it was the Nardil (MAO Inhibitor antidepressant) that I had been taking for 30 years -- which did a great job at controlling my panic disorder/depressive illness -- that was the cause of the damage to my heart (the nerve cells that conduct the electrical signals).
Any antidepressant or stimulant drug can stress out my heart, which is why they're reluctant to start me on any other one. Also, antihistamines can affect the heart. And both of these medications can also affect the blood pressure negatively. So far, since the Nardil suddenly stopped working after getting an expired refill, my blood pressure has been seriously high and I'll probably have to take an ace inhibitor in addition to the water pills I've been put on.
Again, thanks for the kind advice and I'll look into it and every other possibility. I wore the mask all day long today and can already breathe much better and am coughing a lot less. In fact, I'm wearing it as I'm typing this post.
Warm regards,
Suzanne
poster:Shyone
thread:951510
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100615/msgs/951702.html