drugs and the autonomic system

[aPerfectCircle]

i used to take anything anyone would give me...now im terrified of drugs and medication of any sort in case they **** with my autonomic system.

i guess i have my answer for opiates. i can easily stop using them.

what about weed? for me personally, i find if my simptoms of heat/burning are mild or moderate, it *really* helps me feel the actual temperature (ie cold at the moment) for a few hours...unfortunatly it makes my heart go crazy. i only recently started getting horrible palpatations again (havent had those for almost a ear) and problems with digestion...although those last two things dont bother me as much as the heat.

anyway back to the point. does weed hurt or even affect your autonomic system? i have looked it up on the internet but all i get is "weed is great and harmless" propaganda which i know is not true

benzodiazapines? i rarely take these even though i have a lot because i am scared of addiction, i find these really help me for a short time, but do they have any negative affects on the autonomic system?

thanks. sorry for the rant.

APC

[MightyMouse]

all drugs, whether prescribed, over the counter, or otherwise obtained--with dysautonomia you might get failure to respond, over-response, normal response, or a whole host of unwanted side effects. Which of these will it be for you? Seems the answer with this disorder is that it's a highly idiosyncratic thing--one girl's magic potion is another girls poison.

I happen to be a florinef "responder" according to my one doctor who's a researcher in ANS dysfunction. According to him, I'm in the minority. Many of the patiets he sees get little or moderate help from that medication. For me, it was a wonder drug.

Bottom line is you typically wont know how a drug will act upon *you* unless you try... and the folks here will tell you that we typically try a very low dose to start, just in case it's not a good drug for you.

Nina