Chemical alternatives to self-harm

was recently in the psychward and on a particularly bad day wanting to self harm was sedated with a PRN dose of Seroquel. I'm of the opinion that this cannot be a go to option for every time I feel that need. do other people have experiences with this method of coping and how well has it worked? in this particular instance it worked well for the two days in question. So what are your views on drug sedation vs traditional distraction techniques? Drug / distraction preference?

I have used meds (benzos) when in an highly anxious and agitated state and wanting to self harm, but it has always been more about trying to calm/slow down than the focus on trying not to self harm.

It's not something I do on a regular basis (I hate doing it), because the meds are nasty with side effects, and one dose pretty much knocks me out (my GP says to me that maybe my body actually needs that sometimes), but more when it gets to a point where I don't feel like I can't stand it any longer and I need to do something before getting self destructive.

But it's definitely not something I could do every time I am wanting to self harm though. I leave it for the ones where all else has failed.

What has your treatment team said about it?

thanks for that Lilly, perhaps I should of been clearer. I'm not talking about using meds every time but when things are quite bad. where do you draw the line between conventional distraction and drug intervention. I doubt there is a set point for this, rather a spectrum based on many aspects of our lives. But I still think it could be an interesting discussion

I kind of thought you might be talking more about the extreme moments.

As to where the line is- I don't think I really have a specific point, and I guess there's going to be days where the triggers are not really the same, but I usually make the decision based on which things are just not working to calm me down when they would usually have some effect.

See my P Doc on Monday. going to raise this with him.
I seem to have 3 levels of 'need':
0 general day to day, not counted
1 a general desire that is easy to deal with, I can read or write
2 more destructive and anxious only sometimes able to write but can read
3 painful need, not able to write at all and reading is also hard. this is where the drugs come in.

not quite sure how to raise all this but it should go down ok, he's pretty laid back most of the time.
any hints to take in with me?

Hi
I have a mild sedative I take quite routinely to keep from getting to a really agitated and anxious state. It has worked ok to keep me a bit calmer and that makes it easier to deal with sh urges. I wish it would take the urges away but it doesnt.
Hope your appt goes ok and that your doc is helpful.

Well I finally took it up with my PDoc and he was pretty supportive about the idea, seems to think that I'm capable of determining that threshold myself. kind of makes me feel good when someone has faith in me. I've not gotten to that stage again since though so it's kind of untested but I'm in a better place despite some recent setbacks.

let you know how it goes

Just a quick reply to first post.
Ive been on Seroquel 300mg/day for 15years - managed to get myself off it. It did nothing but knock me out. As for an alternative to self harm - only answer I have found is to tell my daughter - the pain she feels is enough to stop me.