Only comment about the medicine is that some medicines tend to take a couple of weeks before you do not notice effects. I do think not driving is a wise idea. You might want to see a foot specialist about that nerve damage, not a podiatrist. My daughter in law's wife was a chef for most of her life, CIA and she has major problems with her feet. While it is too late for her there are shoes and other things that can help stabilize for a while. Sadly few things will repair nerve damage when the area is in constant use.

It is a no go for me. Does not play nice with my heart. You can Google for real user experience. For some it's OK for others it's terrible. Really depends on all health issues and current medications. There can be interactions.

I'm so sorry for your anxiety, that is unfortunate timing for your rental plans and for your boss.

As for your medication, my advice is applicable to any medication: read the fine print on the insert. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about interactions with common foods, drinks (caffeine, alcohol especially), any other prescriptions you have, AND any and all supplements you buy over the counter -- including any and all vitamins, herbs, natural extracts, anything and everything.

And read the fine print on the back of any Dietary Supplement -- they can add ingredients that are not intuitive from reading the big letters on the front of the bottle.

Lars I'm so sorry your STVR plans are on hold. Working in a competitive design industry for 30 years....pat yourself on the back. Most don't last that long. You own 2 properties, good job! Nice accomplishment! I don't have a medical background......but...I know rentals my friend. Are you Ok with a one year lease?

Nicole, I am not okay with a one year lease, since we want to use the house occasionally ourselves, but the ban is on rentals that are less than 30 days. Therefore we could do one, two, or three month rentals. I know that there are some Canadians who come to Palm Springs/Cathedral City for two months in the winter, and I am very open to that. I don't really want to be there in the high season that much (which is November through April), partly because it is somewhat crowded in Palm Springs during that time and partly because it is actually warmer in Los Angeles in January and February. There are some events in Palm Springs that I would like to go to that happen during the peak season, and then there is the tamale festival in Indio, which is in December, and it looks like we will be able to go to that. I actually liked Cathedral City in the summer much more than I thought I would, and I spend a lot of time there in August. Since we have a very large pool with a great view, I was happy, although I need we need to have the A/C looked at, as it would sometimes not get below 80° in the afternoon inside the house. A quick dip in the pool was helpful, but I try to stay out of the sun.

Nickel, I gave the psychiatrist a list of all the medications and supplements I am taking, and since he is part of the UCLA network where I have my insurance, all of my medical history is available to him. He noted when I had surgery to remove a tumor on my parathyroid gland and also saw that I use a CPAP machine.

The bad thing about my prescription is that I had the doctor send the prescription to my delivery service, and the pills arrived with absolutely no literature or information about side effects or warnings, etc. The bottles do say "May make you sleepy or dizzy. Alcohol may increase the effect. Use care when operating a vehicle, vessel, or machinery." That's about all the warning I got.

I'm going to wait to go to the drug store for the supplement until Kevin can take me there.

Nicole, it is also helpful to hear your compliments! They do help my self-esteem, and that helps me battle the anxiety. I think the medication is working also, however, as I feel calmer and more optimistic than I did before taking it. I do think that things will work themselves out, and as suggested, we can do a longer term rental if necessary. The only issue with that is that we will have to rent it furnished, and so that may limit the number of people interested.

At this point, I think we will wait until January to plan on renting the house, and this gives us more time to do any repairs or touch-ups that we want to do. If you look at my Bathroom Idea Page, you can see the bathrooms in progress, especially Kevin's. We're just waiting on the glass doors to complete the bathrooms.

I am assuming that this is a prescription? I looked it up and I didn't see any mention of it helping anxiety. I took a supplement with "gabba" in the name but I had to stop because it made me very sleepy. So I have a friend who recommended Holy Basil for anxiety, got it at the health food store. I had my doubts but I was desperate as my son had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's. I didn't want to have to ask for a prescription, I know too many who have done that and trying to go off of it was a nightmare. The first day that I took it I thought "oh, this stuff is useless" because there were absolutely no side effects. None, so I thought it wasn't working. But by the end of the day I happened to notice that I had not been pacing the floor, wringing my hands and crying all day. Don't get me wrong, I still thought about it and got upset but then I was able to just move on and do what I needed to do quickly. So I highly recommend it. It's an East Indian herb known as "tulsi" and there is a lot of information out there if you want to look it up. Whatever you do I hope you get some relief, stress and anxiety are very bad for your health and no fun.

lars, I'm sorry for the stresses you're facing. I hope the situation improves for you.

As I mentioned in another recent thread, I think concerning shingles, I've been taking gabapentin (in brand form Neurontin) for nearly 20 years. It has an off-label but widely recognized benefit for restless leg syndrome, and that's what I take it for. I take 1200 mg all at once, just before bedtime. I've had no side effects. For me, drinking alcohol too close to bedtime limits its effectiveness. So no more nightcaps or late night drinking sessions for me.

I can't say what else it's used for, what side effects there are, or anything else. It has worked reliably for me for many years but everyone is different.

Lars, I am so sorry that you are going through a stressful time. I cannot comment on the medication, but I did want to ask a question/make a comment on the STVR ban...

To your knowledge, was the City Council (or whatever entity applied the ban) considering it prior to the date it was enacted? I ask because California has very strict real estate disclosure laws. If the ban had been "in the works" or "under consideration" prior to the time you purchased the home, the seller and his/her agent had an obligation to disclose that to you. You may be able to bring an action against the seller/seller's agent and recoup the money that you need to pay off the loan, which would ease some of your stress.

I wish you the best!

"If the ban had been "in the works" or "under consideration" prior to the time you purchased the home, the seller and his/her agent had an obligation to disclose that to you."

I don't think this is correct.

There's a Transfer Disclosure Statement required by the California Civil Code and for which the California Association of Realtors provides a standard form that's periodically updated. With the exception of perfunctory factual questions with boxes to check or leave blank about what the property does or doesn't have - a dishwasher, a water heater and what kind, water and sewage connections and what kind, etc.- all of the standard "disclosures" and questions asked are prefaced with "Is the seller aware of ......... . The buyer is permitted to make their own inspection and determine if there's anything else to know.

If the seller isn't aware of something, they're not aware and there's nothing a seller need investigate or be concerned about having omitted. Legal due diligence for any kind of transaction, if any, is always a buyer's responsibility to look after on their own.

Source of my info - I bought a property in California in the last 12 months and I just reviewed the documents I was provided at that time.

Lars - I'm about to meet my neighbor for a walk, so I'll be quick for now. I'm sorry for your stress.

One thing to think about if the ban goes on for a while is renting to nurses. I have a couple friends who are about to, or who have already, done this. Usually it's 3-6 month stints and my understanding is they make good tenants. Not ideal, but could solve the immediate challenge.

I believe the ban was under consideration from June 24 but did not go into effect until July 27. I do not think that being under consideration gives me any rights, as it could have gone either way. Still, my real estate agent had told me that I would be able to rent this property as a short term rental, which was one of my requirements for buying it. I'm not holding him responsible for not knowing what was under consideration by Cathedral City, but he did inform me about the law that Palm Springs was considering, as he lives in Palm Springs. We were looking in both Palm Springs and Cathedral City, but Cathedral City had more of what we wanted, and it is popular with short term renters.

As for it being the buyers' responsibility to look after their own, I don't think it would have been easy for us to predict what was going to happen. Also, a lot of people in Cathedral City and most people in Palm Springs did not know this was under consideration at the time. Things happen, and we will deal with it without the consideration of having to blame anyone.

I will have to look into the Holy Basil and "tulsi". I wonder if I could grow it.

There have been studies that show meditation is as effective as anti-anxiety and anti-depressant drugs. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3772979/

Considering it has no costs and no side effects other than feeling good, I'd recommend trying it. There are mindfulness meditations on line that you can listen to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2zdUXve6fQ

Or I like the ones at meditation oasis where they have podcasts targeted for different issues. https://www.meditationoasis.com/podcast

As far as the side effects of the gabapentin, you can go to RXlist.com https://www.rxlist.com/script/main/hp.asp and look up any drug and read all about usage and side effects.

I was prescribed gabapentin as neurontin for a completely different reason and had to give it up within a couple of days as it gave me terrible cramps and diarrhea that were only getting worse. I won't be taking it again.

Lars, from what I've been told by 2 Indian health professionals, Tulsi is a sacred and revered herb used for centuries for different purposes and they both said that "all Indian families have it growing in the garden". I've never tried to grow it mainly because I'm lazy and the seeds have to be ordered online since it's not available in the big box stores. If you know an Indian family they might be able to supply you with the seeds or even small plants, I'm assuming that it isn't hard to grow. It is often used in a tea drink. All I know is, when I mentioned it to my Doctor who is Indian and to a local Indian pharmacist, as soon as I mentioned "tulsi" they got this very warm smile on their face as if I had mentioned their grandmother or something - weird. And neither one knew what "holy basil" was - I guess it's an English term given to it. When I asked my doctor whether he thought it was OK for me to take he said by all means - it wouldn't hurt and that besides helping with anxiety there are other health benefits from it's use. I asked him if it was a placebo effect that I thought it helped and he said no that it really does help. So I guess my next question is, why do they all want to put us on a prescription drug with dangerous side effects when this is completely harmless and does the job? I guess they can't prescribe anything that isn't FDA regulated by law. And yes I realize that since it isn't regulated there could be anything in those tablets but sometimes we just have to have faith. I've never had a problem with it at all.

He gave you anti-seizure medication for anxiety? Weird! My husband got it for his severe headaches (not migraines... lets just say it's been a SEVEN year long headache). It did nothing. They tried Topriamate which is also an anti-seizure medication. Did not work. He now uses CBD, THC (also a 1:1 ratio if the pain is super bad) and pot, which actually do work. You could just try straight CBD oil (no you won't get stoned). A lot of people with anxiety say it works wonders for them. My daughter takes it by pill, just 25 mg a day and says she can tell when she misses day.

I am definitely set up for meditation, as least in Los Angeles, as my brother bought some crystal singing bowls for sound baths like the ones in this video:

They sound much better in person. My brother bought a whole set of seven crystal bowls, and they have a description of the note they play and the specific effect they are supposed to have. We were inspired by these bowls when we went for a sound bath at the Integraton in Landers the last time we went to Joshua Tree. The Integraton is less than an hour from our house in Cathedral City. Joshua Tree is 45 minutes from that house, and we enjoy going there as well. It is very easy to meditate in Cathedral City, as it is so quiet and peaceful. I have books and videos on yoga that I need to start using, and I think I will take some of them to Cathedral City. I might need to buy an additional yoga mat as well.

I ordered some Tulsi seeds, and I think they will be easy to grow in L.A.

I don't have any kind of seizures, but the Gabapentin is often prescribed for anxiety or panic attacks, which I am somewhat prone to have, but these are usually caused by a reaction to some other medication I take, such as Erythromycin or Claritin. That is not a generally known side effect listed for these drugs, but other people have had that reaction to them. Anyway, I have listed them as drugs that I am allergic to in my medical profile.

I will make a point to use the bowls that my brother has, but for now, I will continue to take the Gabapentin as I feel better today, and I did not oversleep, although I did have a nightmare this morning, which is typical for me and what woke me up, as I generally do not use an alarm, unless I have an appointment.

Lars, everything is going to be ok. It's just not how you thought things would go. Please think of the glass as half full, not half empty.

Rita, I take Holy Basil supplements too as I have bad anxiety and have to stay away from prescription pills right now. I feel calmer after I take it.

I also tried the GABA and it felt like a sedative so I stopped taking it. It was really strange.

Just so you know, here's what it says about Gabapentin. The starting dose for treating anxiety is 0.25-0.5 mg 3 to 4 times daily using immediate release tablets. The dose may be increased every 3-4 days to a maximum dose of 4 mg daily. The starting dose for treating panic attacks is 0.5 mg 3 times daily. Doses can be increased every 3-4 days but by no more than 1 mg daily.

A comment about holy basil. The various plant nurseries in this area sell several different basils under this name so which is the correct basil is difficult. You may have to take a plant to an Indian store and ask once yours sprout. A couple of years ago I stopped at the Indian store next to my art supplier and asked for a specific tea. They did not have it but when I stated I drank a cup in the evening to relax the owner showed me a box of tea that was labeled as having basil and I think lemon as the only ingredients. You might check if you have that type of store in your area to see what they have. I do know that the basil seeds for cooking are a fuzzy leafed thing and not a "normal" basil.

As far as the directions that used to be in every box of medicines some you can go on line and read the printout.

"The starting dose for treating anxiety is 0.25-0.5 mg 3 to 4 times daily using immediate release tablets. The dose may be increased every 3-4 days to a maximum dose of 4 mg daily. "

Yayagirl, double check your numbers, I checked an internet source and it said the smallest capsule available is 100 mg. Your cited .5mg would be one - two-hundredth (1/200) of the amount in the smallest capsule - an unlikely dose and apparently not available.

You certainly have good reason to feel anxiety. This is a lot to take all at one time, and it's hard not to focus on and ruminate about the problems -- resulting in more anxiety. You WILL come out the other side on this, though, and most likely without medication.

As for gabapentin, I do not want to start taking a powerful drug that I will never be able to stop taking, or that requires a long and difficult 'weaning' period. What else does your doctor have in his little black bag? What has helped you in the past? Xanax?

My DH has had two spells of anxiety attacks. The deep breathing exercises helped most, and he has learned how to use them to short-circuit his anxiety . He was also fortunate to find a psychiatrist who practices 'talk therapy', not one who schedules patients every 15 minutes to review drug use. He now sees his psychiatrist quarterly. He takes the minimum theraputic dose of duloxatine and a sub-minimum dose of aripiprizole. (It's a puzzle why 1.5 mg of aripiprizole helps him, but discontinuing it results in restless leg syndrome within 48 hours).

Let us know how you're doing.

My anxiety seems to have diminished, and I feel I am more able to look at things from a more rational viewpoint. I never used to worry about anything, but suddenly I felt like I had a financial crisis, when in reality I don't think I do. It is a setback, but I've had a lot of those recently. We had been trying to get our nephew to buy our land in Texas for six years and he only recently went through with the transaction. The delay cost us many thousands of dollars, but there was really not much we could do about it. This made me mad but not anxious. He will not be in my will nor in Kevin's.

Previously I was taking Librium for anxiety, and I took it only when I had panic attacks, and it was still working for me, but the psychiatrists said I should stop taking it, partly because I had been taking it occasionally for many years and partly because they thought that there were better drugs available now. I would feel better if I could see a psychiatrist more often, such as weekly or bi-weekly like I used to, but I will not be able to see the new psychiatrist for six weeks. However, he did give me his phone number to call in case I have a crisis, which I do not expect, but one never knows.

I am not so good at talking myself out of anxiety, but talking with others helps immensely, even if on-line. I feel like my best friends all live very far away, mostly in distant cities, and it would be nice to have close friends living closer. I think I might be able to develop new friendships in Cathedral City/Palm Springs, however, and it is certainly easier to drive there than it is here. Driving in Los Angeles can be scary and is often frustrating and irritating, but I've learned to be patient with the traffic. My sister is not patient with traffic, even where she lives in Austin. I'm not going to drive here if I feel at all dizzy, and fortunately I can get free rides to and front doctors' appointments through my insurance. I just have to call 24 hours in advance to schedule a ride.

I have not had Xanax in the past and do not think I want to use it. I did get good results with CBD oil, but I don't know whether my insurance would cover that. I'm concerned about my blood pressure at this point, as it seems to be elevated, and I don't know whether that was caused by the medication. Yesterday, when I did my workout on my elliptical machine, I noticed that I was able to complete the 30 minutes without having to force myself beyond the 10-15 minute part (I usually want to quit at that time), and I also had a better workout, burning 120 calories in 30 minutes instead of the usual 97. However, my heart rate was also quite a bit higher than normal. Usually it gets to a peak of 97, but yesterday it peaked at about 117. I think this is a good thing, however.

Lars, I'm just glad you're feeling better.

I've used gabapentin before, and then it's newer relative Lyrica, for some neuropathic pain. Both worked really well for me.

Whoever mentioned upthread that it's a seizure med is correct as far as I know, but like so many medications it has other uses. And just like basically everything under the sun, what sometimes works well for one person doesn't always work for another.

As long as it keeps working and you keep feeling better, that's great.

Real estate and financial stuff is really stressful. I hope things settle down for you soon.

Lars, maybe you can google "gabapentin side-effects" to see whether it is elevating your bp. When my mom died two years ago, and then my sister a few months ago, my bp definitely went up and stayed up for awhile. It's good you're exercising--walking is what I do. I'm sorry for your unforeseen troubles and hope things resolve themselves soon.

Sometimes just sharing, typing it out on the keyboard, helps see things more clearly. Carry on!

Both low blood pressure and high blood pressure are listed as possible side effect, with low blood pressure being more common.

Anxiety is tough. I have diagnosed GAD and really struggle. What's frustrating about anxiety is that it often manifests into physical symptoms. I've thought I've had a heart attack, stroke, cancer, ALS, all sorts of random things based on weird symptoms that come up, like chest pain or tingling in my limbs or muscle twitching. Luckily my doctors are patient with me, lol.

I hope you start to feel better soon, and can find a prescription that works for you.

Hi Lars - I'm back. I'm glad you're feeling a little better today. I've had a rough patch myself and am taking some St. Johns Wort for a short while. All of these supplements can impact other meds, and the popular ones suffer from quality issues at times. I hope whatever you decide to take will help for the short run.

I'm sending you by email a link to a funny meditation. It has a lot of bad words, so I can't link it here. Hopefully you don't mind bad words and can get a little giggle. Otherwise feel free to delete. It's on youtube and the second word is That. ;)

Hopefully the challenges in Cathedral City will work themselves out. And despite how things look to you right now, it WILL work out!

Thanks! I did see part of the video you sent, and it does help put things into perspective, and I agree that things will work out. A lot of people in my family (not all) are excessive worriers/pessimists, but I generally don't think of myself that way, and I think I have taught Kevin to be less of a pessimist and worrier. Therefore I should strive to continue to be a better example for him. Our sister is the worst about excessive worrying, and I think our mother's side of the family had that more than our father's. Anyway, there is a lot to be said for the power of positive thinking, and that's usually the way I am. When I think positively, it is easier for me to get things done.

Be aware that Gabapentin can cause problems with your legs not working right. For instance I would tell my legs to move forward and instead they would crisscross each other causing an unsteady wobbly walk. Stopped Gabapentin and legs returned to normal. It also raised my blood pressure.

Krogers grocery carries Holy Basil if you want to try it sooner, than it would take to grow it. I'm glad your feeling better. We're here if you need to talk it through.....a sounding board. Like someone else said just typing it out may help. A little time....space...that may help too.

I am sorry to hear you are having such issues. Anxiety in any form is not a good thing. I will tell you that I could only take ONE dose nightly of the Gabapentin. My Reumetologist put me on it for Fibromyalgia. I took it for several years, and finally asked to be weaned off of it. I don't think it was doing me any good at all. It certainly did nothing for my anxiety or panic attacks. I hope it works well for you. Just be sure that you talk to your Dr. of pharmasist before stopping it. I hope things improve quickly, and you won't need any medication to help with the anxiety.

Palm Desert is a beautiful area! We were there in January, I think it was, in 2017. We were camped in the Thousand Trails campground in Palm Desert.

I have noticed some side effects, the strongest being an increased appetite, which has caused weight gain. The other side effect is that I have a lowered heart rate, and it has affected my blood pressure somewhat with my systolic somewhat increased and my diastolic somewhat decreased. I saw my primary care doctor on Thursday, and he adjusted by blood pressure medication by replace Losartan/Cozaar (which has been recalled twice recently) with Irbesartan/Avapro. He also gave me a prescription for 100 mg Gabapentin, which I will take in the middle of the day instead of 300 mg, and then I will take 400 at night. Hopefully this will reduce the effect of my increased appetite, but I may have to cut down on Gabapentin in the morning as well and just take more at night. I'm not sure yet, and I'll have to ask my psychiatrist about this.

Nicole, I'll have to remember to look for Holy Basil in the markets, but I think I can start some seeds now, as regular basil will grow here throughout the winter, and it is warm enough here now to get it started. I think I'll start the seeds indoors, however.

Tami, we took our sister to Palm Desert, plus Palm Springs as well as Cathedral City, and she seemed unimpressed with the beautiful landscapes and view, the one exception being the views from the top of the tram on Mount San Jacinto. Sometimes she won't say things because she has a tendency to be jealous, and that may be the case here. She was definitely more critical than anything else and gave us a lot of unsolicited and inappropriate advice. I certainly do not need her help in decorating the house in Cathedral City, considering what kind of taste she has. She just wants to do everything the cheapest way, and I am more concerned with aesthetics.

Any news about the vacation rental issues?

(Hesitated to ask lest I raise your anxiety, but you sound like you are in a better place.)

The STVR moratorium is still in effect and is listed as being indefinite. I re-read it and learned that it includes all rentals of a 30 day period or less, and I had previously thought that it was for rentals that were less than 30 days and excluded rentals that were 30 days or more. Therefore a one month rental would be prohibited, but not a 31 day or five week rental. The utilities in Cathedral City are much higher than for our house in Los Angeles, even though we have solar panels. We have to pay $175 a month rental for the panels, and they were mistakenly installed on the north side of the house instead of the south, and so they are much less effective. I'm going to see what I can do about having them moved. I think Tesla should be responsible for this, and I am also going to write to This Old House, since they had an episode on solar panels. Maybe they could help me!

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, probably because I reduced the Gabapentin dosage from 300 mg to 100 mg for the afternoon dose.

Hope you get the dosage to 'the sweet spot'.

Seems to me you are right about the rentals. I know that on Maui, where we rent, Short Term means less than 180 nights, but on Oahu it is less than 30 nights. STR's must also collect and pay 14.43% on rents. We also have to collect the same tax on payment to our cleaner and on the condo complex's new 'resort fee' ($52.50 one-time fee at registration). There's a 4% state tax there *every time money changes hands* -- everything, doctor, lawyer, lawn care, plumber.