Chronic pain patients are put on far more addictive substances (opioids) for years on end, sometimes for life. Why can't chronic anxiety sufferers (GAD, PTSD, etc) get access to benzodiazepines in the same manner? I don't get the double standard here. Fact is that tolerance develops to the sedative and motor-impairment effects, but anti-anxiety effects are long-lasting. Benzo withdrawal doesn't have to be difficult. A taper works just fine and as long as the user uses the prescribed therapeutic dose then they really don't have much to be afraid of. I think benzos are safe and effective anxiolytics that should be prescribed in moderation to those that need them.
I have been on benzos for nearly 13 years (scripted and non scripted) and they are a godsend for anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks, among other things.
The difference is that the amount of people prescribed benzodiazepines vs the amount of people prescribed pain killers is probably a substantial difference. Most chronic pain patients HAVE to take their opioids whether they like it or not if they want to live a functional lifestyle, they can't do things like diet and exercise always to the same extent as someone who is healthy but just has anxiety, panic, etc.
I know that benzodiazepines have therapeutic value, I take triazolam temazepam alprazolam and others as I see fit however the moderation I exercise with them is much greater than with my pain killers which I have to take pretty much every single day it's not a matter of choice like it is with benzodiazepines. I only dose benzos for SEVERE debilitating panic or insomnia and PTSD, but have been able to apply myself and achieve improvement with my psychiatric issues in ways I never made any progress with in terms of chronic pain even after dedicating myself to alternatives other than medication, I've tried plenty of dietary and physical exercise changes and a whole bunch of other alternative therapy not just limited to western medicine, but I still need the pain killers regardless of all of the other things I do to try and reduce my pain in more natural ways.
So if we must tl;dr this, Think about how easy it is to get prescribed any benzo, I could get literally any of them prescribed provided it was marketed in the USA. Think about pain medication, do you see how much shit I have to go through to still be underprescribed even with legitimate pain? It's completely backwards, benzodiazepines are handed out like candy even to those who really don't need them and would be better off with CBT and other options, but pain killers are withheld from those who need them constantly, it's literally an epidemic, on both sides, the flood of benzos available easily upon request, and the drought of pain killers to those who need them. Neither are great things to be taking in the long term.
Both have draw backs when abused, both have extreme therapeutic value taken as prescribed, however I just don't think that benzodiazepines should be used, let alone long term, for those who would benefit from non-medication options, when the chronic pain patient has less options, just if you ask me though. I have legitimate reasons to take both classes of medications so I'm going to be taking both of them long term likely, however I won't ever take anywhere near as high as my prescribed dose, nor will I take it anywhere near daily as directed.
$0.02
