Are benzodiazepines proven to be a safe and effective anxiety medicine

[AvenaSativa]

I'm interested in knowing if there's been any conclusive evidence or a consensus that benzodiazepines are in fact beneficial to most patients for anxiety.

 

[Smkc1982]

Yes... Many studies have shown they work well in the brain...But here's the trick. ... what does someone think is anxiety? Is it just life bull shit and therefore frustrations and worries...Anxiety is getting a phone call at 2am and your whole family died in a car wreck..yes terrible example but you get it . You pop a xanax and you will calm right the freak down.... and I don't know you so no judgements... but benzos work on the authentic part of the brain that deals with true anxious emergencies..believe me it complete bang for your buck....lots of people get Cofused between what's truly an anxious episode and whats just drama....but to answer your que9stion they work 100%..

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Benzos are only advisable for very short term anxiety, anyone who says taking them longer than a few days or weeks at most is plain wrong. You'll get all sorts of memory and functioning issues not to mention tolerance to a drug whose withdrawals can actually kill you.

IME, I would use benzos as a last resort for anxiety. Physical exercise is the best treatment for constant anxiety and depression that I know of. As far as acute anxiety (panic attack, nervousness about flying on planes) benzos are probably the best medication there is. Basically, if you don't have a propensity to abuse medications, benzos are great. If you've ever had a bout with addiction to any substance, stay the fuck away from them.

 

[Felonious Monk]

Yes, for short term, meaning 2 WEEKS.

Any longer and you're better off getting talk therapy.

 

[Man in the Dark]

It is very easy to say that Benzos should only be used in the short term which medically speaking maybe they should. I have been using Benzos on and off since 2004 maybe on a month off A few. I have been on them daily for 14 months. I have tried multiple Ssri's and other meds that did not work. I have a severe case of PTSD from Being injured while in the Military. Klonopin has been a life saver for me and it is the only psyc med I take. I have suffered some memory lapses but nothing severe. My intentions are not to disrespect any opinions of my fellow board memembers as their points are valid but all the therapy and exercise has not cut it for me. I am just saying all circumstances are different. If I were you I would exhaust all efforts before starting Benzos, depending upon yor situation.

 

[Mycophile]

Benzos are only advisable for very short term anxiety, anyone who says taking them longer than a few days or weeks at most is plain wrong. You'll get all sorts of memory and functioning issues not to mention tolerance to a drug whose withdrawals can actually kill you.

IME, I would use benzos as a last resort for anxiety. Physical exercise is the best treatment for constant anxiety and depression that I know of. As far as acute anxiety (panic attack, nervousness about flying on planes) benzos are probably the best medication there is. Basically, if you don't have a propensity to abuse medications, benzos are great. If you've ever had a bout with addiction to any substance, stay the fuck away from them.

NO, I'm not.

I took benzos EVERY SINGLE DAY for 11 YEARS with ZERO bad effects and didn't even experience withdrawal when I got off it.

I was off it for 9 months and now take it only as needed, usually 4 days a week on and 3 days a week off, only 1.5mgs and I"m not phyiscally dependent.

Benzos CAN.....CAN cause bad long term effects, but they do NOT ALWAYS do so.

Unless you are just banking on the fact that even after 12 years of experimenting with Klonopin the bad effects haven't caught up to me YET but some day I'm going to be a drooling mess...then your statement is unfounded...and I'd bet GOOD money that I will NEVER experience bad memory from my Klonopin usage if I haven't already.

Either way, it helps me enough that I am willing to risk it.

I agree that they should be a last resort, but your statement that 100% of people who use benzos long term will have these problems is 100% false.

Just ONE person not having these problems after long term usage is enough to prove you wrong here and I'm betting that there's more than one person it's true for.

We can talk percentages of people who experience these effects from long term usage and get into exactly what a proper definition for long term usage is and what their dosage is, medical history, etc.....but I don't think we really even know the numbers yet.

I've had to deal with SO much bullshit from doctors who wanted to take me off my Klonopin because they believe what you said is ALWAYS A FACT.

It's NOT...not at all.

Whether or not it's true more than 50% of the time I don't know, but it ain't true 100% of the time.

 

[Mycophile]

Yes, for short term, meaning 2 WEEKS.

Any longer and you're better off getting talk therapy.

Sorry, my 12 years of using them says that's bullshit.

Many people MAY experience negative long term effects, but some people like me won't and haven't.

And even IF you want to stick by your "short term usage" hypothesis....TWO WEEKS?!!?

REALLY!??!!

Come on lets be serious here.

Klonopin can DEFINITELY be used, lets say, 2 days a week for 9 months (to be VERY conservative here) at a low dosage like 1.0mg per day with ZERO negative side effects.

As already mentioned, I took 1.5mgs of Klonopin EVERY SINGLE DAY for ELEVEN YEARS and got off with ZERO withdrawal.

I know my case is the extreme and still don't know why I didn't have WD, but I didn't.

Then I was off it for 9 months and now I take 1.5mgs 4 days a week and completely abstain the other 3 and my doctor agrees I am not phyiscally dependent and would know within 48 hours without if I was.

I have never experienced memory issues from my usage and have a much more anxiety-less life because of it.

Benzo nazis are real and they are out there enforcing their not-ALWAYS correct views to anyone who will listen.

ALL drugs including benzos can have negative side effects but lets not scare people away from using meds as effective as these for more than 14 FREAKING DAYS.

That's just not right for all the people suffering from severe anxiety and it's patently false, at least in my case and I'm SURE many others as well.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

They can be used long-term but on a PRN basis, an actual drug regiment that you take every single day for a long period of time involving benzodiazepines is, in general, not a good idea.

 

[Felonious Monk]

Sorry, my 12 years of using them says that's bullshit.

Many people MAY experience negative long term effects, but some people like me won't and haven't.

And even IF you want to stick by your "short term usage" hypothesis....TWO WEEKS?!!?

REALLY!??!!

Come on lets be serious here.

Klonopin can DEFINITELY be used, lets say, 2 days a week for 9 months (to be VERY conservative here) at a low dosage like 1.0mg per day with ZERO negative side effects.

As already mentioned, I took 1.5mgs of Klonopin EVERY SINGLE DAY for ELEVEN YEARS and got off with ZERO withdrawal.

Good for you dude, but medical science says that's bullshit.

Sure, you're an exception. But don't try to claim you know everything. Klonopin clinical trials were for 6-9 weeks. Most other benzos, Xanax specifically, says 2 weeks in the package insert.

I knew a 50yo woman who killed herself trying to come off a 20yr benzo Rx.

These drugs ARE FUCKING SERIOUS and the trend of not recognizing that has had serious consequences.

You even admit, "my case is extreme," so don't try to state your experience should be a road map for anyone else. What's up with the double crazy posts? A little defensive about your benzo crutch?

 

[philipcfromnyc01]

PLEASE NOTE that I speak only for myself here:

Respectfully, I must disagree with you. I have been taking benzodiazepines on prescription for most of my adult life to cope with truly disabling (even crippling) panic disorder, which at one point made it all but impossible for me to leave my home (the DSM-V-TR diagnosis is Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia). I have found these drugs to be EXTREMELY effective in controlling panic attacks and episodes of unusual anxiety -- furthermore, these medications have never lost their ability to bring my anxiety and panic attacks under control, despite the length of time I have been using them and the very high doses I have been taking. I am currently taking clonazepam (Klonopin) in fairly high doses, and this drug has made it possible for me to function again, to have a social life, and to get through periods of unusual stress and anxiety. I could not even begin to contemplate going back to the life I led before receiving benzodiazepines. There have been times when I have had my supply discontinued by ignorant psychiatrists and medical doctors who have felt it not to be in my best interests to take these medications -- the worst that I have ever experienced in terms of withdrawal effects have been periods lasting for about a week (following each discontinuation) of mild irritability, insomnia, and general dysphoria. I have never gone into convulsions, despite having abruptly discontinued very high doses of extremely potent benzodiazepines at different times in my life -- for example, I once withdrew "cold turkey" from alprazolam 2 mg t.i.d. (a high dose by any standard). Over the course of my life, in several different countries, I have taken alprazolam, diazepam, flurazepam, nitrazepam, clobazam, clonazepam, temazepam, lorazepam, and the most powerful of them all -- flunitrazepam (otherwise known as Rohypnol). When I was in my early 20s, I would take flunitrazepam on prescription (obviously not in this country) in doses of 2 mg at night. On several occasions, I stayed awake after taking flunitrazepam 2 mg, and experienced its extremely powerful effects -- however, I soon became used to these effects, and nobody could ever slip a Rohypnol into any drink, give it to me, and expect me to pass out today (or at any point in the future).

There now exists a drug named etizolam, which I have taken (again, in a different country). This drug is not, technically, a benzodiazepine -- the benzene ring has been replaced by a thiophene ring, rendering this drug a thienodiazepine (the thienodiazepines are a new class of drugs with pharmacological and clinical profiles very similar to those of the "typical" benzodiazepines). Like benzodiazepines, thienodiazepines modulate the effects of GABA, with a particular affinity for the alpha-2 sub-unit of the GABA-A receptor site. Etizolam is widely prescribed in India, Japan, and one or two other nations. Etizolam is NOT a controlled substance in this country -- I have double-checked this (the Controlled Substance Analog Act only applies to CII drugs, and benzodiazepines are classified as CIV drugs) (however, given the levels of paranoia exhibited by our ever-friendly and ever-vigilant Drug Enforcement Administration, I believe it to be merely a matter of time before etizolam is classified as a CIV drug in this country too).

Etizolam is believed to be less addictive than the regular benzodiazepines, and is packaged in dosages of 0.5 mg and 1 mg. It is also believed to possess antidepressant characteristics similar to those of imipramine. On a milligram for milligram basis, etizolam 1 mg is considered to be roughly as powerful as diazepam 6 mg -- 10 mg in terms of its anxiolytic properties -- however, etizolam is not manufactured in doses of 2 mg, 5 mg or 10 mg (the doses in which diazepam is manufactured), thus rendering this comparison misleading unless qualified with this fact. One tablet at night, roughly 30 minutes before I went to bed, and I was sound asleep for the night. When I felt a panic attack coming on, I would crush a tablet and let it dissolve under my tongue for a few minutes, before washing the remains down with a soda or a glass of water. This worked every time.

So yes -- ideally, one should not take benzodiazepines for more than two to four weeks, including the tapering off period -- however, this general rule cannot be applied to all clinical situations or patients, and is not considered sound when benzodiazepines are prescribed for the treatment of panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia). Even the most benzodiazepine-averse psychiatrists acknowledge that panic disorder can be treated for literally years with benzodiazepines, and that "talking therapy" (whether cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamically-based therapy, etc.) is not suitable for dealing with panic disorder. Furthermore, buspirone is totally useless in dealing with panic disorder, and no psychiatrist or medical doctor would ever prescribe buspirone for the treatment of panic disorder.

That's just my two cents......

P.

 

[Mycophile]

Good for you dude, but medical science says that's bullshit.

Sure, you're an exception. But don't try to claim you know everything. Klonopin clinical trials were for 6-9 weeks. Most other benzos, Xanax specifically, says 2 weeks in the package insert.

I knew a 50yo woman who killed herself trying to come off a 20yr benzo Rx.

These drugs ARE FUCKING SERIOUS and the trend of not recognizing that has had serious consequences.

You even admit, "my case is extreme," so don't try to state your experience should be a road map for anyone else. What's up with the double crazy posts? A little defensive about your benzo crutch?

First off, it's rude to call it a "crutch".

It's been IMMENSELY helpful for me and changed my life, so that's some unfair judgement on your part there.

And my story is ONLY extreme in that I was able to take it for 11 years every day with no WD.

It's NOT extreme that I take it in low dosages and have never had a seriously negative side effect and I think there are probably TONS of people out there who have also used it on and off for lengthy periods without any negative side effects.

IMO, it's not good "harm reduction" to scare people away from something that can truly help so many people with their anxiety, and that's where my anger comes from.

If it had been up to 3 stupid doctors I saw who refused to prescribe benzos I'd be having regular panic attacks that were ruining my life like I used to and it's people like YOU who are supporting that they continue to do what they do and keep mentally ill patients from using a drug that could literally save their lives.

I'm sure there are also people who have killed themselves due to anxiety so you don't gain ground that people should be forcefully kept away from benzos by mentioning the unfortunate story of the women you described.

Fortunately, I found a GOOD doctor who agrees with ME and now my life is DRAMATICALLY better, and that is why I get angry when I hear this shit and say what I say.

The women you know who killed herself is every bit as much an anecdotal story as my positive story.

I never said I knew EVERYTHING, but I don't buy the reports medical science is putting out and think they are largely based off fear of abuse.

I didn't say my experience should be a road map for everyone else....BUT...telling people they shouldn't use benzos for more than 2 weeks should NOT be a road map for everyone else either is my point

You probably know as well as I that the whole idea of a 2 week trial with benzos is based on the assumption that they should only be used till SSRIs can take effect, but what if SSRIs don't take care of your anxiety??

Then you are up shit's creak because doctors won't give you a choice to make a decision with your own body about what you want to take and what risks you want to take which is bullshit.

How about the middle path between what you and I are saying???

How about a doctor prescribes the lowest possible effective dosage to be taken 2 days a week for a month and then talks to the patient and asks if he/she has had any negative side effects and decides where to take it from there instead of just cutting them off after 2 weeks because these drugs CAN be dangerous just like any other drug??

If they have negative side effects, then take them off the meds.

If NO...then maybe SLIGHTLY increase the dosage and move it up to 3 times a week.

STILL no problems one month later?

Keep the dosage steady and tell them not to take it more than 4 days a week and ask them if they experience any withdrawal effects during the 3 days off each week and ask them to pay attention to any cognitive side effects and write them down and discuss it all next time.

And then if there are NO negative side effects, keep them on the same dosage at the same duration and have doctor and patient meet monthly as is the norm and if after a year there are still no negative side effects chances are good that there MIGHT never be...but just keep meeting and monitoring and adjusting the meds if need be.

None of this fear mongering bullshit scaring people away from highly effective drugs so that they have to deal with panic attacks on a regular basis when there's absolutely no need for it.

You and others will say these things based on "harm reduction" of preventing negative health defects, but you are at the same time CAUSING EMOTIONAL HARM to the people who become afraid to ask their doctors about benzos and thus end up dealing with constant bouts of treatable anxiety.

I guess you will see it your way and I'll see it mine, but I think that the above scenario of doctor and patient having a close relationship and not IMMEDIATELY assuming that these meds can be used for no more than TWO WEEKS is more rational than your approach.

And honestly, it would be nice of you to apologize for calling my usage of benzos a "crutch".

It's actually quite offensive to tell someone with an anxiety disorder that the medication which has been so thoroughly effective and allowed them to happily live their life is something they should be ashamed of.

Shame on you.

 

[Mycophile]

They can be used long-term but on a PRN basis, an actual drug regiment that you take every single day for a long period of time involving benzodiazepines is, in general, not a good idea.

Agreed 100%.

I had done it at one point and stopped.

I now take it 4 days a week and don't take it 3 days a week and my doctor said that I'd know within 48 hours without if I was physically dependent so seeing as I regularly go 72 hours in a row without with no ill-effects I am not.

And I've never seen any negative side effects, cognitive or otherwise.

I also agree that the lowest dosage possible should GENERALLY be used for the shortest period of time possible.

BUT...if someone REALLY needs it and can use it responsibly they should NOT be cut off after 2 weeks IMO.

 

[Mycophile]

PLEASE NOTE that I speak only for myself here:

Respectfully, I must disagree with you. I have been taking benzodiazepines on prescription for most of my adult life to cope with truly disabling (even crippling) panic disorder, which at one point made it all but impossible for me to leave my home (the DSM-V-TR diagnosis is Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia). I have found these drugs to be EXTREMELY effective in controlling panic attacks and episodes of unusual anxiety -- furthermore, these medications have never lost their ability to bring my anxiety and panic attacks under control, despite the length of time I have been using them and the very high doses I have been taking. I am currently taking clonazepam (Klonopin) in fairly high doses, and this drug has made it possible for me to function again, to have a social life, and to get through periods of unusual stress and anxiety. I could not even begin to contemplate going back to the life I led before receiving benzodiazepines. There have been times when I have had my supply discontinued by ignorant psychiatrists and medical doctors who have felt it not to be in my best interests to take these medications -- the worst that I have ever experienced in terms of withdrawal effects have been periods lasting for about a week (following each discontinuation) of mild irritability, insomnia, and general dysphoria. I have never gone into convulsions, despite having abruptly discontinued very high doses of extremely potent benzodiazepines at different times in my life -- for example, I once withdrew "cold turkey" from alprazolam 2 mg t.i.d. (a high dose by any standard). Over the course of my life, in several different countries, I have taken alprazolam, diazepam, flurazepam, nitrazepam, clobazam, clonazepam, temazepam, lorazepam, and the most powerful of them all -- flunitrazepam (otherwise known as Rohypnol). When I was in my early 20s, I would take flunitrazepam on prescription (obviously not in this country) in doses of 2 mg at night. On several occasions, I stayed awake after taking flunitrazepam 2 mg, and experienced its extremely powerful effects -- however, I soon became used to these effects, and nobody could ever slip a Rohypnol into any drink, give it to me, and expect me to pass out today (or at any point in the future).

There now exists a drug named etizolam, which I have taken (again, in a different country). This drug is not, technically, a benzodiazepine -- the benzene ring has been replaced by a thiophene ring, rendering this drug a thienodiazepine (the thienodiazepines are a new class of drugs with pharmacological and clinical profiles very similar to those of the "typical" benzodiazepines). Like benzodiazepines, thienodiazepines modulate the effects of GABA, with a particular affinity for the alpha-2 sub-unit of the GABA-A receptor site. Etizolam is widely prescribed in India, Japan, and one or two other nations. Etizolam is NOT a controlled substance in this country -- I have double-checked this (the Controlled Substance Analog Act only applies to CII drugs, and benzodiazepines are classified as CIV drugs) (however, given the levels of paranoia exhibited by our ever-friendly and ever-vigilant Drug Enforcement Administration, I believe it to be merely a matter of time before etizolam is classified as a CIV drug in this country too).

Etizolam is believed to be less addictive than the regular benzodiazepines, and is packaged in dosages of 0.5 mg and 1 mg. It is also believed to possess antidepressant characteristics similar to those of imipramine. On a milligram for milligram basis, etizolam 1 mg is considered to be roughly as powerful as diazepam 6 mg -- 10 mg in terms of its anxiolytic properties -- however, etizolam is not manufactured in doses of 2 mg, 5 mg or 10 mg (the doses in which diazepam is manufactured), thus rendering this comparison misleading unless qualified with this fact. One tablet at night, roughly 30 minutes before I went to bed, and I was sound asleep for the night. When I felt a panic attack coming on, I would crush a tablet and let it dissolve under my tongue for a few minutes, before washing the remains down with a soda or a glass of water. This worked every time.

So yes -- ideally, one should not take benzodiazepines for more than two to four weeks, including the tapering off period -- however, this general rule cannot be applied to all clinical situations or patients, and is not considered sound when benzodiazepines are prescribed for the treatment of panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia). Even the most benzodiazepine-averse psychiatrists acknowledge that panic disorder can be treated for literally years with benzodiazepines, and that "talking therapy" (whether cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamically-based therapy, etc.) is not suitable for dealing with panic disorder. Furthermore, buspirone is totally useless in dealing with panic disorder, and no psychiatrist or medical doctor would ever prescribe buspirone for the treatment of panic disorder.

That's just my two cents......

P.

Very well said and good to see that you, like myself and many others CAN take benzos for extended periods without negative side effects.

These people who are so gung-ho about telling everyone how "dangerous" benzos are in the hopes of "protecting them" fail to see that they are also HARMING people like you and I if they are able to support a system that DENIES helpful drugs to those who TRULY need them.

It is VERY common for ignorant doctors to refuse to prescribe benzos to people like you and I who REALLY need them based on the fear mongering tactics so elegantly outlined in the wonderfully informative "packets" that come with the medications and clinical trials, etc.

But for every person who is harmed by abusing these drugs there is another person who is harmed by NOT being allowed to use them for their treatable anxiety.

People who would NOT abuse them and use them as prescribed.

It's only the physical side effects of taking the drug that are acknowledged in these cases and not the negative EMOTIONAL (and sometimes also physical) side effects that can come about by mentally ill people NOT EVEN HAVING ACCESS TO THESE DRUGS BASED ON FEAR MONGERING.

OF COURSE they can have negative side effects, so can ALL drugs!!

Is that a reason NOT to prescribe them to people who REALLY need them??

I mean if you are only going to prescribe them for TWO fucking weeks you may as well not EVER prescribe them to ANYONE at all!!

What is TWO weeks of medication going to do to help someone who has REGULAR life long anxiety??

It's just a tease and then they will go back to their debilitating anxiety disorder.

People deserve the right to CHOOSE what they put in their bodies, especially even more so in the cases where they are legitimately using these things as medications to treat disorders and not to simply get high.

And yet...people like you and I would simply be referred to as using these medications as "a crutch" in a derogatory manner.

It's an awful shame, but obviously people who say these things haven't viewed this from the perspective of someone who has an anxiety disorder, only from the perspective of trying to stop abusers from overdosing.

 

[bdomihizayka]

Agreed 100%.

I had done it at one point and stopped.

I now take it 4 days a week and don't take it 3 days a week and my doctor said that I'd know within 48 hours without if I was physically dependent so seeing as I regularly go 72 hours in a row without with no ill-effects I am not.

And I've never seen any negative side effects, cognitive or otherwise.

I also agree that the lowest dosage possible should GENERALLY be used for the shortest period of time possible.

BUT...if someone REALLY needs it and can use it responsibly they should NOT be cut off after 2 weeks IMO.

Hey man- I don't know what benzo you're using for those 4 days, but I was on klonopin, 1mg/day and when I withdrew, it didn't start till nearly 5 days in, and I was only taking it for about 3 months.

Don't mean to be a debbie downer or to scare you- but maybe try going longer just to really SEE if you're not physically dependent.

I thought the exact same thing you did after I was 3-4 days off the klonopin and feeling great. Day 5 hit and I was in derealization/ benzo withdrawal HELL.

 

[Mycophile]

Hey man- I don't know what benzo you're using for those 4 days, but I was on klonopin, 1mg/day and when I withdrew, it didn't start till nearly 5 days in, and I was only taking it for about 3 months.

Don't mean to be a debbie downer or to scare you- but maybe try going longer just to really SEE if you're not physically dependent.

I thought the exact same thing you did after I was 3-4 days off the klonopin and feeling great. Day 5 hit and I was in derealization/ benzo withdrawal HELL.

Well, my doctor says he doesn't believe I am physically dependent and that MOST people would feel it within 24 hours, but yes it is POSSIBLE I might be so I will take your advice and sooner or later I am sure I will end up going 5 or 6 days or something like that just to test out the theory, so thanks for your advice.

However, if you read my post above I have a HIGHLY unusual resistance to Klonopin: I took it EVERY DAY for 11 years and got off with ZERO withdrawal.

But that's NOT meant to be done....EVER. By ANYONE.

By the same token I do NOT believe that most people should ONLY be allowed to use Klonopin or any benzo for ONLY 2 weeks before having it forcefully taken away from them and think that there is a middle path between the two extremes.

But obviously, everyone responds differently.

You might be unusual in the WD not hitting in until you'd been off 5 days...at least my doctor would say so as he said I'd DEFINITELY know in 24--48 hours if I was dependent.

But also...did you take your Klonopin EVERY DAY??

If so, you'd have built up a stronger dependence than me taking it every 4.

Regardless, I am not too concerned and withdrawing from 1.5mgs doesn't kill most people.

I just don't seem to have the issues with it that some others do in terms of these side effects, but eventually I will try out your experiment and see what the results are.

Thanks.

 

[Mycophile]

I really DO feel Felonious Monk deserves me an apology for that "crutch" comment though.

For a moderator to say something like that is really wrong and shows he doesn't understand the therapeutic potential of these drugs when used PROPERLY for people with anxiety disorders.

Good thing he's not the moderator of the Mental Health section...

 

[philipcfromnyc01]

Mycophile -- THANK YOU! Thank you for pointing out what I tried to point out -- we are living in an era during which the prescription of benzodiazepines has probably reached its nadir, and the result is that a great many people who suffer from terrible panic attacks, agoraphobia, and anxiety are denied highly effective treatments using highly effective medications because SOME people who take these drugs suffer severe withdrawal effects upon discontinuation!

Yes, I am sure that SOME people do, indeed, suffer severe withdrawal effects upon discontinuation -- but any responsible physician (psychiatrist or primary care provider) should be able to work out a tapering schedule for even the most dependent of patients. I recently read an abstract from an article (I was not prepared to waste the $7.00 or so that the complete article would have cost me) written by two psychiatrists who wished to see benzodiazepines placed in CI (i.e., made completely illegal) -- I kid you not! I found it difficult and painful to read what I was reading -- here were two "doctors" who wished to deny highly effective medications to millions of Americans based on the fact that SOME patients abuse their medications, become addicted, or have difficulty functioning without them! This is rather like banning car safety belts due to the fact that some crash survivors suffer ruptures to their torsos during high speed auto accidents. I am reminded of a letter I read, published in a New York newspaper following 9/11, which stated that we should limit the construction of future skyscrapers to 60 floors or less, because similar hijackings and crashes could occur at some point in the future.

Why stop at 60 floors? Why not 50 floors? Or 20 floors?

New York state, in particular, has become absolutely paranoid about the prescription of benzodiazepines, leading many doctors to refuse to prescribe these drugs entirely. Other doctors, who should know better, have called for the passage of nationwide legislation which would permit only psychiatrists to prescribe benzodiazepines. Should this occur, I predict that there will be a surge in the importation of these drugs from other nations -- one can circumvent many laws intended to prevent the prescription of CII painkillers simply by doing a Google lookup for the purchase of these medications. This is not intended to encourage such behavior -- it is simply a reflection of existing reality!

I am an adult. I am well educated. I can understand written English. I understand, from personal experience over many years, the effects that these drugs have on me.

I need them. They help me.

To those who would prevent me from continuing to access these drugs -- KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY BODY!

P.

 

[Crankinit]

I think it comes down to a case by case basis. Firstly there's the PRN use for occasional panic attacks, and I don't see a problem with that as long as it remains PRN.

Daily use is more tricky. Yes, they cause a powerful physical dependence, yes, tolerance develops, and yes, they mess with your memory, but the flip side is that sometimes that price is worth paying for the benefits. There's just nothing out there close to benzos when it comes to quickly, powerfully and persistently relieving severe anxiety. CBT, talk therapy, mindfulness, exercise, etc. are all great (SSRI's and so forth I'm personally less than confident in), but they're treatment modalities which can take months or years to work properly.

Depending on your level of anxiety, sometimes this just isn't acceptable - or even viable. If you're at the point where you literally can't function on a day to day basis due to panic attacks or similar (possibly even being unable to participate in the aforementioned treatments which would actually help with anxiety because it's too severe), then I'd argue that it can be better to just bite the bullet, accept that daily benzo use is what you need to keep you functioning long enough to deal with the anxiety in a more permanent fashion, even if that means you'll have to deal with the side effects and a potentially painful taper down the road. Obviously this is a choice the individual has to make based on their own situation (and it should be their choice, not a doctor's, as it's their life), but the reality is that sometimes daily benzo use is the lesser of two evils. A benzo dependent individual who's maintaining their functionality and working on reducing their anxiety through non-pharmaceutical methods is in a better position than someone who's free of benzos but has their life completely derailed by crippling anxiety.

That said, even in such situations I would say that it should be acknowledged that the benzos are unlikely to be a life-long solution, and so anyone on a daily benzo regime should also be pursuing all other possible treatment options in an attempt to eventually reduce their anxiety levels and increase their ability to cope with anxiety to the point that they can eventually stop taking the benzos.

 

[manboychef]

First off, I would like to say: Mycophile, your sentiments and opinions are sound, however the way you present them is like cracking an egg with a band saw. I have noticed this in other posts by you. I highly suggest you preview your posts and read them before posting them because some of your wording is not especially conducive of having your "talking points" looked upon favorably. No, felonius Monk does not need to give you an apology about your crutch. What he said was an opinion, take it as such, and move on.

In response to this thread. I have panic disorder, OCD and manic depressive disorder. It had gotten so bad that my psychiatrist (that didn't know her ass from a hole in the ground) had me on some serious psychotropic medications that were actually making my anxiety worse. During this time, I barely left my house because I was so incredibly scared/paranoid, and my compulsions were causing me to act like a crazy person. Finally, I found a doctor and he prescribed me temazepam for sleep.(If I do not take it, I am awake all night thinking and falling victim to the obsessive thoughts that drive my compulsion...I literally would getup and turn the lights on then off so many times an hour that people in the space station may have thought I was sending them coded messages). My life was completely unmanageable. I started taking xanax .5mg 3x a day PRN. This saved me from some incredibly uncomfortable times. My probation officer was going to lock me up for not doing my community service. She did not understand that due to the OCD and panic disorder it was near impossible for me to be outside that long, or interact with people in a sane and dignified manner. The xanax saved me from going to jail (usually its the other way around I hear). Most people have only a vague understanding of OCD. Some people say my OCD is I don't like having clothes on my floor, or dirty dishes in the sink....that's not OCD, that is just being tidy, which you actually should be. If having clothes on the floor, or dishes in the sink triggers your fight, flight, or freeze mechanism in your brain unless you do some sort of ritual to get a moments relief from the thought of those dishes being there or those clothes on the floor than you may have OCD. It is indeed more complex than that, and there is a whole spectrum from compulsive hoarding, to compulsive cleanliness. Those are only the symptoms. The cause is intrusive/invasive thoughts that you have no control over, and the cleaning or hoarding is just the mechanism to get relief from these thoughts if only momentary. This is where xanax became a perfect way to combat this problem. When I take my dose of xanax and participate in talk therapy, I can actually seperate these intrusive thoughts from my regular everyday thoughts and only experience my compulsions as a weird wave of sensation that goes through my body.

That being said...Right now I am tapering off the xanax. I want to give just talk therapy a shot now that I have made a few breakthroughs in my condition. I have a template in my mind that I learned in rehab, and further enforced through practice and talk therapy that I think may be the non-chemical answer. Yes I will still need to take my psych meds daily, but I may not need to take the benzos. I have had withdrawal from benzos before. It is truly hell, my worst symptom was brain zaps. It is like mid thought, or sentance someone turns your brain on and off extremely rapidly, and you are left so incredibly confused that you lose said train of thought, or all idea bout what you were originally talking about.

That all being said. The worse side effect I have noticed from taking benzodiazepines is a little drowsiness, and some slowing down of my thought patterns. This second side effect was what my doctor and I were hoping to achieve, however it works just a little too well.

as crankinit said; It should be a case by case basis, but let me say, this therapy only works if you are willing to feel uncomfortable some of the time. If you are taking these medications it is best to also be seeking some kind of therapy that will help you learn to derail the intrusive thought processes, or at least come to grips with what you need to do in order to mitigate those feelings, or manage it without medications.

 

[Formidable]

people tend to forget that benzos work best when ANTICIPATING anxiety, like right before a speech or sitting in your car for an extended period of time with someone annoying. when taken regularly your tolerance goes up thus creating an addiction, which let me tell you, is NOT something you want.