benzo's
Question:
x-no-archive: yes Does anyone have expierence with long term benzo use not just occasionally but use everyday it seems to be the only thing that helps me and I don’t use it all the time,but I am wondering if I should be using it more than I am,I am AWARE of the addiction potential but Dam isn’t it better to be addicted than to go through life miserable,I have ocd and it causes me extreme anxiety and to do CBT when I am anxious and depressed is out of the question.I have a pdoc that is benzophobic and says they will cause more problems in the long run,any opinions,maybe a new doc?
Take care, Joe I vote for the new doc….If you are taking prn xanax, and having breakthrough anxiety, and OCD on top of it…..It doesn’t seem to me that the prn xanax is going to stop your worries, or your OCD, esp. if you are anxious going to the therapy. I found that at my worst point, the xanax relieved a few physical symptoms….but did NOTHING for the fears/worry. ….and, they just continued to build. Have you tried any SSRI’s?….luvox is supposed to be good for OCD. A benzophobe doc is bad enough, but when you’re going to CBT, and he’s still benzophobic…..Grrrrrr….. JMO of course. I switched from prn xanax to klonopin twice a day, with an SSRI on the side, and the difference is like night and day. Good Luck Maria
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I take Xanax everyday. But I don’t discredit CBT either. Xanman — Xanland – A little insanity in an sane wolf. http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/9098/
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – x-no-archive: yes Does anyone have expierence with long term benzo use not just occasionally but use everyday it seems to be the only thing that helps me and I don’t use it all the time,but I am wondering if I should be using it more than I am,I am AWARE of the addiction potential but Dam isn’t it better to be addicted than to go through life miserable,I have ocd and it causes me extreme anxiety and to do CBT when I am anxious and depressed is out of the question.I have a pdoc that is benzophobic and says they will cause more problems in the long run,any opinions,maybe a new doc? Take care, Joe
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x-no-archive: yes Does anyone have expierence with long term benzo use
Hi, I have taken Lorazepam (Ativan) for 25 years. The only problem I have experienced is dropping the dose, this particular drug is highly addictive. Others are not quite as bad i.e.. diazepam. Without it my life would have been most unpleasant. In fact I probably would not be here. I am on 3mg a day now and it does not seem to have caused me any great problems over the years. When I was originally put on this drug the doctors in the U.K. had no idea how addictive it was and there was little else they could offer for my condition. It is however always better to stay drug free if this is possible or use other drugs that are not as addictive in the way they work and only over a short term. Sadly this is not always possible so tablets are often the best way to a more normal life. Will they ever come up with a solution that can really cure people like me or just continue to develop ways of masking the problem. Maybe more research is needed here. Sorry to go on. Regards Retro
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – x-no-archive: yes Does anyone have expierence with long term benzo use Hi, I have taken Lorazepam (Ativan) for 25 years. The only problem I have experienced is dropping the dose, this particular drug is highly addictive. Others are not quite as bad i.e.. diazepam. Without it my life would have been most unpleasant. In fact I probably would not be here. I am on 3mg a day now and it does not seem to have caused me any great problems over the years. When I was originally put on this drug the doctors in the U.K. had no idea how addictive it was and there was little else they could offer for my condition. It is however always better to stay drug free if this is possible or use other drugs that are not as addictive in the way they work and only over a short term. Sadly this is not always possible so tablets are often the best way to a more normal life. Will they ever come up with a solution that can really cure people like me or just continue to develop ways of masking the problem. Maybe more research is needed here. Sorry to go on. Regards Retro
to medicate or not. Easy question easy answer if it works use it if its for life better a life with quality then one of quantity that sucks. A benzophobic doc is doing a diservice to medicine and his patients under the guise of good medical practice "do no harm" is ambiguous and more harm in denying a med that is beneficial. Find a new doc-also as posted the newest studies indicate that long term cbt is highly effective for ocd (not just a boost for therapists and hmo coverage of therapy) but the newest research indicates that prolonged therapy ie: once a month refreshers can be of benefit equal to meds in many instances and have longer term advantages-since I am skeptical of any research it makes sense to do what helps and works-both together may work better then either alone. When I was anxiety ridden I would have swallowed horseshit if it worked-come to think of it I think I did-it didn’t work though–Got to go trot-have a good weekend LM
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Hi Joe, I have been taking xanax in various doses for more than three years now. In the beginning I was also offered an AD to substitute but nothing was explained to me about weaning on to the AD and off of the xanax….so it never happened and I am afraid to be without the xanax now. I started at a low dose .25 2/day and have been up to 2.5mgs daily, back down to .75mgs daily, etc. depending on how things are going. I know for a fact I have become dependent and I have let that bother me more than once but given the choice-my choice was to go with the xanax daily so I can live a normal life. I once carefully weaned down and then completely off and had an awful return of anxiety about 3days later. It was enough for me. Now I would like to find the right AD that will conquer the anxiety and hopefully let the xanax go, but for now I haven’t found the right AD yet. YMMV of course and I hope you find the best treatment for you. little bear – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – x-no-archive: yes Does anyone have expierence with long term benzo use not just occasionally but use everyday it seems to be the only thing that helps me and I don’t use it all the time,but I am wondering if I should be using it more than I am,I am AWARE of the addiction potential but Dam isn’t it better to be addicted than to go through life miserable,I have ocd and it causes me extreme anxiety and to do CBT when I am anxious and depressed is out of the question.I have a pdoc that is benzophobic and says they will cause more problems in the long run,any opinions,maybe a new doc? Take care, Joe
Response:
x-no-archive: yes Does anyone have expierence with long term benzo use not just occasionally but use everyday it seems to be the only thing that helps me and I don’t use it all the time,but I am wondering if I should be using it more than I am,I am AWARE of the addiction potential but Dam isn’t it better to be addicted than to go through life miserable,I have ocd and it causes me extreme anxiety and to do CBT when I am anxious and depressed is out of the question.I have a pdoc that is benzophobic and says they will cause more problems in the long run,any opinions,maybe a new doc? Take care, Joe
I have been on benzos for the last thirty years. Is that long enough? 
) I agree with you that benzo *dependence* (as opposed to *addiction*) is absolutely no problem if it gives you back your life. I succesfully tapered off four benzos without too much trouble. In later years I had to add an antidepressant. I don’t think over thirty years of regular benzo use has done any harm. I like to joke around about having (or being) a *benzo brain* who is seriously memory-impaired but the fact is that I am not. There is maybe *some* impairment of short-term memory (which newsgroup is this anyway? ) but bothing alarming. A new doc seems mandatory. Philip
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Hi everybody I posted this week a question about what I can do best in my situation . I am not not meds, I emigrate in 6 maybe 8 weeks and expect a number of weeks moving places, I am getting more tense about it, I don’t have my own GP, but will visit a young couple that are GP ( went there ones for my daughter and they were very friendly), I don’t look forward to the visit (geee just had all this dentist stuf done ), Jacky adviced to try a benzo, instead of Paxil or so at this stage) I don’t know much about them, and I don’t know how well skilled this doctor I go to will be. He doesn’t know me and wont get much time to do so. Once moved it might take a few month before we really settle somewere longer term, by that time I hope for a GP we do get to kow. What I really would like to here is some good advise I can take with me when I go to the doctors appointment. I would like to hear some med. names and doses and how to best start them. I got the anxiety for 11 years, It has gotten better over time, I got anxiety daily, I can go out but it goes between a bit difficult to quite difficult when on my own ( like shops and visits). The last month I started to become more tense due to dentist appointments and the upcomming big move, and that might stay for a while. I would love to relax and enjoy the motions a bit more than I will do the way I am now (at the moment it would rather sound like:: yyyyes III lllike tttoo mmmmmove ttto OOOzzie) I never was aware that there were good treatments. And I think this NG is just great!!!!!! I don’t feel lonly anymore since I visiting this NG. Thanks people Hope you got some words to spare about BENZO’S Jeannette
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everybody I posted this week a question about what I can do best in my situation . I am not not meds, I emigrate in 6 maybe 8 weeks and expect a number of weeks moving places, I am getting more tense about it, I don’t have my own GP, but will visit a young couple that are GP ( went there ones for my daughter and they were very friendly), I don’t look forward to the visit (geee just had all this dentist stuf done ), Jacky adviced to try a benzo, instead of Paxil or so at this stage) I don’t know much about them, and I don’t know how well skilled this doctor I go to will be. He doesn’t know me and wont get much time to do so. Once moved it might take a few month before we really settle somewere longer term, by that time I hope for a GP we do get to kow. What I really would like to here is some good advise I can take with me when I go to the doctors appointment. I would like to hear some med. names and doses and how to best start them. I got the anxiety for 11 years, It has gotten better over time, I got anxiety daily, I can go out but it goes between a bit difficult to quite difficult when on my own ( like shops and visits). The last month I started to become more tense due to dentist appointments and the upcomming big move, and that might stay for a while. I would love to relax and enjoy the motions a bit more than I will do the way I am now (at the moment it would rather sound like:: yyyyes III lllike tttoo mmmmmove ttto OOOzzie) I never was aware that there were good treatments. And I think this NG is just great!!!!!! I don’t feel lonly anymore since I visiting this NG. Thanks people Hope you got some words to spare about BENZO’S Jeannette
Hi Jeannette! I take .5 mg. of Ativan every night and .25 during the day as needed. I can take .25 twice a day if I want to, but I don’t always need to. I like Ativan a lot and I’ve been on it for almost 3 yrs. It’s worked for me. There are a lot of benzos out there that work. I’m sure you’ll read some posts about other good ones, like Xanax and Klonopin. I hope you get something that will make you feel better. I know it’s so rough to go through this disorder without Love, Di
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Thanks a lot Jackie I can’t print them, haven’t got our printer home , but will see what I can do. Jeannette
Dear Jeannette, Perhaps your doctor has a e-mail address, you could then just send him the links and he could read them? Or send them to a friend to print out for you? Take care 
Jackie
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Hi Jacky Thanks for the websides. the http://anxiety-panic.com/, only showed up with one of the four meds. The other one , I don’t know, was not what I hoped it would be, short and clear for people with AD. I wrote my own story downand gave her that , and had put my mind already towards Ativan, and the doc. felt the same so I am satisfied, now see how I will use the dose, and learn more about it. I’ll do a google search as well. Thank you for your support , I appreciate it. thanks, Jeannette – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear Jeannette, I am going to post some websites that talk about benzos for anxiety disorders, you can print out the relevant parts and bring it to your doctor to read. I also suggest you get the book *Panic Disorder* by William D. Kernodle and have your doctor look at chapter 12 & 13. Read about Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, and Ativan, these are the benzos used the most for the treatment of anxiety, also read the general information part. http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/benzodiazepines/index.htm Click on medication and do searches on the 4 meds I named above. http://anxiety-panic.com/ Take care Jackie
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Thanks a lot Jackie I can’t print them, haven’t got our printer home , but will see what I can do. Jeannette
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everybody I posted this week a question about what I can do best in my situation . I am not not meds, I emigrate in 6 maybe 8 weeks and expect a number of weeks moving places, I am getting more tense about it, I don’t have my own GP, but will visit a young couple that are GP ( went there ones for my daughter and they were very friendly), I don’t look forward to the visit (geee just had all this dentist stuf done ), Jacky adviced to try a benzo, instead of Paxil or so at this stage) I don’t know much about them, and I don’t know how well skilled this doctor I go to will be. He doesn’t know me and wont get much time to do so. Once moved it might take a few month before we really settle somewere longer term, by that time I hope for a GP we do get to kow. What I really would like to here is some good advise I can take with me when I go to the doctors appointment. I would like to hear some med. names and doses and how to best start them. I got the anxiety for 11 years, It has gotten better over time, I got anxiety daily, I can go out but it goes between a bit difficult to quite difficult when on my own ( like shops and visits). The last month I started to become more tense due to dentist appointments and the upcomming big move, and that might stay for a while. I would love to relax and enjoy the motions a bit more than I will do the way I am now (at the moment it would rather sound like:: yyyyes III lllike tttoo mmmmmove ttto OOOzzie) I never was aware that there were good treatments. And I think this NG is just great!!!!!! I don’t feel lonly anymore since I visiting this NG. Thanks people Hope you got some words to spare about BENZO’S Jeannette Dear Jeannette, I am going to post some websites that talk about benzos for anxiety disorders, you can print out the relevant parts and bring it to your doctor to read. I also suggest you get the book *Panic Disorder* by William D. Kernodle and have your doctor look at chapter 12 & 13. Read about Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, and Ativan, these are the benzos used the most for the treatment of anxiety, also read the general information part. http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/benzodiazepines/index.htm Click on medication and do searches on the 4 meds I named above. http://anxiety-panic.com/ Take care Jackie
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everybody I posted this week a question about what I can do best in my situation . I am not not meds, I emigrate in 6 maybe 8 weeks and expect a number of weeks moving places, I am getting more tense about it, I don’t have my own GP, but will visit a young couple that are GP ( went there ones for my daughter and they were very friendly), I don’t look forward to the visit (geee just had all this dentist stuf done ), Jacky adviced to try a benzo, instead of Paxil or so at this stage) I don’t know much about them, and I don’t know how well skilled this doctor I go to will be. He doesn’t know me and wont get much time to do so. Once moved it might take a few month before we really settle somewere longer term, by that time I hope for a GP we do get to kow. What I really would like to here is some good advise I can take with me when I go to the doctors appointment. I would like to hear some med. names and doses and how to best start them. I got the anxiety for 11 years, It has gotten better over time, I got anxiety daily, I can go out but it goes between a bit difficult to quite difficult when on my own ( like shops and visits). The last month I started to become more tense due to dentist appointments and the upcomming big move, and that might stay for a while. I would love to relax and enjoy the motions a bit more than I will do the way I am now (at the moment it would rather sound like:: yyyyes III lllike tttoo mmmmmove ttto OOOzzie) I never was aware that there were good treatments. And I think this NG is just great!!!!!! I don’t feel lonly anymore since I visiting this NG. Thanks people Hope you got some words to spare about BENZO’S Jeannette
Dear Jeannette, I am going to post some websites that talk about benzos for anxiety disorders, you can print out the relevant parts and bring it to your doctor to read. I also suggest you get the book *Panic Disorder* by William D. Kernodle and have your doctor look at chapter 12 & 13. Read about Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, and Ativan, these are the benzos used the most for the treatment of anxiety, also read the general information part. http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/benzodiazepines/index.htm Click on medication and do searches on the 4 meds I named above. http://anxiety-panic.com/ Take care Jackie
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Dakota Evans schreef: how does one wean off these? and how do you know if your addicted to them or not? and if they are so darned addictive WHY are they being used//
One weans off benzo’s by way of a slow taper. This will not cause significant withdrawal symptoms. Weaning off too fast does cause them though. *Addiction* is the wrong word. You are addicted when you crave a certain substance in ever higher amounts in spite of the facts that it only harms you. But with benzo’s (and some SSRI’s as is now beginning to become clear) there may be *dependency*. This means that your body has become used to the med, in much the same way as sufferers from ulcers, diabetes, high blood pressure etc. are dependent on their meds. This is why a slow taper is the best way to stop taking these meds. If you taper off slowly and still have anxiety symptoms chances are that this is just the old beast raising it’s ugly head again which then means that you still need a benzo. The idea that benzo’s should be addictive probably stems from the overprescription of Valium in the late sixties and early seventies and from the fact that some benzo’s (the short-acting ones such as Xanax and Ativan) are sold on the street as recreational drugs. Junkies sonetimes use them when coming down from cocaine or in between two shots of heroin. But PD-ers are no drug abusers as a general rule. On the contrary, we tend to be rather med-phobic. Doctors should be better educated about benzo’s. They should read Kernodle’s "Panic Disorder. The Medical Point of View", where it’s all spelled out. Philip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – dak
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how does one wean off these? and how do you know if your addicted to them or not? and if they are so darned addictive WHY are they being used// dak
Hi, Dakota Wean off the benzos is definitely the way to go. Also, if you’re on a short acting one such as Xanax you may find it easier if you change to a longer acting benzo like Klonipin before starting the taper. Benzos are being used because for many people they are the best or only med. that is effective. Addiction may be a problem for some, but not all. IMO it’s a very individual thing; many people drink alcohol, some drink a lot, but only a few become alcoholics. Benzodiazepines are no different. Good luck Ian Ian<<atdragoncon<dotnet
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how does one wean off these? and how do you know if your addicted to them or not? and if they are so darned addictive WHY are they being used// dak
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how does one wean off these?
Slowly…very slowly. Is there a reason you wish to wean off these if they are helping? Or are they not? and how do you know if your addicted to them or not?
I prefer the word *dependence* being a former street addict and I don’t exhibit that behavior with these meds that have given me my sanity back. But to answer your question – if you are dependent you will know because you will feel them waering off and the anxiety returning as it was without them. If taken over a long period – there can be a withdrawl syndrome resembling having the flu and many other side effects that aren’t fun. and if they are so darned addictive WHY are they being used//
Because, plain and simple…they work. Many of us have opted for the dependence in trade to get on with our lives. Sometimes the choice is clear. It depends on how severe the anxiety is. Mine blossomed into agoraphobia…I didn’t consider that living. Gwen
