Posted by Alan on February 20, 2002, at 22:29:12
In reply to Re: Trashing Benzos, posted by skills on February 20, 2002, at 15:03:10
> I do agree that Benzo's are useful in some cases but overtime tolerance builds up and a succesful dosage may need to be increased. Withdrawal from acute withdrawal from chronic benzo use is extremely unpleasant. Apart from the muscle cramps, minor visual illusions, shaking, sickness, depression, rebound insomnia ( which can last for months ( incurable by traditional benzo and antipyscotic hypnotic drugs, except for the 130 year old dangerous choral hydrate) and confusion, pyschosis inducing both auditory and visual hallucinations is unplesant and deppressing. Having experienced both an opiod and benzodiazepine withdrawal the latter effected me far worse in acute physical symptoms and these lasted for much long than those associated with opiod dextox. These addictions were not formed through abuse, rather through prescribed medication. The extreme reality of a benzo detox is what the doctors want to avoid as well as the other physiological impairments resulting from benzo's high addicton potential. Belive me if a benzo addict could not get their prescription or required dosage in the case of street users, drug seeking behaviour becomes apparant. Addmitedly new benzo's including Ouzepam have lower addicton potential are extremly useful in the treatment of anxiety.
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Most of this may be your own unusual, personal experience, but the vast majority of properly diagnosed, managed, and followed up anxiety disorders respond to BZD's without all of the phenomenon you suggest - especially "high addiction potential". This is statistically true speaking for the majority of the general population, not just for some as you state.You are obviously one of those that fit into a different catagory. But fitting into a different catagory can apply to ANY drug. It's the exclusive use of BZD's to compare with narcotics and using loaded terms like "detox" that give away bias in the direction from which is spoken here. Using the term "chronic use" implies that the drug is at fault but the reality is that anxiety is the chronic part of the equation. So keeping symptoms at bay does not constitute "chronic use".
I've posted several links here about this if you read this thread. Here is another that addresses the "addiction" vs "medical dependence" distinction:
http://panicdisorder.about.com/library/weekly/aa031997.htm
If the perpetual stigmitisation of this drug were not so insisted on by a strident minority, patients and some misinformed docs would not have choices taken from them to decide for themselves. Rather, vulnerable anxiety sufferers are being discouraged to even venture a try. Truly unfortunate.
Alan
poster:Alan
thread:94336
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020215/msgs/94875.html