Posted by hiba on August 25, 2002, at 1:11:29
In reply to Re: To...Addiction vs. Medical dependence » alan, posted by Squiggles on August 24, 2002, at 19:39:29
Dear Squiggles,
I don't want to mess up with you and Mr. Alan and your war of words. But let me point something which will definitely be helpful to both of you.I have seen many links and quotings in both of your postings. And it is obvious both of you are speaking with the backing of personal experiences. I do have experiences with benzos and have used them. I definitely back Mr. Alan, he seems more rational and writes with a lot of sense. It doesn't mean you are senseless. You too have your liberty to express your findings.
Now let me also quote something."Although benzodiazepines are widely prescribed and used, most of this use is intermittent, brief, and for purposes of smptom relief. Research survey data indicate that long-term use of benzodiazepines is limited to a relatively small population of patients who take the drugs for legitimate, medically supervised symptom reduction. These patients tend to be older, to have chronic physical as well as psychiatric illness, and to have psychological distress, and these patients report that the drug use is therapeutic. THERE IS NO DATA TO SUGGEST THAT LONG-TERM THERAPEUTIC USE OF BENZODIAZEPINES BY PATIENTS COMMONLY LEADS TO DOSE ESCALATION OR TO RECREATIONAL USE.(Benzodiazepine: dependence, toxicity, and abuse. A task force report of the American Psychiatric Association p.55)
"There are significant differences between dependence in therapeutic use and abuse for socio-recreational purposes. Therapeutic dependence only very rarely leads on to abuse with dose escalation."(John Marks/ The benzodiazepines Use, overuse, misuse, abuse? p.114)
"People who receive prescriptions for benzodiazepines to treat medical problems rarely take more of the medication than their doctors recommend and do not often take it for periods longer than those required to treat their problems. There are certainly cases of benzodiazepine abuse, but considering the number of people who have taken this medication, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE ABUSED IT IS QUITE SMALL." (The encyclopedia of psychoactive drugs. Vol. 16 p.99-100)
"Because of the long half-lives and conversion to active metabolites with long durations of action, withdrawal or abstinence symptoms after prolonged use may not appear for a week or more after abrupt discontinuation of the drug and are likely to be mild. In most instances after tapered withdrawal of usual doses of long-acting agents, no abstinence syndrome occurs. (Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological basis of therapeutics vol.1 p.427)Instead of exchanging words and links I suggest you should read these books which are much reliable. There are many more to refer, but I only quote a few. Nowhere I could find the term "ADDICTION". Does it mean all these great psychiatists and scientists are misleading us with a linguistic squabble?
Okay, leave all these behind. Use common sense. We depend on a lot of things in our life. Air, water, food, relationships.... This table will be much longer. But do you ever think you are addicted to oxygen, water? or your spouse? What makes the difference here is depending on a true necessity is not an addiction, but depending on a created necessity is definitely an addiction. For those overanxious, panic patients, benzos are not a created necessity, but a true necessity. And depending on these substances can never be regarded as an addiction.
Good luck Squiggles, I am waiting for a level headed reply.
HIBA
poster:hiba
thread:116708
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020821/msgs/117701.html