Posted by Paul on August 14, 1999, at 16:21:12
In reply to Re: Lorazapam - Sorry but you're wrong, posted by GS on August 14, 1999, at 14:33:26
> > > there seems to be 2 schools of thought in the psychiatric profession about benzodiazapines. To generalize, 1) Benzodiazapines are not good for long term treatment of any anxiety disorder
> >
> > > 2)Benzos are good for long term treatment of anxiety disorders
> >
> > > THE PROBLEM IS:
> > >
> > > The 1st group are in my opinion overrating the tolerance and dependence issues surrounding this class of drugs because of lack of understanding in prescribing and managing them.
> >
> > Yes, those are two sides of the benzodiazepine issue, and the 1st group may sometimes overestimate the risks. OTOH, the 2nd group may sometimes underestimate the risks, too...
> >
> > Bob
> ************************************************
>
> The underestimation of risk would be from the ill informed
> practitioners from the first group (the under educated, biased, and poor managers) not the second! If not for the skill and knowledge of group two, there wouldn't even be a debate about the issue. They're the ones battling ignorance and underestimation!
> If a psychopharmacologist is worth their salt, they will have taken TIME to manage and oversee benzos properly (looking for drug seeking behaivors, quizzing the patient about QUALITY of sleep, having them keep mood/sleep logs, knowing whether or not there is an accurate diagnosis in the first place, etc.)
> I don't understand your post frankly. My FULL POSTED description of group 2 did not include doctors that irresponsibly prescribe - underestimating benzos problems....quite the opposite!
>
> GS
Sounds like this one was a little too controversial for Dr. Bob to give us an opinion on. But quoting Dr. Robert Dupont, former director of the National Institute of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse,he states:"I have yet to see a patient become addicted to benzodiazepenes without a history of substance abuse. Dr. Dupont suggests "the concept of using the lowest possible dose of a benzodiazepine for the shortest period of time is inconsistent with sound clinical practice. This concept needs to include the important qualification that our goal is to maximize the patient's ability to function well and to enjoy life. Benzodiazepenes are among the safest and most effective treatments in all of medicine, including their role in the treatment of anxiety disorder." Amen
poster:Paul
thread:9160
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990914/msgs/10099.html