Posted by PaulB on July 23, 2001, at 12:33:30
In reply to Re: clonazepam+depression » PaulB, posted by judy1 on July 22, 2001, at 19:46:09
> Dear Paul,
> My pdoc, the anxiety specialist, feels that in people with primary anxiety klonopin helps the anxiety which in turn reduces depressive symptoms. It should be fairly easy for you to think which symptom was first. Again in people with primary anxiety, SSRI's tend to worsen symptoms of anxiety- which in turn worsen depression. (Personally, SSRI's just make me manic and klonopin is the magic bullet) Hope you're doing better- judyThanks for the replys. It just recently occured to me that the benzodiazepines may not actually worsen my depression. I think it was that I expected the 'pams' to worsen mt depression and I didnt expect it with the SSRI's I tried. The former are depressants after all. The idea that anxiety can precipitate and cause depression and therefore treating the anxiety alone is a interesting topic but Im not sure where I stand on it.
The writer of an article which drew on the topic says:
'My own view is that the notion that benzodiazepines "cause" or "precipitate" depression may be an interpretive error. That is, people with anxiety disorders like social phobia and generalised anxiety disorder are at a higher than average risk of depressive illness across their life span. If someone receives a benzodiazepine, typically they have more severe symptoms, which increases risk. Since benzodiazepines have no maintenance preventative effect for subsequent depressive episodes, and since they are typically taken long-term, the association between benzodiazepines and depression may actually be population at risk effect(i.e. it is the group of people, not the drug, that increases relative risk)
Elizabeth, you mentioned Xanax which is a good option I hear. Recalling that particular pdoc I mentioned he added, specifically, that people who are unable to tolerate Clonazepam do much better when switched to Lorazepam.
PaulB
poster:PaulB
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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71504.html