Posted by MattDDS on October 1, 2002, at 13:22:53
In reply to Re: Viridis, I think you're right on the money. » MattDDS, posted by viridis on October 1, 2002, at 1:56:43
Viridis (and other benzophiles),
It may be that I have selective attention for posts about success with Klonopin (or other benzos), but it almost seems like there is (in my extremely humble opinion) a subgroup of anxious / depressed patients for which benzos work almost miraculously for both anxiety and depression.
I have noticed this pattern: I start with a bout of severe anxiety and panic attacks, seemingly out of the blue. If this goes untreated, severe depression follows. The depression seems to stem from a hopeless perspective about the anxiety itself, and not necessarily about other events in my life. However, this does not imply that my depression is mild. Most psychiatrists would be more worried about my depression, and would tend (as they have until recently) to overlook the anxiety as a result of rather than a potential cause of my depression. I take the Beck Depression Inventory and my scores indicate severe depression. I even go on to develop the melancholic type with loss of libido, of interest and of appetite. The weird thing is antidepressants do not help, but worsen my depression. I imagine this is because SSRIs tend to cause anxiety as a side effect. However, a benzo stops this cycle starting with dose 1. A near miraculous effect for me!
Meanwhile, there are others (possibly representing another subgroup) who report intolerable side effects and worsened depression while taking benzos. For me, benzos have ZERO side effects. Better yet, they make me feel more energetic and motivated, yet calm at the same time. My sleep improves, even if I took them many hours before bedtime.
My point? Maybe there are two potential subtypes of depression. One that exists on it's own, and one that results from untreated anxiety. The former might tend to do better on AD's while the latter, better on benzos. Obviously there are many other types, and this is all my wacko speculation. But if this is true and benzos work for others on DEPRESSION like they do for me, it is extremely unfortunate that they are so often avoided because of unfounded fears of "addiction" and "tolerance" ( which is a whole other "babble").
Anyone feel the same way?
Matt
poster:MattDDS
thread:121617
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020930/msgs/121829.html