Posted by viridis on October 20, 2002, at 20:49:01
In reply to Re: My Klonopin (Clonazepam) isnt working » Squiggles, posted by Alan on October 20, 2002, at 20:15:55
I agree with Alan. Benzos have helped me tremendously, with essentially no side effects and no need for any increase in dosage. The various ADs I've tried have had terrible side effects and have increased my anxiety, even at very low doses, and for me these effects don't disappear with time. I know others who have done extremely well on Prozac, Celexa, etc., so I'm sure these are great meds for some people. However, I no longer have any patience with doctors who push these drugs on me when I tell them of my experiences, and my positive reaction to benzos. Fortunately, I now have a totally non-benzophobic psychiatrist who quickly realized that benzos were appropriate meds for me, and that SSRIs and Wellbutrin were not.
I haven't tried to withdraw from benzos (and don't have any plans to in the near future). My psychiatrist was very straightforward in telling me that medical dependency was likely to develop, just as it does with various ADs, blood pressure meds, insulin, etc. According to him, supervised withdrawal from benzos by slow taper is quite routine and is not a problem for most people. However, he seems most concerned that I continue to take benzos, because of their proven record of safety, my very positive reaction to relatively low doses, and the damage that long-term anxiety does to one's mental and physical health.
The whole benzo argument seems silly to me. Treatment for for anxiety should be like treatment for any other medical condition. Certain meds are appropriate for some people, not for others. So, find out whether benzos work for you, or whether ADs would be better, and then follow the best treatment plan. If you run into foolish doctors who insist that "one med fits all", or "benzos are addictive", then move on until you find a doctor who listens to what you say and is comfortable with prescribing the best treatment.
poster:viridis
thread:124171
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021019/msgs/124438.html