Posted by BrittPark on November 16, 2002, at 18:34:06
In reply to Alcohol substitute - what's best?, posted by hok on November 16, 2002, at 12:09:38
How much are you drinking? If it's no more than 2 drinks a day (if you're a man) or 1 drink a day (if you're a woman), then if the alcohol works for you there's no reason to stop. From the cardiovascular point of view 2/1 drink(s) a day is considered optimal. If you're drinking more than that you probably should be considering another drug for your anxiety.
The best drugs purely for anxiety are the benzodiazepines. They are safe, unlikely to lead to dose escalation, and are suitable for long term treatment of anxiety disorders. You will find a good many "benzophobic" doctors out there, who will not prescribe benzos especially if you've been "abusing" alcohol.
The other common pharmacological treatment for anxiety is an antidepressant. Antidepressants don't work immediately but they do work for most people.
Outside of benzos and antidepressants there are atypical antipsychotics like zyprexa, risperdal and others which are anxiolytic in some people.
Finally there is psychotherapy particularly cognitive behavioral therapy that many people find helpful.
Now as to what drugs are most like alcohol in there subjective effect I'd have to say opioids. There's a lot of evidence that part of the "high" people get from alcohol is mediated by the opiate receptor system. There are very few doctors who would prescribe opioids for anxiety, however.
Feel better,
Britt
poster:BrittPark
thread:127923
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021116/msgs/127963.html