Posted by Viridis on June 24, 2003, at 22:32:55
In reply to The Age Old Benzo Question, posted by DM Olsen on June 24, 2003, at 14:34:01
I'll just echo BrittPark -- benzos are safe, effective and have a long track record, so any pdoc who avoids them unconditionally is uniformed, to say the least.
Recently, my pdoc gave me some Gabitril (tiagabine) to try -- it's supposed to act on the same receptors and he says some of his colleagues have had good success with it for anxiety patients. He asked for my input (but continues to prescribe Klonopin and Xanax, and told me to use it cautiously). So you might ask for a sample -- they're readily available. Reactions here have been very mixed, and a lot of people have reported major side effects. I haven't tried it yet, but will.
Then there's Neurontin -- it had a wonderful relaxing effect for me the first couple of times I took it, then nothing. But the effects seem to last for some people, so it might be worth a try. It's very benign and safe, and most doctors will prescribe it.
Really, though, it sounds like you need benzos and a doctor who's willing to prescribe them.
BTW -- my pdoc says that asking for Xanax by name is asking for trouble. He says be vague, mention alprazolam, and let the doc take it from there. Apparently, Xanax has enough of a reputation for abuse that asking for it directly is often viewed as "drug-seeking behavior". He sees this as silly in most cases, but does acknowledge that some people abuse it, and says he carefully monitors patients to whom he prescribes it.
poster:Viridis
thread:236694
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030624/msgs/236804.html