Posted by Viridis on November 5, 2003, at 0:40:03
In reply to Re: Inattentive ADD help, posted by LightShifter on November 4, 2003, at 15:49:47
I have a similar reaction to Strattera, and find it has a mellowing effect (I have ADD). However, I do think it's important to go up slowly with the dosage, as side effects seem pretty common (although most disappeared quite quickly for me). I can't tolerate SSRIs at all -- they make me very anxious and all over the place emotionally.
I disagree, though, that benzos are addictive for most people. I'm not aware of any evidence to support this, despite decades of use with tens of millions of patients. Xanax seems to be the one that's most likely to cause problems, but even with it, most of the difficulties are with tolerance and dependence, not true addiction. So, as with all sorts of meds, you have to discontinue use gradually.
Reports of Strattera withdrawal are beginning to appear here and really, I suspect that almost any of the meds that substantially affect brain chemistry will require tapering for successful discontinuation. That doesn't mean they're bad, just that if they induce a major change, then it can take a cautious approach to get off them and get your system back to normal (which may not be so great anyway). In any case, Klonopin is pretty safe in this respect compared to some of the commonly-prescribed antidepressants and is not known for being addictive.
poster:Viridis
thread:275320
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031030/msgs/276725.html