Posted by Viridis on January 19, 2004, at 2:47:53
In reply to Re: What's the best SSRI for SA/Performance Anxiety?, posted by Alex2 on January 19, 2004, at 0:22:42
Benzodiazepines like Klonopin and Xanax are great for anxiety, and they're rarely addictive -- people do become dependent on them and have to taper off slowly, but some of the most commonly-prescribed antidepressants (especially Paxil) are even worse in this respect. For some reason (probably because most ADs are, or were until recently, still under patent), the term "discontinuation syndrome" is used instead. But it's really no different than benzos or many other drugs.
True addiction is the situation in which you crave a substance, escalate doses, use it in a way that causes harm, and so on. Benzos rarely fit this profile for those who need them, and have a much longer track record of safety than SSRIs and other newer antidepressants.
poster:Viridis
thread:301918
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040118/msgs/302595.html