Posted by yxibow on June 16, 2006, at 23:50:50
In reply to Re: You CAN wean off of benzodiazpines_Jeninne, posted by cecilia on June 16, 2006, at 23:31:08
> I have many thought in regard to this post, but I want to be civil and not get banned, so I'll simply say A)Not everyone WANTS to wean off benzodiazepines. Some people find them beneficial. B)Anything is certainly possible but it is highly unusual for someone who has been on Ativan for 6 weeks to require 18 months to wean off. Cecilia
I would agree -- I don't want to wean off of benzodiazepines.. despite my doctors trepidations and my own of high dose Valium, it has helped immensely and is probably the second drug to Seroquel in my cocktail, if you would, that really makes an inroad. We're trying to reduce it a bit to a more "sane" level, but it basically is what we describe as a necessary evil. I go off of Valium, and if artificial lighting get brighter in my mind and stays that way, I could get more suicidal.
I don't want to go there, or ruin the past 4 years of treatment. It'll get down eventually over time if necessary. Benzodiazepines have been around for about 45 years and the millions of patient hours have proven them safe and effective (far safer than the barbiturates and quaaludes that they replaced) when used as directed in a medically necessary use (i.e. not fake prescriptions so you can go wild with Xanax).
And I also agree with B) it is just not in the medical annals to require 18 months to get off of a short (or even long) term benzodiazepine except for the most sensitive patient out there. You gradually taper, 10% here, 5mg of Valium a week or whatever, and you're off of them.
If its too hard, back off and taper again. They've been proven drugs and they're not going to hurt your liver provided you have tests every so often and you're not hepatically compromised (in which case Serax is a better one).
poster:yxibow
thread:657802
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060610/msgs/657874.html