Posted by sdb on January 30, 2007, at 17:56:20
In reply to Re: Valium, xanax, lunesta together at night for sleep, posted by Quintal on January 30, 2007, at 17:31:55
> Phillipa, I and some other people on here have been trying for a while to inform you that benzos and other CNS depressants can cause and exacerbate depression when taken long term. It's one of the reasons pdocs are so against benzos here in the UK and if you were to present with treatment resistant depression it would probably be one of their treatment goals to gradually taper them off them and see if your depression improved. I found myself that I no longer have such severe depressive episodes since I quit benzos and I'm more emotionally stable. It really is worth looking into withdrawing from them and substituting with another anxiolytic drug such as Lyrica and/or BuSpar (if necessary) if you're serious about beating the depression.
>
> I know benzos are the only meds you trust and they've worked well most of your life, but it is possible that now they're doing more harm than good.
>
> QI think that it can be various from person to person. If there's only an anxiety problem benzos can have something like an antidepressant effect because of the relief of a problem. If somebody has depression and anxiety things are more complicated. Valium and especially Klonopin do have the property to probably induce symptoms of depression. The only benzo with antidepressant action by itself is prazepam. I tested both, prazepam and chlordiazepoxide. I was surprised why prazepam had an antidepressant effect and chlordiazepoxide not since the pharmacodynamic profile is similar but not the same (but no diazepam as main substance). It is not everything explainable by theory. I don't know about alprazolam, I've taken an XR 1mg and only felt sedated. What's definitely clear is that benzos of course are one of the most effective treatments against anxiety disorders.
Bupirone can be a treatment for anxiety but I am not sure if it is more because of an antidepressant action. 5ht1a antagonists definitaly works against depression/anxiety. One example which is a betablocker with high affinity to 5ht1a-receptors is bopindolol. It is the only betablocker that has a good impact on mood disorders available due to its pharmacological profile.
sdb
poster:sdb
thread:728097
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070125/msgs/728195.html