Posted by greywolf on April 6, 2007, at 5:04:30
In reply to Doctors irresponsible with Xanax, posted by Cynthia_Greene on April 5, 2007, at 13:04:32
Coincidentally, I just wrote to someone about a similar topic regarding benzos.I'm not anti-benzo. In fact, I think benzos work great--particularly if the person taking them is careful to use them only when really necessary. I've never had any problem getting off Xanax, and I've had valium, but never to an extent that you would worry about an addiction developing. I've also never experienced any high with a benzo.
My concern about benzos is not addictiveness, it's dependency. There's a HUGE difference between those two situations. Many people have come to rely heavily on benzos at the same time many doctors are becoming more reluctant to prescribe them long-term.
So, what do you do if you've been taking Xanax responsibly for a long time--never taking it just as a matter of habit, but on a carefully regulated, as-needed basis--and your doctor suddenly decides that simply on the basis of the length of time you've been on Xanax, it's time to take you off? What do you do then if you've relied on a benzo to "treat" anxiety?
I tend to favor use of a med like Xanax as an adjunct to a primary med, not as the primary itself. That way, the dependency factor isn't as threatening. Of course, the addiction risk could still be there, but that's more of an individual concern.
Greywolf
poster:greywolf
thread:747227
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070402/msgs/747450.html