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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ricardo on February 3, 2003, at 9:54:32
Hi
Something I never mentioned... My doctor prescribed Bromazepan together with the two AD's she's put me on until now (Paxil and Wellbutrin, one after another). She told me to take half a pill whenever I feel really anxious. So far, I've taken just 3 half-pills within the three months I've been taking AD's. The reason I've been so reluctant in taking it is that it's a black label drug (according to the Brazilian remedy labeling regulation, black label drugs are supposed to be addictive). Does anyone have any comments on it?
Thanks,
Ricardo
Posted by Bipolarsux on February 4, 2003, at 5:36:19
In reply to Bromazepan, posted by ricardo on February 3, 2003, at 9:54:32
I don't know how many milligrams are in your "half pills" but I'm willing to bet that taking 3 in 3 months will not even bring you close to addiction. (I'm not a doctor but I am sort of a benzo veteran, so I'm fairly confident on this one...)
If you were taking 3 "half pills" a day for 3 months *then* withdrawl symptoms might well be an issue. Even if you do become dependent, withdrawal is not impossible but can be very uncomfortable if you do it too fast. I've been (and very likely am again) dependent on benzos and I've learned the hard way that you must reduce your dosage very slowly.
BPsux
Posted by ricardo on February 4, 2003, at 5:50:09
In reply to Re: Bromazepan » ricardo, posted by Bipolarsux on February 4, 2003, at 5:36:19
Thanks a lot. My half-pill is 1.5 mg. But... what benefits should I expet to get from it, if I decide to take it more regularly. I do get anxious quite a lot, but I've been trying to just put up with it. I've noticed that this drug will put me to sleep whenever I take it, so I guess I should never take it before going to work, for example...
Posted by Bipolarsux on February 5, 2003, at 3:23:04
In reply to Re: Bromazepan, posted by ricardo on February 4, 2003, at 5:50:09
> Thanks a lot. My half-pill is 1.5 mg. But... what benefits should I expet to get from it, if I decide to take it more regularly. I do get anxious quite a lot, but I've been trying to just put up with it. I've noticed that this drug will put me to sleep whenever I take it, so I guess I should never take it before going to work, for example...
My personal experience has been that if you take a benzo regularly and at a therapeutic level you will feel much less anxiety in general (this is logical consequence of taking more of the stuff I guess).
That is the good part. The drawbacks are:
Sedation - most people seem to get this to some degree (I certainly do). It is much worse at the beginning until you get used to it, but some sedation always seems to remain.
Memory difficulties - most people complain about this to some extent, depending on how much they take. I get this problem a lot.
Dependency - you run a good chance of experiencing difficulty in withdrawing unless you taper off slowly. There is plenty of debate and info about this on the net.
I've found that, just like antidepressants, it takes a couple of weeks to experience the full benefits of taking a benzo regularly. If after that time you are not happy with the results I would suggest getting off it sooner rather than later.
Like all medications you never know how it will work for you until you've tried...but do it under a doctor's supervsion.
This is the end of the thread.
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