Washington Post Article on Benzos--June 30, 2009

[[Buddie]]

Washington Post article posted by Hawkeye (sent to her from Jeff).....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062903105_pf.html

[[Buddie]]

Thank you so much for posting this, it's an excellent article!

[[Buddie]]

It is a very good article. I couldn't help but notice the paragraph below.  Fortunately, it is by the FORMER director of NIDA. I hope the current director does not share the same opinion.

Robert DuPont, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who has written several books on addiction and anxiety and maintains a psychiatric practice in Rockville, said the drugs are widely successful in treating panic and anxiety. He said that 90 percent of his patients have no difficulty taking the medicine, and those with problems are most likely to be people who've had issues with addiction in the past.

"The typical patient that I see with anxiety is taking [benzodiazepines] well within the green-light zone," he said. Addiction is an entirely different issue, having to do with a person "essentially falling in love with a chemical high," he said. "For those people, they're booze in the form of a pill."

[[Buddie]]

It is a very good article. I couldn't help but notice the paragraph below.  Fortunately, it is by the FORMER director of NIDA. I hope the current director does not share the same opinion.

Robert DuPont, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who has written several books on addiction and anxiety and maintains a psychiatric practice in Rockville, said the drugs are widely successful in treating panic and anxiety. He said that 90 percent of his patients have no difficulty taking the medicine, and those with problems are most likely to be people who've had issues with addiction in the past.

"The typical patient that I see with anxiety is taking [benzodiazepines] well within the green-light zone," he said. Addiction is an entirely different issue, having to do with a person "essentially falling in love with a chemical high," he said. "For those people, they're booze in the form of a pill."

I was not happy with his statements either!! 

[[Buddie]]

Thanks T2!  Great article!!  WOW xanax is the hardest drug to withdraw from even worse than heroin!!  I did it and no wonder I felt like I was dying at times.  It was very hard and definitely a trip to hell and back but it can be done. I am 11 months off and so much better waiting to be 100%.

[...]

[[Buddie]]

Thanks T2!  Great article!!  WOW xanax is the hardest drug to withdraw from even worse than heroin!!  I did it and no wonder I felt like I was dying at times.  It was very hard and definitely a trip to hell and back but it can be done. I am 11 months off and so much better waiting to be 100%.

[...]

This article was in Hawk's Legal Aspects thread and I just brought here for everyone to see! She said that Jeff sent it to her. 

[[Buddie]]

It is a very good article. I couldn't help but notice the paragraph below.  Fortunately, it is by the FORMER director of NIDA. I hope the current director does not share the same opinion.

Robert DuPont, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who has written several books on addiction and anxiety and maintains a psychiatric practice in Rockville, said the drugs are widely successful in treating panic and anxiety. He said that 90 percent of his patients have no difficulty taking the medicine, and those with problems are most likely to be people who've had issues with addiction in the past.

"The typical patient that I see with anxiety is taking [benzodiazepines] well within the green-light zone," he said. Addiction is an entirely different issue, having to do with a person "essentially falling in love with a chemical high," he said. "For those people, they're booze in the form of a pill."

Not to be a snot but he is a "Dupont" and well.... genetics, genetics genetics    ....will out.

[[Buddie]]

nice to see at least something written about benzos. wasnt exactly what i wanted to hear but hhhhmmm ok. geezz i wish we could write a real story. i love the upbeat statements they gave 'Xanax was the "best thing that ever happened to me." , This drug saved my life."

ok? no. xanax was the worst thing that ever happened to me and so were the withdrawals. this drug tried to ruin my life.

Worldwide revenue for Xanax rose to $350 million last year, up nearly 50 percent from 2003, according to pharmaceutical company Pfizer's financial reports.

John Steinberg, a physician and former medical director of the chemical dependency program at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, estimates that 10 to 20 percent of those taking the drugs for extended periods will have problems with dose escalation and physical dependence

in 2003 xanax sales (and it just says xanax NOT ALL BENZOS) were 50% more? When did John Steinberg get his info on the 10 to 20% thing? in 2003? when the sales were less?


The ordeal of withdrawing from benzodiazepines can rival that of kicking a heroin habit, according to some who have had success.

 I have no idea but thats exactly what the ex heroin addicts said who had also detoxed off xanax.


id like to know if mr Robert DuPont has ever suffered w/ anything to have a dr suggest he take benzos and then withdrawal from them eventually.

so many things are just wrong with this but this part disturbed me the most.
"The typical patient that I see with anxiety is taking [benzodiazepines] well within the green-light zone," he said. Addiction is an entirely different issue, having to do with a person "essentially falling in love with a chemical high," he said. "For those people, they're booze in the form of a pill."



just disgusting. i am no addict. i never was. i never fell in love w/ any chemical high. all i was trying to do was subside the anxiety. isnt that why they gave me the pill in the first place? they said that alot to me in detox too. you took it for the euphoric feeling? no. i took it to try to rid the anxiety  

idk from my end after all i went through, reading this is like....WHAT IS THIS?

id like to know who was offered cognitive behavioral therapy before they were offered benzos. how do i make a poll on that?

[[Buddie]]

I agree with you guys--his statement on the only people with benzo addiction problems were addicts anyways pretty much negates any expertise he claims to have; at least for me.

And he does a huge disservice by not making a distinction between addiction and dependancy, and not even acknowledging that benzos cause dependency.  According to the figures I've seen, after 6 months 80-100% of benzo users will develop a dependancy.

[[Buddie]]

 i cannot seem to find any real statistics on benzo users. i have been searching the web forever now. where are the real statistics?
most things i see i feel are half truth, half studies.