2012: "Benzodiazepines: A versatile clinical tool"

With its upbeat title, I was a expecting a very "pro-benzo" article, but it's actually a balanced, clear article that indicates when benzodiazepines can be used in medicine with positive results, and when it's not appropriate at all. There's a section on tapering as well.

 

I've had some issues seeing the second page, since it sometimes asks you to log in to see it, but you might be lucky and get it on the first try! If not, then it might be half an article only. Sorry!

 

http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/index.php?id=22661&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=176764

 

 

I have so many issues with this article. I'm really saddened that doctors STILL look at benzos in terms of "low dose." I've felt for a very long time that there is NO SUCH THING as a "low dose" when it comes to benzos. And to say that a "low dose" can be begun in geriatric patients is ridiculous. Even .25 mg. or .5 mg. can cause havoc on the CNS for a long period of time whether or not the person is old or young.

 

Do doctors still not understand that rebound insomnia is a RESULT of benzo drugs not working effectively any longer or the patient being in tolerance or full-blown w/d? Do they continue to think that the patient is suffering rebound insomnia because that was the original complaint? Who's to say that a geriatric patient, for instance, wasn't on other drugs (and most likely they were, as they seem to be the most drugged-up people as a whole) that caused insomnia in the first place and that led to a doctor prescribing a benzo drug?

 

I still shudder when I think of the time when I was 18 and working in a convalescent hospital. A particular patient's nightly round of pills was 14. 14!!! And that was a very long time ago. 

 

Using Klonopin for panic disorder, 1.6 mg./d for 5 weeks - by that time a person could clearly be addicted, and the rebound panic from getting off the drug could certainly be double what it was in the first place and that led to the benzo use.

 

These are all my own opinions, but having been on K for three weeks before tapering, I was clearly addicted right away. It was an immediate process of feeling more drugged that I'd ever felt in my life, and my brain function went down to a very low level.

 

I will only breathe a great sigh of relief when doctors, as a whole, finally get the true message about benzos.

 

My wish is that there would be a full-proof test for determining which people could suffer greatly from these pills vs. which people can come off them easily. They're way too risky otherwise.

 

 

 

 

Lapis, you're sounding very positive about the changes that are happening, and I appreciate that so very much!!

 

I'm sounding like a very negative person on these posts, but I'm getting so impatient for there to be a complete turnaround. I realize that doctors as a group are very conservative, and any changes seem to take a long time to implement, particularly in a drug such as a benzo. A doctor may see a patient who is responding favorably to a benzo short-term and then maybe doesn't see the patient for a long time, thinking that the drug is working and that the patient is continuing to feel better. By that time the patient could be addicted and not know it. Then come offshoot problems, like anxiety and depression, and other pills are prescribed when it actually turns out to be benzo w/d. This has carried on for decades, and having been going through w/d, I can't believe that we're stuck where we are.

 

And meanwhile you're posting positive changes, and I need to be thankful that there ARE positive changes.

 

Anyway, I appreciate all of the wonderful material you provide, Lapis, which is so valuable to us on BB!!! 

 

Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses to articles that I'm posting, Terry! I'm not sure if I'm sounding positive or negative, but I'm certainly trying to look at each of these studies and articles some objectivity, if I can.

 

I'm glad that there are some decent,  informative articles to access and share. It would be way worse if no information were available, or if it were only available to medical professionals and not those of us who really need it. With the internet, we have access to much more info than ever before. If people want to print things and share them with their medical professionals, family and friends, then all the better! It's hard to refute the solid evidence against long-term benzodiazepine use that we're seeing.

 

I doubt these meds are going away anytime soon. They have their place (e.g. alcohol withdrawal, seizures, pre-op, etc.). But I'd like to see a lot of prevention when it comes to many of the other instances where benzodiazepines are prescribed so quickly.

I agree, Lapis!! More prevention and more alternatives to benzos, as you've mentioned before: meditation, exercise, good nutrition, CBT, etc. I'm getting some good results from meditation and would like to keep that light shining. It seems to be helping to calm my nerves. (But I had coffee today for the first time in a month and was on a bit of a roll this morning. Will have to avoid it until next month.) At some point doctors won't automatically be reaching for a prescription pad to write out for a benzo but will instead discuss alternatives after explaining about the harmful side effects that can result. I don't think I've ever had a doctor ask me about my eating habits, for instance, but that certainly might help as part of the protocol!

Darn right! Nutrition, exercise, good sleep habits, stress reduction, etc.....These are all major players when it comes to health, but I don't think doctors cover those topics in their studies or discuss them with patients.