Posted by Elizabeth on February 28, 2002, at 0:01:09
In reply to Re: benzos for alcoholics?, posted by gilbert on February 26, 2002, at 22:59:24
> I did try klonopin but still had panics I needed huge doses to get by.
Huh, that's weird. What dose of Klonopin did you need, and what dose of Xanax worked comparably?
Did you find that benzos felt like alcohol in a way that was triggering, and if so, was there any difference between X and K in this regard? I've heard some people say that they don't "feel" Klonopin when it starts to work the way that they "feel" Xanax kick in. I'd expect this to influence the abuse/addiction potential, and the tendency to cause alcohol cravings.
> I am working within my own hemisphere here as Alan would say and do not want to project my experiences on others.
I can tell. You've been perfectly rational, even though you're going through something that has to be very difficult for you (having to stop taking your Xanax). You certainly haven't said anything that suggests that you believe your experience applies to everybody else. And I absolutely agree, based on what you've said, that benzos probably aren't for you. I just hope you can find an adequate substitute.
> I do think for me benzos are off limits. I did lovvvve my xanax and will miss it.
Heh. That weirds me out, when people say they feel good on benzos. For me, benzos just feel like of "slowing down" drugs (which makes sense, since they are CNS depressants). Calming, maybe a little bit sedating, but definitely not euphoric! Just one more example of how different we all are, eh?
> On the spiritual side I guess what I am trying to say is I wish I could find a med that just made me feel normal for use of a better word.
I understand. Normal was my holy grail for quite a while, too. (Now I'm trying to figure out how to get normal without the side effects.) I think that the desire to feel normal is what drives a lot of people to abuse drugs.
> The xanax kind of dulled my existence never really got too excited about anything, the prozac kind of dulls my emotions like I can't cry sometimes when I am sad.....it's weird like all meds seem to take something from my original personna.
I've heard of that happening with SSRIs and mood stabilizers (i.e., antimanic drugs), but never benzos. I wonder how common it is.
> Today I am going thru a long depressive episode and I am forced to take the prozac I have been on it for 3 weeks.
That sounds really awful. How long have you been feeling depressed? Other than the emotional dulling, is Prozac causing you any problems?
> I am beginning to wonder if I am bi polar I go from tons of panics to depresssion in cycles but my mania is not like other bi polars who get high and active mine is loaded up on fear and panic.
Well, there is something called dysphoric or mixed mania (or hypomania) which is characterized by symptoms of both depression and mania (or hypomania). (Mixed hypomania isn't recognized in DSM-IV, but it's generally accepted that it happens.) A typical presentation might include agitation, insomnia, anger or irritability, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. I don't know if that's what's going on for you. You might talk to your pdoc about it if you think that you're cycling between depression and panic.
> So for now my problem is trying to stay motivated to stay alive.
Just make sure that you get enough fluids. It takes motivation to attempt suicide too, after all. Do you live alone, or is there someone else there?
> On the whole benzo issue for drunks I found them a bit disinhibiting.
This doesn't just happen to alcoholics. Some people have been known to have bad things happen on benzos because of disinhibition (in particular, people with a lot of impulsivity and/or aggression).
> I do know other alcoholics doing just fine on them and I do know some who have not.
Yes, that's consistent with what I know from reading and personal experience. Benzos aren't absolutely contraindicated for alcoholics, you just have to exercise some extra caution.
> I do think withhin 10 years the issue will be moot due to new gabba antagonist coming out like pagloclone and other in the pipelines. Hopefully we will have viable alternatives to benzos and ssri's both.
That'd be pretty cool. I think pagoclone is a partial agonist at the benzodiazepine receptor -- who knows what that will mean in regard to efficacy, but it probably will have milder side effects and withdrawal symptoms than the benzos. On the down side, I have no doubt whatsoever that it will be unbelievably expensive (another common characteristic of partial agonists <g>).
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:94946
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020222/msgs/95759.html