Posted by Elizabeth on April 16, 2002, at 21:29:04
In reply to Re: Long Term BZDs » Elizabeth, posted by alan on April 14, 2002, at 11:51:26
> I think my main point, regardless of sleep architechture issues (the result of which may be detrimental to some while not others) was that tolerance develops rapidly to the sedative effects of the BDZs.
Sure, I was just pointing out that lots of things alter our sleep architecture in different ways, so the benzos shouldn't be singled out for this.
> If you are treating panic-anxiety and it is the anxiety which is keeping you awake then you will sleep regardless of tolerance. On the other hand, if you are taking Klonopin for it's sedative properties you can expect this will wear off quickly with regular use.
This is kind of what I was getting at when I said not to expect sedative-hypnotics to "knock you out." They'll quiet things down if you're feeling nervous, wired, ruminating, thoughts racing, etc., but you have to get in bed and try to sleep, too -- you can't expect them to keep *making* you sleep for very long. For that matter, you can't expect Ambien to knock you out either (again, except maybe at first). I've never taken benzos for insomnia (well, I tried a few of them but they didn't do anything) so I'm not sure to what extent they retain their effects over time, though.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:102248
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020416/msgs/103283.html