Posted by viridis on December 14, 2002, at 2:27:00
In reply to Anyone here become addicted to benzos or Stims?, posted by Denise528 on December 12, 2002, at 11:14:47
"Addiction" is a pretty serious situation, but the term often gets used inaccurately to describe medical dependency, which also occurs with many non-taboo psychiatric drugs. I take benzos and stimulants and am not addicted to either. I take Klonopin every day and probably am dependent, but I'm on the same dose I started with a year and a half ago and it still works just as well, so I have no desire to stop, or increase the dose. I have all the Xanax I need and more, and anything over 0.5 mg just makes me sleepy, so there's no incentive to increase the dose -- I just take it occasionally. I take 5-10 mg Adderall/day for ADD (it's also a great antidepressant for me), and have stayed at that dose for about a year. I'm definitely not dependent on it, and skip a day or two here and there with no problem.
Of course you have to be careful, but I think that for most people who derive medical benefits from these drugs, "addiction" is very unlikely. If you start to enjoy the effects and escalate the doses recreationally, then you have a problem. But (my impression at least) I doubt this happens much with those who really need these meds.
And, for me, benzos aren't dulling; they actually sharpen my thinking by eliminating anxiety and allowing me to sleep normally.
poster:viridis
thread:131482
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021210/msgs/131768.html