Posted by mattdds on June 4, 2003, at 23:48:55
In reply to Thanks Matt, posted by KellyD on June 4, 2003, at 21:33:26
I feel what you're going through. I almost had to drop out of dental school for anxiety. I was fighting the benzo thing so hard! I kept getting worse with every SSRI, TCA or other antidepressant. I had to leave my school healthcare system because they all felt benzos were "addictive". Having read a great deal about benzos and taken a medical pharmacology class in dental school, I feel anyone who tells people benzos are addictive in people with anxiety disorders is just misinformed and not up on the literature.
I found a good psychiatrist in NYC with a lot of experience with anxiety disorders. He says he has a number of patients who've been on Klonopin for years with great success.
Do you have panic disorder? Or a similar anxiety disorder? If so, benzos have been shown in the literature to work over decades! They're really remarkable drugs, ya know.
If they have worked for you, then honestly, don't worry about addiction. You might become dependent, but they keep on working for you as long as you take them. The only tolerance is to the bad side effects. The good effects hang around indefinitely! That's the beauty of benzos. You'll know if and when it is time to come off them (perhaps never, but that's ok!), and when you do, just taper over a 3-4 month period and you'll be fine!
Best of luck!
Matt
P.s. Though I consider Klonopin a miraculous drug, I owe much of my success (perhaps 80%?) to CBT. It greatly improved my response to benzos, as well. I know CBT isn't very fashionable on this board, but it helps me and many others! We're having a pretty lively discussion on CBT at psychological babble, if you want to check it out. In particular, Larry Hoover is a genius when it comes to CBT matters. I'm sure you'll find his comments interesting.
poster:mattdds
thread:230656
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030604/msgs/231525.html