Posted by micro on March 6, 2004, at 15:00:56
In reply to Re: DON'T BELIEVE BENZO.ORG!!!!!! » ace, posted by Viridis on March 3, 2004, at 1:32:51
> I could say a lot a lot about benzo.org and some of the other anti-benzo sites, but last time I did (OK, I was kind of sarcastic) I got a "please be civil" warning. So I'll just add my agreement with Ace, and point out a few things:
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> - look carefully at the qualifications of the people who run these sites and those who are cited as "experts" -- in particular, if someone is listed as a "doctor", check what field their doctorate is in (some have nothing to do with medicine or psychiatry);
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> - consider that testimonials are pretty easy to come by; even people who are being perfectly honest may attribute the problems they're having to a particular drug they've taken, whether it had anything to do with their condition or not;
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> - almost any med or class of meds is bound to have negative effects for some subset of users, which doesn't make these drugs dangerous for everyone;
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> - especially with anxiety disorders, it's very hard to separate "withdrawal" after discontinuation from a simple return to the previous anxiety condition (although there's no question that benzos and many other meds require a gradual taper after extended use);
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> - some of these sites devote an awful lot of attention to telling people how to sue their doctors, even if the doctor prescribed a med carefully, reasonably, and in good faith -- which raises questions about the real motivation behind the sites.
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> I could go on, but the point is that anyone can create a website and put whatever they want on it. I suspect that you could pick nearly any drug (including aspirin) and come up with "experts" who say it's dangerous and people who will testify that it's ruined their lives.
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> Benzos have been helping people for decades, have an excellent record of safety and effectiveness, and the people who need them most seem to have the fewest problems with them.
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> Having said all that, if a benzo is going to cause problems, Xanax appears (based on the available evidence) the most likely to so. Not a reason to avoid it (it's a wonderful med) -- just watch for tolerance etc. I do best using it occasionally, with Klonopin as my mainstay for anxiety. I had no major problems; I just developed tolerance quickly so I limit its use to maintain effectiveness at a fairly low dose. But that's just me, and we all react differently.
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> In any case, take the anti-benzo sites with a very large grain of salt.Hello, I was wondering has anybody on this site seen the incredible no.of withdrawl complaints associated with antidepressants? Initially ssris were meant to be softer meds than the old tricyclics, but after researching the posts on this site an my pharm texts and jounals, it actually appears that ssris do cause a so called "withdrawl syndrome" trading one set of side effects and symtoms for another. The human body will become habituated for any medication taken over a long period of time!
Any Pdoc knows that benzos can cause dependence {psychologically or physically} and frequently do. I think most people here know that tapering must be slow and is more difficult based on the number of years the substance has been used for control of symtoms. Before swallowing your first pill, I would make sure that you are aware of the "Risks vs Benefits" and are willing to accept the fact that Withdrawl is likely to occur with the use of long term Benzos. This info. is published everywhere including some rather interesting posts from the individuals on this website.
Otc Aspirin is not with out risks to those who chronically use it- [especially, the elderly].It can cause Gi bleeding, colorvision abnormalities, scotomas etc. This info. may be found in a text written for medical professionals by F.T. Fraunfelder " Drug induced Side Effects and Drug Interactions"
Regards, Micro
poster:micro
thread:319551
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040304/msgs/321169.html