Posted by Viridis on May 13, 2004, at 4:44:05
In reply to social anxiety meds, posted by intheclouds on May 10, 2004, at 8:45:05
I am not aware of any credible evidence that benzos like Klonopin are "addictive" for the vast majority of patients, although they may induce medical dependency, which is a different issue. SSRIs and many other meds also cause dependency, and SSRIs are especially notorious for this. This just means that if you discontinue the med, you need to do so very gradually.
The benzo addiction myth is often repeated (especially by doctors!), but if you ask them for proof, the best that most can say is something vague like, "it's common knowledge" etc. This is something they've heard from pharmaceutical company reps trying to push still-patented drugs, and it's become sort of an urban legend. The bottom line is that for many anxiety patients, benzos are the best treatment, and have proven safe and effective for decades.
I'd find another doctor if I were you, ideally an older one who knows from experience how well some of the time-tested drugs can work.
poster:Viridis
thread:345306
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040510/msgs/346374.html