Posted by TomV on September 24, 2004, at 15:03:28
In reply to Re: Benzos are a deal with the Devil » TomV, posted by ace on September 24, 2004, at 0:32:17
> but if you take 1/2 mg or more for more than 3 months it's nearly impossible to get off the drug, in my opinion.
>
> Tom, that's a very innacurate and generalizsed statement. For some people it is true. But for a great many, and I say this after EXTENSIVE anecdotal and clinical research, there is no problem going off the benzo. In fact, There is a trend for users to lower their dose over time!
>
>
Ace,I'm definitely generalizing. Of course it's not the same for everyone. But I know at least 5 people personally, including myself and my wife, who just can't get off the drugs. And my wife only takes 1/2 mg of Klonopin!
One friend went into rehab to quit 1 mg of xanax...he couldn't do it. The doctor asked, "why do you want to quit anyway?" and my friend said he believed the xanax was bringing him down and he didn't believe it was good for his long term physical health. The doctor had no answers.
> > In my case I've tried quitting so many times that I've almost given up the thought of trying again.
>
> Unfortunately you are one of the people who has problems with benzos. I am sorry about that.
I agree. I am unfortunate. But I truly believe many people are in the same boat as me and can't quit these drugs.
> I've been taking a little over 1mg of xanax (after switching from klonopin to ativan to xanax) for almost 6 years, and every time I drop even the slightest amount I start feeling physically ill within a couple days.
>
> That's not good. But for me, I take 2mg Xanax a day...I can miss a week and have no withdrawal symptoms.
You are very fortunate. I wish I could have the same luck (or skill?). I can never tough it out; it's simply not possible.
>
> I've read in the literature that a benzo withdrawl can even cause a Grand Mal seizure, which is kind of what I thought I was experiencing.
>
> That's only in extreme cases where the benzo is RAPIDLY tapered or stopped cold turkey.
Well, that's a tough one. I've tapered down slowly over the course of a couple months where I've gotten past the severe physical sickness only to experience these "seizure-like" symptoms. I'm really not sure why this happens. It's probably due to an earlier withdrawal period where I did go down too quickly. I really worry that I'll be prone to these types of "seizures" for the rest of my life. These symptoms force me to start taking the same dosage I started at again. Uggghhh.
> But my doctor blew me off about that theory when I explained to her what was going on during my withdrawl. One more thing, don't get me wrong; when I needed the benzos back a few years ago they were very helpful. I got immediate relief. But now I feel that they're harming my mood (I also have PTSD and treatment resistent depression) and there isn't a thing I can do about it.
> >
> > Anyway, this isn't a cry for help. I'm just venting I guess.
> >
> > Tom
>
> Tom,
>
> Try...
>
> 1. Nardil
> 2. Sedating TCA
> 3. Zyprexa
> 4. Parnate
> 5. Clonidine
> 6. Buspar
> 6. Gabapentin
>
>
> These drugs may put such a dent in you anxiety that weaning off the benzos becomes quite easy...
>
> Good luck,
>
> AceThanks Ace, I've tried a couple things on your list, but not all. I've got Parnate sitting on my shelf right now, but I'm totally chicken to take it.
Tom
poster:TomV
thread:394171
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040921/msgs/394582.html