Posted by Squiggles on February 8, 2007, at 9:25:24
In reply to Re: Benzo Confidential ) » Squiggles, posted by laima on February 8, 2007, at 9:07:34
> So maybe the "tolerance question" is a matter of semantics, or a matter of if they are talking about the anti-convulsant properties or the anti-anxiety properties?Is it possible that the paradoxical results are dependent on a model of clonazepam putting it in the same class as the anxiolytic benzos and old barbiturates, and alcohol? An anti-epileptic drug may share some of the same brain receptor stimulation but have other brain effects or different ones.
I am looking at some German studies in PubMed now, which talks about ligands (that awful German language-- after Mark Twain:-), and some poor animals have been put to the test to see how chronic administration and discontinuation of various benzos, result. It's over my head, but i'll try to understand some articles.
What you say about having nasty withdrawal effects, reinstating the dose or raising and yet still getting no stability, is interesting.
My withdrawal which took so long, and just got worse, better, worse, and then led to seizure and/or stroke, may indicate a change in a receptor (i've never seen a recepor) which no longer responds to the drug. And after some time that particular receptor or string of them, may have changed forever--is that possible? The reinstatement, may just be a fresh start on the effects of discontinuation.>
> I don't know what a proper taper schedule would be- Mine was a mere 3 weeks, and I was miserably anxious, hyperventilation, even emergency room visit. Of course, at the very end of my using it, I took up to 4-5 mg at a time more than once in desperate effort to (unsucesssfully) deal with some excruciating panic episodes. (That probably didn't exactly help matters.) Though the zyprexa (2.5-5 mg at night) certainly helped, especially with sleep, I still think this taper was way too fast for me, anxiety- wise. Chopped by .5 every few days to a week. Dr.'s philosophy was that prolonging it would prolong my misery. On the other hand, Heather Ashton lists some various detailed schedules on her site, and she recommends a much slower and gradual taper.I see some point to your dr.'s view-- but again I don't know much about this drug-- would he say the same about Xanax for example? I doubt it.
Yeah, I have Dr. Ashton's book-- clonazepam is tricky though-- but I will take a look.
Thanks
>
> I've definately also gathered an impression that the longer one uses this drug, the harder to withdraw- but that sure doesn't make it impossible or mean it's not worth the effort. I don't know who has got the "misery avoidance" philosphy better figured out- the Ashton style long taper, or my doctor's more rapid, get it over with taper. I suppose it might even be a matter of opinion.
poster:Squiggles
thread:730516
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070207/msgs/731063.html