Posted by nutjob on April 25, 2007, at 14:27:02
In reply to Re: Confused....Lihtium over Klon. for Social Anxi, posted by becksA on April 18, 2007, at 15:40:52
> Interesting to know this has worked for other people's anxiety as well, for whatever reason it make be caused from. Thanks a lot.
>
> Philippa - yeah, 14mg daily was outrageous. I'm very happy to be coming down off of it, I have noticed my lifestyle has changed and done a complete 180. Before I was going out at night about 5 days a week, spending 20-30 bucks at the bar, waking up with hangovers, arguing with people, just wanting to get out and have fun. I haven't been out in over 2 months, I have spent like a "normal" spender, been very conscientious about everything I have been doing...I had a similar reaction to Klonopin at only 2 mgs/day. I found myself drinking with it all the time and then making poor decisions such as excessive spending, driving around while extremely intoxicated, getting into fights, experimenting with hard drugs, etc.
I don't believe this is necessarily due to some kind of underlying "bipolar" disorder. I believe it due more to the cognitive impairments and anhedonia that benzodiazepines often cause. The benzodiazepines, in my experience, impair judgment much in the way alcohol would. But unlike alcohol they also seem to reduce the degree of pleasure one gets out of everyday activities, thus compelling one to seek out stimulating activities that deliver a higher degree of immediate reward.
Further, benzodiazepines unilaterally reduce anxiety. And so, for example, if social anxiety is your problem not only will you experience a reduction in social anxiety but you will also find that anxiety in all other forms is reduced. The problem is that anxiety is necessary for survival. Anxiety is the reason for why I don't drive 150 miles an hour down the highway, or run around the house with scissors, etc. If I have no anxiety whatsoever I'm more likely to put myself in danger.
I can see how this kind of behavior might be viewed as some manifestation of dysphoric mania, though. I guess it's often just a matter of interpretation.
--job
poster:nutjob
thread:750968
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070419/msgs/753290.html