Posted by Christ_empowered on November 11, 2011, at 8:58:50
In reply to Re: why cant there be one story about benzos?, posted by JONO_IN_ADELAIDE on November 10, 2011, at 23:58:01
I think you also have to realize that this is psychiatry, not science. Some docs pride themselves on being as conservative as possible--no benzos, limited stimulants, etc. Others strive to make their patients' lives more comfortable, so they don't mind benzo use. It has a lot to do also with when the doc in question went to medical school. My former shrink went to medical school in the early 80s, when benzos were considered the best thing for anxiety and also for sedation when needed. She was fine with benzo use. I had another shrink who had just gone to medical school, and he wouldn't give me a benzo (I was inpatient) even though I had acute neuroleptic induced akathisia and was dissociative. Obviously, I'm more fond of the older doctors. The newer ones are all "controlled substance=bad," unless its "ADHD" or whatever, and they'll give you all kinds of uppers.
Also, in psychiatry, it seems like a new treatment comes along, its hailed as the best thing ever, for everything, and then something newer comes along and suddenly the older drugs are "bad." Example: the SSRI drugs replaced the TCA and MAOIs. Then the SNRI and newer AD drugs were sold as being "better" than SSRIs. Benzos were so much better than barbiturates (actually, they're safer in overdose, but that's about it), so barbiturates fell from favor. Then benzos were "bad" because there were SSRI drugs on the market.
Its BS. Also, it gets expensive. Lots of people are on "atypical" antipsychotics for anxiety when a cheap benzo could do the trick for less money and with fewer side effects. Also, in more severe cases, lots of people are on "atypicals" when some perphenazine at a moderate dose could do the trick for 1/10th the cost.
Ridiculous situation, and its probably not going to change anytime soon.
poster:Christ_empowered
thread:1002095
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111110/msgs/1002262.html