Do I need benzos?

[[Ma...]]

I know this is a departure from everything I have ever said on here.

 

Just lately I am thinking, about how I wound up on benzos.  I say, it was given to me for post-partum issues, which is was.  But, I definitely had a history of anxiety.

 

When I was young, I had an episode of severly debilitating anxiety that lasted many months.  Maybe 5 months.  I would freeze with fear and palpitations.  I was in college at the time and this would hit me and I would grasp my desk and not be able to leave the classroom.  This condition lasted a long time and eventually left, without benzos.  But even after that I had some less severe episodes throughout my life.

 

I know that no one really 'needs' benzos.  But, I have been thinking lately about how I have struggled with anxiety all my life.  I wish I would never have taken this drug daily.  Perhaps if I had been told to use it judiciously, like when I was having a hard time, I could have used it to help me.  Instead I was put on a daily dose, which I never really questioned.

 

Just wondering if anyone has thoughts on this.

[[os...]]

 

I often wonder this too, I was on over 20 years and still not off... I have this idea that life will be fine and dandy once off but I am starting to wonder if that's even possible now... I recall I used to be pretty shy when I was in my teens and did not like going out much... in some ways I think that the benzo afforded me a life free of all of that social anxiety... but I became aware it was dulling my life and that's not so great... yet that said, it sure beat feeling like I do now.

 

I often wonder if this benzo free dream is just that... a dream. Life is short and right now, I am not just living a dulled existence, I am not living at all.

 

 

[[fr...]]

I know this is a departure from everything I have ever said on here.

 

Just lately I am thinking, about how I wound up on benzos.  I say, it was given to me for post-partum issues, which is was.  But, I definitely had a history of anxiety.

 

When I was young, I had an episode of severly debilitating anxiety that lasted many months.  Maybe 5 months.  I would freeze with fear and palpitations.  I was in college at the time and this would hit me and I would grasp my desk and not be able to leave the classroom.  This condition lasted a long time and eventually left, without benzos.  But even after that I had some less severe episodes throughout my life.

 

I know that no one really 'needs' benzos.  But, I have been thinking lately about how I have struggled with anxiety all my life.  I wish I would never have taken this drug daily.  Perhaps if I had been told to use it judiciously, like when I was having a hard time, I could have used it to help me.  Instead I was put on a daily dose, which I never really questioned.

 

Just wondering if anyone has thoughts on this.

 

What other non-drug treatments have you tried for your anxiety? Have you given up caffeine, been tested for food sensitivities, learned meditation, had counseling? Just like with depression, anxiety has many causes and many possible solutions.

[[me...]]

I've been shy and anxious my entire life, and have had my share of panic attacks.  At the time I was prescribed Xanax, I needed to take it every day and I thought it was a miracle cure. I didn't know anything about the long-term effects, of course.  I was on Xanax a total of 13 years, had two unsuccessful withdrawal attempts, and tapered off early last year.  (Full story below)

 

I felt ok while tapering, but absolutely awful for the first year off.  Like everyone else here, I was absolutely convinced I'd never heal, and that I was dying of some awful disease.  However, I'm almost 20 months off now, and life has completely turned around for me.  I've healed now, and my anxiety level is much lower than it was before or on benzos. 

 

My story is actually pretty typical of most here.  It was hard, it was awful, I went through it, and I healed.  Being benzo-free is not only possible, but life can be much better than it was on or before benzos.

 

[[os...]]

 

Thank you Megan.

 

I am not quitting this attempt... but it's on the table...

 

If I reach 2 mgs, even if it takes 2 years to get there and things get way better, then I may believe this is doable.

 

Unfortunately, my taper for almost 29 months has had some truly awful times... I have suffered a lot, quite why I have suffered acute symptoms tapering this slowly is a mystery to me... sometimes how people describe acute after jumping from a high dose is how I feel.

 

Not fun.

[[Be...]]

Benzos have their place, but that place should never be "use daily for anxiety or insomnia" IMHO. 

 

They're great for the most awful, acute anxiety/panic attacks but can wreck your life if taken frequently.  Not to mention, they lose effectiveness and can even CAUSE anxiety between doses or during withdrawal!  I can see how they're lifesavers for seizure disorders and other life-threatening issues but they're just too dangerous to take daily unless your life depends on it. 

 

 

[[Te...]]

For me, the use of benzos was essential to my functioning. I was teaching high school when I began having panic attacks. I'd have to leave the classroom and blamed it on "problems with high blood pressure."

 

I was initially prescribed Xanax, which helped in the classroom but within a couple of months I had developed a dependence on it and tolerance and I began to need more.

 

After two years I crossed over to Valium in the summer of 1999 between school years. I continued to take Valium even after I left teaching the following year. I was hooked and just didn't know how to get off it.

 

I kept being given the pills, they seemed to help, so I took them. I know hindsight is 20/20, but all I can say is "Why? What did I ever do to deserve this horror that I'm now paying for?"

 

 

[[gu...]]

In my opinion benzos should not be gradually taken off the market by not prescribing them to new patients anymore. It would be cruel and counterproductive to withdraw them from people who don't want or can't stop taking them so these would be the exception.

 

I never had had general anxiety, social anxiety, phobias, depression, shyness, before I suffered a panic attack 16 years ago. It as so out of the blue for me that I couldn't believe when a doctor told me it was psychological and not a physical ailment what i was experiencing. I still thought it was physical with this strange idea of a brain chemical imbalance as I struggled to find a reason for the panic attacks.

All of the things I mentioned above apart from the shyness I have experienced once on benzos, never before.

In short this is to say that I've been worse off on benzos. As I believe it's the case for everyone else here.

 

[Guest [...]]

I did need benzos. I had been taking them without prescription now and then for a while and then when I was hit with a breakdown after stopping drugs all together, I was in pieces. I would not have got through without them.

 

I just wish I didn't start abusing them and take them long term. I wish I used the relief it gave me to deal with the issues proper. I think in  retrospect I should have given ADs more of a chance also.

 

 

[[gu...]]

I don't mean to offend anyone nor being fastidious but when some say they 'needed' benzos I wonder what people used to do before benzos were prescribed, only 40 or so years ago. No one died from anxiety and there were no suicides en masse from desperation. This is a perfect example of "the cure is worse than the disease".

[[gu...]]

You would be put in an asylum. Everyone would go to the asylum.

 

Didn't take much back then. Here's some admission reasons from the late 19th Century!

 

http://i.imgur.com/pumsoPv.jpg

 

Yeah, well that's an European tradition. They used to burn people at the stake as well for less.

We tend to believe the world is only what we know in the West. It's not, there are many other cultures that haven't used these drugs at all and they are OK.

[Guest [...]]

Shall we pick a culture and I'll have a look into it?

[[gu...]]

You can check out all of them because none has used psychoactive pharmaceuticals as we do in the West.

[Guest [...]]

South Americans?

[[Gu...]]

Interesting how mental health is viewed and perceived by different cultures.

 

I lived in Korea teaching english for some five years and benzo's are not used there outside of a hospital setting. Same with most of east asia. They know what a shit of a drug benzo's are. If you have anxiety or depression there you don't take psychiatric drugs, see a psychiatrist or even admit to having a problem. There's a huge stigma surrounding mental illness. You use the local fire water or brew to drown your worries. Admittedly South Korea has the highest suicide rate in the world so this approach has its faults too.

 

I recall asking a Dr in Korea for valium and he looked at me in abject horror and said we don't prescribe such drugs in this country!

I should've heeded his warning. Back home in Australia the Dr didn't even blink when I requested benzo's.

[Guest [...]]

Interesting how mental health is viewed and perceived by different cultures.

 

I lived in Korea teaching english for some five years and benzo's are not used there outside of a hospital setting. Same with most of east asia. They know what a shit of a drug benzo's are. If you have anxiety or depression there you don't take psychiatric drugs, see a psychiatrist or even admit to having a problem. There's a huge stigma surrounding mental illness. You use the local fire water or brew to drown your worries. Admittedly South Korea has the highest suicide rate in the world so this approach has its faults too.

 

I recall asking a Dr in Korea for valium and he looked at me in abject horror and said we don't prescribe such drugs in this country!

I should've heeded his warning. Back home in Australia the Dr didn't even blink when I requested benzo's.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health_in_China

 

Check out China's perspective!

[Guest [...]]

Some Asian countries sell benzos over the counter, I believe. I think I looked it up ages ago when someone was discussing this.

 

I also read something lately about there being a gene for predisposition to anxiety. I don't think I have it as I was a very outgoing, confident extrovert until I became sick at around 40. Must have a poke around and try to remember where I was reading about this genetic link.

 

Speaking about what people in the past did to handle severe anxiety... you read about people who stayed in their rooms for years etc. People probably used alcohol and other drugs to cope.

 

[[Gu...]]

I know about China.

 

My mother in law spent one month in a psychiatric hospital two years ago. She lives in a small farming community and became too depressed to even get out of bed. Her husband, a typical Chinese villager, was not all that understanding. The story ends happily, however. She was treated with mirtazipine and epilim for a month while in care and has been fine and dandy ever since. She still takes mirtazapine and its working.

 

I should be so lucky.

[Guest [...]]

If you're reading this on a iPad. It's not pleasant to think that the Chinese factories these are built in actually have to have nets around them because of the amount of workers they have attempting suicide by jumping off them all the time.

 

I wish this wasn't true.

[[Be...]]

all kinds of people take different meds for life, many with bad side effects if used long term...

of course, we know what long term use of benzos will get you..

so, other than coping skills we learn, is there not any other drugs that can be used for  "anxiety", in the place of benzos, thats not as dangerous?

I dont think anyone should take benzos for life, just because of what Ive learned about the nature of the drug when used long term, its not a real fair compromise...

[[Be...]]

My main issue isn't that benzos exist, but that they're a Schedule IV (S4) controlled substance.  That's one step away from being available over-the-counter. 

 

Meanwhile, here are some drugs that are in more tightly controlled categories: 

 

marijuana (S1)

peyote (S1)

psilocybin mushrooms (S1)

ibogaine (S1)

codeine (S2)

coca leaves (S2)

Ritalin (S2)

 

None of those drugs causes seizures or other life-threatening problems upon cessation, even in hardcore addicts.  Benzos and alcohol both can, and both are more readily available.  Schedule IV drugs are prescribed much more freely by doctors than S1, 2 or 3 drugs because there's less liability on the doctor's part. 

 

I'm against prohibition in all forms, but it would be nice if the Scheduling system were based on actual health risks and benefits.  As it stands, it's almost completely backwards.  :\

[Guest [...]]

Benzodiazepunk:Which country is this scheduling in? Just curious. Is marijuana available with a prescription where you are?

 

[[ma...]]

Hi Guitarman

 

How are things for you now?

I have been off the bzs for 5 weeks and its not nearly as bad as i expected. I can work and live normally again. I feel more shaky at times and lack my old joie doe vivre but hopefully it will return at some stage.

Meditation and yoga are now working for me, which wasn't really the case during the taper.

There are no sudden changes as there were with the cuts, and sleep is good apart from over intense dreams early AM.

all in all it is well worth giving up the bzs as far as I am concerned!

All the best

 

magga xx

[[or...]]

Magga, it's good to know things are progressing well for you off benzos. I was wondering how you are doing. You were one of the first people on the BB when I joined who "jumped" and I followed you pre-jump with great interest. I was so hoping things would be OK for you after the jump.

 

Hope you continue to get better and better.

 

Okatz

[[er...]]

that is one of the most sensible things I have read on this site- the "cure" that is benzodiazepine is certainly, certainly worse than any reason for taking it.  thanks for the jolt of common sense.