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Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

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Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#281

Post by fritztastic »

colechristensen wrote: post #174
jimmar wrote: post #66

I took 1 benzodiazepine bill once about 15 years ago and I still remember the effect--instant total relaxation. I remember thinking that it felt too good and that it's something I shouldn't let myself have again. Hearing about its long term effects, I feel somewhat lucky.

The first time I took Xanax I cleaned my kitchen and it went from mildly embarrassing to quite presentable in an hour or two. I could actually execute the things I wanted to do without fighting though ridiculous feelings. I am treated like an addict or ridiculous when I tell doctors I'd rather not "try SSRIs" or a series of strange sedating substances because they're all so afraid of prescribing something with addict…

I've been on multiple prescriptions for depression/anxiety/panic attacks (had a lot of traumatic events happen in close succession to one another). Combinations of different SSRIs and whatnot but the one thing that had an immediate and hugely beneficial effect was Xanax. I truly felt like my problems were solvable and I could see how to go about making the necessary changes. It was truly life changing for me because up until that point I could no longer believe that sich relief was possible. I haven't ever had a prescription though, and most doctors will refuse if asked. So I just have that one experience where it was given to me during a panic attack emergency, but knowing that it is even possible to feel like things can get better was a huge help to remember what to keep fighting for.

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#282

Post by nicoburns »

mikepurvis wrote: post #256
ta988 wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing with most addictions is that as long as you are taking a substance and don't try to stop you feel that you are in control. As long as you have not tried to stop you will never know

Fair, fair. I think the main thing is that I'm not taking it in response to a craving , but rather in recognition that my mental state in the early evening is fragile and I'm going to be more susceptible to an anxiety attack when trying to sleep. I'm also well aware of the root causes of my mental state, so if it ever became bad enough that I did feel like I was losing control (upping the dose, taking during the day,…

> if it ever became bad enough that I did feel like I was losing control (upping the dose, taking during the day, etc), then I would treat that as a sign that it was time to start thinking more seriously about exiting the situation that is the main root cause.

I would argue that taking a drug to cover over something like anxiety is exactly the sort of circumstance that usually ends up with people being addicted/dependant. If I were you, I'd start addressing those root causes ASAP.

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#283

Post by NoSorryCannot »

ipaddr wrote: post #265
yodsanklai wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I tell everyone to never take benzos for any reasons You can't generalise your experience. Everybody is different and that's the doctor's job to assess whether the benefits outweigh the cost, considering the patient and their problems. Personally, I've been taking benzos very occasionally for 20 years (never more than a few days at a time) and they helped me overcome difficult times. Never had the slightest addicti…

Doctor's job is to quickly find a solution in the 10 minute appointment that insurance will cover optimizing for higher pay. A doctor runs a business. If you have been taking benzos for 20 years you might have an addiction. Parent poster was talking about cravings a year later.

Most doctors don't run a business.

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#284

Post by ineedasername »

colechristensen wrote: post #272
ineedasername wrote: post #238

>sleep-inducing dosage I don't know why benzos are used for sleep anymore. It's generally a higher dose than what's needed to manage anxiety, so there's increased risk of dependency and you build up tolerance quickly. In contrast, something like a low dose of Seroquel is at least as effective, has a much lower addictions & abuse profile, and tolerance doesn't build up very quickly at all. On top of which there should…

They work. Other things don’t always.

Yes, in rare cases of idiopathic insomnia antihistamines and other types of cns depressants may not work, but a benzo should very rarely be the first choice when trying to treat it. (Various stages of mania may be exceptions, and generally only short term until any underlying issues are addressed)

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#285

Post by opportune »

TearsInTheRain wrote: post #275
opportune wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you tell your doctor you were taking phenibut when they prescribed you benzos? It seems like something you definitely shouldn't mix. I completely agree that benzos are bad news unless you truly need them. In my relatively uneducated opinion, I don't think they should be a first-line treatment and it's kind of a joke that they're considered schedule 4 (at least compared to things that are schedule 2 - I don't thin…

They are considered a first line treatment because they are fast acting whereas other anxiety medications like SSRIs can take weeks to start working.

That makes complete sense for something like panic attacks. I guess I’m thinking more of GAD - I don’t know if they’re formally first line treatments but I know it’s definitely possible to get started with a long-acting benzo

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#286

Post by colechristensen »

ineedasername wrote: post #284
colechristensen wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They work. Other things don’t always.

Yes, in rare cases of idiopathic insomnia antihistamines and other types of cns depressants may not work, but a benzo should very rarely be the first choice when trying to treat it. (Various stages of mania may be exceptions, and generally only short term until any underlying issues are addressed)

From personal experience, in periods of high stress and other things going wrong, nothing but benzos could reliably allow me to choose to fall asleep. Short term (for me it was just a few times a month) I’m sure the side effects were harmless. A handful of other things simply did not work.

Having a strong lever to push my sleep schedule back towards healthy even when I had, say, taken a five hour afternoon nap, was extremely useful.

Being given other things that not only didn’t make me fall asleep but let me lethargic most of the rest of the next day… and having to wait months while doctors experimented with “safer” things was extremely frustrated and led to worse effects than were feared from avoiding benzos.

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#287

Post by projectazorian »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #208
throwaway284534 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a exactly the kind of puritanical catch-22 that entrenches every corner ADHD treatment. “Oh, your justification for access to the high-inducing , party drug of amphetamine is that it’ll cure your lack of focus? Well, if these dangerously addictive drugs so effective, then surely you can handle 30 day prescriptions with no refills.” God forbid your prescription runs out on a weekend or holiday when your doctor…

If doctors are concerned about abuse, they can just prescribe lisdexamphetamine instead of dextroamphetamine. Abuse potential, addiction and the subjective high associated with these drugs are all related to the speed it enters the brain. Lisdexamphetamine gets slowly converted into dextroamphetamine once in the blood stream. Much safer drug in general, not sure why it's not as widely used as Adderall.

In the US, it’s still on patent so it’s more expensive for the patient and more insurance paperwork for the doctor. Comes off patent next year though.

My experience was that I had to ask my doctor to switch, but once I asked, they were happy to accommodate.

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#288

Post by Itsdijital »

AlecSchueler wrote: post #226
cj wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For performance anxiety, try asking a doctor for propranolol. Propranolol blocks the physical symptoms of anxiety. It stops your hear rate and blood pressure from rising. It stops those uncomfortable adrenaline rushes. It stops stress-induced trembling / shaking. It's completely safe, any doctor will happily prescribe it, it's not addicting, and unlike benzos, it doesn't affect your cognition.

How can it be "completely safe" if it's affecting your heart rate and blood pressure? Those are pretty basic systems to tamper with and altering them in ways contrary to what signals your brain is sending is inherently going against the normal functioning of your body.

Beta blockers block adrenaline, it's not particularly dangerous to do so.

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#289

Post by projectazorian »

fb03 wrote: post #89
cameronh90 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interestingly working out is a trigger for my anxiety. I'm currently trying graded exposure therapy for exercise, but so far it's not working.

Was about to say this. Do you also trigger while trying to exercise? I have had pretty intense panic attacks while trying to work. to the point of having dizziness, weakness, closing throat feelings, the works! Pretty shitty stuff. 15 minutes later, you are absolutely normal and feeling bummed and sometimes embarrassed as well. I would also not wish a panic attack to my worst enemy. What I'm trying to do now is short…

Have you been checked out for asthma? It could be exercise induced asthma. I used to suffer from these symptoms a lot, finally broke down and asked my doctor about trying an albuterol inhaler - which has nearly cured it, as long as I remember to use it prior to exercise.

Re: Long-term benzodiazepine use causes synapse loss and cognitive deficits in mice

#290

Post by kevinmchugh »

sva_ wrote: post #153
yodsanklai wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I tell everyone to never take benzos for any reasons You can't generalise your experience. Everybody is different and that's the doctor's job to assess whether the benefits outweigh the cost, considering the patient and their problems. Personally, I've been taking benzos very occasionally for 20 years (never more than a few days at a time) and they helped me overcome difficult times. Never had the slightest addicti…

I have friend who was at nursing school, and she'd get them prescribed for the few occasions where she had to do a presentation, as she would get extremely nervous. She never took them after. Maybe she could've addressed the issue differently, but it worked for her, and she never got hooked. But milage varies, and so on. She also told me that at the hospital, benzos are readily available and they kinda hand then out…

I've been told that benzos are a good option for someone anxious about flying. They make the flight tolerable and help the person feel comfortable flying in the future. They may only need to learn that there's nothing to fear in flying, and benzos can help them learn that.

I trust the person who told me that, but have heard a lot of benzo horror stories.

(I'm not afraid of flying)

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