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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

#101

Post by fb03 »

natly wrote: post #97
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.

This was the case for me too! :) I really hated running at the start because it triggered anxiety. In the end it turned out to be a blessing because it provided me with basically a safe (not socially connected etc) way to activate it at my own comfort and degree I was comfortable with and basically feel like my twisted up brain connections got smoothed out by doing it for a while. (Basically exposure therapy as you m…

That's my current plan as well. Just getting back to my exercise routine and work my fitness levels and also 'exposure'/'desensitization'.

Wish you well!

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

#102

Post by cameronh90 »

jmcgough wrote: post #3

Daily use of benzos is extremely bad in general - the physical addiction is not pleasant to withdraw from, and it significantly increases the risk of dementia in old age.

Daily use of benzos gave me sleep paralysis, false awakenings and made me sleep walk.

Not saying that proves anything, but it was scary.

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

#103

Post by azinman2 »

cameronh90 wrote: post #55
SemanticStrengh wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there can be legitimate uses for acute exceptional benzo use for e.g. panic attacks but yeah for anxiety or sleep they are a slippery slope that ruin lives. As I said in my other comment, there exist effective, saner solutions.

I have a small pack of prescribed diazepam in my backpack in case I have a panic attack. Haven't used any of them so far, but just having them there makes me a lot less anxious.

That’s a classic strategy. I had a brief period of panic attacks that benzos really helped with that helped me gradually have less and less. I don’t particular like the feeling of the benzo, luckily, so it wasn’t appealing to take outside of acute need. My doctor did seem to want to monitor refills and asks me how often I take them (almost never now), so he was aware of the dependence issue. I do carry one around just in case, and very rarely, do in fact need it.

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

#104

Post by hibern8 »

entropie wrote: post #96
77pt77 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of the common legal drugs, benzos are by far the most dangerous to quit. And you get addicted in like a week. Be very careful.

> Of the common legal drugs, benzos are by far the most dangerous to quit. Not sure if that's right. Alcohol withdraw can actually kill you.

Benzo withdrawal can as well.

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

#105

Post by [deleted] »

blantonl wrote: post #82
SemanticStrengh wrote: post #45

The world of medecine is degenerate. Sustainable, non addictive and non neurotoxic anxiolytics exists: the #1 being opipramol the sigmaergic. emoxypine (which btw cure hangover) and guanfacine are worth mentioning. Maybe beta blockers to some extent. NMDA antagonists such as memantine have side effects but are not neurotoxic to my knowledge and there are milder ones such as mg-lthreonate. afobazole is interesting but…

also fun fact: the benzo cartel was so strong it was the most prescribed drug in the world, all classes, in the 70s "Mother's little helper" was a term coined during the 60s and 70s (Diazepam - aka Valium)

[deleted]

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

#106

Post by heavyset_go »

phenthrowAway wrote: post #99
shepardrtc wrote: post #29

I was prescribed benzos because of sleeping issues, but I was also taking phenibut at the same time. After about 3 weeks of using large doses of the benzos every night, I stopped taking them, but a year later I still feel pangs of withdrawal sometimes when I get stressed. It took me another 4 months to get off the phenibut and a month or so after that before my sleep returned to normal. There were months where I mayb…

To anyone curious about phenibut: Don't. Just don't. Please. Just a few weeks of usage can cause dependence. It is notorious for causing compulsive redosing. Withdrawal can make you unable to sleep for days, with lingering effects like panic attacks and anhedonia for weeks and weeks. Withdrawal from larger quantities can cause auditory and visual hallucinations and seizures and can even KILL you. Avoiding serious sym…

I've heard of people going through withdrawals after just a single week of use. Nuts that it's sold as a supplement at all.

Interestingly enough, a suspected GABA prodrug that supposedly passes the blood-brain barrier called picamilon has been banned by the FDA, yet phenibut is still on shelves.

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

#107

Post by mtlmtlmtlmtl »

sedeki wrote: post #41

Is it reasonable to assume that the same thing applies to the Z-drugs too, specifically Zolpidem? I have a family member that I'm worried about, that has taken Zolpidem for several years straight (apart from minor breaks in between prescription refills because of overconsumption during the previous refill...).

From skimming the article, it seems they've linked this effect to benzos interacting with a specific protein in microglia. This is not the interaction benzos share with Z-drugs, which is modulation of the GABA-A receptor. So it seems unclear whether this can be extrapolated to Zolpidem.

However, Z-drugs(and benzos as a sleep aid) generally should not be used daily for longer than a few weeks until a better solution is found. Unfortunately, doctors often do this anyway, following the path of least resistance, I suppose.

I wouldn't worry about any kind of brain damage, but I would recommend reviewing their options, maybe seeing another doctor. Lots of people can manage just fine with something like extended release melatonin, or indeed nothing.

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

#108

Post by throwaway284534 »

sascha_sl wrote: post #39
anonymoushn wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

maybe my pharmacist can tell that I don't need methylphenidate because I have all my documents in order while I'm already on methylphenidate :)

"You can't have ADHD, if you had ADHD, you could not have driven here for an hour" -- real thing that happened to someone I know.

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’s office is closed. And don’t even think about shopping around for multiple scripts because that’ll just label you as a drug addict. The only winning move is to take half-doses on down days and build up a small stash of emergency medication.

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

#109

Post by shepardrtc »

phenthrowAway wrote: post #99
shepardrtc wrote: post #29

I was prescribed benzos because of sleeping issues, but I was also taking phenibut at the same time. After about 3 weeks of using large doses of the benzos every night, I stopped taking them, but a year later I still feel pangs of withdrawal sometimes when I get stressed. It took me another 4 months to get off the phenibut and a month or so after that before my sleep returned to normal. There were months where I mayb…

To anyone curious about phenibut: Don't. Just don't. Please. Just a few weeks of usage can cause dependence. It is notorious for causing compulsive redosing. Withdrawal can make you unable to sleep for days, with lingering effects like panic attacks and anhedonia for weeks and weeks. Withdrawal from larger quantities can cause auditory and visual hallucinations and seizures and can even KILL you. Avoiding serious sym…

Phenibut is horrific and should be banned. I thought I could control it, but I couldn't.

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

#110

Post by tinyhouse »

Benzo got a terrible rep because of addicts. People who have addiction problems shouldn't be prescribed benzos. I can tell only my own experience working with a psychiatrist. I started on SSRI and the first month was horrible. They gave me benzo to help with anxiety and sleep. It really did the job, my sleep improved a lot. I used a low dose (1/2 of what I was prescribed) and had no symptoms besides being a bit more sleepy when walking up in the morning. I stopped taking it after two months of taking it daily, when things started to stabilize. I had no bad symptoms stopping it besides a hard time falling a sleep in the first few nights. About 4 days after I went back to normal and never had issues since.

I also know that in many countries benzos are the more common sleep drugs, unlike the US where z-drugs are more common. I know at least one person in my family that is now 90 who has been taking benzos for sleep for about 40 years. He is doing well cognitively. This is of course very anecdotal.

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