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Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

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Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#31

Post by jnovek »

maddyboo wrote: post #25

I have battled with severe anxiety and panic disorders for years. At my worst, I was often unable to get out of bed for days at a time due to fear of having a panic attack outside the safety of my home. Taking an SSRI has helped a lot, but there are times where I can feel a panic attack coming and know the only way to stop it is with a Xanax. I regard benzodiazepines with a lot of respect. Their power is a blessing a…

I'm similar -- thankfully, when I panic I can frequently get through it without taking a benzo, but I do have clonazepam on hand for the situations where it might be very useful.

There are times where I would've likely made poor decisions during an acute panic attack that was aborted quickly by benzos. The ability to say "stop now" -- hell, even the security of know there's a way to say "stop now" -- is important to coping with anxiety.

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#32

Post by cc-d »

tnecniv wrote: post #26
cc-d wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not in some cases, almost all. GABAergenics in general are pretty much the sole class of popular recreational drug which have a very real possibility of lethal withdrawals. In the case of alcohol, it often takes years for addicts to reach a point where withdrawal becomes lethal. In the case of short acting benzodiazepines/barbiturates, this point can be reached in less than a month. Of course, benzodiazepines are in…

> Not in some cases, almost all. That's what I had heard, but I was uncomfortable making a stronger statement without more knowledge.

In terms of the symptoms people more classically associate with the concept of "withdrawal", these can last MONTHS TO YEARS after the cessation of long term benzodizepine use.

If one wishes to cease benzodiazepine usage, they effectively are forced to slowly taper over time period that can potentially take years. If one were to "cold turkey" after a multi-year long period of heavy benzodiazepine use, assuming they survived with no other long term damage, their severe-moderate withdrawal symptoms would still be apparent after several months. These include, but not limited to, constant paranoia/panic attacks, constant visible parkinson-like shaking, SEVERE unceasing insomnia, etc.

I've only elaborated on the withdrawal aspect of benzodiazepines as well. They are capable of causing far more harm than simply their lethal withdrawals. User behavior, synergistic effects on respiratory depression, etc.

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#33

Post by cc-d »

endianswap wrote: post #27
cc-d wrote: post #23

GABAergenics (the class of drug which benzodiazepines fall under) in general are pretty much the sole class of popular recreational drug which have a very real possibility of lethal withdrawals. In the case of alcohol, it often takes years for addicts to reach a point where withdrawal becomes lethal. In the case of short acting benzodiazepines/barbiturates, this point can be reached in less than a month. Of course, b…

You mean GABAergenic, right?

I had copy-pasted a typo from a section of my other comment, good catch.

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#34

Post by subleq »

cc-d wrote: post #23

GABAergenics (the class of drug which benzodiazepines fall under) in general are pretty much the sole class of popular recreational drug which have a very real possibility of lethal withdrawals. In the case of alcohol, it often takes years for addicts to reach a point where withdrawal becomes lethal. In the case of short acting benzodiazepines/barbiturates, this point can be reached in less than a month. Of course, b…

You have your schedules mixed up. All controlled substances have a potential for abuse. Schedule IV drugs only have a 'low' potential for abuse 'relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule III', not low overall. You could argue that it should be schedule III, but all controlled substances, regardless of their schedule, are more tightly controlled than any other unscheduled prescription-only drug.

Omeprazole is not a controlled substance and is OTC in the United States.

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#35

Post by toonervoustosay »

I've found Hemp-based CBD flower a viable alternative to benzos. There are a few farm-to-customer websites where you can order it for a much more reasonable price than full-spectrum cannabis. If anyone out there wants to rid a benzo dependency, try CBD flower. The effects are rather immediate (due to inhalation).

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#36

Post by delbel »

cc-d wrote: post #23

GABAergenics (the class of drug which benzodiazepines fall under) in general are pretty much the sole class of popular recreational drug which have a very real possibility of lethal withdrawals. In the case of alcohol, it often takes years for addicts to reach a point where withdrawal becomes lethal. In the case of short acting benzodiazepines/barbiturates, this point can be reached in less than a month. Of course, b…

iodine is a schedule I substance.

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#38

Post by mackey »

maddyboo wrote: post #25

I have battled with severe anxiety and panic disorders for years. At my worst, I was often unable to get out of bed for days at a time due to fear of having a panic attack outside the safety of my home. Taking an SSRI has helped a lot, but there are times where I can feel a panic attack coming and know the only way to stop it is with a Xanax. I regard benzodiazepines with a lot of respect. Their power is a blessing a…

I see my doctor every 6 months and until recently was seeing the same doctor for about 10 years. I have been refilling a 10 pill .5mg prescription of Ativan for about 6 of those years.

I took them infrequently at the beginning, like you now, 1 or 2 a month max and the past few years, I haven't taken any. I didn't even realize the connection to "Benzos" until ~6 month ago when a construction worker friend said all his coworkers were on it and I connected the dots.

Just having access to the pills for me is enough to keep my anxiety in check, hopefully something I can stop relying on some day. My doctor is moving, so I need to find another one who will be just my 3rd doctor in my 32 years of life. I hadn't thought about it until just now, but I am hope my new doctor will be as facilitating.

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#39

Post by snowwrestler »

maxander wrote: post #6

What is the thesis here? Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed and have the potential for abuse; these things are both true; I hadn't heard the rate of prescription was rising, but I'd believe it. There doesn't seem to be any evidence presented for a trend or rise in benzodiazepine abuse, or evidence of general harm from the use of the drugs. It highlights parallels between the existence of this prescription drug c…

When I was prescribed a benzo a decade ago, my doctor told me it was safe, non-habit-forming, and I could take it whenever I wanted to feel less nervous. There was no warning whatsoever about addiction, tolerance, or the serious side effects that were possible.

Luckily I am generally skeptical of pharmaceuticals, at least to the extent that I try to educate myself about them. So I did my own reading up about it. But even then, while online sources did indicate that benzos could be habit-forming, I did not see the strong language and terrible stories that are coming out now about benzo addiction.

So hopefully that illustrates the newsworthy issue: a lot of doctors, and even online medical info sites, did not adequately appreciate the risks of benzos, or warn people about those risks.

Re: Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Problem

#40

Post by jnovek »

cc-d wrote: post #23

GABAergenics (the class of drug which benzodiazepines fall under) in general are pretty much the sole class of popular recreational drug which have a very real possibility of lethal withdrawals. In the case of alcohol, it often takes years for addicts to reach a point where withdrawal becomes lethal. In the case of short acting benzodiazepines/barbiturates, this point can be reached in less than a month. Of course, b…

The DEA drug schedule is a hot mess.

https://www.dea.gov/drug-scheduling

There's no planet where Ritalin has a higher potential for abuse and addiction than Xanax. Not to mention all the lower-risk drugs that have been categorized schedule I for political reasons.

Under the current system rohypnol is schedule IV but has special date rape laws passed to make possession of it punishable like a schedule I drug as a workaround.

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