Posted by viridis on November 4, 2002, at 13:27:23
In reply to Re: Benzodiazepines and depression, posted by Tepiaca on November 4, 2002, at 11:14:24
I think the best dose is the one that works for you -- benzos are very hard to overdose on (unless you mix them with alcohol). Some people take several mg of Xanax a day with no problems. Anything over 0.5 mg makes me sleepy, but I only take it occasionally (I do take Klonopin every day though). Maybe you could work with your doctor to move up to a dose that's most effective. There seems to be a pretty wide range, depending on the individual.
Most people with anxiety disorders are unlikely to become "addicted" to benzos -- the proper use of the term addiction refers to a situation in which you keep using the drug and/or increasing doses despite negative consequences (e.g., smoking is an addiction, people can become addicted to heroin, seeking it out despite serious physical and lifestyle consequences, etc.). So, using a benzo responsibly because it's effective for your condition isn't "addiction", any more than using insulin for diabetes would be considered addiction. Of course, there are some people who enjoy the effects of benzos and do genuinely become addicted, but this is rare for people using them to treat anxiety disorders.
The bigger concern is medical dependency, which means that your brain changes in such a way that you need the drug to function normally, and if it's discontinued suddenly, you experience serious effects. The degree to which this happens with benzos is debatable and varies among individuals, but there's little doubt that they have a high potential for dependency (as do most antidepressants). My pdoc and many others report that serious benzo withdrawal can usually be avoided by gradually decreasing the dose, under the supervision of a doctor. Some pdocs feel that short-acting benzos like Xanax have a higher potential for dependency than longer-acting ones such as Klonopin, but this also seems to be debatable.
If Xanax is the only thing that seems effective for your anxiety, then I would talk to your doctor about finding a dose that works. If it continues to work, allows you to live a normal life, and doesn't cause you problems, I think it's worth the risk of dependency (although others may disagree).
poster:viridis
thread:126091
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021101/msgs/126413.html