Posted by Viridis on August 22, 2003, at 2:20:02
In reply to Re: SAM-E for panic disorder ??, posted by El on August 21, 2003, at 18:32:56
Benzodiazepines such as Klonopin (clonazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam) are the most reliable medications for panic disorder, have few lasting side effects for most people, are very cheap, and have a long record of safety. You just have to find a doctor who hasn't been brainwashed into thinking of them as "addictive" and so on.
On average, the antidepressants (like Paxil, Effexor, etc.) that many doctors push for anxiety are harder to withdraw from than benzos and are much more likely to cause major side effects (including worsened anxiety!). But they are still under patent, and so are heavily marketed. As they go off-patent and the new generation of antidepressant and antianxiety drugs appears, I expect that many doctors will shy away from these too.
For now, at least, benzos are the "gold standard" for severe anxiety problems.
poster:Viridis
thread:251510
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/253001.html