Posted by Viridis on December 4, 2003, at 21:48:42
In reply to A Balanced Alternative View of Xanax » maxx44, posted by Clayton on December 3, 2003, at 21:58:13
Xanax does seem to carry a higher risk of dependency or even addiction than other benzos, but it's also a great med for the appropriate patients, given good medical supervision.
I've been taking Klonopin and Xanax for over 2 1/2 years now, for debilitating anxiety and depression. These drugs have made a huge difference in my life, and I use them very responsibly. I take 1 mg Klonopin/day and haven't had to increase the dose; side effects were minor and went away quickly, and now I notice absolutely nothing (other than a major decrease in anxiety). I have no doubt that if I stop taking it I'll have to taper off, but it's worth it, and the health risks of constant stress are almost certainly greater than the risks of benzos.
Xanax is a somewhat different beast for me -- I just use it occasionally, for "breakthrough" anxiety or insomnia. Even used rarely (maybe once every week or two), I developed substantial tolerance to its effects and have to take several times as much as I did originally to achieve the same effect. So, I use it very sparingly, but it's great to have when I really need it.
I've discussed all of this with my pdoc, and he agrees that Xanax is much riskier than Klonopin -- but he also agrees that it's very effective. So, he continues to prescribe the same (small) monthly amount, and essentially says to take as much as I need when I need it. He wasn't too surprised by the tolerance, and mainly is concerned that if my frequency of use increases then it's probably time to discontinue it. Using it a few times a month isn't going to get me into trouble, but I wouldn't want to depend on it as a regular anxiolytic.
BTW, I agree that Xanax has mood-lifting effects and have known people who got into real trouble with it. It doesn't seem to make me euphoric, though, so I don't have any incentive to take more than what works for anxiety, or to take it often. It's not a "bad" drug, just one that has to be used carefully and monitored properly, as with other psychiatric meds.
And, despite the hysteria of some of the benzophobes, two of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants (Paxil and Effexor) outrank Xanax in terms of discontinuation difficulty, according to the World Health Organization.
poster:Viridis
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031202/msgs/286681.html