Tellmenolies

My hubby recovering alcoholic for 1 year sober.in that year has been taking this drug on for a few months off for a few months. he claims his Dr. Says its safe and effective treatment for anxiety. Anybody know anything about this? I've read it's NOT safe.

Pelican

I understand your concern.

I want to gently point out one of the SR guidelines: We are not allowed to give medical advice on this website.

Members can share their personal experience, but we need to be careful that we do not give medical advice.

As I continue to work on my own personal boundaries, I have to remind myself ~ "this isn't my monkey, and this isn't my circus."
What that means: I can't control another adult. They are free to make their own decisions. (and personally, I don't want my partner telling me what I should and should not do with my own body)

PohsFriend

Keeping with Pelicans gentle reminder....

The benzodiazepine drugs are used in detox. When my wife was stage 4 she nearly died from a seizure and heart attack, alcohol withdrawal can kill you.

When I took her to the ER a couple times they used this class of drugs to bring her down in a controlled fashion. It interferes with the receptors that crave alcohol or something like that -ASK A DOCTOR

Most people would think that medical care for heroin or coke would be needed more than "just alcohol" but alcohol may be much more deadly.

This is a question for his doctor - and his doc needs all of the facts.

Katiekate

Klonopin is a benzo.

Benzos are highly addcitive and very difficult to get off of.

Are we allowed to say that from personal experience.

redatlanta

My husband also takes a benzo for anxiety Xanax.

We have heard conflicting opinions about it from Dr's. Some have said a necessity because of his anxiety and insomnia - others have said a substitute addiction for alcohol which he should have never been prescribed.

All have said highly addictive and very hard to get of.

Hopeworks

Benzodiazepines act on the same part of the brain as alcohol and combined with alcohol intensify the effects and this is why they are NOT to be taken when drinking alcohol.

Klonapin is a benzo that is designed to be slow release and is usually prescribed for anxiety and to my knowledge is not used in detoxes anywhere.

Ativan is used in detox because as I noted it acts on the same part of the brain as alcohol so it lessens the detox side effects and of course, lessens anxiety. It is benzo med that has a shorter half life than klonapin. It is used very short term and most detox centers now are very wary of alcoholics who are prescribed and/or illegally taking benzos.

The detox center that my A used to frequent won't allow any of its patients to keep taking benzos long term. They titrate you off with ativan and strongly suggest that an alcoholic never take benzos on any kind of regular basis.

If you PM me I can give their name and number and they would talk with you about this I am sure...it has become a policy of theirs as well as other detox centers around the nation.

My XA absolutely LOVES benzo/alcohol combo which is almost an automatic blackout and he gets real mean on the combo which is not uncommon. I mean real mean and he is not a mean person sober at all.

When he relapsed it was because he went to his doctor for a check-up and secretly got him to refill his old klonapin scrip and he started taking them and as always has been his mo he picked up a drink and was off to the races. He jumped a plane to Vegas, careened around there for months, woke up spinning his car around in the desert on a blown tire and then drove on the rim until he caught the car on fire. Went to jail in two states and thats just a few of his adventures.

I did a LOT of research on benzos and alcoholism and while I can't give you medical advice I can tell you I suggest any person using benzos do a lot of research. If you use them long term the side effects and long term changes of titrating down are not good.

Doctors who KNOW a patient is an alcoholic and understand how benzos affect them short and long term normally will not prescribe them... but often doctors are not aware of a patients high alcohol consumption as it is rarely truthfully revealed.

PohsFriend

Thanks hope works,
It was Xanax that they used to wean my wifes alcohol down, sounds like the two are different but the way she treated that Xanax (diamonds) told me all I needed to know, she was terrified of doing without them

Funny thing, the obgyn took her off everything in the last trimester - Xanax, ambien, Zoloft... And she's the mist level headed and happy I've seen her ever.

We gave up on breast feeding this week and I am hoping she will stay off all that crap. Picking out a good internist to monitor all her meds in the future. Her old doc just wrote scrips and dud not follow up. Arghhh

NatalieN

I relapsed after 5 months sober because I was given Valium for anxiety. The Valium made me feel very relaxed, as if everything around me was peachy and staying sober lost its importance.

I now take Buspar for anxiety which is not a benzo and is not addictive. I want to come off it because it gives me headaches.

soberlicious

I was addicted to klonopin/xanax and alcohol. The benzos gave me the same heavy, calm feeling as being drunk. I was certainly in love with that high. I will not take any benzos ever again.

Justfor1

For some alcoholics the anxiety is so bad even sober that an anti-anxiety med is necessary. Not all Dr.'s believe they are "highly addicting" & if used as prescribe can help some alcoholics.

Mo S

I didn't bother reading any of the other replies which I am sure are filled with all sorts of opinions and experience.

I can only share my own experience.

I take my medication as prescribed because I have an anxiety disorder.At first I needed it 3X a day....now several years have passed and I need it less often. I am also a recovering alcoholic....taking the same med. I also see an awesome therapist.

I have a great psychiatrist that knows and trusts I wont abuse it.

drugs.com is a great resourse I use to learn all about medications and you even get peoples' feedback on side effects and stuff.

I wish you both the best and have a great 2013.

Peace,
Mo

Justfor1

That has been my experience as well. My Dr. knows my history & feel that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Tellmenolies

Thanks for the info.I was not asking this question so I could tell him NOT to take them.Iam not interested in saving him only myself from believing more lies and manipulation. Everything in me says he's using them to escape the reasons he drank in the past.I feel he went from alcohol ,porn,now these and the fact that he hid this from me like the latter tells me he knows he's hiding for a reason. He hid is drinking for years and porn and I was not a classic co dependant in the sense of trying to fix it . I saved all that for my daughter. as she was young and unaware of the dangers of drugs etc.

MemphisBlues

Funny that doctors are wiling to write scripts for long-term benzo use and do so against the recommended use of the drug written in the manufacturer literature that comes with the medication. For example,. the manufacturer of Xanax clearly has warnings that the drug is not to be taken for longer than two weeks and only should be prescribed for panic and acute insomnia.

Funnier too that patients who have scripts for benzos that are refilled for months and years at a time love their doctors/psychiatrists.

I loved mine. I thought he was the best shrink in the world. I loved my pot dealer, too.

But I was unique. I was on disability for panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder and major depression. Funniest thing is that I haven't had a panic attack since I ended my 10 year run on benzos.

Yes, I believe that no one in recovery has the right to judge the relationship between a patient and a doctor. I also know of nary a soul who takes a benzo and has remained sober for a significant period of time. I am just judging that last statement by the folks I know in AA. Some who say they have terrible anxiety and their doctor insists they take a benzo chalk up a few months of sobriety, some even a year or two, and relapse. Others take benzos for the same reason and relapse chronically. A few had some significant sober time, were prescribed a benzos, and relapsed.

Benzos to prevent seizures during alcohol detox? Sign me up, open a vein, pour it in. After that? For me, Benzos are bunk and need to be debunked and flushed down the toilet. I had to totally reevaluate what went on in my head to make me not need benzos. An, by the way, I took my benzos as prescribed by a regional expert in his field touted as being the best shrink in the Gulf South for panic/anxiety/depression.

He was a drug dealer, in my mind.

Tellmenolies

Thank you so much for your honesty and I can't say enough....agreed! but not sure if I can say that it's just my opinion .....peace ...
And it saddens me that people want to be sober and trust without speculation.

soberlicious

MemphisBlues,
I was always under the impression that most benzos were intended for short term use, as well. Scary drug...and scary how freely it was prescribed to me.

I know it's not always popular, but I couldn't agree more with your post.

Justfor1

Being on benzos have helped me stay sober. I was always relapsing over panic attacks & chronic anxiety. I tried meditation, exercise, reading ect.. but nothing helped. Without my "panic pills" I would be reaching for the bottle of vodka. To the OP, doctors today are not naive & most only prescribe benzo type drugs when necessary.

MemphisBlues

I'm glad that's working out for you, JF1. I find just the opposite to be very true from talking to scores of folks who have been hammered by benzos while on them and in trying to get off of them.

I find doctors free-wheeling in writing scripts for benzos with a few months refills, ill suited and misinformed on their addictive potential, and many more who scoff at the inherent risks of long term use and many who don't buy into the concept of protracted post acute withdrawal.

NYCDoglvr

It's an addictive drug and much harder to kick than alcohol. It's common that physicians with no addiction experience don't know better.

Justfor1

That is a giant myth. I know of many addiction specialists who prescribe benzo type drugs for chronic cases.