Boudicca

This is not correct and is not supported by scientific research. This said, many addicts will abuse benzos simply because they will use ANY substance to chemically alter their moods/reality. It is not caused by the medication itself. This is an important distinction that many fail to recognize.

I do not doubt your experience but feel it is a result of your ADDICTION and not by medication.

Boudicca

Perhaps instead of blaming an entire class of medication; it would be more constructive to place the responsibility where it belongs......on the shoulders of ADDICTS who are having difficulty remaining or getting sober because they like to get high and will use ANY substance in order to do that.
A lot of passing the buck going on here.

Just sayin'.

anattaboy

This is a great site- Retired Military and have been on 4mg clonazepam since 2003 this a great article-http://www.clinicalpsychiatrynews.com/single-article/benzodiazepines-discouraged-for-alcohol-withdrawal/bba99b7a069720ef0dd910be061aa47e.html...Peace.

anattaboy

Ty

Boudicca

Interesting. Thank you for the information. Have an awesome day!

soberlicious

Thank you for this. That's what I always understood to be true as well. Why is this medication often prescribed for years on end? My sister has been on klonopin for at least 10 years. The last few years she has been drinking while taking it. She was Baker Acted 4 times and arrested once within a years time. I was on Xanax and klonopin for about 2 years and also drank with them. I ended up in the psych ward. It is a lethal combination.

gardendiva

I take Xanax as prescribed. It does not make me crave alcohol.

Dunnd40

I spent a good portion of the past year in treatment for alcoholism. The consensus on benzos was pretty clear....an alcoholic should stay a mile away from them. I was immediately weaned off of them in rehab. They did a fast taper of less than two weeks. Intensive Outpatient (IOP) would not let me even begin treatment if I tested positive for benzos. I have said many times over the past year that alcohol was a big part of the consequences I suffered from addiction but Attivan was the nail in the coffin. For any doctor who would prescribe an admitted alcoholic benzos, there will be a very large number who would not consider it. As far as mixing the two, it's a recipe for death.

Dunnd40

I don't have a problem with AlcoTodd raising a warning flag concerning benzos. You're correct in stating that the problem lies with peoples' addictive behavior. Since this is a forum for people with addictive behavior, it's worthwhile for someone to point out to such a group that benzos are something to beware of.

If the benefit of my extensive "field research" and consultations with addiction specialists are of any interest to others in here, I would like to pass on my belief that an alcoholic should do whatever possible to avoid benzos. The good news is that in most cases the stress, anxiety and panic being treated with benzos will subside greatly shortly after discontinuing alcohol. In my case, over twenty years of anxiety (and occasional panic) attacks completely disappeared less than two months after I stopped drinking.

I strongly advise alcoholics who have been using benzos to taper off them fairly quickly and be patient. The chances are you'll be fine soon.

DragonInTheSky

Okay, let's get real here. Personally, I don't think it's possible to safely take benzos if you are an addict. On top of that, I have taken Klonopin and Xanax before, and it is some powerful $hit. You cannot be sober and take benzos at the same time... it's an impossibility. And I highly question those that say they take them daily with no problems. I don't believe it.

BigTeddy

I haven't read the whole thread, but I respectfully disagree with a lot of what you said. I'm an addict and an alcoholic. I also suffer from depression and anxiety. I take an ssri for depression and take a .5mg klonopin at night to help me get a full nights sleep. I also am prescribed xanax to take when I fly and/or have an anxiety attack, which I'm happy to say isn't very often since I quit drinking (11 months ago yesterday ). I agree that if you had trouble with benzos in the past it's probably not a good idea to take them at all. Just like I know I can't have just a couple drinks or take pain medication, ever. But I NEVER take more than my prescribed dose. And I know that when I and my doctor decide that I'm ready to stop taking the meds that I'll have to taper my dose and will probably have a bit of discomfort in doing so. The same way it was uncomfortable when I stopped drinking and using opiates.

DragonInTheSky

You can disagree with me, but it in no way changes my opinion. As a rule, addicts should stay away from benzos....end of story.

By the way, I also suffer from anxiety and depression. I have been on and off of anti depressants for years. I think addiction and anxiey/depression often go hand in hand. Any doctor I have ever had that I have told about my addiction issues would NEVER EVER prescribe me benzos for anxiety or sleep... especially long term.

BigTeddy

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. I was just stating that for me, the small amount that I take allows me to not be crippled by the anxiety that I suffer from.

DragonInTheSky

If you have been on benzos for a long time, your anxiety will be worse if you stop taking them now than if you never started in the first place. Am I making sense?

I guess I am feeling frustrated with this topic because I suffer from crippling, debilitating anxiety as well, so I know how it feels. I have experienced episodes where my heart is racing so fast I feel like it is going to explode and I feel that I am quite literally going to die. Serious panic attacks are one of the worst things you can experience.

My issue here is that regardless of whether or not you abuse your prescription, you are an addict that is addicted to benzodiazepines. You take a dose every single night before you go to sleep, and it sounds like you've been doing this for a long time. So, to me it doesn't really matter if you take them as prescribed or not. Taking benzos long term isn't good for your brain, and will make your anxiety worse if you try and stop. I know this from first hand experience. It also takes months and months to get back to normal when you try to get off of them after being on them for an extended period of time.

If you are okay with being on the drug, that's your choice, but it's still not a good thing to be doing to yourself. Once again, suffering from depression, anxiety, and insomnia myself, I know how it feels. I also know there are other ways of dealing with these issues besides using extremely addictive and dangerous drugs. As most any good doctor will tell you, benzos should not be used as long term treatment. Many prescribe them as such, but that doesn't make it safe.

Dunnd40

I am glad to hear that Big Teddy can take a small dosage of Klonopin as prescribed. I think he can understand that this is the exception to the rule. I'm surprised your doctor has you on two benzos. When my old doctor did that the pharmacist didn't want to fill the orders. I know of someone in my AA group who is still on benzos over two years into sobriety. I really can't say how they're working for him because he doesn't seem to be doing well overall. He shakes a lot still and I'm not sure what is behind that. I stated my opinion once with him and never revisited the subject again. I am passionate about this subject because of my own experiences but I am willing to keep an open mind and settle for sounding the alarm for those who could use more information.

Big Teddy is getting ready to come up on a year. That is awesome, BT. Power to you. If you care to pass on your date I'd like to be one of the ones to congratulate you. My year comes up 9-14. God willing, we'll both be passing a big milestone soon.

BigTeddy

This is exactly how I feel. Not trying to argue. Just stating my opinion.

BigTeddy

Thanks Dunn! Absolutely! My year will be on 8-12. Peace, love, and happiness to you!

DragonInTheSky

It seems you just flew over everything I said in my prior comment. We have a lot in common BT. I'm an alcoholic and had a bad addiction to pain meds after a car accident. That's why I am awe struck that you are taking a benzo every single day with no problems. You are one of the few I guarantee you. I also think it is a dangerous message to spread to other addicts considering most just cannot do that. Even so, congrats on you year off of alcohol and opiates.

BigTeddy

I agree with you that it's a slippery slope for sure. Definitely not trying to spread any bad messages, or give any type of medical advice. Thanks for the congrats! Best wishes to you as well.

MemphisBlues

To the original poster, I'm not sure if benzos lead to alcohol carvings, but rather benzos do what the are intended to do -- reduce care. It's caring too much that resulted in my anxiety and panic, caring too much and being hyper attuned to my body, the breathing, the heart pounding, shaking, sweating, and overly focusing on those physical symptoms only worsened the panic.

But benzos gave me apathy, and with that apathy was the mechanism to not care, to quit focusing on the symptoms of panic. And when I am inhibited, when I am apathetic, drinking naturally followed.

The mix of benzos and alcohol just fed off each other -- a wickedly wonderful combination that led to my near destruction.

I know many here have solid sobriety and still rely on benzos for diagnosed reasons, and I understand where they are coming from.

But we can't get around one major caveat here: The manufacturers of all benzos say they are only for short term use and only in the most extreme situations. Don't just go by the Walgreen's or Rite Aid insert that comes with the pills, but ask for the manufacturer literature, that small little square of paper that unfolds into a legal-sized sheet of paper with print that takes a magnifying glass to read. Read it. Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, doesn't matter which one, they all warn that the drug is for short term use. Each drug sheet will also warn of extreme withdrawal symptoms upon drug cessation. They will also tell of rapid addiction potential.

Doctors ignore this. Mine did. And I must add, those here who do take benzos are able to do so as crisis arrives -- that inexplicable, irrational panic that erupts and can't be quelled unless we flee or prepare to fight, that animal-like quality that is the root of panic. THey are not taking them the way I did, on a regular, daily dosing schedule.

My decade run on benzos didn't end well, to say the least. So I spent months and months reading about benzos, from online forums to medical journals, to books on psychiatry and memoirs of benzo survivors.

Truly a wicked class of drugs that experts are now saying shouldn't be prescribed long term and only when panic and anxiety is at a crisis level.

I think any psychiatrist worth any salt wouldn't prescribe them under any circumstances to someone who is an addict or alcoholic. And I think a big part of the problem is that that benzos are prescribed by general practitioners and not psychiatrists.

There are other medications out there to help with sleep. Someone taking a half milligram of Klonopin every night because of anxiety and sleep issues simply can't get around one scientific fact about benzos: users build tolerance and the only solution is to increase dose. And that is a terribly slippery slope. Another well documented issues is that once a benzo is taken away, the anxiety, panic and insomnia that was present before use comes back far worse than before the drug was taken.