You’re also overstating their dangers by providing incomplete, inaccurate information. I worked on a pharma study on long-term benzo usage, so I’m familiar. Needless, inaccurate fear mongering like this is exactly what individuals with anxiety, recalcitrant insomnia, or seizure disorders do NOT need to read when looking into treatment options.
Benzodiazepines are an effective, appropriate treatment for a number of conditions, including treatment-resistant insomnia, anxiety and panic disorders, and epilepsy.
Long-term use is safe if prescribed and used correctly. Taking a low to moderate dose 2-4 days weekly is unlikely to result in tolerance or addiction. Higher-dosage and/or daily treatment is also safe under the care of a knowledgeable physician. Other modalities, such as SSRIs, tricyclics, and MAOIs, are preferable first-line treatments for anxiety and panic disorders, but some individuals have symptoms recalcitrant to treatment and require adjuvant therapy. Benzodiazepines are used as rescue medications by epileptics, and some have such serious symptoms that their use is a major facet of treatment. See Lennox-Gastaut syndrome to get an idea.
Abrupt withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant but “seizures and loads of horrible symptoms” is more fear mongering. The most common symptoms of “quitting cold turkey” from frequent and long-term usage are minor but unpleasant: agitation, irritability, increased anxiety, increased sweating, etc. Seizures are rare and tend to be in individuals… wait for it… using these medications for acute seizure treatment. These can be easily avoided by tapering down the dosage over time.
I don’t know what your motive here was, but consider the impact before trying to give people a scare.
It’s not fear mongering. People need to be aware of the potential consequences prior to taking medication long term.
Long-term usage causes (sometimes permanent) cognitive damage and withdrawal absolutely can cause psychosis, seizures and coma. Should you avoid medication if you need it? Absolutely not as the negatives are pale in comparison to the positives, but let’s not pretend that those side effects are extremely rare.
I’d agree if you weren’t misquoting me and referring to another statement out of context.
Do you have any specific criticism based on both what I actually wrote and actual medical science?
Edit: I expect it’s how I mentioned tricyclics as a first-line treatment. Within anti depressants, SSRIs/SNRIs > tricyclic > MAOI due to side effect profiles, but all will often (but not always) be trialed before moving to benzodiazepine monotherapy or higher dose/frequency adjuvant therapy.
Some studies suggest TCAs are more effective than SSRIs. MAOIs are absolutely more effective than both, but their side effect profiles and restrictions due to dietary/medication interactions can be brutal.
We call that “pretty low quality” data in science and public health. Unsatisfied customers are more likely to write a review. lI’m not saying it’s not possible, but actual data is scant.
You’re also overstating their dangers by providing incomplete, inaccurate information. I worked on a pharma study on long-term benzo usage, so I’m familiar. Needless, inaccurate fear mongering like this is exactly what individuals with anxiety, recalcitrant insomnia, or seizure disorders do NOT need to read when looking into treatment options.
Benzodiazepines are an effective, appropriate treatment for a number of conditions, including treatment-resistant insomnia, anxiety and panic disorders, and epilepsy.
Long-term use is safe if prescribed and used correctly. Taking a low to moderate dose 2-4 days weekly is unlikely to result in tolerance or addiction. Higher-dosage and/or daily treatment is also safe under the care of a knowledgeable physician. Other modalities, such as SSRIs, tricyclics, and MAOIs, are preferable first-line treatments for anxiety and panic disorders, but some individuals have symptoms recalcitrant to treatment and require adjuvant therapy. Benzodiazepines are used as rescue medications by epileptics, and some have such serious symptoms that their use is a major facet of treatment. See Lennox-Gastaut syndrome to get an idea.
Abrupt withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant but “seizures and loads of horrible symptoms” is more fear mongering. The most common symptoms of “quitting cold turkey” from frequent and long-term usage are minor but unpleasant: agitation, irritability, increased anxiety, increased sweating, etc. Seizures are rare and tend to be in individuals… wait for it… using these medications for acute seizure treatment. These can be easily avoided by tapering down the dosage over time.
I don’t know what your motive here was, but consider the impact before trying to give people a scare.
What the hell did I just read?
It’s not fear mongering. People need to be aware of the potential consequences prior to taking medication long term. Long-term usage causes (sometimes permanent) cognitive damage and withdrawal absolutely can cause psychosis, seizures and coma. Should you avoid medication if you need it? Absolutely not as the negatives are pale in comparison to the positives, but let’s not pretend that those side effects are extremely rare.
I’d agree if you weren’t misquoting me and referring to another statement out of context.
Do you have any specific criticism based on both what I actually wrote and actual medical science?
Edit: I expect it’s how I mentioned tricyclics as a first-line treatment. Within anti depressants, SSRIs/SNRIs > tricyclic > MAOI due to side effect profiles, but all will often (but not always) be trialed before moving to benzodiazepine monotherapy or higher dose/frequency adjuvant therapy.
Some studies suggest TCAs are more effective than SSRIs. MAOIs are absolutely more effective than both, but their side effect profiles and restrictions due to dietary/medication interactions can be brutal.
The greatest evidence for this cognitive damage is a self-selected Internet survey: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10309976/
We call that “pretty low quality” data in science and public health. Unsatisfied customers are more likely to write a review. lI’m not saying it’s not possible, but actual data is scant.