I cannot use antidepressants, but I wonder if benzos are ok?
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Benzos can definitely help for anxiety but they are easy to get addicted to. Be careful.
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Being dependent on them sucks,
But I’m on benzos and they really help me.
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Yes, they are for anxiety.
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Yup. They help for sure. 
Just don’t get dependent. Detox from benzos is horrible - I’ve been there.
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They’re highly addictive. Where I go for treatment, no one is allowed to have them no matter what their diagnosis is
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I believe i am 100% dependent as they are prescribed for me as a Daily/PRN for about 15 years - i have no clue what withdrawals will be like.
But they also 100% manage my anxiety.
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i may be biased considering i went through over a year of extreme PAWS from benzo withdrawal but ill take anxiety over resorting to benzos any day
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I used to be prescribed benzodiazepines for anxiety. First I was on Ativan then Klonopin. They helped but eventually I didn’t have any more anxiety so I was taken off them. Must not have become dependent on them because I don’t think I got any withdrawals.
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Benzos are the go to pharmaceutical for anxiety. Clonazepam for example is FDA approved for panic disorder.
There are a variety of benzos available. Are they okay depends, you’re gonna have to make that decision for yourself
But be careful, once dependent its hard to get off them, the withdrawals suck and are far more serious than other drugs. You can become depended on benzos in as little as 2 weeks, and if you are on a high enough dose, and just quit cold turkey, you can have a seizure and die.
I was dependent on 0.5mg clonazepam about 2-3 years ago, it took me several months slowly reducing my dosage to get off it, and i still experienced withdrawals.
Now I am back on it for my insomnia, at 1.5mg, so three times the amount I used to be on. If my insomnia improves it will probably take me upwards of a 8 months of a very slow taper to get off it again, and I’ll have to go through the withdrawal experience all over again.
For me, they are “ok”. I need to sleep and they work for that. But I had to make a trade off, I’ve been taking them for about 8-9 months every night and I am now dependent on them
As a general rule benzos with longer half lives are easier to quit than those with shorter half lives once you have become dependent on them.
One other thing, don’t confuse dependency with addiction. You don’t get addicted to benzos, you won’t crave them like someone craves nicotine from a cigarette, but your body will become dependent on them, and if you don’t take them there can be serious withdrawal consequences.
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I used to take 0.50mg of Clonazepam. Where I go they won’t prescribe them anymore. I never got addicted.
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It sucks, really. One provider puts you on drugs of her choosing, and the next provider wants to start all over with what she likes.
Yes, sparingly. Usually anxiety is secondary to mood fluctuations and more effectively treated by adjustment of the mood stabilizer. There is a significant risk of addiction and tolerance with benzos and not recommended for long-term use.
I think its important to differentiate
Physical Dependence
Drug Addiction
Having physical withdrawals - Treatment is different for Dependence and behavioral drug addiction.
Benzos work best if you go low and taking it as needed.
This is what I do with clonazepam
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I was on them for 15 years. Not worth starting imo. They stopped working and i just became dependant on them. Ive quit them now. Just reduced .5 of a mg per week until i stopped. Was on 2mg. Withdrawls were terrible.
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