Anyone take benzos?

[lovbeingamommy]

Has anyone taken any of the these, or the generic equivalent, of Ativan, Klonopin, or Xanax? Did they work for you? I have OCD and my psychiatrist put me on the generic Klonopin. I really don't see how this can work with the constant negative thoughts that I have, but he said it should help them to ease up enough so the CBT (Cognitive Behvioral Therapy) can take effect. I also take some natural supplements (Kavinace and Travacor).

[BellinghamCrunchie]

Benzos are pretty addictive, and usually not the first choice for OCD. Has your prescriber tried anything else first? Usually they like to start with something that works more directly on OCD, like Prozac or similar SSRI.

Unless the anxiety associated with your OCD is pretty paralyzing, I wouldn't think benzos would be a good choice. But as far as working for anxiety, they really work pretty good (isn't much that works better, really).

[lovbeingamommy]

Yeah, the anxiety is paralyzing when my thoughts tend to get me stuck and crying for hours. So maybe that's what he was trying to help get under control with th Klonopin. He knows I'll be TTC again in Feb. and wanted to try and not put me on an SSRI (especially since I've already tried Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft) and they all didn't work. He seems to really be a believer in lowering anxiety and dealing with the OCD with CBT. All I know is I hope something works because this fear is absolutely terrible .

[BellinghamCrunchie]

Benzos offer the best immediate relief of any med. The SSRI's take longer to work, and it sounds like you need a break right now, not in 4-6 weeks. Most people respond very well to benzo's, and I hope you will, too. It does sound like a good choice given your situation and that you have already tried some SSRI's - just be very careful with the addictive properties.

Let us know how you feel!

[lovbeingamommy]

Thank you for the positive post about this drug providing quick relief. Having this disorder ever since my DS was born and the progressive downhill spiral has been the absolute worse. It's about rock bottom right now for me because of certain trigger events that occured last month - like my second m/c and subsequent visit to the ER . So now I'm working on building myself back up to normal so we can TTC again soon. I'll post again after a few does...

[Surfacing]

So sorry about your losses. My MIL has OCD and has found Luvox to be helpful, fwiw. I hope you find something that works for you.

[Ornery]

I'm not OCD but am on Luvox and it has really helped. I'm also on Klonopin which has helped as well. I hate that it is addictive but need it occasionally (less now than I did before).

[TearyCloud]

I've been on xanax, klonopin, ativan and valium at various times in my life (not all at once!). Some docs are waaaay to lenient about giving them out, but they can be very helpful as a short-term solution. They offer immediate help while waiting for therapy or meds to kick in. Be careful not to take them unless you *really* need them. They are extremely addictive. I do understand the need for them, and I think that as long as you're monitoring your usage and using them *as necessary* they are ok and sometimes life-saving.

[jasperab]

I was on them too this spring for about a total of 2 months, my doctor monitored me very carefully and I knew about how they could become addictive. They helped soo much in getting to a place where I could help myself. In the four months since I have only used them once and only 1/2 a dose at that. The only thing I found that once I started weaning down I would sometimes get rebound anxiety but it would go away after a couple of hours. They are not a full time drug which it too bad because they work so well. I tried a couple of ssri's and they only made me worse to the point I was shaking. Good luck you will get there.

[Aeon077]

I've never heard of a doctor prescribing just benzo's for OCD unless it's causing you extreme anxiety. It's usually treated with SSRI's and therapy. BUT sometimes a doctor will prescribe it short term while you are taking a new medication, like Zoloft, until the medication starts working. Sometimes the initial side effects can be overwhelming.

I take Klonopin daily, but I have Tourettes Syndrome. It is used to help control my tics. I have also been prescribed this and Xanax in the past for a panic attack/anxiety disorder.

[thisiswhatwedo]

love them, stop my obsessive thinking and anxiety period. But they are addicting, give me headaches, I have to sleep and after a while they don't work. Use them but use them with care.

[dipmama]

I do not have OCD, but I do have anxiety that has a big element of obsessiveness/ruminating thoughts. I have taken Ativan which works really well- but never for more than a three or four week stretch. I am now on Lexapro, finally at a good therapeutic dose (touch wood!), and no longer feel the need to take benzos at all.

[thisiswhatwedo]

I agree with dipmama (of course) I am now on SSRI's as my problem became a daily issue not here and there. You can't really use them if you have pervasive anxiety, as in all day every day.

[lovbeingamommy]

Well I've been on the Klonopin for probably almost two months now and am starting to taper off .25mg each 3 days. My psych. is very different in his approach with SSRI's and believes that unless your brain is re-wired (in my case for OCD) that the SSRI's would be a crutch that I'd be on for the rest of my life. Not a nice thought considering the side effects that can occur and wanting to TTC again in Mar.

So now it's less benzo and more CBT and exposure response.

[thisiswhatwedo]

I kinda disagree. I have only recently started on SSRI's and previously over the past few years I've tried and had bad reactions. So I've started and quit many of them. It didn't suck that bad. My understanding in that the SSRI's actually stop these neuropathways that are not healthy and kinda of trim off those connections that you don't want anyhow(panic, ocd and negative thoughts). I hate being on drugs but my illness is making me a bad parent and unable to pursue gainful employment and healthy relationships blah blah blah.
I made the decision that being on medication was much better then not functioning. You have to make your own decision about how and what is worth it but I would suggest you get more than one opinion before you follow your doctors advise, his advise is a little unusual-and that is fine, but for myself I shopped around until I found a woman who listened to my issues ( like needing to start at very low dosages) and whom I could trust.
I know lots of people who taper off of SSRI's successfully. OCD really sucks and maybe you want a more long term solution . I don't know your situation so keep talking here and maybe you will figure out what you want to do.
:

[Ornery]

When I was having some real problems with obsessive thoughts, I started on Luvox and it changed my world.

I've also taken Klonopin on and off for quite awhile. I go for long periods of time where I don't need it, and then will need it for short periods of time when my anxiety is overwhelming. I'm really careful about not getting addicted to it as I have heard horror stories but I think for short term anxiety relief, it is awesome.

[punkrockmomma]

I'm on Lorazipam, I like it because I can use it as I need it. I've had some bad experiences with SSRI's so I won't take them. I also don't like the fact that SSRIs take weeks to start working and in my own experience are harder to get off of then the Lorazipam. I had to get off of both at the same time when I was pregnant. The Lorazipam was easy, but the Zoloft was HORRIBLE!!! I was ok for about a year after my dd was born, but then I decided to go back to school. As that was approaching I started to get horrible anxiety again. So, I went to my doc and told her that I would like to go back the Lorazipam. I know I personally take them only as needed, which unfortunatly is becoming more often lately. My anxiety has been going through the roof lately and because I don't want to take the Lorazipam too much I suffer through it. I am looking into going to a Naturopath though to see if she can't do something, because it's getting BAD! Good Luck!

[lovbeingamommy]

Originally Posted by punkrockmomma

I'm on Lorazipam, I like it because I can use it as I need it. I've had some bad experiences with SSRI's so I won't take them. I also don't like the fact that SSRIs take weeks to start working and in my own experience are harder to get off of then the Lorazipam. I had to get off of both at the same time when I was pregnant. The Lorazipam was easy, but the Zoloft was HORRIBLE!!! I was ok for about a year after my dd was born, but then I decided to go back to school. As that was approaching I started to get horrible anxiety again. So, I went to my doc and told her that I would like to go back the Lorazipam. I know I personally take them only as needed, which unfortunatly is becoming more often lately. My anxiety has been going through the roof lately and because I don't want to take the Lorazipam too much I suffer through it. I am looking into going to a Naturopath though to see if she can't do something, because it's getting BAD! Good Luck!

Thanks for your post. I noticed you said that you are going to go to a naturopath. That's exactly what I am doing. I don't think my body has a pharmaceutical deficiency. That might sound kind of silly, but I believe it. There is something else out of whack, it may be my thyroid, my adrenals, my hormones...who knows. It could even be a vitamin deficiency such as D3 or one of the B's. I'm taking a test that my ND recommended that looks for all sorts of vitamin, amino acid, hormones imbalances, etc. they draw the blood at the office and send toa lab called Spectracell. I hoping that I find the answer for my illness here. I'll post about my results and recommendations as soon as I find out...should be three-four weeks.

[lightinmyhands]

one of the side effects of coming off of benzos is anxiety. Which of course, leads to a dependence. There are plenty of good, healthy ways to help with anxiety. Have you tried bach's flower remedies? rescue remedy in particular? what about passionflower or skullcap? or velarian?