Don't be worried Houtx. I must ask tho are you taking benzos? Some people are taking them on TSM and I think it will totally slow the progress. I don't think it will stop it. But I do think it will get in the way. I never touch a benzo unless my plane is going down. Only in extreme emergencies . I have them hanging around the house but I have not taken one in a year. My doc will give me them at the drop of a hat but I learned a long time ago they lead to nothing but trouble for me. So I never take them. I saw what they did to my patients at work. Yuckky.

Potato: I been taking benzos for years for my mental condition and I am at my lowest dosage in years as of today. I don't like taking more than I have to. But I have to ask what do you mean "I saw what they did to my patients at work"? I don't get to see what it does to other people, so I don't understand the danger. Please explain.

Thanks!

Bob

What are "benzos"? So no - not on them. Not on anything other than this.

Benzos are benzodiazepines and they are any meds that are like valium and usually their name ends in pam. Clonazepam, Oxazepam , Lorazepam etc. I wouldn't worry too much about them but over a really long time they can cause depression to get worse and a person's moods get really erratic and they have no control of them. But bear in mind these were patients who had taken ALOT of them over years and years. Not your average person's use though. They are also known to be very hard to get off of if you want to. That is what I know from the medical world. They aren't harmful if used properly as far as I know. There are people who go to rehab for benzo use though. I don't was to cause major worry though because usually that is not the case. I also have no idea what happens with them and Nal. I would ask Dr. Eskapa that one. Best of luck.

I think in the Ask the Doctor threads there is information from Dr. Escape about benzos. He addressed them a few times I believe. Just for info......

Ya thanks I saw that just after I posted the other, oops thanks.

Bob, I feel like the expert here on benzo's. I started with anxiety back in the early 70's and back then the doctor perscribed Xanax. Naturally very addictive, but I didn't know it at the time and neither did the doctors. I started at a low dose but by the late 90's I was hooked on 4mg. a day and always in a withdrawal state with sever anxiety and depression and God knows what. I could not find help. I was put on yet more medication to the point I think I was near death. Now I have to say here all I knew was if I didn't take the drug I became very very anxious and almost delusional. The depression was severe. The doctors would not help me get off of them and I think they were afraid of a law suit! I saw a program on 20/20 at the time when Barbara Walters was interviewing a woman who was on Xanax and claimed to have lost 5 years of her life. The doctor and hospital that she went to helped her get off of the meds and she recovered but was shaking her head in disbelief of having lost so much. I contacted Barbara Walters and the doctor and hospital. The doctor refered me to an inpatient facility and I was the first patient that they had who ever went in without a doctor referral. I was in with people who were quite mentally ill. It was a very traumatic experience.
I was there for three weeks and it saved my life. The withdrawal was beyond belief both physically and mentally. I may have slept 3 hours a week, just one of the many withdrawal symptoms. The experience saved my life and I came out a brand new person. I had not had a drink in many years so that was not a factor. I did come out with PTSD from the experience however. It took me a year to get straight but I did loose 20 years of my life!

Hi Potato,

Presumably, your comments above are based on others' experiences? Would you care to elaborate?

Thanks,

V.

Oh LaBear, what a horrible experience. I can't imagine what you went thru, but am certainly happy for you that you got your life back.

I wonder why MD's don't prescribe more harmless, equally effective drugs, such as baclofen? It's been around a long, long time, is non-addictive, doesn't affect mental faculties, and dramatically decreases anxiety/depression. The only drawback, if you want to call it that, is that you can't suddenly stop taking it, but need to gradually lower your doses.

Of course, like Naltrexone it is off patent. . .so the big pharms can't capitalize on it. . .unlike most benzos, I'm guessing.

Going4More, well I did my best pitch to get this new doctor to perscribe both the Topamax, which I couldn't take and the Naltrexone. I doubt I would be able to talk her into yet another off script drug. I am also afraid to be left holding the bag and be off of the Klonipin entirely and find that the Baclofen didn't work for me. I have been through just way too much to experiment. It took everything in me to try these two drugs. I have been at MWO since December recearching, reading, praying, etc. The cost of that drug, supplements, tapes was just not in my budget at all but it's my life too. I am so hoping this will work. I did post elsewhere that I had a good day where I only had 3 glasses of wine and then stopped and that is unheard of for me. I did read an article that someone from MYO sent to me on Beclofen. It was a surgeon who tried it himself, but he was on extremely high doses and was actually afraid his heart might stop using it. It was a cure for him but a bit too risky for me.