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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Benzodiazepine Be Taken For A Long Duration?

Why do doctors not agree on long term Benzodiazapine therapy for GAD? Psychiatrist wants me to just quit .. and another wants me on it. I have shortness of breath and I fear that the Benzo s have damaged my calcium channels and Gaba receptors according to everything I have read. 3 doctors think I am crazy to want to taper off slowly and instead want me to take more? I am withdrawing while being ON THE DRUG. I need more and more to get the same effect. The Ashton manual says that you MUST titrate off slowly with about a 5% reduction per week then 1% as goes closer to the final dose. These PDocs are all quacks if they think I should just quit! Law suit time! I need a professional witness doctor to volunteer to go to court with me and take on these quacks! It is common knowledge apparently that Benzos do this as it is documented over and over and over... they ignore the facts and only want me to have a quick fix from anxious to calm. No root cause. This is physiological not psychological.
Wed, 23 Jan 2019
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hello,

You are right that benzodiazepines can cause dependence and tolerance in patients who use them over a long. Of time. This is the reason that many doctors are very careful about starting patients on benzodiazepines. Once a patient has been taking a benzodiazepine for a long time, it is recommended that the medication be tapered gradually as patients can have withdrawal symptoms.

Because of this, I hope that you can be slowly tapered off benzodiazepines and replaced with something else. I hope that you can find a doctor who will help you to do this.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Aaron Branch,
General & Family Physician
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Can Benzodiazepine Be Taken For A Long Duration?

Hello, You are right that benzodiazepines can cause dependence and tolerance in patients who use them over a long. Of time. This is the reason that many doctors are very careful about starting patients on benzodiazepines. Once a patient has been taking a benzodiazepine for a long time, it is recommended that the medication be tapered gradually as patients can have withdrawal symptoms. Because of this, I hope that you can be slowly tapered off benzodiazepines and replaced with something else. I hope that you can find a doctor who will help you to do this. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Aaron Branch, General & Family Physician