Posted by med_empowered on August 23, 2008, at 10:09:56
In reply to Re: Atypical antipsychotics for anxiety, posted by X-ray on August 23, 2008, at 9:01:33
I mean..here are a couple things to consider...1)5mgs of Valium is a pretty tiny dose...that'd be like taking .25mgs/Klonopin or Xanax. 2) Yes, benzo dependence is a pain, but atypical antipsychotics are waaaaaaay more problematic. Zyprexa, Seroquel, and Risperdal can cause weight gain; Abilify tends to cause akathisia; Geodon can cause drowsiness and is a 2x daily med. ALL of them can cause tardive dyskinesia, neuroleptic malignancy syndrome, dysphoria, agitation, impaired cognition, and flattened affect.
Plus, they're really expen$ive.
Anyway, I'd personally recommend that you find some way of dealing with your anxiety that doesn't involve the use of antipsychotics at any dose...don't let the glossy ads fool you: these are serious drugs with serious side effects. I think its worth noting that even though they're supposedly more tolerable, lots of schizophrenics (at least here in the US) have to either be coerced or forced to take them...and there are lots of lawsuits already in place over deaths, movement disorders, etc.
Could therapy or self-help or nutritional adjustments help you? I get that you're trying to avoid benzo dependence, and that's great,but...antipsychotics are **HARDCORE** and the main reason they're "not addictive" is b/c they also tend to be unpleasant.
poster:med_empowered
thread:847758
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080822/msgs/847812.html