Researchers at the University of Milan and King’s College, London thoroughly reviewed the literature available on Medline and Cochrane regarding the use of benzodiazepines in anxiety, affective and psychotic disorders, as well as the available literature on benzos’ adverse effects. They conclude that the wide use that benzos have achieved in psychiatric and non-psychiatric disorders is not supported by the scientific evidence. There is “robust” evidence for short-term use in panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, “intermediate” evidence for social anxiety disorder and “poor” evidence for PTSD and OCD. However, the side-effects found in long-term use, and the risks of abuse and withdrawal effects “recommend a more cautious use of BZDs (short-term) than previously achieved.” Results will appear in European Psychiatry.
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I think if used wisely and under supervision Benzos are probably useful in hospital setting but long term- is a definite no-no. My mother was put on them by a kindly doctor to help her to get over my father’s death.They were supposed to be safe and non-addicitive in those days. A month later she wanted to come off them and couldn’t. She struggled for ten years and never succeeded.It was hell for everyone. The doctor thought at the time you could stop ativan just like that and could not understand why she couldn’t.
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And yet benzos are the only drugs that psychiatry has to offer that can actually help people to feel better. In fact, I’ve never considered them psychiatric drugs for that reason. When I was a kid, every single psychiatric drug I was given made me feel terrible at least, tortured me at worst. Yet every now and then when I’d get a benzo it would be a long overdue relief. To me, benzos were the corrective to psychiatric drugs and the only drugs you could get from a psychiatrist that had a straight-forward effect that you could feel come on and wear off.
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