Why Long-Term Benzo Scripts Are Less Common These Days | Benzodiazepines скачать в хорошем качестве

Why Long-Term Benzo Scripts Are Less Common These Days | Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), and diazepam (Valium) are very effective medications for anxiety. When I went through my psychiatry training in the late 90's, I was taught by an anxiety expert to use them liberally and without fear. However, over the past 20+ years, I have seen a significant decline in their use. I have also significantly reduced my prescribing of them. I understand that many patients find it frustrating when prescribers seem to have an effective solution, but are unwilling to provide it. But there are reasons why prescribers have learned that long-term use of benzos is not the best solution for most patients. In this video, I explain that the three main reasons I believe that the number of long-term prescriptions for benzodiazpines has declined are 1. Side effects: the medical community is more tuned into the potential for tolerance and dependence ("addiction") and other side effects such as cognitive impairment and falls. 2. Drug interactions: many sedating medications can interact with benzodiazepines. However, one of the most dangerous interactions is with opioids. In fact, when benzodiazepines are combined with opioids, there is increased risk of death. 3. The availability of safer alternatives: Prozac became available in the late 1980's. Between the late 80's and early 2000's, several more SSRIs were introduced. While not effective for all patients, generally speaking, SSRIs were found to be very effective in treating anxiety and much safer than benzodiazepines. (SNRIs, not mentioned in the video, have also become available and are effective anti-anxiety medications.) Who Am I? I'm Dr. Jeff Knuppel, a psychiatrist (M.D.) with over 20 years of practice experience. I'm a licensed healthcare professional (physician) in Wisconsin, USA. My goal is to create helpful and interesting videos about mental health and self-improvement. If these topics interest you, please subscribe so that you don't miss any new videos when they are released. Thank you! DISCLAIMER: This channel is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on or linked to from this channel is at the user’s own risk. Please consult your healthcare professional before making any changes in your treatment. I do not respond to requests for medical advice, either as comments/questions on this channel or as direct messages to me.