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Why Is There a Discrepancy Between Doctors About Benzos?


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Hi,

I just wonder why there is a discrepancy between psychiatrists (and psych ARNPs/PAs) about prescribing benzos. I've been taking Klonopin daily for about 7 years or so, at a range of  0.5 mg- 3 mg a day, depending on the provider I was seeing. One ARNP I saw told me that I can't take Klonopin that way, that they weren't meant to be taken like that (meaning, taken every day, every few hours like my previous provider told me to do), and she told me I had to go off of the Klonopin and wanted to give me an Anti psychotic. Later, I got insurance, and the new psychiatrist I saw prescribed me 3 mg of Klonopin per a day (to be taken 3 times a day). My current psychiatrist doesn't like benzo's, and would like to see me go on as low of a dose as possible (or better yet, get off of it), but she uses it on me because she feels there's no another alternative for anxiety. 

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I have also found that there are great differences between docs about prescribing benzos.....My previous doc tended to want to give me an AAP rather than increase my benzo dose....She would not go over 2mg Klonopin per day the whole time I was her patient.

My current pdoc increased my benzo dose to 3mg per day right away, without me even asking, but was reluctant to prescribe an AAP, although for Risperdal she kept the dose fairly low at 2mg.

Docs are all different when it comes to their views about benzos--my current doc actually prefers benzos to AAPs, while previous doc preferred AAPs to benzos.........Go figure....

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've also been on the same dose range as you, 0.5mg-3mg a day for years with no problems. But because of the opioid epidemic, they don't want to be responsible in any ODs. How do they know if their patient is secretly taking an opioid along with their benzo prescription? Plus, some doctors genuinely think of benzos as something that gets you insanely high like amphetamines or opioids. It doesn't help that the withdrawal from them can be uncomfortable. I think it's so overhyped, everything about benzos. The only thing not overhyped is how effective they are for anxiety/panic. I am just as dependent on my Prozac, Rexulti, and Trazodone as I am on my Klonopin. Privately insured psychs wont be as benzophobic, but medicaid ones, YES. They simply don't want to be held accountable incase ANYTHING were to happen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I don’t take benzos anymore. Was on klonopin 7 years. Valium and Xanax one year. 

 

Im thankful I got off of them and I’m out of the hard part. 

 

Im not bashing benzo last. They are really good as needed but everyday if you ever run into the problem I did be prepared to be in Dante’s Inferno!

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