- Joined
- Jan 6, 2019
Benzos are a weird one because to put someone on them past anything like a week worth after something terrible /single use for chill out if you’re terrified of flying kinda thing as a new start is virtually impossible and you’re supposed to do medication reviews and blah blah. But there are for sure plenty of legacy patients who are dependent and it’s not worth the hassle and danger of detox if they’re using below a certain level. There are an unbelievable number of women in the UK in the 30-65 yo bracket with pretty bad booze and benzo habits.I dont know. Doctors are trying to move away from benzo's where possible because they are so addictive and a high percentage of people with a prescription will at some point abuse them, even if only once or twice. BuSpar being a thing, and SSRI's and SNRI's often being good for long-term anxiety, means that they are only really necessary for short-term treatment, like to relax before a procedure or whatnot.
Always fun when you see a 60-something year old middle-class woman admitted to a drug and alkie unit for benzo detox (which can kill you, which is why they have to be inpatient), because back in the 80's they started taking benzos because why not (mother's little helper and all that) and they've been on it 30+ years. Havent seen this so much in the US, but saw several cases in the UK of GP's who indiscriminately put women on them for vague symptoms of anxiety or stress, and then each subsequent GP just kept renewing the script with no questions about if she actually still needed it. Which of course she did by then, she was physically and mentally dependant on it.
So the answer is you can’t in the uk. Your mileage will vary in other countries.