Dr. Matt May

And so one of my messages to emergency doctor physicians is don't prescribe a month-long course of benzodiazepines for anxiety. Let psychiatrists handle that because it can actually create a new problem where there was really a solution in the first place called cognitive behavioral therapy. You can learn about that.

And so one of my messages to emergency doctor physicians is don't prescribe a month-long course of benzodiazepines for anxiety. Let psychiatrists handle that because it can actually create a new problem where there was really a solution in the first place called cognitive behavioral therapy. You can learn about that.

You can read David's books, When Panic Attacks, and you can get excellent treatment for panic and anxiety. without going down the side track of getting onto a medication that is highly addictive and hard to get off of. If you've already gotten onto it, go ahead David.

You can read David's books, When Panic Attacks, and you can get excellent treatment for panic and anxiety. without going down the side track of getting onto a medication that is highly addictive and hard to get off of. If you've already gotten onto it, go ahead David.

I think the question was about, okay, what's the best way to get off of it if you've gotten onto it? The answer to that is complicated because it would depend on the individual. their circumstances, and the medication that they're on. So one answer might be immediately go cold turkey off of benzodiazepines. That's frequently the correct answer. Really? Yeah.

I think the question was about, okay, what's the best way to get off of it if you've gotten onto it? The answer to that is complicated because it would depend on the individual. their circumstances, and the medication that they're on. So one answer might be immediately go cold turkey off of benzodiazepines. That's frequently the correct answer. Really? Yeah.

If you're a young, healthy person who's only taken it for a few days, and you recreationally partied on Xanax, Alprazolam, for a couple of days, and you realized, huh, This has caused me a lot of problems. Like I broke up with my girlfriend, my friends got angry with me, I acted in ways that were irresponsible, I spent too much money. Xanax does all of these things.

If you're a young, healthy person who's only taken it for a few days, and you recreationally partied on Xanax, Alprazolam, for a couple of days, and you realized, huh, This has caused me a lot of problems. Like I broke up with my girlfriend, my friends got angry with me, I acted in ways that were irresponsible, I spent too much money. Xanax does all of these things.

Benzodiazepines, they take the break off of our dopamine receptors and they cause us to do things, it's called disinhibition, where we'll behave in radically bizarre ways. And the best thing to do if you're driving down the road and you've got a bag of pills of Xanax and you've just partied for a couple of days, you're a healthy person, you don't have seizures, just get rid of it immediately.

Benzodiazepines, they take the break off of our dopamine receptors and they cause us to do things, it's called disinhibition, where we'll behave in radically bizarre ways. And the best thing to do if you're driving down the road and you've got a bag of pills of Xanax and you've just partied for a couple of days, you're a healthy person, you don't have seizures, just get rid of it immediately.

Stop cold turkey. That's often the best plan. An extreme alternative version of that is that you've been on a benzodiazepine to stop your seizure disorder. You've got seizures and if you go off of it, you're going to have more seizures.

Stop cold turkey. That's often the best plan. An extreme alternative version of that is that you've been on a benzodiazepine to stop your seizure disorder. You've got seizures and if you go off of it, you're going to have more seizures.

And so the plan would be not to go off of your benzodiazepine at all, but to find a new medication that helps you treat your symptoms, prevents you from having seizures, without all of the side effects of a benzodiazepine. So the correct answer actually depends on the individual, the circumstances, and the specific medication involved. And we could write a whole textbook about that.

And so the plan would be not to go off of your benzodiazepine at all, but to find a new medication that helps you treat your symptoms, prevents you from having seizures, without all of the side effects of a benzodiazepine. So the correct answer actually depends on the individual, the circumstances, and the specific medication involved. And we could write a whole textbook about that.

But I think we lead back to the team model, which is we want to get more information. Like, what are your circumstances? What are your goals? And how long have you been taking a benzodiazepine? Do you have medical circumstances that might predispose you to having a seizure if you acutely go off of a benzodiazepine? So I can't give a general correct answer to a nonspecific question.

But I think we lead back to the team model, which is we want to get more information. Like, what are your circumstances? What are your goals? And how long have you been taking a benzodiazepine? Do you have medical circumstances that might predispose you to having a seizure if you acutely go off of a benzodiazepine? So I can't give a general correct answer to a nonspecific question.

But there are some key guidelines that help guide us. And one of them is the half-life. David, you referred to that. which is if you are on a short half-life medication like Alprazolam and you're trying to get off of that, that's going to be a lot more challenging than if you're on a long half-life agent like Chlordiase, Epoxide, or Valium.

But there are some key guidelines that help guide us. And one of them is the half-life. David, you referred to that. which is if you are on a short half-life medication like Alprazolam and you're trying to get off of that, that's going to be a lot more challenging than if you're on a long half-life agent like Chlordiase, Epoxide, or Valium.

You can essentially, for most people, be on a dose of Valium that has a super long half-life and just stop taking it. And it will linger in your bloodstream and in your cerebrospinal fluid for a very long time. And you don't have to worry about crashing or a strong whiplash effect where you get rebound anxiety, etc.

You can essentially, for most people, be on a dose of Valium that has a super long half-life and just stop taking it. And it will linger in your bloodstream and in your cerebrospinal fluid for a very long time. And you don't have to worry about crashing or a strong whiplash effect where you get rebound anxiety, etc.