Showing posts with label alprazolam withdrawal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alprazolam withdrawal. Show all posts

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Disappointed in Dr. Drew

By now Dr. Drew Pinsky is considered to be very knowledgeable about drugs. There's no doubt that he cares about what he does. He tackles some severe cases of addiction and substance abuse.

I was curious to see how he'd handle Mindy McCready's seizure on this week's episode of Celebrity Rehab, this same seizure that was aired at least five times in the previews before it occurred on the show.

I was hoping that Dr. Drew would know something about benzodiazapines (aka "benzos"). The problem with stopping benzos is that a patient cannot detox from them safely without the risk of seizures. And because benzos change the actual chemistry and structure of the brain, the seizures and other symptoms must be managed with other drugs if a person goes cold turkey. Even Hoffman-La Roche, the manufacturer of both Valium and Klonopin recommends a taper schedule for getting off benzos. One must reduce the amount of the drug very slowly.