Benzodiazepines

Has anyone tried some sort of regime involving benzodiazepines? I would assume not as a long term solution but for acute attacks? Just browsing Mal De Embarquement sites and that seemed to come up a lot.

You will find a lot of us take benzo’s both as a daily part of our regime. I can’t say much for the attacks, myself, I have found that Valium works pretty good for the occasional duzzy spell.

I take Klonopin bid. I was terribly resistant for quite awhile but finally gave in and am glad I did. It has made much difference in my ability to function. Without Zoloft and Klonopin I would likely still be virtually bedridden.

Not an easy decision to make - the benzo plunge. Serious pros and cons to weigh. but this is a serious, life-altering ailment, sometimes calling for drastic measures.

Been taking Xanex for 15 years. People tend to think you become a drug addict if you try this med too long but i disagree. That does not mean there may be people who will use it only to calm down a little and end up abusing this drug. I use it so it will minimize the Motion and dizzyness and i can have a better quality of life. I use to be on a higher strength and dosage but the last 5-6 years i have been able to lower it to one tab per day. If not for this medication i would definitely be homebound and no part-time work…period!

Joe

Klonopin was the only medication offered to me by the first neuro-otologist I saw. As much as I struggle with taking a drug that causes dependence, it works. Jenny has written about the mal de disembarkment Yahoo group: I joined them, as I think the two conditions overlap, and klonopin is standard therapy for that form of dizziness. They have an article from a doctor supporting its use in their files.
So, it allows me to function.
After 5 years on it, and being unable to wean down as low as I’d like, I just started zoloft and am hoping it gives me the extra stability to lower the klonopin.
There is a huge stigma about benzodiazepams, and it’s really not deserved. Yes they can cause physical dependence and a withdrawal syndrome–but you need to slowly withdraw from anti-depressants and anti-seizure meds as well. Addiction is very different from dependence.
In my opinion, they work are not terribly risky drugs and carry a stigma that they don’t really deserve.
They most important thing is to ease our suffering and increase our function.
Kira

I’ve been taking valium/diazepam since the spring of 2005. I vary the dosage. 5mg per day in the cold months, and about 5mg per week in the warm months.

No real problems or reactions to it, although I would certainly like to go off of it in the future. Before this hit me in 2005, I never thought I’d have to take medication until I was in my 70s or 80s (I was diagnosed with Meniere’s on my 41st birthday. MAV in 2007 with Meniere’s as a secondary diagnosis.) Never been a fan of pills, but with this ailment, don’t really have much of a choice.