Benzo Addiction Stories

!t's easy t0 bec0me dependant 0n tranqu!l!zers. Pe0ple s0met!mes bec0me dependent 0n tranqu!l!zers !nadvertently. Y0u can bec0me dependent 0n them !f y0u take tranqu!l!zers f0r m0re than a few m0nths. F0r example, !f y0u f0ll0wed y0ur d0ct0r's 0rders and never abused y0ur prescr!pt!0n, y0u c0uld st!ll exper!ence s!gn!f!cant w!thdrawal sympt0ms !f y0u st0p them suddenly.

Th!s !s a true st0ry ab0ut dependence t0 prescr!pt!0n tranqu!l!zers (s0met!mes called benz0s). Unf0rtunately !t !s a st0ry that happens alm0st every day. Cheryl (n0t her real name) came t0 me after ten years 0f be!ng prescr!bed At!van. Alth0ugh the st0ry !s ab0ut At!van, ! have heard s!m!lar st0r!es ab0ut all tranqu!l!zers.

Cheryl was a happy y0ung lady at twenty years 0ld. She rarely t00k Tylen0l f0r a headache. L!fe was g00d, except f0r her stressful j0b.

Then 0ne day Cheryl felt a t!ghtness !n her chest and had d!ff!culty breath!ng. Her heart began t0 race. Her palms were sweaty and her hands were shak!ng. She was 0verc0me w!th w0rry, but d!dn't kn0w what she was w0rr!ed ab0ut.

Cheryl went t0 her d0ct0r wh0 l!stened t0 her st0ry and t0ld her that she was exper!enc!ng an anx!ety attack. The v!s!t lasted less than 15 m!nutes and at the end 0f the v!s!t he handed her a prescr!pt!0n f0r At!van.

The tranqu!l!zer w0rked exactly as expected !n!t!ally. W!th!n a few days Cheryl was m0re relaxed, and she was sleep!ng better. S0met!mes she slept s0 s0undly that she w0ke up feel!ng gr0ggy the next m0rn!ng. But that passed. Even the stress 0f w0rk was eas!er t0 handle. B0th Cheryl and her d0ct0r were rel!eved.

F0r the next tw0 years Cheryl c0nt!nued t0 use At!van 0n and 0ff as needed. She never abused !t, and never used m0re than her prescr!pt!0n. F0r tw0 years her d0ct0r kept 0n prescr!b!ng At!van w!th l!ttle reassessment. As t!me went 0n Cheryl started us!ng !t a l!ttle m0re 0ften. Eventually she was tak!ng a tranqu!l!zer alm0st every day. S0met!mes her fam!ly d0ct0r w0uld s!mply renew the prescr!pt!0n 0ver the ph0ne. Cheryl was just happy that the anx!ety attacks had g0ne.

By the end 0f the th!rd year Cheryl was c0ncerned, and appr0ached her d0ct0r. Was At!van add!ct!ve she w0ndered? He assured her !t was n0t. But Cheryl had her d0ubts and she persuaded her d0ct0r t0 take her 0ff the drug. 0ne week later, Cheryl was h!t w!th ser!es 0f anx!ety attacks. She felt a l!ttle gu!lty that she quest!0ned her d0ct0r, and he !mmed!ately restarted her 0n At!van.

What Cheryl d!dn't kn0w was that the anx!ety attacks may have been av0!ded !f she had been tapered 0ff the drug c0rrectly. !n fact suddenly st0pp!ng tranqu!l!zers can be danger0us.

There !s a s!gn!f!cant r!sk 0f se!zure, str0kes, heart attacks, 0r halluc!nat!0ns !f y0u st0p tranqu!l!zers suddenly.

Tw0 years later, st!ll n0t c0nv!nced that th!s was the harmless drug her d0ct0r sa!d !t was, Cheryl t00k herself 0ff the tranqu!l!zers. The w!thdrawal was r0ugh. Cheryl exper!enced all k!nds 0f sympt0ms, !nclud!ng anx!ety, m00d sw!ngs, and p00r c0ncentrat!0n.

Her husband started t0 l0se pat!ence. But she pers!sted. Then 0ne day, her b0ss t0ld her that she had t0 take 0n m0re resp0ns!b!l!t!es at w0rk. Cheryl tr!ed t0 expla!n that she was g0!ng thr0ugh a d!ff!cult t!me and that she wasn't sure she c0uld take 0n m0re stress r!ght n0w. But her b0ss sa!d that the c0mpany was restructur!ng and Cheryl's j0b m!ght be 0n the l!ne.

Desp!te all that stress, Cheryl managed t0 rema!n 0ff the p!lls and get thr0ugh the w!thdrawal. But dur!ng that t!me she d!dn't dare see her d0ct0r 0nce, because she was afra!d that !f he made the sl!ghtest suggest!0n she w0uld l0se her res0lve and g0 back 0n At!van.

Cheryl managed t0 stay 0ff tranqu!l!zers f0r a wh0le year, and was feel!ng str0nger all the t!me. G!ven en0ugh t!me we kn0w she w0uld have d0ne well. !t takes ab0ut 2 years f0r pat!ents fully rec0ver fr0m the effects 0f tranqu!l!zers. But Cheryl's m0ther fell !ll and Cheryl t00k 0n the resp0ns!b!l!ty 0f her med!cal care.

0ne n!ght, Cheryl suddenly w0ke up w!th her heart p0und!ng !n her chest. She had d!ff!culty breath!ng, and she th0ught she was g0!ng t0 d!e. She went t0 the emergency r00m, and after a full exam!nat!0n was t0ld that there was n0th!ng wr0ng w!th her. She had exper!enced an0ther anx!ety attack.

The emergency r00m sent a f0ll0w up letter t0 her fam!ly d0ct0r wh0 b00ked an app0!ntment t0 see Cheryl. He sa!d he wanted t0 refer Cheryl t0 a psych!atr!st.

The psych!atr!st expla!ned that Cheryl had a chem!cal !mbalance, and that th!s was the cause 0f her anx!ety. He sa!d that !t was n0t unc0mm0n, and there was an effect!ve treatment f0r !t. He assured her that !t was n0t add!ct!ve, and h!s very w0rds were, "Y0u can take th!s med!cat!0n f0r the rest 0f y0ur l!fe." Then the psych!atr!st d!d s0meth!ng that set Cheryl back an0ther f!ve years. He wr0te her a prescr!pt!0n f0r At!van.

N0w events started t0 happen a l!ttle m0re qu!ckly. The At!van wasn't as effect!ve as !t had been !n the past, and there were days when Cheryl needed m0re than her usual d0se. The psych!atr!st agreed that 0n bad days Cheryl c0uld take 1 0r 2 m0re p!lls t0 deal w!th her anx!ety. By the end, Cheryl was be!ng prescr!bed 4 t!mes her !n!t!al d0se. But at each v!s!t her psych!atr!st reassured her that she was d0!ng well. Gradually, he spent less and less t!me w!th her s!nce the At!van was w0rk!ng. S0me v!s!ts c0ns!sted 0f h!m just wr!t!ng a prescr!pt!0n.

Cheryl had bec0me dependent 0n tranqu!l!zers. The m0re she t00k them, the m0re her bra!n adapted t0 them, and the m0re she needed. Whenever she tr!ed t0 sl0w d0wn, her w!thdrawal sympt0ms f0rced her t0 start up aga!n.

The !r0ny 0f tranqu!l!zers !s that they're prescr!bed f0r anx!ety and sleep. But the l0nger y0u take them the m0re they !ncrease y0ur anx!ety and d!sturb y0ur sleep.

The d0ct0rs had sa!d that Cheryl c0uld take these p!lls f0r the rest 0f her l!fe. And sure en0ugh !t was c0m!ng true. Tranqu!l!zers are the perfect add!ct!ve drug. The l0nger y0u take them — the m0re y0u need them.

After a wh!le Cheryl began t0 exper!ence new sympt0ms. She started feel!ng depressed. !n!t!ally she had a hard t!me descr!b!ng !t. She was less !nterested !n th!ngs. She d!dn't have as much energy as she n0rmally d!d, and she wasn't as happy. She c0mpla!ned t0 her psych!atr!st wh0 eventually dec!ded t0 start Cheryl 0n an ant!depressant. But he c0nt!nued t0 prescr!be the tranqu!l!zer.

M0st add!ct!ve drugs !f taken l0ng en0ugh can cause depress!0n. !t !s qu!te c0mm0n w!th tranqu!l!zers. Cheryl had been g!ven a tranqu!l!zer that caused depress!0n, and n0w she was tak!ng an ant!depressant t0 c0unteract the tranqu!l!zer.

Ten years had passed !n 0ne pers0n's l!fe. What started 0ut as anx!ety, pr0bably br0ught 0n by w0rk stress, had gradually escalated !nt0 dependence and depress!0n.

F!nally, !t was Cheryl herself wh0 t00k the !n!t!at!ve and s0ught help t0 c0me 0ff her drugs. She was gradually tapered 0ff her At!van, and c0unseled 0n p0st-acute w!thdrawal. Her w!thdrawal was unc0mf0rtable, but w!th supp0rt she managed t0 get thr0ugh !t.

Cheryl c0mpleted her taper, went thr0ugh w!thdrawal, and !s n0w l!v!ng a better l!fe. Her sympt0ms d!sappeared after ab0ut tw0 years. She w!ll n0w happ!ly tell y0u that she feels better than she's felt !n years, and that !t's g00d t0 n0 l0nger be dependent 0n tranqu!l!zers.

Why are benz0d!azep!nes st!ll prescr!bed? !f they're that awful why d0 d0ct0rs st!ll use them? Because they can be helpful !f taken f0r a sh0rt t!me. S0me pe0ple need them t0 deal w!th unusually stressful s!tuat!0ns. But !f y0u take them f0r l0nger than a few weeks 0r m0nths, y0ur b0dy w!ll adapt t0 them, y0ur anx!ety level w!ll r!se, and y0u w!ll need m0re 0f them 0ver t!me. (Reference: www.Add!ct!0nsAndRec0very.0rg)