Benzos are very addictive (was Re: Allergic vs. Toxic reaction)

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I read this thread and wanted to add some info about benzos.

I don't take any benzo meds myself, but do know that they are EXTREMELY

difficult to withdraw from. They are a very powerful class of drugs and the

doctors and drug companies simply do not share this info with patients

upfront. They will have you believe that withdrawal can happen over a short

period of time, but in fact it can take several months or longer, through a

rigorous tapering process.

I am withdrawing from Paxil myself (an SSRI), and that has been very

difficult, too. I tapered over 6 months and now at 8 months drug-free, am

still suffering many withdrawal effects including deep depression and

anxiety and a sense of hopelessness and despair, that is much more intense

than anything I experiences before going on the SSRIs 16 years ago.

I am on a very helpful listserv, the Antidepressant Withdrawal group, where

there are many many folks who are going through HELL getting off these

drugs, especially benzos. The folks on the list are very caring and

compassionate as we help each other through this process. Check out the

group at Antidepressant_Withdrawal/

I believe everyone deserves to have all the info available to them before

deciding to take prescription meds. With the internet, this info is luckily

easier to share than when I started taking these drugs.

Good luck,

Deb

On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 5:49 PM, barb1283 <barb1283@...> wrote:

> I haven't really studied the benzo,