[tarokun-io]

I didn't mean benzos as self-medication, though. I went to see a psychiatrist once and he handed me benzos as if they were candies.

Years after, I found out, when taken for years, they do permanent damage to the brain's ability to form long-term memories. Among other things.

Fortunately, I didn't take them that long. But I had many friends in the same situation, taking benzos because their psychiatrist gave them to them just like that, without offering alternatives.

To properly reword my advice: be careful with psychologists and psychiatrists. Not all of them are good, and not all of them have your best interest in mind.

[isolli]

Thanks for sharing. A person close to me was in this exact same situation. Her doctor prescribed benzos for years, and it ruined her life. Not only this, but other doctors flat out denied that her symptoms were being caused by withdrawal. Professor Ashton, who founded the website benzo.org.uk, was one of the first to recognize and alert about these dangers. To this day, a lot of doctors are uneducated about the side effects of, and proper tapering techniques for benzos.