[refurb]

Honestly benzodiazepines should almost never be taken long-term for anxiety. They are fantastic drugs for short-term use, but in the long-term they tend to only make things worse.

You don't have to take them for very long to have withdrawal symptoms after stopping. The effects of stopping can include crippling anxiety. Not exactly the best thing for someone having bad anxiety in the first place.

[foobarqux]

There is a meta-study by Kripke which concludes that even very rare use of benzos triples your likelihood of death, controlling for other factors.

[jawngee]

That was actually refuted by the guys Kripke cited:

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/264345529_Reply_to_E...

[vellum]

Full pdf here: http://www.antonpottegaard.dk/publications/letters/[l002%20-...

[foobarqux]

That's interesting, thanks. Were you already familiar with the original study?

[hga]

Absolutely. I myself use clonazapam (generic Klonopin) on an "as needed" basis, because you get tolerant to a particular dosage within a few weeks, and then you either increase step by step to the limits your doctor sets, or when you can mentally afford it, you wean yourself off, which is no fun at all. Good in its niche for anxiety, but not real solution.

I have eventually crippling genetic anxiety and "depression of a bi-polar nature" (it's most like bipolar depression, but I never go manic unless I'm prescribed the wrong drug (which is not uncommon in general)). A low dose of the now generic Seroquel, an atypical antiphychoic, was a life saver, without it I'd only get 4 hours of sleep a night when I need 8. I also take a stiff dose of now generic Lexapro, which is laser precise in its action.

It took years for me and my doctors to figure out this regimen that seems to be as good as possible unless and until an anti-anxiety wonder drug is developed.