Well, about 2 years ago I suffered a death in the family.. my brother who I grew up with my whole life died of cancer at the young age of only 35… after this happend I became what I like to call “Terminally depressed” .. I ended up losing my job because I didn’t want to leave my bed and be out in the world, I just wanted my brother to come back… Sooner or later I started forcing myself to get up out of bed and by this time I was still very depressed but not enough anymore to make me completely immobilized, I also found myself to be INCREDIBLY anxious dealing with severe anxiety all throughout my days dealing with CONSTANT panic attacks.  Especially in social situations…  So a friend of mine convinced me to go see a psychologist who eventually referred me to a pyschiatrist who I began to see regularly…This doctor must have put me on and I must have tried every drug out there from zoloft to paxil, prozac, celexa, buspar, klonopin, and most recently xanax which I’m still on. 

NONE of these meds worked for me… the depression, anxiety, and worst of all-panic attacks continued.  Eventually, desperate, I began scouring the web for answers and I eventually came across this site .. http://www.anxiety.pcti-system.com .. which is this program to cure anxiety/panic attacks for good all naturally.. To make a long story short, it worked incredibly for me.. my anxiety is gone, depression as well almost all but gone, and I haven’t had a panic attack in over a month.  I do though from time to time still feel sorrow over my brother.  However, this is my problem:  I’m still taking my xanax because I’m completely ADDICTED.. when I try to stop taking it I start going through incredible withdrawls mentally and physically… If I would have known of this addiction problem I would have never allowed my doctor to put me on them.  Has anyone else suffered from benzo addiction and if so, know how to safely get off it with minimal side effects??  Please any advice/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

hi would you chat with steveo on the post hi new to this

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Hello all new to this site and not sure how to use it yet, i been suffering anxiety for last 6 years or maybe more without realising, im just searching and trying to find out about it and get advice, i think ive come to accept it and understand it a bit more now, before i had this i would never of imagined i would be on here, those that dont suffer this would never know what its like and the horrible symptoms that go with it, im 55 now but keep myself fit and do general exercise walking and my 2 lads keep me active with sports and taxying but it can also be very isolating and lonely if you allow it, thanks for reading take care, steve

Hi :0) I help out Helen she is a great and wonderful friend we have been friends for years. I thought it would be good if you chatted between eachother. I hope thats ok Chloe

I am a really good friend of Helens and I have come on this site to chat with people because I have had dreadful depression fear of going outside and anxiety. In my life I have been beaten abused and had a bit of an awful time So I have this dreadful need of wanting to fix other peoples problems…a bit of a have a go hero. Sadly because of my past I am a bit gushie and needy I guess. Helen and I met years ago and when I heard of her website I thought I would be brave enough to go on her forum in the hope people would chat with me and others show interest. Having known Helen for yours I now come on here regularly as a way of helping others by talking about my own problems as I can’t give advice. Sadly I do have anxiety and panic attacks yet I do not suffer with them to the extent that you might be. So I thought I would swop your posts talkng to eachother and I am bored talking about myself these days my technique makes me feel very ego centric and I feel I am not listening. Yet sadly I am not one to give advice I don’t believe in it, I can only tell you about me so we can share empathy and sadly on this occassion I am not able to :0( . I fear if I don’t talk to you nobody else would and that would be horrid because you are suffering now and I remember that suffering now its not great….its absolutely horrid and having nobody answer your post is horrid so I promised Helen I would because she is a very very busy beautiful lady. I don’t get paid I just remember my sadness and nobody wanted to know me and how isolating and lonely it was for me…and how nobody wanted anything to do with me so I do this now. Its my Opus. Thinking of you and hoping I could fix it sadly I can’t yet I can listen :0) :0) Chloe

I just spoke to a friend and she said she went on a forum about miscarriages and nobody answered her post and it was so horrid…so I hope you appreciate the need to answer the posts and out of duty to my beautiful beautiful friend Helen who brings me the peace of mind and love I need in my darkest hours. I hope I have explained myself ...did I need to I hope you can understand why I answer your posts why I write back. Chloe

Hallo there.  Your post was very sad - and very interesting.  I feel sad for your loss and you know you will always feel sad about your brother but, in time, you will be able to accommodate the sadness.  It sounds to me like you are doing really well.

Xanax is highly addictive.  The way to come off it is gradually.  I don’t know how much you are taking but you could try half your usual dosage for a week, then half of that for another week.  You will not suffer withdrawal if you do it slowly.

I took it for about two months last year then stopped abruptly.  I had terrible withdrawal which lasted for a week but during the week it was quite awful.  My view is that it doesn’t hurt to use something like Xanax occasionally or on a very short term (2-3 days) basis but really your doctor should advise you on stopping the drug, he/she prescribed it for you.

Most of the drugs prescribed for mental health problems come with a warning “Do not stop taking suddenly”.  I have twice done it, I can’t remember the name of the other drug I was on but I had very bad withdrawal for about six days.  The Xanax I bought for myself from an internet site, I didn’t know what it was until I looked it all up - it was not called Xanax but is the same thing, Alprazolam.  I think the withdrawal from that was worse.  Yes, I’m an idiot and quite an old idiot but my depression and anxiety were so bad, I had to have something.  I would not do that again.

Do go and see your doctor and let him or her supervise your withdrawal from Xanax.  Come back and let us know how you are.  All the best.

Dear Lynda, thank you for sharing that.  I too am so aware how important it is not to stop taking antidepressants or tranquilisers suddenly having tried it myself and crashed.  We read that they are not addictive which suggests that there wouldn’t be any side-effects to stop taking them suddenly or without medical supervision.  However the medication is in our systems and as with anything, our bodies should be weaned off the medication. They may not be addictive in the sense that you do not need to keep increasing the dose to get the same effect and you won’t crave them but it is known, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists,  that up to a third of people who stop taking SSRIs and SNRIs have withdrawal symptoms like stomach upsets, flu like symptoms, anxiety, dizziness, vivid dreams or sensations in the body that feel like electric shocks.  I felt worse than I had ever felt.
There is indeed nothing wrong with taking medication.  It can be an essential temporary crutch to get us out of the depths of depression and feel able to be receptive to talking therapy.  It has been proven that recovery is helped by both medication and talking therapy rather than medication alone.
Congratulations to you for coming off your medication.  I do hope that uou are well.
Best wishes, Helen

Thank you so much Helen.  I am coming off the Amitriptylene, tapering off gradually.  The drug makes me feel worse than without it.

ChRoNoxThexDon and Chloe, I hope you are alright today - and sorry to have barged in and made the thread suddenly about “me”, didn’t intend to do that   .

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