Ever heard of benzodiazepines? How about z-drugs? Perhaps you know their brand names, like Ambien, Ativan, Klonopin, Lunesta, Valium or Xanax. Millions of people around the world take these drugs every day and very few know much about them, let alone what it's like to withdraw. My hope is to change that. For those who experience benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome (BWS), incessant questions run rampant, but answers are few. I searched high and low to find information during my withdrawal, and in the midst, Benzo Free was born. By the time I finished writing the first draft, I'd spent four years reading and cataloging over a thousand separate articles, books, and scientific studies. In this book, I aim to present an honest and objective look at the world of anti-anxiety drugs and provide some encouragement, solace, and even some answers for those who struggle each day from the effects of these drugs.

Valium. Atvian. Xanax. These benzodiapezines or "benzos" are among the most routinely prescribed medications in our society, used to treat chronic anxiety in millions of people. But these drugs can actually prolong and aggravate anxiety, causing individuals to postpone dealing with core problems and to increasingly rely on addictive medication with extremely debilitating effects. Of the more than 30 million people who take these drugs, more than four million are addicted.Dr. Edward H. Drummond offers hope with a revolutionary program for overcoming chronic anxiety without the use of tranquilizers. His approach flies in the face of established practices, particularly at a time when health care programs offer dwindling support for psychotherapy, preferring the cheaper course of having patients medicate themselves.Certain to inspire controversy, Benzo Blues is the work of a visionary author out to challenge the medical establishment. Its publication will be greeted with enormous interest by the millions of people affected by these powerful drugs, all of whom will find a new way of dealing with a lifelong problem.

FROM THE BACK COVER: Are you--or is someone you care about--taking tranquilizers or sleeping pills? You could be at risk of addiction without even knowing it. Benzos are the most commonly prescribed tranquilizers and sleeping pills, in use by millions of people. Doctors prescribe these drugs routinely without ever warning patients that regular use may cause a dangerous dependency. For many people, Benzos are much harder to quit than heroin, cocaine, crack and other illegal substances, even when taken under a physician's supervision. Benzo Withdrawal may last for months, even years. Get the facts about the drugs in your medicine cabinet--facts the pharmaceutical companies, and even the FDA, don't want you to know. The Benzo Book recounts the author's experience as an unwitting addict, with full details about minimizing withdrawal symptoms, and exposes the sociological, medical and economic factors which cause this widespread--yet largely unknown--problem.

Death Grip chronicles a top climber's near-fatal struggle with anxiety and depression, and his nightmarish journey through the dangerous world of prescription drugs. Matt Samet lived to climb, and craved the challenge, risk, and exhilaration of conquering sheer rock faces around the United States and internationally. But Samet's depression, compounded by the extreme diet and fitness practices of climbers, led him to seek professional help. He entered the murky, inescapable world of psychiatric medicine, where he developed a dangerous addiction to prescribed medications—primarily "benzos," or benzodiazepines—that landed him in institutions and nearly killed him. With dramatic storytelling, persuasive research data, and searing honesty, Matt Samet reveals the hidden epidemic of benzo addiction, which some have suggested can be harder to quit than heroin. Millions of adults and teenagers are prescribed these drugs, but few understand how addictive they are—and how dangerous long-term usage can be, even when prescribed by doctors. After a difficult struggle with addiction, Samet slowly makes his way to a life in recovery through perseverance and a deep love of rock climbing. Conveying both the exhilaration of climbing in the wilderness and the utter madness of addiction, Death Grip is a powerful and revelatory memoir.

Beyond Benzos - Benzo Addiction, Benzo Withdrawal, and Long-term Recovery from Benzodiazepines Now termed by some as the world's deadliest pill, the class of drugs known as benzodiazepines are on the cusp of racing past opiates to earn the label as this nation's most widely abused class of drugs. With over 150 million prescriptions written annually in the U.S. alone for such popular drugs as Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium, benzo addiction has reached epidemic proportions in this country and many are still not willing to give it the press it deserves. Let's change that. Benzodiazepine addiction is something that is inherently difficult to treat because of the stigma attached to it, the often unresolved underlying issues, and the difficulty of benzo withdrawal. Beyond Benzos can help. Written as a guide to benzodiazepine addiction and recovery by someone who has been there, these drugs and the steps needed to break free from them are dissected at every level. To the millions of people and their loved ones trapped in the vicious circle of benzo addiction, there is a solution to break free from the madness. Author Taite Adams not only explains how benzos work but gives the reader their options for benzo withdrawal and long term recovery from addiction. Whether taking benzos for an anxiety disorder, insomnia or another issue, Adams offers hope, inspiration, and solutions for a life Beyond Benzos . Tags: benzo addiction, benzodiazepines, xanax withdrawal, prescription drug addiction, benzo withdrawal, benzodiazepine withdrawal, xanax addiction, klonopin addiction, benzos, ativan addiction

Prominent experts explain the pharmacology and metabolism of benzodiazepines (LDB) and g-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and offer powerful and effective methodologies that will enable better detection of these drugs in various body fluids, as well as in hair. The techniques include highly sensitive immunoassay detection of LDBs, the detection of Rohypnol® and other LDBs by mass spectrometry, and the ultrasensitive detection of GHB. State-of-the-art and highly practical, Benzodiazepines and GHB: Detection and Pharmacology offers toxicologists, forensic scientists, and clinical chemists today's most effective methods for detecting these widely abused drugs that are sometimes found associated with criminal acts.

This manual attempts to provide simple, adequate and evidence-based information to health care professionals in primary health care especially in low- and middle-income countries to be able to provide pharmacological treatment to persons with mental disorders. The manual contains basic principles of prescribing followed by chapters on medicines used in psychotic disorders; depressive disorders; bipolar disorders; generalized anxiety and sleep disorders; obsessive compulsive disorders and panic attacks; and alcohol and opioid dependence. The annexes provide information on evidence retrieval, assessment and synthesis and the peer view process.