No they def. were not meant for long term use, but if it works and you are using them safely, it is no biggie. The only reason they are not meant for long term is because they are addictive. It is all based on the person, they helped me thru some tough times over 10 years, and I owe all my success in college and in my career to them.

If you need them, take them! Why suffer? Youre already afraid of a condition (addiction) you may not even get or have! I have kpin and I take my one at night which helps me sleep. I don't abuse it. I take it as directed. When and if I switch, my dr will wean me off. If you feel like you need these medications then I suggest finding a dr. that is willing to work with you and monitor you

You guys all know of your own personal cases where it wasn't such a big deal, but you don't really know what you are talking about. Benzos ruin lives. The withdrawar is so much worse than anything you could ever imagine and they will not cure anxiety. Stop casually telling people to take them. There are other ways to recover from anxiety disorders long term. Aside from the side effects, benzos ravage your mind. They are a very powerful drug.

About heroin, saying that heroin is more addictive than benzos is purely anecdotal. Additionally, I was on them for several months, and I came off them just fine. They are a great short term tool, but by no means is it a long term solution.

Sorry but I agree with the doctor about not prescribing them. They have high potential for abuse by those with drug dependence or self-medicating behaviors. By and large, I agree with this generalized conclusion and I'm sorry if your individual circumstances did indeed necessitate benzos.

I've been on wellbutrin for a while and I think it can def make you jittery. I walk a fine line with that. I have depression and anxiety. In addition to the wellbutrin for depression, I have been on Lexapro for anxiety and the combination worked wonders for awhile. I eventually had to go off the Lexapro. I've also taken Buspar and it worked well for anxiety. The good thing about it is that there is supposed to be no side effect of addiction like with benzo. Although if you stop any meds suddenly, you will experience some sort of withdrawl symptoms to a certain extent. These are meds that are changing your brain chemistry so when the meds are suddenly gone your chemistry is altered quickly. Currently I take ativan with no problems. I take it on an as needed basis for my anxiety. I have been taking this for years and during that time, I have had months where I didn't take it all because my anxiety was under control and months where I took it 2 or 3 times a day because my anxiety was skyrocketing. There are a lot of factors that can go into what meds are best for you. Being honest with your dr is necessary when treating mental health problems. If your not honest with them, they might not prescribe the right meds or treatment. If your anxiety is really out of control, I would talk to your dr. again and tell him that. If this is one of the problems that you're being treated for and if he doesn't address it, then you should find yourself another dr. I hope I was some help to you and that you are able to get a handle on your anxiety soon:-)

Rabbits knows what she's talking about. I agree with her 1000%. You seem hell bent on getting these drugs. Just don't say you weren't warned. You are lucky to have a doctor who actually gives a damn about you. If you aren't smart enough to see this, by all means move on. There are MANY doctors who will write scripts for whatever their patients want, no questions asked.

Hi everyone. I want to send out a heart-felt "thank you" to everyone that replied to this post regardless of what your point of view is.

I should have mentioned in my original post that I am 59 years old and in my life I have been prescribed ativan, valium, and yes, even xanex. I never had a problem with any of them. I was venting about a doctor that would not consider a form of treatment for me, that may speed me through this, because of an ancient history of drinking.

Thanks again everybody.

were you able to discuss this at length w/ your therapist? i think he owes you at least that - more than just a flat no. i also think that if counselers are going to help us, we need to be as honest as possible. it was hard for me to talk about things i was afraid of, but i knew that hiding them would get me nowhere. so, anyway, i hope you were able to have a good discussion about the med, or at least bring it up next time. you are paying this person, and it has to be a 2-way street that works for you.

Sorry, I didn't know all the details. If the doctor wouldn't even discuss the reasons why, then that's not professional. Like love said, it's a two-way street.

If the doc said something about past behavior, then maybe I can understand.

I gave my psychiatrist a full history of the medications that I had been prescribed in the past. He knew that I had used benzo's before and that I did not have a problem with them.

I hear everyone that is of the opinion that beno's are the work of the devil. I also hear those who they have helped. I believe that in my case they would help. He thinks that I would be more likely to abuse them than the average person. I'm not the kind of a person to doctor shop to find one who will prescribe what I want blindly. I'm going to stick with this doctor and pray that his treatment plan works.

My anxiety gets worse on prescriptions, so yes, I understand. They have tried me on a few things. The best thing I found for me is ativan. It helps calm me down without the side affects like some of the other drugs.