Hi @parus ,

I know I'm not that old (Turned 38 at the start of this month), but I've also had enough of sedatives, sleeping pills and copious amounts of anti psychotics. I think I've learned my lesson there after going around zombiefied for a long time. To be honest here there was a time going back six or seven years ago that I was at my Doctor almost on a daily basis in a terrible state of anxiety and agitation along with paranoid feelings and exhaustion begging for Valium and sleeping pills. At the time he was very understanding and often prescribed me Xanax and a sleeping pill called Halcion, but when my mental health team at the time (I was living in Dublin with my partner at the time) found out they were none too pleased and contacted him to say that I was not to be given those kind of medications again. I can see now why they did it (Them being highly addictive) but at the time I felt like a victim and that it wasn't fair that I was left in such a condition to suffer.

After being on such heavy medication for years though, I am glad that I am off all the old school stuff, even the Lyrica after such horrific withdrawal. A few weeks ago I went through a little period of difficulty and my regular Doctor was going to give me a few days worth of Valium (Can I just point out that the reason she was doing this was because she knows that I'm not in her office regularly asking for this?) and three nights of Zopiclone. I refused the Valium but did take the sleeping tablet.

Have you ever been on a beta blocker? I'm currently on 40mg of Propranolol daily which stops the palpatations and tremors associated with anxiety and I find it better than Benzodiazapines for my anxiety.

Ed