Benzodiazepines has an unpopular reputation due to them being so addictive. I was given them over twenty years ago and no one anywhere warned me about the way they work. I still believe that they were dragged into the opioid crisis..people who are addicted to opiates are at great risk if they use benzodiazepines at the same time…they are a lethal cocktail and so it’s easier for them to try and get rid of both. I honestly never had any issues with Ativan, I always stayed on the same dose and they work very fast and bring relief to me in about 10 minutes, of course I tried a bunch of so called better meds but they never helped me much and they came with a bunch of side effects. I started to get messed up when the prescribing doctor was trying to push me to quit benzodiazepines but not offering me any help or support, in fact he started reducing the amount without discussing it with me…well you can imagine the emotional turmoil that caused me. I am now hearing about the struggles of other people in a similar situation and it saddens me because you have so much anxiety and are suffering unduly because of this injustice… I don’t think that there’s a med out there that doesn’t have some adverse effect and nothing is ever perfect when it comes to our health but it’s just harassment for us and we don’t need it..perhaps doctors should do more research before they involve innocent people. We have to take more control of our lives and health and not place too much in the doctor’s hands, it will give you back some well needed control over your health issues and although most doctors don’t take favourably to this, it’s just too bad because it’s your life and taking care of yourself too is going to have a positive effect on you and make you feel stronger for it.