This week's TIME magazine cover story was on anxiety

I got my weekly TIME magazine today.  It's main article and title page was "Why Anxiety is Good for You*".

 

Asterisk intended.  In the very last paragraph they mentioned two medications--Xanax and Valium, and did say they were addictive and didn't help the root cause.

Seems stupid to put people on them then huh?  Maybe the docs should read that story!

It's actually a very informative story on how anxiety works for better and for worse.  There is a lot of knowledge to be gained from it in terms of managing anxiety.  If you notice the graphic of the way severe anxiety affects the body, it's many of the same symptoms of withdrawal. 

 

Christopher

Yes, it did have a clever drawing of what anxiety does to the body.  And it did say Xanax and Valium were addictive and didn't help the root cause of anxiety. 

 

Since anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental illnesses along with depression, I'm glad they did a cover story on it. 

 

Helps those skeletons get out of their closets a bit. 

Read the article, have in front of me. It states "By drugs like Xanax, Valium and other benzodiazepines, which broadly suppress the activity of brain chemicals, but they CAN be addictive.....

 

CAN BE ADDICITIVE...  Incorrect reporting..  Why don,t we all email letter to the editor explaining the ARE addictive within two weeks, the tolerance wds, the he'll getting off, then the s/xs.  Here is a door open for us to flood the gates with the truth. 

 

Let,s email in numbers.  Pattylu

Well... They CAN be addictive.  Most people who take benzos short-term do not become addicted.  They're only meant to be Rx'd for a max of 4 weeks for insomnia, and a max of 4 months for severe anxiety, and the reporting on benzo addiction is kind of crappy in the US.  I read that 50% people on them for 6 months or more become  physically dependent on them, so... who knows?  It didn't say to what extent, etc. 

 

It IS a Schedule 5 med in the Controlled Substance Schedule.  That means it is "minimally addictive and has many medical uses".  I'm sure this is true.  Do I personally agree with it?  No. 

 

I took Adderall, a Schedule 2 medication, as it is "supposedly" way more addictive than benzos.  It's simply an amphetamine mixture anyways. Did I find it addictive?  Not at all. 

 

So I guess it really depends on one's brain makeup. 

Hi banana, not quite true.  Ativan is addictive after two weeks.  Even the so called FDA does not recommend it beyond that point due to this.  Pattylu

I thought Mitt Romney was the cover story.

Romney is this week's issue.  Last week's was on Anxiety. 

 

And PattyLou-- I know way too much about benzos.  It's UP to 2-4 weeks for insomnia, and UP to 4 months for severe anxiety.  Whether it's "addictive" or not depends on one's brain that early on.  50% of people on Ativan for 6 months won't have any w/d's... I'm assuming this is a low daily dose, however, and I don't know where they got the research percentage from.