The drug that contributed to most overdose deaths was Diazepam, commonly marketed under the name Valium, which was linked to 176 deaths in 2015 and 979 since 2009. It was followed by heroin, which contributed to 168 deaths in 2015, alcohol (97) and the painkiller codeine (60)....
Drug overdose deaths have risen for a fifth consecutive year, led by addictive medications such as Valium, which has been linked to more drug deaths than illegal narcotics. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/prescription-drugs-lead-by-valium-linked-to-more-deaths-than-heroin-and-alcohol-20160404-gny2tr.html
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Benzodiazepines, a class of drugs that includes Ativan, Valium and Xanax--also called bennies/benzedrine
6-1-14 “You’re not going to die from opiate withdrawal. You feel like you’re going to die. You look like you’re going to die, but you’re not going to die,” said Dr. Jamie McAllister, a primary care physician in Bend. That’s not the case with benzodiazepines.
“They can have seizures, they can stop breathing. They can have hallucinations. It can be very scary,” she said. “I’ve seen severe withdrawal from Klonopin, protracted withdrawal that lasts for months and months and months. All the benzos can be nasty.” http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/2119922-151/benzodiazepines-treat-anxiety-cause-long-term-problems
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but worse still:
This burgeoning of Z-drug prescriptions occurred in spite of the fact that the number of reported adverse events for that class of drugs was much greater (x 100) at the time than any of the benzodiazepines. The lessons of history clearly have not been learned and new dependence epidemics have since emerged with the Z-drugs and now also SSRIs and other psychopharmaceuticals, perhaps because this class-action legal effort was not ultimately successful, causing no monetary or ethical motivation to require stricter regulations and the much-needed prescribing practice changes. http://w-bad.org/classactionlawsuit/
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Yet, Xanax is as deadly, if not more so, than Valium. According to a 1984 study, "Extreme anger and hostile behavior emerged from eight of the first 80 patients we treated with alprazolam [Xanax]. more than 100 lawsuits were filed against Eli Lilly, http://www.justicemattersactioncenter.org/lawsuits-for-xanax/
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Wow, I just found this statement in an online article.
"The UK continues to report on the dangers of benzodiazepine drug use in a way that the US media has simply never done. All the best mainstream media coverage on this class of drug comes from the UK. There is a much deeper and uglier denial about the problem in the United States."
What is wrong with our country? The deep and ugly denial about the problem is so disturbing on so many levels. After speaking to so many MD's that deny the problem exists, I knew that something was being covered up and just horribly wrong. Shaking my head in disgust! http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=99705.10
"The UK continues to report on the dangers of benzodiazepine drug use in a way that the US media has simply never done. All the best mainstream media coverage on this class of drug comes from the UK. There is a much deeper and uglier denial about the problem in the United States."
What is wrong with our country? The deep and ugly denial about the problem is so disturbing on so many levels. After speaking to so many MD's that deny the problem exists, I knew that something was being covered up and just horribly wrong. Shaking my head in disgust! http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=99705.10
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11-7-10 Initially advertised as completely harmless, benzodiazepines ("benzos") were touted as the world's first wonder drug in the 1960s. Within a decade they became the UK's most commonly used medication....Secret documents reveal that government-funded experts were warned nearly 30 years ago that tranquillisers that were later prescribed to millions of people could cause brain damage.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) agreed in 1982 that there should be large-scale studies to examine the long-term impact of benzodiazepines after research by a leading psychiatrist showed brain shrinkage in some patients similar to the effects of long-term alcohol abuse. However, no such work was ever carried out into the effects of drugs such as Valium, Mogadon and Librium – and doctors went on prescribing them to patients for anxiety, stress, insomnia and muscle spasms. ...
I've seen 32 doctors but no one has said it could be the pills; for years I believed these men in white coats and Armani suits. When I decided enough was enough, it took me 15 years to come off: five tapered withdrawals made me loopy, hearing voices, unable even to make tea. No human being should suffer like this. We lost our home and our businesses. The drugs destroyed our lives." http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drugs-linked-to-brain-damage-30-years-ago-2127504.html
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'I've been a psychiatrist for 35 years,' he told Daily Mail Online.
'When I was in my residency, Valium was widely prescribed. Then Xanax came onto the market and it was more widely prescribed. Then in 1991 I started looking at people's brains and I stopped using these drugs because they're toxic to brain function.'
According to Dr. Amen, his brain scans have shown that the purpose of the drug (to target overactive neurotransmitters in the pre-frontal lobe) is the exact reason it can be dangerous.
'If you decrease the frontal lobe, what happens? That part of the brain is needed for focus, forethought, judgment, impulse control, empathy. You can actually make someone less empathetic with Valium. So that's why I've not been a fan of them for many years.'
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