If you’ve been suffering from insomnia or anxiety and are considering a sleep-aid drug or tranquilizer, you might be wise to consider more natural alternatives. For nearly 30 years, the risk of dependency on the benzodiazepine class of tranquilizers has been well documented. And while the newer class of “non-benzodiazepines” are said to be less risky, they also can lead to dependency and the need for a medical drug detox to safely and comfortably get off them.Ā Alternative, drug-free approaches to dealing with insomnia and anxiety that don’t lead to dependence and the possible need for drug detox exist throughout the world. There are a host of herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines and dietary adjustments described on literally thousands of web sites. Even a simple regimen of exercise has worked wonders for people with trouble sleeping or suffering from attacks of anxiety or nervousness.But if you’re one of the millions of Americans who already rely on prescription drugs to sleep or to calm you down, you may not know that long-term use of benzodiazepines can lead to physical dependence. If you decide to stop taking them, only a medical drug detox will help you avoid the withdrawal symptoms, and the ugly alternative – a long and uncomfortable “weaning off” period that can last as long as 6 months or a year or more, complicated by even more prescription drugs which have side effects of their own.Benzodiazepines, often referred to simply as “benzos”, are a class of some two dozen psychoactive drugs that include such well-known brands as Valium, Librium, Klonopin and Xanax. Benzos, which have been around since the 1960s, are routinely prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, and muscle spasms, and in some settings have even been used for alcohol withdrawal – an inferior approach to modern medical drug detox. They offer users a whole laundry-list of unpleasant side effects in addition to leading to dependencies and the need for drug detox.The relatively new non-benzos, which include more than a dozen drugs and such popular brands as Ambien, Sonata and Lunesta (you can’t watch television for more than 10 minutes these days without seeing a commercial for at least one of them), create some of the same calming effects as benzos. They’re called “non”-benzos because they have some of the same tranquilizing effects, but are structurally different. But non-benzos have their own list of nasty side effects, and although they are said to create fewer dependencies, medical drug detox centers still encounter these drugs on a regular basis, usually as part of a multidrug dependency involving other drugs and alcohol.Non-benzos produce some particularly horrible side effects, such as pronounced amnesia and hallucinations. They have been widely reported as causing a “fugue state” where people sleepwalk and then cook meals or even go driving in their cars while completely unconscious, with no memory of the events when awakened. As evidenced by the thousands of TV commercials, magazine and newspaper ads touting their use, and the billions of dollars pouring into the coffers of the pharmaceutical companies, both benzos and non-benzos have become part of America’s prescription drug culture – “take a pill for whatever ails you.” In spite of its need for a good night’s sleep, America needs to wake up and face the harsh reality of its dangerous dependence on prescription drugs. If you’re considering asking for a prescription, you should call a medical drug detox counselor and get the real facts – neither Big Pharma nor your doctor will tell you in plain language what you need to hear. And if you’re already a long-time user, you should call the same counselor and discuss whether you should get into a medical drug detox program right now.
Posts Tagged ‘anxiety’
Medical Drug Detox Greatly Eases Benzo and Non-Benzo Withdrawal
December 3rd, 2011Anxiety Disorder Treatment Without Medication
July 20th, 2011Many individuals are interested in pursuing anxiety disorder treatment without medication. If you suffer from anxiety attacks, it is important to understand that this is a term that is used to describe many different conditions. Anxiety, in itself, is a reaction to varying degrees of stress that is experienced in life. In all actuality, it is a coping mechanism. However, for many, anxiety levels exceed that which is considered to be the “norm” among medical professionals. It can be excessive to the point in which it actually results in disabling the sufferer. While there are many prescription medications on the market that are issued to individuals that suffer from this type of disorder, it has been discovered that the side effects of these drugs are less than favorable. As a result, more and more sufferers are seeking anxiety disorder treatment without medication. A natural approach is the goal.
There are many different types of conditions that are identified among medical professionals as anxiety disorders. For each of these conditions, it is best to seek anxiety disorder treatment without medication. The first condition is referred to as “Generalized Anxiety Disorder”. Many that suffer from anxiety may be identified as one that suffers from “Panic Disorder”. We often hear of veterans of the war and individuals that were affected by the New York 911 incident suffering from “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”. There are some individuals that have complications in social situations. These individuals are said to suffer from “Social Phobia”. Then, there are those that are affected by various compulsions and impulses. These individuals suffer from a condition that is referred to as “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”. There are medications that can be prescribed for each of these conditions that are identified as anxiety disorders. Those that have experimented with these medications often advise it is best to seek anxiety disorder treatment without medication.
If you suffer from anxiety attacks and conduct research on the prescription medications that are available, you will find that there are six common types of drugs available. These are as follows:
o Beta-Blockers
o Antidepressants
o Drugs Designed for Anti-Anxiety
o Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
o Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
o Tricyclics
If you research the side effects of these types of medications, you will discover that they create biological and neurological changes that can result in a large number of unfavorable side effects. You could suffer from depression, severe mood fluctuations, cognitive complications such as confusion and high levels of disorientation, gastrointestinal complications such as bloating, vomiting, and diarrhea. These symptoms make seeking anxiety disorder treatment without medication a goal among many. Many may suffer from vision difficulties such as double vision and even vision that is blurred. There are some that have experienced the inability to reason and make decisions that are important due to impairments in their judgment. This is, of course, just a small list of the numerous complications caused by synthetic drugs prescribed by physicians. Anxiety attacks are challenging enough as it is, why would someone want to subject themselves to further complications by taking chemically created medications? Discovering anxiety disorder treatment without medication is the right path to take.
If you have decided that traditional medications that are created synthetically are not for you, then you will find that seeking anxiety disorder treatment without medication is the path for you. Natural treatment methods include breathing exercises, stretching exercises, and also meditation. There are many breathing strategies available that will help you cope with the uncomfortable symptoms associated with anxiety attacks. The breathing techniques for anxiety disorder treatment without medication include:
o The “Sigh” Breathing Exercise
o Breathing Described as “Easy”
o The Breathing Method Referred to as “Diaphragmatic”
o The “Buteyko” Method of Breathing
There are also many different types of stretching that you can indulge in when seeking anxiety disorder treatment without medication. These exercises include:
o Progressive Muscle Relaxation
o Yoga
o Tai Chi Chuan
o Abdominal Focused Breathing
In addition to assisting in the relief of the symptoms associated with anxiety, the anxiety disorder treatment without medication stretching exercises that you perform can prove to be beneficial when it comes to circulation in the body, reducing pain throughout the body, building muscle tone, alleviating depression and high stress levels in the body, and also enriching the sleep that you indulge in. You will find that when you indulge in stretching as an anxiety disorder treatment without medication, that the side effects are much more positive for your mental and physical health than the side effects associated with prescription drugs.