Drug that steals women's lives ... Valium still given to millions?

Drug that steals women's lives: It's more addictive than heroin, with horrifying side-effects. So why, 50 years after its launch, is Valium still given to millions?

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With her wedding day fast approaching, Baylissa Fredericks was increasingly worried about a tic in her eyelid. She'd suffered the problem since early childhood, but was so concerned about it drawing attention to her for all the wrong reasons on her big day that she visited her GP.

Sadly, the drug prescribed by her doctor on that day in 1998 for what, in retrospect, seems like a trivial problem, left the 49-year-old housebound and incapacitated for years.

Baylissa was prescribed clonazepam, one of the benzodiazepine family of drugs. These drugs are used by 1.5 million people in this country to treat wide-ranging problems including anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, muscle spasms, restless legs syndrome and alcohol withdrawal.

The legacy of benzodiazepines is a vast group of people suffering appalling withdrawal symptoms

One of the first - and most infamous - of the ‘benzos’ was Valium. Launched in the 1960s it quickly became the pill for every ill,

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Permalink Reply by Tara on January 18, 2014 at 6:35pm

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Permalink Reply by Klaudio Vinkerlić on January 19, 2014 at 12:37am

Thank's for waking up nostalgia. F..it, just realized next week I'b beating 64th.

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Permalink Reply by Klaudio Vinkerlić on January 19, 2014 at 4:15am

I was then about 17

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Permalink Reply by Klaudio Vinkerlić on January 19, 2014 at 12:25am

Yes. It was popular just few years ago, but can not remember.

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Permalink Reply by sockironer on January 19, 2014 at 2:17am

Ive heard this line of writing so fucking often and have seen a great many berate and get hooked on valium, xanax and other benzos - but for those with a serious social / anxiety disorder it's the first line of defence. It was massively overprescribed in the 70s/80s etc, mothers little helper. Only now, if you've had any illicit drug history you aint gettin any benzos from your Doctor - they'll flood you with anti-depressants and beta-blockers but they dont even hit the sides when dealing with panic attacks and tic-related OCD as with me. The line about being more addictive than Heroin is a complete generalisation to. These drugs, and they're drugs the majority of Dr's Ive had have accepted and are cool me buying on the net, are for use purely as and when needed. Many dumb-ass Doctors say take one a day, but if you're having a chilled day at home why bother? It'll only increase you're tolerance, only when needed and I still say in some peoples hands they're a God-send. The only type of drug that keeps me in work. And really? More addictive than heroin? Well that just totally negates how and where you get you're heroin from - if its from your mate downstairs or on the next block I'm sorry but heroin, if readily available just pwns any benzo (when needed) application. And if you're smart but want to try heroin,, well, don't but if you were why not promise yourself only to smoke/snort in a place where you're not likely to revisit or be able to try it due to distance ever again etc. Just my 2 cents. Stay safe, and I aint totally bashing this rather sensationalistic journo, yup seen a few messy cases of peeps getting hooked on it, gooses, ganders, but from my own heads experience, man valium saved me from the only time my tics/OCD got to tourettes which was scary as fuck and it and xanax (less half-life, more sedating to non-anxious jittery types be warned) I maintain are for me great meds.