Anti-Anxiety Drug Side Effects
The risks of these drugs are provided so the public can make informed, educated decisions. Anti-anxiety drugs can be highly addictive and hard to withdraw from. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warns that some antianxiety drugs, known as benzodiazepines, can bring about hostility, as well as physical dependence. Common brand name anti-anxiety drugs include Xanax, Valium, Halcion, Klonopin, Ambien, Ativan. Also known as Benzodiazepines.
- Abnormal behavior
- Addiction
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Breathing problems
- Cognitive impairment
- Confusion
- Delusional thinking
- Depressed mood
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Hallucinations
- Hostility
- Insomnia
- Life-threatening allergic reactions
- Memory loss
- Nausea
- Respiratory problems in newborns
- Sensory disturbances
- Skin problems
- Skin reactions
- Sleep eating
- Sleepwalking
- Upper repertory infections
- Vomiting
- Withdrawal symptoms
- Addiction
- Aggression
- Altered thyroid function
- Birth defects
- Cognitive impairment
- Death
- Falls in the elderly
- Homicidal Ideation/Actions
- Kidney problems
- Lack of efficacy
- Lowered bone mineral density
- Risk of fractures
- Suicidal ideation/behavior
- Violence
- Weight gain
Documented Side Effects of Anti-anxiety Drugs:
Aggressive behavior
Agitation
Agranulocytosis (condition affecting white blood cells causing susceptibility to infection)
Akathisia
Amnesia
Anxiety
Epileptic seizures
Hallucinations
Hostility
Insomnia
Irritability
Jaundice
Lethargy
Liver problems
Memory impairment
Muscle tremors
Nervousness
Nightmares
Psychosis
Rage
Sedation
Seizures
Severe depression
Sexual dysfunction
Shuffling walk
Sleep disturbances
Slurred speech
Suicide attempt
Transient amnesia
Tremors
Unusual movements
Weight changes
Anti-anxiety Drug Side Effects Reported to the FDA: There have been 32,107 Adverse Drug Reactions in connection with anti-anxiety drugs that have been reported to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (MedWatch), between 2004 and 2011.
The FDA estimates that less than 1% of all serious events are ever reported to it, so the actual number of side effects occurring are most certainly higher.
These include:
- 3,678 cases of reactions related to suicide (completed suicides, suicide attempts and suicidal ideation)
- 1,679 cases of amnesia
- 1,118 cases of anxiety
- 948 cases of death
- 941 cases of hallucinations
- 895 cases of withdrawal symptoms
- 765 cases of depression
- 551 cases of coma
- 410 cases of aggression
- 105 cases of diabetes
- 96 cases of birth defects
- 67 cases of mania
- 56 cases of homicide
- 52 cases of physical Assault
- 39 cases of hostility
- 30 cases of homicidal ideation
- 24 cases of sexual dysfunction
- 14 cases of stillbirth
- 12 cases of psychosis
- 10 cases of violence-related symptoms
For more details, including numbers of side effects reported, click here >>
Anti-anxiety Drug Warnings:
There have been 17 warnings from five countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) warning that anti-anxiety drugs cause harmful side effects. These include the following (note that some warnings cite more than one side effect, so the list below may not be equal to the total number of warnings):
- 6 warnings on anti-anxiety drugs causing addiction or withdrawal symptoms
- 6 warnings on anti-anxiety drugs causing sleep-driving
- 6 warnings on anti-anxiety drugs causing amnesia
- 5 warnings on anti-anxiety drugs causing depression
- 4 warnings on anti-anxiety drugs causing hallucinations and delusional thinking
- 3 warnings on anti-anxiety drugs causing abnormal behavior
- 1 warning on anti-anxiety drugs causing suicide risk and attempts
- 1 warning on anti-anxiety drugs causing birth defects
- 1 warning on anti-anxiety drugs causing violence and hostility
Anti-anxiety Drug Studies:
There are 16 studies from eight countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, France, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden) showing that anti-anxiety drugs cause harmful side effects. These include the following (note that some studies cite more than one side effect, so the list below may not be equal to the total number of studies):
- 3 studies on anti-anxiety drugs causing death and sudden death
- 2 studies on anti-anxiety drugs causing violence
- 1 study on anti-anxiety drugs causing homicidal ideation
- 1 study on anti-anxiety drugs causing suicide risk/attempts
- 1 study on anti-anxiety drugs causing birth defects
- 1 study on anti-anxiety drugs causing addiction
 Download The Side Effects of Common Psychiatric Drugs here >>This brochure is a simple guide that documents the dangerous and deadly side effects of the drugs prescribed to millions of men, women and children diagnosed with bogus mental disorders. |
Please note: No one should attempt to get off of psychiatric drugs without doctor’s supervision. To help find medical practitioners in your area, click here
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Seroquel has been linked to type 2 diabetes in 1953 Dr. Abram hoffer discovered 3 to 6,000 mgs. Cured schitzo the FDA does not perform safety testing in drugs according to Dr. David graham of the fda
I hope it’s not too late and wishing that you’ve stopped taking it. Well, maybe not completely stop but only taking it when you need it. I’ve taken a different drug, Xanax, but they’re all relatives anyway…”Benzo’s family” – I’ve taken it for 7 years now and right now, I’m trying to reach out to people who have stopped taking it as I was afraid of what the withdrawal symptoms might feels like. I was a heroin addict and I’ve heard people and reading articles saying that the withdrawal symptoms are the same or worst than heroin withdrawal. And some says the withdrawal could take up for as long as 6 – 10 months. My sister stopped taking it within 1 week without supervision. She locked herself in her bedroom. It took us 6 months to noticed that her behaviour changed. she became a loner and suspicious and got anxious easily. A year after she stopped taking Xanax, she became distance from friends and family. She stopped engaging with the outside world for 4 years. Didn’t talk to anyone, just stayed in her bedroom. Did not even watch TV or listens to music. A year ago, she started hearing voices in her head and did all sorts of things that normal people wouldn’t do. Stripped off her clothes in a police station, claiming my father who died 10 years ago asked her to do it. She was then admitted to a psychiatric ward and diagnosed with paranoia schizophrenia. She was depressed as a result of loosing our parents and broken up with her ex boyfriend, but she could’ve seek help by therapy or counselling and cut off her medications under strict supervision instead of stopped taking it within 1 week. That triggers it and not getting help for years made it worst. She’s been in the psych ward for 10 months and about to be released in the next few weeks but she now has to take life time medications for schizophrenia.
I will definitely seek help to cut down and stop the drug. But my advise to people is to stay away from any type of Benzos and…I don’t know, if you really are depress and need something tell your doctor to make sure only to give you 20 tablets and don’t take it everyday, cause you’ll end up taking more and more cause you’re looking for the high that you get the first time you’re taking it. Cause it really takes away your anxiety, depression, frustration. Get someone else to help watching you taking the drugs and give it to them when you feel that you start taking more than the first time.
Good luck to me and to all the addicts who are dying to get out of this shit hole. Because in many ways, it ruins my life. I was a happy person, but I don’t go out much for the past 2 – 3 years and my friends have started noticing. I don’t do cocktails or looking to get high. But I keep taking one or half when I started feeling a bit uncomfortable. I’ve been doctor shopping for the past 3 years now, cause 1 doctor can only prescribed 2 repeats. 3 / 4 yeas ago I had 1 doctor. A year after, I add another one cause my first doctor had given me warning to control my usage or he’ll stop writing scripts for me. 18 months ago, I found my 3rd doctor.
i just started seroquel two days ago and i never been on any medication before and i am an addict and this medicne made me feel high and i am on 50mg in the am and 100mg at night i do not like to feel high all the time is this normal and will i feel like this the whole time i am taking this medicne? if anyone knows please hit me back thanks alot