Dear Sweetpea - Dr. Fee raised some very important questions that I hope you will consider. I, too, am not a physician but I would like to pose a few other questions that may help address your difficulties. From my experience in clinical practice there is a group of people like yourself who have (and likely have had for a long time) a level of anxiety that is simply intolerable. This may be because of biology or life experiences that heighten the body's stress response. Sometimes benzos are the most effective and safest class of drugs, when taken as prescribed under medical supervision, for such serious anxiety. My first question for you is whether these medications are being stopped because you have become uncomfortable taking them or because your physician has become uncomfortable prescribing them. If you have taken them responsibly but your physician has become uncomfortable with your long term use, the two of you should be carefully looking at the options and their pros and cons. Check out the Feature of the Week on the AnxietyConnection.com homepage to learn more about medications used for anxiety. The second question is whether you have been receiving outpatient mental health follow-up. If you haven't please do so in order to be sure that your condition has been properly diagnosed and all other treatment options have been explored. Good luck! Let us know how things go.   Dr. Rick Wirtz