"was prescribed xanax (alprazolam) for gad. first few months were a godsend. after i became dependent on them, the doctor- apparently not understanding the slightest thing about dependence- upped the dosage several times. i noticed that my anxiety seemed to be getting worse and i was afraid to leave the house- a problem i had never had before. took me a while to realize the elephant in the room- it was the &quot;anti-anxiety&quot; drugs! after withdrawing from the drugs- which fortunately was easy compared to the nightmare i have seen some people describe, i noticed i felt less anxious and in general, more &quot;alive&quot;. if you feel like your anxiety isn&#039;t improving after long term benzo use- the root of your problem may be the drugs themselves!"