"i&#039;m 36, have social anxiety, gad, tmj, fibromyalgia, muscle spasms, cluster headaches, &amp; herniated vertebrae.  i&#039;ve taken everything, including 12 years on a high dose of xanax. after finally convincing a doc to prescribe me valium, i felt like a different person. it kicks in fast, but its long half-life prevents that awful anxiety rebound effect. i find that valium has a powerful (yet feels gentle) calmative effect on the body as well- which is absolutely wonderful when my muscles &amp; joints are tight. valium is hands down the best benzo anti-anxiety medication out there."