I am so sad. Five years ago I was living a fairly normal life. Mom, kids, not great marriage but surviving. then all changed. I had several major stressers at one time. I had sort of walked away from my faith although did go to church on Sunday. I started to not sleep and got severe anxiety. My doctor gave me a drug to help. Now I am addicted, feel terrible all the time, don't sleep and am afraid. I have regained my faith in God and read the Bible all the time. I just need prayer to keep strong as I go through withdrawl from a Benzo. It is so amazing to me that a doctor would perscribe such a thing after reading about all the side affects. Please keep me in your prayers.

Dear Ziggy,

Doctors do what they know - prescribe medication for help. I know of only one doctor (he is amazing) who has ever prescribed prayer for such matters. Sometimes it does take medication, for some people, in the severe state of anxiety, but should be only used to get through that time, and then other methods of relaxation might be suggested. I am sorry that you are having to experience withdrawls from an antianxiety medication. Perhaps, now you can try prayer, meditation, breathing techniques, maybe walks in the fresh air and exercise.

Our God is an awesome God, and He will get you through this. When you start to feel anxiety coming on, recognize it, and then pray for it to be lifted from you before it goes any further.

We will be praying for your freedom from the drug and for the Lord to fill you with a calm and peaceful heart and mind.

God Bless you!

Hi Ziggy.

I too agree that doctors should not be prescribing this stuff, especially since you are not well informed of the side effects.

Something quick for you, would God want us seeking Him or trusting a doctor? Yes you could trust the doctor, where will you end up, how often do they say yes pray, wow God made us so complex...things like that. I have never heard a doctor utter such things, and as such are not acting how God would like them to be acting.

Prescribing medication and saying next is not real love or care. Oh, and you have to pay by the session as well. You have to pay for the help, whereas with God it is free. Going on what Jesus said, we are to be like that as well, we are to forgive as God has forgiven us, and give as freely as God has given us. I am yet to find a doctor that would put their complete trust in God to win the victories.

Definitely an adversary (without even realising it I would have to say respectfully, although may not be deserving that respect if against God) if not leading you toward God. However, we respect their position within the community, and have God's Words for the truth. There is no other we can trust but Christ, and God himself. It is through Him that all Christians have any capacity to help each other.

Cheers,

Owen

Hi

I am sorry that you are going through withdrawal from the benzodiazepines. However, I would like to say that certain people, myself included, have addictive personalities. For us, life can be a struggle and to be honest, there is no way a doctor can identify this prior to prescribing medication.

I would not apportion blame to the doctor, who afterall, was made a healer by the lord himself. Withdrawal must be a horrible ordeal - but imagine just how strong you will be on the other side of it!! You will be a strong person unafraid of tackling any problems in life!!

It is your vulnerability and inocence that has caused you pain. I will pray for you and I know you will recover from this.Hang on in there, I know it is tough but you will get through it.

hugs

maddy

Maddy

made a healer by the lord?

Be nice if they did some healing then wouldn't it. See where ziggy is now, and see how great that healing was.

Just a tad of the other side of healing I personally think. Where are they now she's in withdrawal? Ready for her and her bankcard?

Still, God will work it together for good.

Owen.

Hi Ziggy

I too have suffered from severe anxiety at several times in my life...it most definitely "runs " in my family so to speak. I too have taken Xanax...although I was fortunate to have prior knowledge of it's possibilty to be habit forming. I hope you don't mind if I offer some suggestions...and of course you have my prayers!!! Ziggy...I have the most wonderful doctor...he knows me inside out....please try to find a good doctor...one that you trust...this is soooo important. I am a firm believer that God has blessed our doctors with knowledge and wisdom...he has given us doctors, if you will, to help and heal us. As I mentioned I have had bouts of anxiety from a very early age...I am 48 now. My doctor perscribed and an anti-depressant which deals more along the lines of anxiety instead of depression about seven years ago. Oh my gosh....what a difference it made...I can relate to exactly how you are feeling now...and I promise...it will go away. I know that this may sound funny...but try taking an 800 mg ibruprofen in the morning...I am not sure why this helps to calm the "inner " shakes...but it really worked for me.

Ziggy....you are going to be ok...you will be that ":normal" mom and wife again....hang in there.

I am praying for you.

Love Tess

MMM, more pills that will surely fix her problems. Still an addict then, problems have been masked temporarily. Soon as someone takes your pills away...back worse than before. Now your reliant on doctors, not on God.

Yes you can say...they are ordained of God, and you are correct in that they are there because of God's will, God has laid the foundations of the world before we were in it. Being reliant on doctors is fine, being reliant on medication(drugs)...not fine.

How can you be a Spirit controlled Christian if you are on drugs? You are not your own, bought at a price. Let the non Christians take the medicine, we rely on Christ for our strength.

Sorry ziggy, that's all probably what you don't need to hear at the moment, I do feel sympathetic for you, but just warning you of what lies ahead of you, scary stuff if you don't take medication. Scary, but dead real.

It keeps me praying a lot for strength, and for help with my fears, I believe that is what God wants from us, to be reliant on Him, 100 percent for everything.

Do it your way, I have told you my feelings on what I think God wants, but seeing as you are very familiar with the Scriptures, you can read, and try to find what it is God wants from you, ziggy.

I really hope you find a place of peace, but not a drug induced one, ibuprofen induced whatever... What is your testimony for Christ then? Taking up a cross is not easy, or fun. Don't expect a picnic ahead.

Sorry, sad but true for me. I really hope God protects you from all this, and the rest of your life is a picnic, at least something you can enjoy, at least somewhere you can have peace and shelter from the storm.

Christians are targets of Satan. Targets of all those who are not in Christ consequently, since they serve Satan, albeit unknowingly sometimes. Satan will try to either destroy you, like he has done already partly, or make you less useful to Christ, which you will be on pharmaceuticals.

Up to you,

Anyone correct me where I am wrong, I have tried to explain it all straightforwardly, and with love, but this world is not a loving one that I can see. She will become stronger this way, I'm sure of it. Yes, spoken from a very male perspective I know, which is why it's great that you other guys have come to help as well.

I'll pray that God will show you His love in this time of distress Ziggy, may He use whoever He chooses to demonstrate this to you. I pray that you are strengthened in this time, and that your love for Christ is magnified and you may end up shining as a light in this world of darkness. May you not be consumed with fear, but rise above it in the strength of our Lord. Praise God for His love, and that He hears our prayers. Amen.

Dear Owen

Good morning

Perhaps you misunderstood my email. Let me tell you how I feel. Depression and anxiety are REAL medical conditions that can be corrected with medication...just as high blood pressure and diabetes...to name a few. Would a diabetic not take their medicine because that would not be relying on our Father. I personally would hope not. As I mentioned...I beleive God guides us and our doctors. Are there questionable doctors....or lawyers...or everyday people....you bet. Our world can be dark...Jesus said so.

I am not a drug addict. I am a normal happy well adjusted woman who is very grateful to my Father. And through my trials....perhaps maybe...just maybe I can help another brother or sister.

That's it...plain and simple....I know that everyone will not always share my beleifs...and that's ok too!!

Enjoy your day Owen

LoveTess

Medical conditions no one fully understands, and can not be fixed.

Trying to fix the brain with medication is dark science. Neither is it long lasting or permanent, but will bend your mind furthur.

One day when Jesus comes, if we are still around, then we have our cure, a creator whose works will manifest in us. I'm not going to take that glory away from Him, neither do I want to.

Cheers,

Owen.

Ziggy,

You have asked for prayers, and you have taken medications. You know from your own persoanl experience that many of those pills cause more problems than they solve. So you don't need anyone else to tell you that. Owen, Tess - this is not a debate page. I know that both of you are trying to help her, and I can tell by your wording and conviction that this subject is a personal matter for both of you, but there are better places for this kind of discussion. She has already admitted that she doesn't want to rely on drugs, and good for her!

Medicine is a tricky business . . . but let us be clear of what we mean by 'medicine'. The Lord created the earth, correct? And in this earth there are all sorts of things that have been used for the practice of healing since the beginning, and much of it specifically ordained by God. Read Deuteronomy. There are all sorts of practical applications to proper health listed there. Luke, the writer of one of the gospels, was a Greek physician. Also, the first official public hospital was built by christians and payed for by a christian woman who sold practically all of her wealth to establish it. Has medicine gotten out of hand over time? Of course it has! Just like nearly everything else, Satan has twisted medicine to his own ends, but we shouldn't abandon it altogether. There is still good to be found in it.

My advice, Ziggy, is to research any prescribed medicine before you take it. My mother takes pills for anxiety, and the catch there is that the more you rely on them the more anxiety you will feel when you try to get off of it. Often people end up getting hooked on a different kind of pill just to deal with the withdrawal of the other. It's a vicious cycle. But it is certainly not beyond God to pull you out of it. Owen is right when he says that you should rely on God first and foremost, but God often uses simple, physical tools to accomplish His goals, so don't feel like an addict everytime you take an aspirin.

Of course I could be wrong - I often am. So is everyone you will ever talk to, excluding the Divine Himself. That includes doctors, scientists, and christians. You must learn to trust the Spirit within you and pray for guidance as well as health and stability. I will pray for you, as I hope you pray for me and all of your brothers and sisters. And Jesus prays for us all.

"I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one."

- John 17:11