Thank you for this article. Yes, Australia (like the UK, USA and many other countries) has a serious prescription medication problem. SSRIs may be reported to be non-addictive but all these drugs - benzos, antidepressants, painkillers including over-the-counter codeine-containing ones etc. - can result in a discontinuation syndrome (withdrawal).

For different reasons, including fear of these withdrawal effects or a belief that the drug may have been beneficial in some way, many quickly reinstate when the withdrawal symptoms surface.  This perpetuates the dependence on the drug (manifesting as an addiction) whether the drug was prescribed by a doctor for a medical condition, or purchased over the internet or in a dark alley for recreational purposes. Benzodiazepines especially are potentially dangerous and need to be prescribed for short-term use (2 to 4 weeks) only. Doctors should warn patients of their highly addictive properties and that they should be tapered off and never stopped abruptly/cold-turkey.

V Baylissa Frederick
Author, "Benzo-Wise, A Recovery Companion"