Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing memoir by Melissa Bond - 5 stars!
Melissa is a married mother of two, one a special-needs child, who struggles with intense insomnia, sleeping only an hour or two every night. Desperate, she goes to her doctor who prescribes benzodiazepines—a family of drugs that includes Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan—and increases her dosage on a regular basis. Then her body starts collapsing. She eventually learns she was overprescribed and these drugs should be given for very short periods of time. Stopping cold turkey can lead to a fatal seizure. This is her story of the struggle to taper off these medicines.
This book is a page-turner and I was shocked to learn of the issues with these drugs. I know many people who were prescribed Xanax and Ativan and never knew of how it changed your brain forever. Melissa was so brave in opening up her life and struggles to show the damage that these prescription drugs can do. She tells of how she tried to be the best mother and wife possible, while she wasn't sleeping and her brain and body attacked. The dangers of opioids are well known - hopefully this book will open everyone's eyes to the danger of benzodiazepines. A must read!
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