This petition is for those who have been damaged by taking a benzodiazepine (benzo) as prescribed by their medical provider. This petition also includes loved ones who have be indirectly affected by this. The purpose for this petition is as follows:

1. To help lobby for change in prescribing practices of benzos, namely ensuring that patients are made fully aware of the dangers and side effects of long term use (more than 2-4 weeks). We call this 'Informed Consent'.
2. To help change the labels on benzos to reflect that long term use is contraindicated, a medical term meaning that it is ill advised to do so and that there are possible dangers.
3. Serves to bring increased awareness that benzos can cause chemical dependence. Withdrawing and recovering from these drugs can take months or even years.

Sign today and let your voice and suffering be heard!

Key Points

Benzodiazepines are tranquilizers which include the commonly prescribed drugs: Ativan, Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin. Benzodiazepines can cause long-term damage to the central nervous system and recovery can last many months to several years upon cessation in up to 30% of long-term users.

Long-term use is specified as more than 2-4 weeks by the makers of Ativan®. Benzodiazepines have been linked with: increased risk of falls and confusion in elderly patients, increased risk of developing Alzheimers and dementia if the drug is taken for more than 3 months, PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome), deadly seizures if stopped abruptly, and 30% of all opiate overdoses resulting in death were found to include benzodiazepines in toxicology reports.

The “benzo community”, those who were harmed from taking benzodiazepines as prescribed, has been trying for years to get the FDA to acknowledge that benzodiazepines are potent and physically addictive medications. We have petitioned for a black back warning, but it got denied by the FDA in 2010 despite extensive research and evidence showing the dangers of this class of drugs, which had a senate investigation in the 1970s led by Ted Kennedy.