A whole clan of chemical cousins joined it on the pharmaceutical hit parade. Still, that doesn't mean they're harmless. Still, they're not safe for everyone, all the time. When taken for longer periods or at high doses they can be particularly risky. In fact, one study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ranked Halcion and Xanax first and second in episodes of violence traced to 329 different prescription drugs.
Experts are unsure why the drugs cause such problems.
They say that more research is needed to find out why. As a matter of fact, there are. And they should try for the simple reason that benzodiazepines are addictive, and putting your life back together after a bout with BZD dependence can be an agonizing experience. For one thing, users often don't realize they're getting hooked until they are hooked. But how serious and how unpleasant depends on the drug involved and other factors.