Hi
@SusanGee: A "benzo" is a benzodiazepine -- a type of drug usually used to treat anxiety. There are different types but they all work in similar ways on your brain chemistry. Diazepam and clonazepam are both drugs in this category, as is Xanax. The fact that one was given to you at the hospital suggests you indeed were having a severe anxiety reaction.
People are wise to advise you to take these medications seriously. They are designed for short-term use. They need to be taken under a doctor's supervision and carefully monitored. You should never just quit them cold turkey; they usually require a tapering down protocol. You want to take the lowest effective dose possible. As Steve said, once your panic is calmed down, you should try to take these pills only when you really, really need one and other methods, like calming exercises, haven't worked. And benzos can cause dependency in some people, which means you can have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms even when ending your use with a taper.
But again: If you really need this medication, I would not let other people's experiences scare you. Use precautions and you should be OK. For every person that was messed up by benzos, there is another (like me) for whom they were lifesavers and were able to end their use with little problem. I was very nervous initially about taking these drugs, which made me even more anxious.
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