Stopping Anxiety Medication (SAM) Panic Control Therapy for Benzodiaepine Discontinuation Patient Workbook

Designed to help adults suffering from panic disorder who wish todiscontinue anxiety medication, this program is designed for mental healthprofessional treating panic disorder patients wishing to discontinue anxietymedication. The therapist guide addresses collaboration with the prescribingphysician, allows successful medication discontinuation, and provides patientswith skills for the medicine-free management of panic disorder over the longterm.This workbook is designed to help patients who have difficulties with anxietyand panic to discontinue their benzodiazepine treatment. Benzodiazepines are aclass of medications used to treat panic disorders and other anxiety-relatedconditions. Benzodiazeptines are also known as mild tranquilizers. They arehelpful for treating anxiety disorders, such as panic disorders, but patientsmay have difficulties when they discontinue these medications. Because of thesedifficulties, special strategies have been developed to help patients completetheir medication taper (the gradual reduction of drug use).The best way to discontinue benzodiazepine is to slowly decrease the dose. Aslow taper is important because it minimizes symptoms and makes sure thatpatients discontinue their medication safely. But even with a slow taper ofmedication, uncomfortable symptoms frequently emerge and many patients fear thereturn or worsening of anxiety and panic attacks. Difficulties withbenzodiazepine taper are discussed in this workbook as part of a program aimedat maximizing the success of discontinuation and helping the patient remainpanic free over the long run. To achieve these goals, this workbook providesimportant information on panic disorder, benzodiazepine treatment, and tapersymptoms. It then provides instruction in skills useful for treating the panicdisorder and aiding in medication discontinuation.