Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Ativan, Restoril – all belong to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines (benzos). Entertainment media tend to portray them as innocuous medications that relax nerves and take the edge off. News media talk about them in terms of addiction and as an adjunct to the opioid crisis. AS PRESCRIBED documents a strikingly different narrative, focusing on lived-experience stories of damage and disability. Survivor Geraldine Burns leads a global grassroots army of “good patients” that help other victims and advocate tirelessly for benzodiazepine harm awareness. The challenge is daunting as Geraldine and her fellow victims are opposed by powerful forces that include pharmaceutical giants and a medical culture that has denied the problem for decades.
