I have am recovering from an assault and an abduction. I ve had anxiety problems since I can remember. Sometimes I could function and work through my spells sometimes I would have to go on an anxiety med. This has been a rough year and my doctor has me on Xanax xr 3mg 1x a day and ambien 10 mg. to sleep. After the assault he added one to two 1 mg Xanax as needed. I really think these benzodiazapines have done all they can. I m not receiving any level of relief and I feel like PTSD is setting in. My therapist is not an MD and she is very helpful but clueless about how quickly tolerance can develop. I m 39. I ve been off and on them for twenty years. I read online where several people all receiving symptom improvement from phenobarbital. I know my mom gave me these in a drop form as a child (panic attacks started at 6) but I also know from my research that the withdrawal can kill you. Is it worth it to try and see if they can provide some relief? I startle awake all night, no appetite, and although my blood pressure is low my heart rate is usually 110+. Frightened has become my natural state. My doctor put me on a beta blocker but it hasn t started helping yet.
Benzodiazepines are not treatment of choice for PTSD. They just help for short term symptom relief. There long term use is associated with a variety of problems like dependence, with Chat Doctor.  In cases where PTSD is quite troublesome like yours, first line medications are SSRI, SARI, TCA etc. (ex Escitalopram, sertraline, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, amitriptyline etc.). SSRIs are preferred among them because of the safety profile.