LIVING BETTER
“I just wanted to turn the pain into purpose,” said local author Eamon Janfada of his upcoming
book, “Poisonous Bandaid.“
“I wanted to use it as a positive thing for myself, and even for other people who have probably gone through so much of what I’ve gone through.”
Janfada, a 30-year-old immigrant and recent college graduate, is on a mission to raise awareness about the over-prescribing of medications by sharing his story, which also talks about the challenges of navigating the medical system as a young adult.
Janfada said his journey began in 2010, when he first started experiencing social anxiety and depression.
“I saw a lot of psychiatrists and psychologists who started prescribing me medications,” he said, “They prescribed me things like Effexor, Cymbalta, Prozac – all that.”
But none of the medications eased his symptoms. His anxiety was getting worse. He even missed the first day of his junior year of high school because he couldn’t sleep the night before.
“So, that day, I went with my dad to the Shannon Clinic,” he said. “And that’s when a doctor prescribed me Lorazopan, which is a Benzodiazepine anti-anxiety medication that works very fast – it was very strong.”
Benzodiazepines are typically prescribed for short-term use – often a month or two.
Eamon remained on the medication for nine months.
“March of 2012 was the end of my junior year of high school, and that’s when I saw another psychiatrist, who told me that I had to start withdrawing from the medication,” he said. “He didn’t really have a good plan of doing that. He withdrew me within a month. That really put a shock in my body.”
Janfada said things got harder for him from there, when the sudden withdrawal of the medication
caused severe side effects.
“My body really started stiffening up, and I had a lot of shortness of breath and difficulty walking and even talking… It was a really difficult time.”
Along with his physical symptoms, Janfada was now experiencing rebound anxiety – a temporary surge of anxiety symptoms that can occur when certain medications are suddenly stopped. Rebound anxiety can often feel more intense than the original anxiety that led to treatment in the first place.
Eventually, he dropped out of school.
A time that should have been filled with education and self-discovery was now filled with medical frustration from his whole family.
“We went from doctor to doctor, and I got misdiagnosed many times,” he said.
For six years, Janfada relied on a wheelchair for long distances. Communicating with his parents became so difficult that sometimes he had to whistle from the other room to get their attention.
“I felt really alone for those many years,” he said.
It wasn’t until several years later that Eamon finally experienced a turning point. While the underlying issues remained, his symptoms slowly eased enough for him to regain parts of his daily life.
By 2019, he began walking independently again and slowly re-entering his social life.
In 2024, he got behind the wheel again and earned his driver’s permit. And he eventually went back to finish high school and graduated from Angelo State University – a notable moment on the road to recovery.
Still, he continues to struggle with the long-term effects of withdrawing from the medication he was prescribed as a teenager.
“Even though the medication is still in my system, I’m trying to kind of go back to normal life, slowly but surely.”
“Poisonous Bandaid” is Janfada’s first book, exploring how benzodiazepines are often used as a “quick-fix” that can cause long-lasting harm to the body and nervous system.
The book is currently in its final editing stages and is expected to be published within the year.
Janfada describes his book not only as a story of perseverance, but as a cautionary tale.
“I hope that, when people read this, they get a good idea that if they get these medications prescribed, they’re going to go down a really long and extensive medica journey that can take a toll on their mental health, their physical health day-to-day.”
He plans to share updates about the book’s release on his Facebook and Instagram pages.
