This is day 10 of the Anxiety Summit. Dr Catherine M. Pittman, Ph.D., Clinical psychologist, psychology professor, and co-author of Extinguishing Anxiety is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.
Benzodiazepines in the Treatment of Anxiety: Weighing Risks and Benefits
- benzodiazapines: how they work and some of the benefits
- side-effects, tolerance facts and withdrawal effects
- survey results from members of the Benzobuddies.org online support group:
- what sort of questions should we be asking about benzodiazepine prescriptions
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs primarily used for treating anxiety.
I heard Dr. Pittman present on this topic at The Anxiety and Depression Association of America annual conference in 2012 and really wanted to share this with you.
Dr Pittman very kindly gave me permission to share a link to her PDF of the presentation she did at the ADAA conference.
During the interview we discussed the Ashton taper protocol which can be found at www.benzo.org.uk.
During the interview I incorrectly stated that this is the site of Professor Ashton. Colin, the owner of BenzoBuddies kindly contacted me and informed me that “this site is actually owned and operated by Ray Nimmo, a benzodiazepine survivor. With Prof. Ashton’s permission, Ray has published the ‘Ashton Manual’ and some of her other writings at his website. benzo.org.uk is a personal website, containing all kinds of articles and writings which interest Ray and which he feels would be of interest to others going through benzodiazepine withdrawal and recovery.”
Julia Ross, author of The Mood Cure, presented earlier in the week on “Eliminating Anxiety: Amino Acid Therapy and Adrenal Balancing” and acknowledged the work of Professor Ashton. She emphasized how imperative it is to taper extremely slowly per the Ashton protocol. Julia also shared that the missing piece in getting off benzos is the use of GABA and often high doses of vitamin C (possibly even intravenously). I support this wholeheartedly.
If you are currently taking benzodiazapines:
- please do NOT stop cold-turkey
- do not make any changes to your prescription without working with your doctor
- know that not everyone is affected to the same extent
- and apologies if this is upsetting and scary
If you need support from people who have lived the benzo hell do check out www.benzobuddies.org. I’d like to acknowledge this group for being willing to participate in Dr. Pittman’s survey and want to let you know that we are doing our best to get this information into the hands of those who so need it.
Dr. Pittman shared some of the benefits of benzos and Dr. Kelly Brogan (in the opening interview “”Misunderstood and Mistreated: Reinventing Psychiatry”) shared how she only uses them for postpartum psychosis.
Dr. Pittman said: “benzos can cause physiological dependence in 4-6 weeks.”
This is not acceptable.
I strongly believe we should BAN BENZOs completely
- this is my belief, not Dr Pittman’s
- we have better options and should be using them
- GABA is one fabulous option
- and so are all the other approaches shared in this summit
If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com
UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com
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How is it that Physicians are licensed to prescribe drugs without adequate knowledge of the risks & benefits?
Fazia
It’s an unfortunate and very sad situation. I would like to see black-box warning labeling on benzos for starters (like what they have for SSRIs http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041203100252.htm) and then ban them altogether
Trudy
Thank you for dealing with this important topic. I finally got off alprazolam just 3 months ago after having been on it for over four years. It was originally prescribed by a general practitioner. Sadly, I asked for but received no help in the taper process from four different doctors including a psychiatrist. I searched online for help but found little except to taper slowly. In my online searches Benzo Buddies did not come across my path; I will check it out. It was painful (and suspect recurrent symptoms of withdrawal) and I had no support … friends and family didn’t understand and viewed benzodiazapine addiction as something I brought on myself. Thank you and I hope those that need support will find it. And thank you for the entire Anxiety Summit.
Cyndi
You are so very welcome! It is an important topic and needs to get out there for people like you and so we can help people like you educate their doctors and families. Thanks for sharing your story. I’m just sorry you didn’t find the support you needed. If you are still experiencing problems benzobuddies.org will be good support for you. I am not a member but did work with someone who said she was told by the group or someone in the group NOT to take GABA. Of course, I don’t agree with this – GABA and other nutritional approaches (like adrenal support, adding zinc if low etc) are crucial for support during all of this and to actually help while doing the taper.
For other readers I’m just going to clarify: alprazolam is a benzo and is also known as Xanax
Trudy
Wow.. I have been on Klonopin for sleep help for many years!!! Now what?! I will be joining the benzo buddies.. thanks for this… I also take xanax as needed for anxiety… This was very enlightening, yet terrifying for me.. It also made me quite angry… it will take me years to get off this… and I have digestive issues that come before that! thanks for the info!!! much appreciated. I wish there was a Michigan doctor that helped 🙂
Hi Dona
I’m sorry it was terrifying. Think of it as enlightening and empowering.
So many people are struggling with the benzos or wanting to stop, and needing help that I’m considering doing a group virtual program with a few speakers from the summit – would this be of interest?
We can help find a Michigan doctor too. Just don’t quit cold turkey and work with your prescribing doctor.
Trudy
Hi Trudy, did you ever find a doctor in Michigan that is knowledgeable in regards to a benzo taper?
What a timely interview. I work as a behavioral health counselor in a medical clinic. In a meeting of all providers yesterday we discussed informed consent for prescribing benzos. I sent some of this information to the Drs in an e-mail summarizing “yes, we need to have written informed consent before prescribing these meds. Its a start. Thanks to all.
Hi Vicki
Thanks for sharing this and for sending that email.
I agree, informed consent is a start, but I still feel we can do more but not writing these prescriptions at all. If informed consent is all you can do now 🙂 I would encourage you to include links to http://www.benzo.org.uk, http://www.benzobuddies.org, Dr. Pittman’s presentation and this interview I did. I suspect you will have folks saying no thanks.
Trudy
Thank you for treating this topic with the respect and care that you did.
I am one of the people Dr Pittman is talking about; I’m a member of BenzoBuddies.org, I participated in her survey, I’m likely one of the 308 respondents she used in the study presented at the ADAA.
I’ve been off of Valium and Klonopin for 20 months after a long, slow taper and I’m happy to report I’m getting my life back. I didn’t feel well until about the 17th month post taper.
This is the best public support I’ve seen to date of how benzodiazepines are inappropriately prescribed. I’m very appreciative for this tasteful exposure you’ve given the subject.
Hi Sally
I am SO pleased you are getting your life back and and really appreciate your lovely lovely comments.
It’s a tough topic to cover especially for those who are in the midst of tapering and for those who are hearing about this for the first time (and are currently on the meds).
Of course we appreciate you and everyone in BenzoBuddies.org for participating in the survey and for the support you provide – it’s invaluable. We also have Dr. Pittman to thank for having the wisdom to do the survey!
What I would love to see is resources from this summit being shared with folks in BenzoBuddies, so the taper is more tolerable. As I mentioned above Julia Ross talked about GABA and high dose intravenous vitamin C and other nutritional approaches to support the process.
Trudy
Hi Sally,
I am glad you are feeling better but chagrinned to read that it took 17 months. Can you share the dosage you were on?
Thanks,
Lisa
Hi Trudy,
Thanks so much for running this summit. I have enjoyed the speakers I have listened to so far and have gleaned some wonderful information. This discussion on benzodiazapine a is near and dear to me as I am a benzo buddy alumni and in fact participated in the survey that was discussed.
I have been off of klonopin since mid March 2011. I had horrific withdrawl that lasted up to 2 years. I experience many symptoms. The ones that were most difficult were extreme muscle tension that lasted for 1 1/2 years and which I still can have issues with, not nearly as intense though.
At 11 months to 13 months, I was lucky if I got 2 hours a night of sleep and anxiety like I had never experienced in my life and in a months time I lost 12lbs. My body was a war zone and I was in the darkest place I’ve ever been and no words can explain this experience so anyone else can comprehend what this was like.
In October of 2012 I found a place in St Paul, MN that someone had told me about that helps people with anxiety, etc naturally. I was diagnosed with pyroluria. My test showed I had 95 and they want to see it under 10. It was high. Getting on supplements helped immensely.
My health has not been the same since withdrawl. Within the first 3 months of withdrawl my legs started to swell and I could not get any answers for what was going on. In my pursuit of trying to get this diagnosed a ct scan was run last May when a tumor was found on my left adrenal gland. I had a follow up scan 4 months after that with no change and then one 6 months after that one, which was this past march. The tumor grew 25%. It had to be removed. This is somewhat rare so I went to Mayo clinic just this past April and had an adrenalectomy.
I also continued to search the internet and found a rare disease lipedema that looked like it might be an explanation for my legs. Made an appointment with a Doc in Tucson who specializes in this and it took awhile to see her, but just 2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with lipedema.
I’m telling you all this because I firmly believe that the horrible withdrawl that I went through contributed to these things.
I’m on the path now to dealing with gut issues and adrenal fatigue.
I also want to say that unfortunately, Docs do not recognize withdrawl when they see it and will assume it’s just anxiety and put you on another benzo. I also feel that they are handed freely like a Pez candy dispenser. If they inform you of withdrawl they tell you it probably can’t happen at the dose that you are on. Education to the prescribing Docs need the education that Dr Pittmand is proposing.
I’m sorry to prattle on, but just wanted to share some first hand experience.
Again, Trudy, so glad I found this summit. Keep up the good work.
Hi Marta
Thank you for sharing your story (prattle on all you want!) and for being part of the BenzoBuddies survey. I think it’s important to share these things so we can start to make connections. And yes, we need to educate doctors and also consumers.
I am so pleased you have found a lipedema expert and are on the path to healing.
Trudy
I would be very interested in any virtual group you would put together to speak more on this topic. My husband has suffered from depression and anxiety for years. I had tried to treat him with amino acids and st. johns wort. The depression improved but the anxiety had not so we finally decided to try medication. He was prescribed an antidepressant and a benzo to use right before we lost our insurance and he has just been taking it daily for months since it was helping. We haven’t been back to the doctor and after hearing your talk I just want to cry and throw up! I feel terrible that we have obviously made his situation much worse instead of better. I’m glad you left info about the taper protocol. I will check it out asap. I fear it will only worsen his current depression. Do you think it would be wise to try to improve the depression before beginning the very long withdrawal process?
Hi Chrissy
You say “he has just been taking it daily for months since it was helping” – that’s a good thing. Because of this yes I think it would be wise to try to improve his depression before beginning the very long withdrawal process.
I will keep you posted on the virtual group and I’m sorry this made you want to cry 🙁
Trudy
I have used klonopin for about 20 years! I have lost count of the many doctors, clinics, tapes for sleep I have used for sleep. I have been through sleep clinics. I have not been successful in finding anyone knowledgeable as to help with getting off klonopin and still being able to sleep. I think listening to this made me understand I will have many difficult times ahead and will not be able to sleep. I do not have anxiety, depression, never had a panic attack. But no sleep results in total exhaustion making it difficult to function.
Listing to this upset me so much I have not been able to listen again. I know I desperately need the right help. I have tried so many times to get off klonopin on my own. I am aware of the Aston Protocol but reluctant to add anymore medication. I will call my doctor and start asking again for help. I am 70 years old.
I am fortunate to have known to eat organic, non gmo, no wheat,cultured vegetables, kefir, all organic, grass fed meat. Our diet is very clean and because of this I have no digestive problems. I detox often. I never take more than one mg of klonopin a night and right now am down to 1/2 mg a night.
I truly hope and pray we find better ways to deal with pharmaceuticals that are harmful.
Hi Melba
Sorry we upset you and I agree that good sleep is so important. We need to figure out the root cause of why you can’t sleep. Since Klonopin helps I would suspect low GABA and/or high cortisol. I have fabulous results with tryptophan and melatonin too. You would need to work with a nutritionist or functional medicine doctor.
Be sure to listen to Robin Nielsen’s sleep talk on Friday. Amy Day’s adrenal talk will be in the encore and so will Julia Ross’ amino talk.
And let me know if you’d like to hear more about the virtual benzo program
Trudy
I would never EVER recommend Benzo’s to anyone for anything.
In my case ATIVAN 1 mg a day for over a year for sleep/relax my colon from my gastroenterologist, he said they were harmless and to take forever as needed. I was never told anything else about dependency or addiction or side effects or gradual taper or to avoid cold turkey.
I experienced PTSD, Anxiety and panic attacks as a Result of taking these “harmless” Benzo pills and I quit the hard way, it is a LIVING NIGHTMARE!
At the time I thought I was going bonkers I was a nervous confused emotional wreck and it was a GP who diagnosed me accurately, at the time I never connected the dots.
The GP advised me take an anti-depressant which I declined, really???..another drug with more side effects to complicate an over complicated situation?? NO WAY! That’s why I chose to wean myself, I researched online and found the taper protocol which the GP was not familiar with and would not support.
Tolerance was a definite issue, I guess I would be considered the classic “accidental addict”, which caused me shame and disbelief. I now understand how chemical dependency happens which I never understood before.
Extreme Stress was the trigger for these debilitating symptoms but Ativan was the gun.
Benzo’s are Insanely Destructive and should be black boxed and banned. I pray that my cognitive functions return to normal.
I feel lucky to have survived this ordeal, as I understand that many have not. I realize that I have many more miles to travel to live symptom free. As a widow and single Mother of one it is my 7 yr old son who is my saving Grace.
I weaned myself off alone, probably too quickly which I would not recommend – PLEASE taper super slowly, I am off since Dec/2013 and 5-6 mths later still experiencing depression, GI problems, cognitive difficulties, PTSD, mood swings and intermittent anxiety. I’m worse now than before I took Ativan but better than while on those awful pills.
Yikes – Pittman says 16 months to symptom free on average, which is likely conservative at best.
I did not realize at the time how ADDICTIVE or BRAIN-ALTERING these drugs were.
I’m thankful to be off these HORROR PILLS but still deal with their NASTY lingering effects.
Thank you Trudy for bringing us SAFE & Effective options, completely new to me, I will try this amino acid approach to help me through this.
I am Hopeful and Inspired to live a Healthy and Joyful life
with renewed Vitality ~
Blessings ~ Much Gratitude
Peace – thank you for sharing this! you are welcome!
I wasn’t even going to listen to this talk, but this ended up being one of the ones that had the most meaning to me. It was also the final push I needed to purchase the whole series of talks. It confirmed what I already suspected and knew in my heart, that these drugs and the mishandling of them by doctors directly led to my father’s death.
I will keep this talk to share with my daughters when they are old enough so that they can understand the dangers of these medications, why it is important to always make you own informed decision about any drug your doctor suggest to you and that the suicide of my father was not by his own hand, but at the hands of these misused meds. I know he would have loved to have seen his granddaughters. I feel profoundly grateful that caring professionals like you, Trudy, and Dr. Pittman are actively educating people about real concerns and other solutions. Thank you!
Hi Susan
So lovely to see you here and thank you for sharing. You had me in tears. I had step away and now I’m in tears again. I am so sorry this happened to your father. Your daughters are very fortunate to have such a wise and caring mom.
Hugs xxoo
Trudy
Hi Trudy,
I would very much appreciate hearing more about the virtual benzo program.
Thank you so much for the suggestions. I took note of all of them.
This whole summit has been wonderful and I thank you for it.
Also, I really was not upset by the Pittman’s talk-I was very alarmed. Much better word. I think it took many of us by surprise.
Will be buying Anxiety Summit.
Hi Melba
I’m sorry to alarm you and I’m sure you and others were taken by surprise. But it was important information to share.
I will keep you posted on the benzo program
Glad you joined us and have all the interviews – enjoy!
Trudy
Dear Trudy,
What a joy to hear your anxiety summit! I can personally attest to the accuracy of your information. I have been off of all SSRIS and klonopin for 3 years. And I must say, it was the hardest battle of my life! The truth to my success? The Lord! I had been on the meds for 5 years ,when praying one morning and felt The Lord wanting me to get off the drugs. I told Him I was willing and that I’d read that glutathione detoxified the liver but I didn’t know how much to take or where to get glutathione. I finished praying and went to work. 2 1/2 hours later,sitting in a Starbucks, after a sales meeting ended , a women approached me and began chatting. To be polite I asked her what she did for a living. She said she sold glutathione! Talk about a quick answer to prayer! So, I bought some from her and started cutting down my dose of meds, getting off of citalapram first. Then, I started reducing the dose of Klonopin. When I tried to get help from my doctor to write a script lowering the dose, he just said to cit the pill in half, take it for two weeks and then stop! I knew that he had no idea of the addiction I was experiencing! Again I cried out to The Lord. And began researching online, and was led to Point of Return in Malibu California. Their program helped me titrate down which took 16 months ( from an original dose of only 1 mg tablet!) I was very ill dueing that time and largely bedridden. They have a doctor that wrote the weekly prescriptions to help me taper. A year ago I was led to a wonderful nutritional seminar by Dr. William Walsh , encouraged to take two tests which confirmed pyroluria and high copper. I also have exhausted adrenals. He has trained two great MDs in the Chicago area in his protoccol and their clinic is called Mensah Medical. I am taking 80 mgs of zinc and a compounded prescription of vitamins and molybdenum to lower the copper. Already their zinc, b6 and p5p protoccol have completely eliminated my depression and anxiety! I still wake up however, due to the high cortisol and am not experiencing a lot of benefit from the Seriphos. But I know eventually my sleep will return. I’d be interested in hearing your advice on this. Also, I wanted to say that I think Dr. Mensah and Dr. Judith Bowman would be profoundly helpful to any further summits you might have. Their knowledge on such complex subjects as methylation is amazing! They have not agreed with some of your speakers however about using folate instead of folic acid for all people. Although I have MTHRFTHR gene blips, they said there are 30 other factors necessary to determine the proper nutritional protocol. Notably, histamine was a major one. Any way, thanks again for the wealth of information. It’s great to hear of nutritional alternatives for mental maladies!
I’d love to chat with you more! My desire is that through all of the pain I suffered, if I could help someone else avoid or be helped by the things I’ve learned, then it would all be worth it! Blessings Trudy!
Sharon
What a journey – thank you for sharing!
Regarding sleep – did you listen to Robin Nielsen’s sleep interview? there are so many possible factors that need to be considered
I will look into Dr. Mensah and Dr. Judith Bowman for the next summit – thanks! and yes the MTHFR issue and supps is very individualized. Coleen Walsh did mention this in her MTHFR interview. I don’t think anyone is an expert on all the combinations we can see. I certainly don’t any of the MTHFR gurus even mention histamine imbalance so we are still learning.
Trudy
Trudy, I was completely unaware of this issue. Thank you for the enlightenment and I’m glad trained pro’s like you are helping others to get off what sounds like a dangerous substance.
Mary Ellen – glad to be enlightening
This is such an important topic. This talk was amazing (actually they all were it was a stunning and fabulous summit!). It’s truly scary how devastating this class of medication can be and how overwhelmingly difficult to get off it.
I’m really glad to learn that there are other, non-addictive, more supportive therapies. I just wish more people had access to them. Really glad that you’re such an advocate for this.
Thanks Mira – yes – SO important!
Trudy,
This is another topic I was totally unaware of.
For the people who are directly in this situation
it is such a great service that you are providing these
alternative solutions and awareness.
I have never been a fan of psychotropic meds for many reasons, one being that we have never known what the longer term effects are. This is terrifying for those who have been on such drugs. Thanks for the information, disturbing as it is.
You’re right Sue, we often don’t know the long term effects, although now there is research showing that long-term effects of the benzos are dementia. I wonder how much this has to do with Alzheimer’s disease? a lot I’m sure!
Thank you for sharing this, Trudy. It is astounding how many times patients are prescribed drugs of all kinds without being informed of potential side-effects.
Yes Tiffany, it’s really scary
Great topic and talk Trudy and congratulations – look at all the comments, discussion and community you are creating through your sharing – keep up the amazing work you do!
Thanks Heidi – this topic really hit home with a lot of people! I also love all the comments and community. I think it’s so encouraging for those who are battling with this to see that others have succeeded, plus to provide motivation not to even get on this drug to start with.
This subject always upsets me. I love that you’re out there spreading the word and helping people Trudy!
Hello,
Thank you for this article. I have been taking .5-1 milligram for sleep for many months. No use during the day. I will stop taking it. With such a low dose, do you think I have to worry about withdrawal or the risk of Alzheimers? I have tried Gabba L Tryptophan and don’t feel well with it but that is another subject. I hope to see a response.
Thank you
Hello Ava
It is not recommended to stop these medications abruptly no matter what amount is being taken. It is also advisable to first talk to the prescribing doctor and educate yourself about possible side-effects of withdrawing and good taper protocols. http://www.benzo.org.uk and http://www.benzobuddies.org are good resources. You may then have to educate your doctor as he/she may not be aware of all this.
Keep in mind that there can be many causes of anxiety and you may need to look into the others if it doesn’t appear to be neurotransmitter deficiencies.
Trudy
So what are the better options then? GABA taken orally does not cross the blood brain barrier, they only work due to a placebo effect for some people who are comforted by the illusion of control they get from taking something (anything) that they are told will help them. Yes, some people do have bad withdrawal symptoms when getting off benzos. yes there are some people who get drowsy on it. For me though, it has been the only thing that has ever been effective to combat my obsessive compulsive disorder (and used to be frequent) panic attacks. Recently, my doctor told me she shouldn’t prescribe them to me anymore and gave me some worthless junk that just made me feel cognitively impaired and exhausted. Why is there all of this “awareness” being given to the negative side of benzos (every drug has side effects for some people, that just means that those particular people shouldn’t use them) All of the sudden? you’re pharmacist should have informed you of the side effects that could potentially occur, did you opt out of being counselled when you got your first script? You think they should be outright banned because you heard a few speakers say all we need is some vitamin C paired with a supplement that does not actually have an effect on your GABA receptors because even though it’s called GABA, it doesn’t have a way to make it to those receptors? If you don’t like a drug, don’t take it, but benzos really do legitimately help a lot of people and many of us don’t experience any negative side effects at all. I came to this page thinking maybe it would provide some insight into coping methods for anxiety, but it looks like all I’m getting is misinformation and yet another person who says benzos are evil, but provides no acceptable alternative.
Hi Sarah
I’m sorry you feel so strongly about my position against benzos. I am very pleased they have helped you. It’s just that too many people have no idea that they are being affected and this is why I am sharing this information.
Also, many people do truly see very powerful calming effects from GABA. I am one of them – GABA saved my life when I was having panic attacks in my late 30s. I recommend sublingual Gaba Calm.
You don’t share what you have tried but inositol has been shown to be excellent for OCD and so is tryptophan (Lidke brand is the best). There are many options that could help – going gluten-free, removing sugar and caffeine, balancing blood sugar, addressing hormone imbalances etc (there are many blog posts on my site on these topics and throughout my book).
I always say lets get to the root cause and don’t feel benzos are doing this. With the research we’re seeing on the harm they do (increased dementia is one example) I truly believe that it’s possible that even folks like you who do see benefits, may eventually start to be affected. I just like to err on the side of caution.
Trudy
Amen! Thank you! When someone can offer an effective alternative to benzodiazapines for me that actually works, then I’ll take it. Until then, I wish these people would leave the people who actually need benzo’s alone!
Oh my days! I followed a link from the Harvard Study on Alzheimers’s disease and benzodiazapines. I understand how some people want to treat their anxiety disorders naturally, and maybe they can. But don’t ruin benzodiazapines for the rest of us. I’ve been on between 1.5 mg to 2.5 mg of Klonopin for the past 15 years and my mind is fine, thank you VERY much! I’m a 39 yr old female with a family history of severe anxiety disorders. Before I began taking Klonopin, I felt like I had a million me’s screaming in my head all the time. I tried Kava Kava, I tried meditation, I tried antidepressants, I tried antipsychotics. None of them worked.
I think a big part of the problem is people that don’t really need to take benzodiazapines getting prescribed them and/or abusing them. Honestly, if I get Alzheimers(which they aren’t 100% sure is caused by benzo’s anyway), at least I will have lived my life without debilitating anxiety. If my Doctor brings this nonsense up to me, I’m going to tell him that too. I am not writing this to say you are wrong, but rather to put a different light on the subject.
Doctors that are 100% against benzodiazapines aren’t fully committed to helping their patients, in my opinion. Have a good one!
Charlotte
I’m really pleased to hear benzodiazepines are working for you. For most people they cause problems
You can read many of the awful stories here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/say-no-to-benzodiazepines-for-anxiety-webinar-replay/
and here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/benzodiazepines-more-harm-than-good/
This is the reason I’m 100% against benzodiazepines. I am vocal about this because I do care – very much! And because I have a solution to offer.
You mention some natural approaches that didn’t work for you but as you can see from this “60+ possible causes” blog it can be more complex than taking certain nutrients https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/60-nutritional-biochemical-causes-of-anxiety/ That said I do find that the individual amino acids GABA or tryptophan are often very effective right away while the underlying issues are being addressed.
I’d like to address these comments of yours: “I think a big part of the problem is people that don’t really need to take benzodiazapines getting prescribed them” and totally agree with this. I don’t agree with this “and/or abusing them”. They don’t have to be abused to cause problems.
Not sure if I’m relieved or scared to have found this page… Trudy is 100% correct and it breaks my heart to read what Charlotte is writing because I was her to the T. The reality is that all of the psych drugs never existed 100’s of years ago so why didn’t people suffer so severely then? The answer is nature. We are feeding our body’s nothing but garbage now a days. We are not getting the nutrients crucial to a healthy body and brain. Charlotte, I beg you ,before you end up like me when the Klonopin reverses its purpose and creates the very symptoms it was intended to “fix” while at the same time your tolerance grows and grow and you hit a point where a doctor is not going to prescribe you the dose you need to keep your symptoms in check, and you finally feel like a full on nervous breakdown is approaching. Don’t let it go there. I BEG you to give magnesium a shot. I was blown away at how well it worked for me. I was such a skeptic but figured couldn’t hurt and was AMAZED at the results. We are depriving ourselves of this critical nutrient with our current day diets. I will leave it at that and pray you at least give supplements a shot.
My question, for you, Trudy, I am still struggling to kick the final dose of Klonopin that I’m currently still on… The effects finally reversed on me and caused me severe anxiety and after being on such a high dose for 15 years, this last mg taper is brutal. Do you think Molybdenum will help the withdrawal process? Or is it risky to combine the use of it with a benzo? If you found it useful, what dose did you take? Am I really looking at hospitalization to kick the last mg of this benzo garbage? Or with the right nutrients and willpower, combined with an extremely slow tapper, sound feasible to do on my own? So desperate to finally rid my body of this one last horrible poison. Any advice would be appreciated.
Jen
Sorry to hear this – the end of the taper can very challenging for many people. As you know super super super slow is key and getting very small compounded doses may be the answer. I like to have my clients use GABA. Dr. Prousky has found niacinamide helpful. Some benzo users can’t tolerate any supps and then I’d try light therapy, heartmath, yoga, essential oils.
Thanks for the encouraging words for Charlotte!
Thanks so much! I will look into both. I have seen improvements using things like magnesium and d3 combined with light therapy. I think my fear is taking over right now as I read of the horrors most go through. I was able to get off 15+ Years of SSRI’s but the withdrawal of Paxil actually landed me inpatient so I’m trying to be hopeful about doing this on my own with the benzo, but very scared if my body reacted that way to an SSRI. I’m giving myself a good 10 months to do a mega slow taper before I consider inpatient. My fear is too fast of a taper in a hospital and dealing with months of withdrawal that possibly cause me to lose my job after release. Otherwise, I would just inpatient myself and get it done.
Hi!
I am writing an anonymous blog called http://www.unintentionaladdict.com
I am a true accidental addict and didn’t even take this every day. Of all people it was an MD acupuncturist that prescribed it to me.
Do you do any phone consults? I took zinc for the last week and have been amped so badly. Also on something called juice plus. I am highly sensitive and am very scared I am about to lose everything. my nerves are on fire right now. I totally agree these pills are EVIL and turn on you. They should really only be prescribed once every couple of mos or years. TOXIC beyond belief.
Just discovered that I had amnesia for approx two years, now dementia. Like others, I was actually sane, just had PTSD from rape. I was given Geodon for bad dreams and tremor, 60mg, Clonazapam and Norco. The combination has destroyed my memory. I lost over two years, and it ended in an actual pscyhotic break. I had no idea why I lost 40 lbs, and the amount of Geodon was upped! Why? Pfizer gave kickbacks to Dr.’s prescribing high dosage as t’s 1080.00 per bottle. If you are on it, you cannot discern your original symptoms from the ones caused by the drug. Worse, I was arrested for DWI after the psychotic break, as I had no memory of the ER visit or diagnosis. I’m suing Pfizer, but still cannot figure out if it was off-label use of Geodon (see US v. Pfizer) or the combo of Norco and Klonpin for several years. I have just discovered a huge amount about how I was, what I did, what I said, why I was fired, why I was dumped by my husband of 20 years, why I was constantly repeating myself, had EPS so badly that I couldn’t swollow without choking, couldn’t walk, couldn’t stop slurring, had eye twitches, muscle wasting, and now, forget my thought mid sentence. Geodon is NOT FDA APPROVED FOR ANYTHING except Schizophrenia and Manic disorders. I had tremor and sleeplessness. I’d like to see my doctors face to face in Court so they can be educated on this horrific situation, or at least understand what they are prescribing and be able to identify the symptoms. I went over a year undiagnosed. An off duty nurse saw me trying to walk across a restuarant and told my boyfriend that I had EPS, and that it was a ‘Legal matter.’ It is. I’m not sure what will happen to me now, but I am incredibly angry. I put myself through college and law school, no assistance, nor family support. I worked 3 jobs, raised twins and handled everyone’s problems. I can’t get an attorney to help me, don’t know why. Guess if they hear Geodon, they assume you have Schizophrenia or Manic, not great clients. I’m stuck, I’m damaged, and I have spent 20 years of my life on my education to no end at all.
Jill
Thank you for sharing and sorry to hear what you are going through. You may want to try and connect with some support groups to find some assistance – this link may have something http://recoveringfrompsychiatry.com/psychiatric-drug-withdrawal-resources/join-the-international-coalition-of-coming-off-psych-drugs-mutual-support-groups/coming-off-psych-drugs-mutual-support-group-resources/
And start to focus on nutrient-dense food and addressing the adrenals, the gut and any nutritional deficiencies.
I have been taking Dalmane for 20+ plus years. Side effect has been a good night’s sleep. Nothing else. So, IMHO, the drug works for me. It is not perhaps good for everyone.
Jay
Thanks for sharing – I’m glad it’s working for you but I do still have the concern that benzos are intended for short-term use and do have a long list of side-effects (https://www.drugs.com/sfx/dalmane-side-effects.html). I also always like to find the root cause of anxiety and address that.
Hi, Ive been on valium for 3 years now because I was down to 2 safe foods. Valium was the only benzo I could safely take with benedryl to stop the food intolerance and body cramping. Im so confused now. I get xolair injections as well. My body cramping has been way worse lately. What am I supposed to do now? Magnesium causes tachacharydia. I cramp from vitamin D3 too. Just ecerything lately. I have a doxepin prescription 10 mg. Would this help with the tapper? Im at a loss and so confused now. Ugh