Withdrawal from Benzodiazepines: Some Coping Skills

A good read here: Withdrawal from Benzodiazepines: Some Coping Skills.

Benzo Controversy: Mommy’s Little Helper Can Cause Harm in a Big Way | Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome

A quick share today on an important topic: Benzodiazapene iatrogenic (doctor caused) addition and the horrible physical effects of this drug and its devastation on the lives of those who have taken it.

An excerpt:

And then the real moms weigh in..
Testimonials of Real Moms on benzodiazepines and/or suffering the withdrawal syndrome in attempt to get free

** “I was put on Xanax, my mommy’s Little helper, for two and half years. I began experiencing mystery symptoms which later turned out to be tolerance withdrawal because of this drug should not be taken past two or three weeks. This medicine turns on people. I have Been sick for three years. 16 Months of the last year I have spent in bed and my children have had to live their life without their mother. Please click on the link below and see what I live with on a daily basis, And have for the past three years. this drug did not improve my ability to mother actually it has taken away my ability to mother.
http://www.benzosupport.org/symptoms.htm“
— Colleen S., Massachusetts, U.S.

** “I am a mom, and one of the biggest mistakes I ever made was to start taking a low dose of Ativan. In the beginning, I thought it was a miracle drug, and it DID help for a short time. However, I started to have side effects from it and felt like I was getting dementia in my very early forties. People develop a tolerance to benzos, and eventually need more for the benzo to work properly. I am now in the process of tapering off this poison. It has been a lot of work, and honestly, one of the most difficult times in my life ever. I so wish that someone would have warned me. Even the FDA says NOT to take for more than 14 days. My doctor told me I did not have an addictive personality and would be fine, but this medication turned into the devil.”
– Sara S., U.S.

Read the entire article here: Mommy’s Little Helper Can Cause Harm in a Big Way | Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome.

Guest Post: Doctors In Denial by Jennifer Bryant Roeder

 

Todays guest post discusses the experiences of one woman who has traveled the long path of protracted withdrawals caused by the use of psychotropic drugs. In this essay she addresses the issues many who have escaped the mind numbing effects of these drugs only to discover that the nightmare is not over, only changing as the physical damage of long term benzodiazapene use rears its ugly head to take sometimes years to recover from. In fact none of us on this path knows for sure if we will be lucky enough for the physical torture to ever stop. I’ve heard it does for some. That give me hope. In all – we are fortunate to have our minds back even at the price of our physical health. 

Todays essay….

Doctors In Denial

By Jennifer Bryant Roeder

A man I met recently in my hometown expressed a genuine interest in the harm psychiatric drugs have caused to my life.  I started by telling him parts of my story and that I had created a group on Facebook to collect stories from others who have also been injured by psych drugs.  I also told him that I had created a support group in our hometown for those who wish to be free off their psych drugs.

 

Eventually, he asked me the most dreadful question, “Do you refer your group members to their doctors.” I took a very deep breath while pondering my response to someone I barely knew.  I was feeling quite tired and was trying to be careful with what I said.  (I understand that many people are not given an informed consent by their doctors about the disabling and deadly effects of psych drugs.  We are taught as a society to believe doctors are God and not to question them, but rather to trust them.)

 

It turned out that I was not careful in my response back to him. I blurted out, “Oh no, doctors are the ones pushing this poison on us in the first place and when we tell them we want to get off these drugs, they tend to feel threatened and either taper us too fast or cut us off completely, causing us to go into acute withdrawal with symptoms that can last for years.  They are trained to keep us on the drugs and besides, the more scripts they write, the more kickbacks they get from drug companies.  They hate it when we wake up.  They don’t want to admit that they’ve been poisoning us all along.  It would be GREAT if we could trust them, but it’s really quite risky…”

 

He stopped me by saying, “I should be honest with you.  I am a doctor.”   Oh my!  I had no idea!  And did I just hear him say…honest!  My head spinning and heart pounding, I barely heard what he said next: “You have to be very careful while talking with people.  I happen to know many doctors who care very much about their patients.  And doctor’s do not get any kickbacks from drug companies.  Maybe they did 15-20 years ago, more like 20 years now, but not anymore.”  My head spinning faster, I thought of all the articles I’ve read by well known drug company whistleblowers, such as ex-pharmaceutical rep, Gwen Olsen who dared to expose the truth about the drug company she worked for in her book, “Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher.”  Then I thought about all those doctors who prescribed me psych drugs for 20 years imagining how much they must have enjoyed their drug company bonuses and fancy vacations while they took away my ability to work, care for my child, my marriage.  I never wanted to talk to him again.

 

I felt stunned and shocked and ANGRY at this man for listening to me tell him about the groups I started and how psych drugs devastated my life…Without informing me that he’s a DOCTOR!  And yet…there I was: finally…telling someone who represents all those medical “professionals” in my past the truth about what they REALLY did to my body and to my life.

 

The other day, I had to call a member from my local group to remind him to come to the meeting.  When I couldn’t find his phone number, I knew I had to call this doctor for it, as he’s a mutual aquaintance.  I dreaded doing this, but didn’t know anyone else who had his number.  So I went ahead and called him.  I let him know right away that I was just calling him for a phone number.  He then asked how I was doing.  He sounded sincere (just like all the doctors in my past) so I figured I’d give him another chance.  I thought maybe if I gave him some more information about my ongoing Post Withdrawal Syndrome, he might request to learn more about my story, my groups and my resources.

 

So I told him, “Actually I’m not doing very well today. I’m having severe nerve pain caused from those psych drugs I was prescribed. It’s something I’ve always had since the drugs, but sometimes it gets worse when triggered by stress or lack of sleep. Also, I’ve been crying alot lately, just feeling so much grief from all that I’ve lost to these drugs.”

 

Rather than extend any concern for my pain, he continued to defend his drug-pushing colleages by saying, “You really need to trust the medical community, you know.  And you need to be very careful not to practice medicine.” My head spinning again, I told him that I refer people to proper resources and support forums online that help 1000′s of people safely taper off their psych drugs. He said, “You can’t trust what’s on the internet.”  I said, “Some things you can.  I’ve weeded through a lot of information over the past year and have found plenty of trustworthy sources.  Besides, don’t they encourage internet research in college?”  He said, “Some things on the computer are ok, but anyone can say anything on the internet.” I forgot to tell him that I guess he can just “say anything” too. Obviously he was just trying to put me down for knowing things that he just might not know about. He knows that I graduated from college with honors and can conduct my own research…but of course, “I’M NOT A DOCTOR.”

 

I took a risk and told him that doctors don’t even know that psych drugs are addictive. Contradicting his earlier mistrust of online research, he said, “Oh come on Jennifer! Of course they do! Anyone can search a benzodiazepine on the computer and see that they are addictive!”  I said, “Then why are they prescribed beyond 2 weeks, and sometimes for years on end? and what about other addictive psych drugs?”  He said, “Patients are under the care of a doctor.”  Famous last words for all those who die at the hands of their “caring” doctors.

DISCLAIMER: Never, ever, just “stop” taking psychotropic drugs. To do so can be life threatening. It is assumed that anyone reading this page is capable of taking in information and deciding for themselves what is the right action to take. Always contact your prescribing physician for assistance in reducing or withdrawing from these drugs. 

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Knowledge Is Power….and Central to the truth sets us free

KIP Central is News, information and resources for those learning to live beyond psychiatry and the mental health systems around the world.

http://www.kipcentral.com

Visit the companion site to KIPc; Proactive Planning where you can find resources and information regarding the Proactive Planning Workshop and engaging in safe reduction or withdrawal from dependence on psychotropic drugs. 

Histamine intolerance (new discovery, likely to apply to others on psych meds and coming off them too) – Beyond Meds

For those dealing with poor health following withdrawal from psych drugs…an article from the No. 1 blog on alternatives to psyche drugs.

An excerpt:

So, I’ve switched to a low histamine diet…and I’m learning how to go about it. I’m doing this post rather prematurely really because I’m still learning so much about this condition, but I figured I get the information out there because I suspect this may play a part in lots of really severe withdrawal syndromes. Why? Because lots of psych drugs have ANTI-histamine properties, meaning that when people with histamine issues come off of them there is more likely going to be some sort of blow-back.

via Histamine intolerance (new discovery, likely to apply to others on psych meds and coming off them too) – Beyond Meds.

Bold emphasis mine.

Gloria Steinem – “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

Gloria Steinem – “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

The path to freedom is NOT linear by any means so with that in mind…this was the path (in general) that I followed to my own “awakening”…and what I have observed in others who are fellow travelers. And, as a starting place I’ve used the Stages of Grief by Elizabeth Kubler Ross and found this to be a very empowering process to learn and use in my own journey.

Many (including myself at one time) are not ready for the message that psychiatry is bogus and the drugs are simply legal versions of street drugs and are the source of the majority of their chronic “symptoms” and “decompensation”.

The first reaction I often get is the same as I had for the many years I was enmeshed in the lies – denial. “My drugs are helping me. I would be dead without my drugs (“medicine”). These folks (and I was) are not yet contemplating any change but! The new information allows them (allowed me) to have more to consider and in time they begin asking questions as they shift to….

Bargaining – “Well; I’ll try meditation/yoga/mindfulness but I still need my drugs” These are those who are shifting in their awareness and in time may engage in seeking their own answers as they (as I did) start to question their “status quo” and shift to occasional….

Anger – “WTF! I’ve lost x# years to this? OMG. I am so pissed….someone has to pay; I’m not going to tolerate this shit.” This is where I, myself, spent untold hours seeking out information about psychiatry and the drugs. This was when my entire focus was on the drugs, psychiatry and “I have to change the system. I have to tell everyone. I have to help people UNDERSTAND what these drugs are doing to them”. This was when I was “other” focused and still unable to face my …..

Grief. This was where I stopped long enough to stop stuffing the grief and let go of the “busy-ness” that kept me away from this deep, deep grieving of the life I lost to the lies of psychiatry. This was where I fell to the floor day after day, sobbing and feeling my emotions that I had not felt for nearly 2 decades. This was where I mourned the life and family I lost to this lie and where my purpose to learn how to be the change I wanted to see usurped my desire for revenge or to rescue everyone still stuck in the lies. This was where I found….

Acceptance of what was that I cannot change.

Acceptance of what is and the reality that what was done was done and what can I do now to move myself forward…

Acceptance of the me and life I will never have or have back because of what was taken from me.

Acceptance of what I can change and what is not within my power to change.

Acceptance that by using my energy to create the change I want to see in the world that I am doing my part to change the world.

Do I stay in this place always?

No. But now I know how to recognize when I’m in my anger and how to get back to acceptance in order to keep using my pain to fuel my purpose.

You can read a bit more about my journey out of the mental illness system and the drugs; this is where I share part of what I experienced before I understood that what I was experiencing was withdrawals. Click here to go to Beyond Meds for this essay. 

 

“Discontinuation Syndrome” is a fancy way for “professionals” to minimize the hell…

‎”Discontinuation Syndrome” is a fancy way for “professionals” to minimize the hell many of us go through in trying to get off these drugs.

This article is about one woman’s experiences.

Read here The “grave disability” of withdrawal syndrome. 

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Knowledge is Central to Self Empowerment.

KIP Central is News, information and resources for those learning to live beyond psychiatry and the mental health systems around the world.

http://www.kipcentral.com

Visit the companion site to KIPc; Proactive Planning where you can find resources and information regarding the Proactive Planning Workshop and engaging in safe reduction or withdrawal from dependence on psychotropic drugs. 

The Ashton Manual: How and Why it began, and why patients are resorting to writing to Erin Brockovich | Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome

I’ve not read this entire piece…but – the Ashton Manual and Erin Brockovich in the same sentence is enough to make it worthy of a share.

Read this piece here: The Ashton Manual: How and Why it began, and why patients are resorting to writing to Erin Brockovich | Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome.

 

Knowledge is power.

Please share widely.

“I weighed up and decided for myself”

The testimony of one person who decided to take control of their life instead of taking drugs…

After reading up on the subject and everything you have to say, I weighed it up and decided against them for myself.

Through radical diet change, plenty of exercise and daily yoga and meditation techniques, I am already feeling better.

I think they maybe do help some people, but after researching, I prefer to try every other alternative. I am frightened of addiction because I know myself well now and have been down that road with food and alcohol.

~Claire Hegarty Nove 6, 2012

If you would like to follow my work on Facebook you can introduce yourself to me here by sending a friend request.

Make sure to mention that you found me via this website as I don’t accept “friend requests” from those I’m not familiar with. The nature of my work sort of requires that I make some effort to protect myself from abusive zealots and pharma troll.s

Also – you can find the Empowering Solutions Community here if you are looking for answers on the how behind the healing journey of self discovery.

If you need help coming off psychotropic drugs you can view the resource list here at KIP and over here at the Proactive Planning site.

Thanks for reading, following and sharing….

Executive Function | madinvt

One persons efforts to pursue help following extensive iatrogenic harm caused by psychiatry.

Executive Function | madinvt.

A valid point was brought up in this piece that I also have experienced as I sought recompense for the damage done to my physical being and my life over a period of 20 years…

That once “marked” by psychiatry no doctor or lawyer would speak to me either.

I share this to bring awareness to these issues not perpuate dissension or argue about how the drugs helped you.

My response to that from now on will be to wait and see if the price you paid for taking these drugs was worth it.

For me – it was not and what I discovered is that the “decompensation” upon stopping these drugs was NOT “discontinuation syndrome” nor “illness”. This was withdrawals from drugs that simply kept me so stoned all those years that I could not feel my emotional pain.

Upon “discontinuation” my emotional pain was magnified by 10,000 as I faced not only the reality of what I had escaped when I escaped my “family” who had allowed numerous pedophiles to have their way with me as a child…but now I had to face the fact that I had lost 20 years of my life, my youth, my health and my family to the lie of the “broken brain”.

No. It was not worth it.

At all.

Read this story today here: Executive Function | madinvt.

 

Involuntary Transformation: It is Criminal: Doctors Do Not Disclose Risks of Psychiatric Drugs

This Mother has suffered the greatest of losses..that of her beautiful son to the brain damage caused by these drugs.

Knowledge is power yet we are not told about these effects – the natural effects of these drugs and the truth is…in my case I reported the effects and the “doctors” were willing to let me live with permanence of ticks and suffer the horrible toxic overdose of “mood stabilizers”.

They were not informed nor did they care that what they were prescribing me was harmful to my health. When I asked to go off the drugs they reminded me of the diagnosis they had given me and stirred my fear of “what might happen to me” if I didn’t obey “doctors orders”.

What happened though when another psychiatrist (in his own experiment) forced me off several drugs in one day?

I went through the withdrawals and realized it was the drugs that had made me “sick” to begin with it.

Anyway….this post is an articulate expression of one woman’s experience with these drugs when her son was exposed to psychiatry as a child.

Read here: Involuntary Transformation: It is Criminal: Doctors Do Not Disclose Risks of Psychiatric Drugs.