Benzodiazepine Dependence and Withdrawal - How To Avoid This

Lol what is happening here? Klonopin has a SMOOTHER RIDE getting off? You’re kidding right? Weaning off Klonopin almost killled me. I took it once a day. I know a dozen people who were weaning off of Klonopin. Your info is incorrect.

Isn’t it amazing how psychiatrists inappropriately prescribed this drug for decades but now that WE the patients forced the truth to come out- now physicians are beginning to tell the truth of what this drug is doing to ppl and how drs have caused severe dependancy (not addiction) in people? I was on benzos for 40 years. Weaning off of them almost killed me and permanently caused damage, drs did this to me.

Let me say something that most doctors don’t say you don’t wanna go through this hell don’t get on them to begin with. Trust me you’re not gonna like it.

Evil amerimutt

I was dependent on benzos for 30 years. 10mg of diazepam daily. Then went through a natural disaster-and ran out of meds for 5 days. I realised I’d die without them. Began tapering right away and was off them in 10 months. I don’t have any lingering effects or withdrawals and now I’m looking into becoming a benzo withdrawal coach 🎉

So why are benzos even legal? Alcohol seems to be less harmful than that

I love klonopin it helps me so much!

Had a Dr put me on 8mg a day of Xanax. Been on Xanax like 12 years. 2.5mg these days

Been taking off Clonazepam suddenly after taking them over 15 years. Wanted to be eased off them for years. Doctors refuse to prescribe them in lower doses. If i commit suicide, hold the health care responsible

i went off meds cold turkey for a week. i ended up in the emergency room answering questions about suicide trying to say out of the psych ward

you are doctor and you doesnt understand halif life

Have been taking Ativan for over 40 years- psychiatrist prescribed - 2 to 6 mg per day... All I can say is I feel like crap most of the time. Doctor tried to switch me over to effexor several months ago, boy that was a miserable experience... should note, I am 80 years old. just keep asking my Dr. what I have to do if I would like several good years before I pass? (we have tried every Benzo and SSRI over the years and always come back to ativan. I feel like it is to late to stop, so Dr. Marks, any idea what i could add to my mix that would make my days a little nicer -- yes, tried Beta-Blockers, they did offer a little improvement,, however I have AMD and Beta blockers will really cause rapid deterioration of my eyes. XO, Bob

1 year 4 months off of Xanax. It was the absolute worst experience in my life, a living nightmare.

I have really bad muscle spasms in my legs and arms twitching from a failed back procedure. Resulting in complex regional pain syndrome. After trying a bunch of anticonvulsants the end of the road was opiates for Western doctors for me. Then I started to be prescribed a benzo again for anxiety. I'm one year off of narcotics, but I'm still on the benzo. I've gone cold turkey a few times with opiates and it sucked, nothing compared to benzo withdrawal though. You not only feel like you're dying, the chances of heart attract go up. so it's more of a reality. Also the longer someone stays on benzos the higher chances for early onset Alzheimer's..

I warmly welcome you. I have been taking Ativan 1mg before work in the morning for 5 days because I have very strong anxiety and panic attacks. Is 1 mg a day a lot?

As someone with insomnia, I was switched to aprazolam once a day for a few months. That was enough to cause horrific withdrawal symptoms for 2 weeks. I had been prescribed lorazepam previously and could stop with no side effects. Xanax is extremely dangerous, and after hearing so many people's nightmarish experiences, I question why this medication isn't banned. There are better alternatives, even in the benzodiazapan family of drugs.

I was in a 3 year relationship with a gal that took klonopin for years and she was a nightmare to deal with. It caused rage, memory loss and she would drive extremely slower than the speed limit. She would take it for stomach issues, headaches, anxiety and anything else she could use for an excuse. It ruined the relationship and made me miserable as well.

I was in a 3 year relationship with a gal that took klonopin for years and she was a nightmare to deal with. It caused rage, memory loss and she would drive extremely slower than the speed limit. She would take it for stomach issues, headaches, anxiety and anything else she could use for an excuse. It ruined the relationship and made me miserable as well.

Thanks very mucho for your professional good advice Dr. Tracey!

These are also used to treat alcoholism. I don't know which is worse.

I'm trying to quit this. Wish me luck.

You are covering the subject well and thoroughly. Thank you.

What I am realizing is that it is a physiological dependence that is intense.

Hi doctor ..
My doctor recomended xanax and citalopram .. he said i must use xanax for 2 weeks then widrwl it . While using citalopram for 6 months . Now the videos around youtub worrying me abt xanax . So is it safe to widrawl it after 2 weeks? Am i getting some sideeffects or not . Pzl advice

If you take it once a week you dont get withdrawals symptoms. Ive been using this medication prescribed by my doctor for over 10 months by now for GAD, and because of the infrequent use I never suffered any withdrawls. You really just need to stick to the "only once a week mantra. Alprazolam leaves your body in 3-5 days, along with its metabolites so its impossible to develep physical addiction when using it once and only once during 7 day period. Ive had a month long vacancy in Africa and I had no xanax with me, and long behold, as expected, I didnt have any withdrawals. Doctors should stop prescribing them "as needed" because people undrstand it as "whenever I feel shitty ill take a pill" which leads to physical addiction. No matter how anxious you feel the next day, if a week hasnt passed you must not take it. You will just have to suffer through the next day and day after and on the third day you feel normal again. Everyones body is different but this is my experience with this medicaton.

What a nightmare trying to get off Benzo's after 10+ years ..and I mean a nightmare,. It is traumatic and devastating my health and my body, Getting off is far worse than the symptoms I had b4 I went on them. WHY did the Psychiatrist allow me to stay on them 'forever' ? G*d help me. Now I am having these random immune system symptoms, where I cannot exercise the smallest bit, like doing some gardening, without getting a sore throat and then getting sick. Plus I have thyroid AB's which cause symptoms for years, but i keep getting told there is nothing wrong with my thyroid. Benzo's and thyroid AB's DO NOT MIX people . I wish Dr's would stop prescribing these Psych meds like lollies

Wouldn't of that been wonderful, to be aware of what I was in for. Unfortunately psychiatrists don't give you this information. I was prescribed Xanax, 2mg bar, four times a day for 26 years. Was told I would need to take Xanax for the rest of my life. Quit cold turkey 9 years ago, haven't seen a doctor since. Best decision I ever made in my life. Doctors are humans. Humans make cataclysmic mistakes. As a Psychiatrist YOU are responsible for informing your patients about protracted withdrawal from these drugs but you don't. Psychiatrists are the deadliest drug dealers out there.

The one thing Dr's can test for to see if you may have a vitamin deficiency sometimes deficiencies can cause these symptoms.

What about Xanax used to stop tics with another pill. If you stop your tics will return and they hurt bad. It took 30 years to find these pills what do I do. No doctor on earth knows more than me in me. Ihave had it 68 years. I have taken Xanax for years when the drug addiction people tried to stop it they failed miserably I got seizures fell all the time. I never take to much because if I don’t have it the last day, tics return.

Well first of all.... addiction and dependence are different!!

I find it heartbreaking that pills are doled out without requiring any sort of ACTUAL HELP for the patient. Example: There is a way for some people to learn how to diminish their anxiety attacks. But rather than even bother to help people do this, they are given pills and will never learn how to stop anxiety attacks without pills. So many so-called mental health professionals I've been to hurt more than helped. I was so blessed to have had one or two in my 65 years who actually helped me because they were good, they cared, and they understood that pills are only a part of the equation. How come we are able to get into outer space so that we can have satellite TV but we cannot help those suffering from emotional distress due to trauma or a host of other painful experiences?

I use first time Nitrazepam in 1994 and i use it more than 25 years , Since 2019 November I am clean , I dont use and no craving , nothing , Alhamdulillah I blessed by Allah for this thing.

Honestly I feel really sorry for people that have to go through this. I was on a Benzo for my epilepsy (Clobazam). I was also on Clonaz but that was only used for an as needed emergency drug. Clobazam is a benzo which is pretty mild when it comes to addiction. I was on a pretty damn low dose as well and only about 2 years. I tapered over 3 months but man the side effects were horrific. Crazy depersonalisation, anxiety through the roof, constant cravings for something, depression sky high and basically felt like I was going clinically insane. I stacked on a lot of weight because I was using food to try fill that addiction.

Whilst it was a good drug for my seizures(and probably my anxiety) , I still don’t feel “right” yet after coming off of it. Been over 6 months now as well.

Can you please make a video on HPPD and benzodiapezians.
This is the only medication that seems to help this with the condition. From the very little research there is on the internet and from my own experience with it. Benzos are the only thing that lessen symptoms. I'm currently on klonopin and is been helping wonderfully but I am so afraid to come off of it because of the HPPD symptoms coming back. I've tried so many other medications that don't do anything on HPPD. Can you please help. I know it is not a well-known condition in the medical field.

Agree. No one should take themselves of a benzo due to the risk of seizure and death. Plus, it is highly unprovable to get off yourself due to the other symptoms. It is a awful and lasts a long time.

I was addicted within 2 weeks on 1.5 mg per day. 😢 very unhappy with the young doctor who gave it to me

Best treatment for stress/anxiety? Mindfulness/ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is ideal in my opinion. No pills, doctors, or pharmacies required! It does require dedication, critical thinking, and time though. Most people want/need a much quicker fix which would be why they grab for pills. Non medicinal techniques are way healthier in the long term though I would think, and meds should ideally just help buy you time to learn more effective coping mechanisms to deal with the anxiety on your own. Definitely dealt with more than a little anxiety thanks to my ADHD, and I'm very glad indeed that I looked deeply into meditation/CBT.

Shit I’m phill

yes bcs using meth istead of xanax is the way

I've been using klonopin daily for three years, as per prescription from my psychiatrist. I also take 2 types of antidepressants (Aventyl and Sertraline) and an anti-psychotic medication (Olanzapine). I fear that I'll have to stay on these medications on the long term and I'm scared of the side effects, especially when I see videos like this. Sadly, my mental health doesn't allow it at this moment.

psychiatry is an art ! and You are a beautiful soul and professional, thank You 🙏🏻

I wish I had a Dr. like you when they put me on clonazepam. I took it everyday for like 7 years. The withdrawal was so bad I think it might've did permanent damage to my brain. After I was off the Klonopin I felt like crap and still had a constant state of being in fear, and being scared about nothing at all. Every Dr. I went to to get back on them with just like 10-15 pills a month just for emergency anxiety said no and gave me vistaril which is like an insult to someone with really bad anxiety or a panic disorder like me. They won't do it cause I'm on methadone and they think I'm a junkie looking to get high but when you wait in the ER for 6 hours I can assure you I wasn't just looking to catch a buzz. I felt like I was going to die, and mind you this was when I was tapering off my methadone too. I started with getting off the benzos, then the next thing was the methadone itself. I used kratom and I think that either made it worse or I just went to fast by going 1mg a week. I thought that would be super slow but when you've been on it for over a decade that shit get's into your body everywhere. I should've went like 2mg every 3 weeks or something so every time I'd have enough a few weeks for my body to catch up. When you're going 1mg a week your body has no time to catch up. Especially when you get to 10 and under. I couldn't do it and I made it to 3mg. I was having panic attacks that would last like hours it seemed and I was actually suicidal at one time. So either the methadone withdrawal is really that bad or I made my withdrawal worse by taking Kratom to get off, but I think it was just cause I went to fast or a combination of all of that. Regardless I had to go back up but next time I'm doing it the right way and I'm going slower.

How would Dr Marks know all this? Are there primary sources of this info that i can read?

"Rebound anxiety" is a made up term psychiatrists use to deflect from the actual cause of the symptoms - severe neurological damage caused by benzodiazapines.

Did this while I convalesced from knee surgery. One of the hard thinks I have had to do.

Once again they will give you enough medicine to die improperly. Dear lady the AMA is a farce.

Could lorazepam cause amnesia.... getting in a car, going to a strange place, imagining things and not remembering a car accident?

I’ve been taking .5 mg/day for over a year. Do I need to taper off?

What about Ativan use for catatonia?

My doctor took me off my Valium and Temazapam - I went cold turkey, no taper. I didn't sleep right for a year. 😢
Sacramento, California USA 🇺🇸