When medicine and doctors almost kill you… Because, yeah, I was on death’s door for a long, long time. It can still feel traumatic to really think about that time and continues to be trauma inducing. I do hope we can help others avoid such a fate.
From Geraldine, a long-time friend and a generous and knowledgeable leader in the benzo withdrawal community…she really publicly started and got withdrawal issues on the map for all of us regardless of what psychiatric pharmaceutical we’re withdrawing from. thank you, Dear Geraldine: With this being the week of World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day on July 11th… Continue Reading →
This is the video I did last year for this day. Help raise awareness and please share it and other information about benzodiazepines today. Visit: — World Benzodiazepine Day: Change through Unity (Facebook page) — Recently I wrote another post about what it was like when the illness incurred by the drugs was at its worst: When medicine and doctors almost kill you… Because, yeah, I was on death’s door for a long, long time. It can still feel traumatic to really think about that time. I do hope we can help others avoid such a fate. …
by Richard D. Lewis “Benzo Blue” A Song of Protest and a Search for Liberation… Continue Reading →
(July 11th, let us unite with all who’ve been harmed by psychiatric drugs) For more information visit: World Benzodiazepine Day: Change through Unity (Facebook page) Psychiatric drug withdrawal information and resources Benzodiazepine info, news, resources and recovery stories Medically induced illness: iatrogenic injury The anniversary posts: the 6 years off psychiatric drugs documented *it is potentially… Continue Reading →
By Richard Lewis — As the benzodiazepine crisis spreads throughout the United States and other parts of the world so does the debate within the benzo victim/survivor community about important definitions of key medical terms and about safe and successful paths to healing and recovery. Does “iatrogenic benzo dependence” and “addiction” represent completely separate medical and social phenomena? If they are to have distinctly different scientific definitions, can they also (at the same time) intersect in multiple ways in people’s actual real life experience? And what is the medical and social significance of exploring these concepts and seeking unity of understanding and purpose? Before delving into the content of this debate let’s briefly review the social context from which this “Benzo Divide” has emerged.
The UK Times Magazine today publishes a long article describing CEP founder Luke Montagu’s terrible experience with antidepressants and sleeping pills: “When he was first prescribed these drugs at 19, Montagu was not depressed and had never been diagnosed with depression. He was a student at New York University, and had recently undergone a general anaesthetic for a sinus operation that left him with headaches and feeling, as he puts it, “not myself”. Without carrying out any tests, a British GP announced that he had a “chemical imbalance of the limbic system” and prescribed Prozac. Montagu, “impressionable and in awe of doctors”, swallowed them unquestioningly … [click on title to read and view more]
Benzodiazepines are prescribed primarily for anxiety and/or sleep issues. They are a highly problematic class of drug. Most people are not told the risks involved when they are first prescribed. This page provides information on the risks of taking benzodiazepines. It also offers information and resources for freeing oneself from benzodiazepine dependence. Although all psychiatric… Continue Reading →
As Baylissa clearly says above, withdrawal syndromes can be equally devastating for both SSRI/SNRI users and benzo users. Often times this is not understood. I’ve also seen people have severe issues that are also similar with the so-called mood stabilizers as well as the neuroleptics. All the psychiatric drugs, even though they have different mechanisms of action when it comes to their (so-called) therapeutic intent, challenge the nervous system in ways that can cause broad and systemic problems upon withdrawal and even simply after long-term use. The autonomic nervous system disregulation that results hence creates similar protracted issues in the user regardless of drug.
We see the most documentation of these issues with the SSRIs and benzos. Benzodiazepine drugs have the longest history and so this phenomena is more frequently recognized with benzos. The neuroleptics and mood stabilizers have the least literature and documentation but it’s clear that they too have very serious issues. Lamictal, a anti-seizure drug used as a “mood stabilizer” clearly causes very serious issues. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
We desperately need to seed the medical establishment with the indisputable facts about what have happened to us as a result of taking psychiatric drugs. Please help The Council for Evidence-based Psychiatry with this data collection. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
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