An open letter about debilitating chronic illness (mine caused by psych med detox)

I found this written by a woman name Ricky Buchanan. I've discovered by creeping around the CFS and Fibromyalgia boards online that my day to day lived reality is like theirs. I am agnostic about giving myself such a label but I gain much support and don't feel as alone when I interact with people... Continue Reading →

U.S. military: Heavily armed and medicated

The soldier profiled at the beginning of this piece is on the same med I'm currently withdrawing from in agony. It's taken over 6 months to get where I am and now I'm in a detox center to finish the process it became so agonizing. This guy cold-turkeyed in a war zone with a gun... Continue Reading →

The 39 psychotropic drugs I’ve taken

It's potentially dangerous to come off psychiatric drugs rapidly. For guidance in safer withdrawal methods see here. You think maybe something wasn’t quite right? This journey started the summer of 1985 and is about to end this summer of 2009. I have been withdrawing the past 5 years. Nothing ever did work and in retrospect... Continue Reading →

Brief update—in search of homecare

Things continue to be rough with the Valium crossover. I stopped until I stabilized a few days ago and then cut by only .125 mg of Klonopin and added 2.5 mg of the corresponding equivalency of Valium. I've been pretty out of it again and I cut the dose of the exchange in half and... Continue Reading →

The Valium crossover–personal update

So, yeah, the Valium is kicking my ass. I thought I was sick before...shit. Well, really this is just a different kind of sick. Another episode in the iatrogenic illness department. I've been switching out .25 mg of Klonopin for 5 mg of Valium every two days. I think I have to stop for a... Continue Reading →

The Klonopin-Valium Crossover explained

Note: not everyone finds crossing-over helpful. For those who determine it's a good idea here is some information.  More info on benzo use and benzo withdrawal here: Benzo Info Valium (Diazepam) vs. Klonopin (Clonazepam) in Benzodiazepine Withdrawal by Dr. Reg Peart Victims of Tranquilizers About 20 different drugs, including diazepam, clonazepam, barbiturates and other non-benzodiazepine drugs have... Continue Reading →

Another day in the life

I am marginally better from my low which really peaked on Christmas day. (can a low peak? ha!) The day after I wrote the piece I link to (the 25th) I continued to barely function. After administering an emergency .25 mg of Klonopin and finding that it basically made me OD, (I was drugged into... Continue Reading →

Christmas 2008

My husband said to me a bit ago, "I guess we can just pretend Christmas 2008 never happened." It made me sad even though I'm not a big fan of Christmas as far as the commercialism goes and have never done a bit of decorating my whole adult life. I avoid all things Christmas out... Continue Reading →

The latest dish on the journey beyond meds

So what's happening in my journey lately? I'm finding it harder and harder to share as the issues become subtler and more personal simultaneously. I am trying to find the right person/people to help me on my journey. I already have several key players in place. Some have been in place a long time. My... Continue Reading →

The truth about benzos (Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, Xanax, etc)

In The Guardian today: They used to be called 'mother's little helpers', pill prescribed to stressed suburban housewives as a miracle pick-me-up. Now benzodiazepines are proving popular again, this time as an alternative to heroin. The tranquilliser boomed in the Sixties and Seventies as a supposedly safe alternative to barbiturates. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards... Continue Reading →

Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑