I had (2) next door neighbors for years. Both lesbians and "crazy," Always fighting, breaking up & getting back together... One day while chilling, I asked them how did they come to choosing their respective specialties? One's was "alcoholism," I forgot the other. And they told me that shrinks usually study and specialize in what they suffer themselves, need, or their addictions
Most are indeed crazy, from my experiences anyway. There are ancillary studies that suggest this as well, certain personality types being drawn to the profession for instance. I just know from my experiences with professionals in this field, from the Hippie psychologists I worked with in the late 70s on, most have been eccentric, peculiar, a bubble off center, if not completely wacky verging on nuts. And everyone sees this, crazy, wacked-out mental health professionals have become the subject of many Internet memes. It is true and we all know it, if not how do you explain Frasier Crane?
I went through the hell of withdrawal from zanex about 6 years ago. No help from the professionals to do a slow withdrawal and no compassion. The mental and physical pain of coming off this drug which I was prescribed for anxiety disorder is something you can't imagine. I was considering suicide. It took months before I could function at all. Thanks for bringing light to this issue.
I've been taking Xanax since 2008 and I can't quit because I work and can't afford to take a whole bunch of time off to withdraw. And, from what I understand seeing everyone's comments, it's not something I could function enough to continue to work while going through.
There is physical addiction and mental addiction people need understand this. Physical addiction does not make a drug addict but mental addiction is when you become a drug addict like or not that is the science . I my self partake because of issues and could not stop cold.
At this time, NO medicine is the best medicine. I believe that there are those that want most of us dead. Praying for your wife and all others suffering.
@karenmoreau4589 I wish more people knew what you know. Plus there are other things going on at the same time including fresh water contamination, 'forest' fires', and all kinds of weather.
My husband, addicted to benzodiazepines, tried to get of them, took antidepressant, got panik attacks, comitted suicide. My father addicted to benzodiazepines, tried to get of them, physician prescribed antidepressant, also comitted suicide. This combination of benzo-withdrawl symptoms plus antidepressant seems to be a VERY bad idea.
my God that is terrible :( prayers 4 u !! but yeah, my best friend took his own life... shortly after stopping anti-depressants. He only was on anti-depressants a few months. its SOOO maddening !! I hate anti-depressants. They literally kill people.
You’re much too generous in not thinking these doctors aren’t aware of the damage they do. They get paid for their willingness to not look under the hood.
@thestar2870 Yep. My doctor tried to gaslight me, said I was "playing mind games" with him and "I sign thousands of prescriptions, I can't be expected to keep track of them all." Excuse me? That's literally your job, dipshit. It's what you're paid to do. When I filed a suit against him, and won it - I got no money, but he was disciplined, amazingly - it came out that for a lot of the time he was refilling my prescriptions, he actually _wasn't_ signing his own prescriptions, his nurse was! So he had no idea what I was taking. He lied to me! It's not illegal to get your nurse to do it, but it's very irresponsible for patients who are on narcotics. The board also noted that even after I got off the benzos, he kept prescribing me other psychiatric medications for three years as my doctor, and never asked to see me once. What a lazy, incompetent asshole.
I agree 100% with what you said. You have a lot of that, and then the rest are students who never ask questions because they don't truly want to heal. They just want the lifestyle.
Hi Josef, psychiatric colleague here from Switzerland. Your work made me aware and inspired me a great deal. And my patients and I are very grateful. Keep up the amazing work.
I hope there's a class action. 18 months later from coming off Benzos I'm having panic attacks, IBS, memory loss, tinnitus, insomnia, myalgia. I have a high pain threshold, but this was almost too much. Things are now improving but it's been a living nightmare.
Same here. I wish I could share my experiences with someone. Tinnitus just started 2 weeks ago. I also had cancer treatment 1 year ago. Did the radiation cause this? No one knows. I'm probably not going to make it. I pray everyday
Hang in there! It's been 5 years and every one is better than the last. At first I had issues with just normal lights and sounds and could not think straight. 6mg/day minimum for years
I too hope there is a class action. You would know what people suffer; my Canadian veteran friend had horrendous side effects as you did. I was witness to the ultra rapid cycling down to four minutes apart all night long; the hallucinations; the splitting of the personality. Granted some other meds caused trouble too but the Tolerance w.d. and later full withdrawal from Clonazepam was the worst. Mario you have my full sympathy. What i want to see are suggestions as to some relief; would Pot help? I am just throwing that out as an idea; Fasting? Yoga? Hypnosis? If any listeners have heard of something that offers relief please pass your suggestions along.
I’m also going through what the smart informed ones know as BIND ( benzodiazepine Induced Neurological dysfunction) and also PAWS ( post acute withdrawal syndrome). It’s horrible. Intrusive thoughts are the worst. The mental anguish to me is worse than the physical symptoms like burning nerves all throughout the nervous system.
It was the Valium clouding her mind when she was saying that. You made the right choice. I had to quit these shit meds and the withdrawal is physically more painful than that of opiates. It doesn't have quite the psychological pull which is great bc if they did they actually would be impossible to quit upon one's own free will.
MD degrees don’t like you thinking for yourself. That’s a diabolical ego, arrogance, authoritative complex, and unrighteous. No one should EVER hand over the agency of their bodies, decision-making power over their own welfare of themselves, their children or pets. Getting medical advice to be consider, while educating and deciding for oneself is ALWAYS the best and only choice. I’ve even had several experiences with veterinarians who were reckless. Or, when I would assert my preference of drug against known side effects and too several times, healed what they couldn’t, they are spiteful, jealous, and or can’t admit what they did. ALWAYS look up the drug they are recommending. EVEN. Some of the newer antibiotics ( a center fluouride molecule or other) can permanently make you, destroy your gut beyond the old side effects, and bring on serious and incurable autoimmune disease. Sometimes antibiotics are necessary for serious and emergency infections REASEARCH before you take anything. There are natural alternatives for almost everything. I know and have cured a LOT that docs can’t come close to. There are hundreds of thousands of scientific studies on herbs for people and pets.
I know of a pharmacist who left her profession because she didn't want to continue to fill prescriptions for these types of meds for children/teens anymore, she said she knew what these meds were going to do to the them in the long run, she had ethics.
Yes thanks for staying this bc this idea that none of them know what they're doing is a lie n we need to stop giving them as a group the benefit of the doubt. Individually perhaps as we don't know how experienced they are etc but at some point they know. We should start making it more public so they feel more accountability n shame n less will get into this field or leave it. Right now too many have plausible deniability. That needs to end.
Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, dr.sporees I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
I took Clonazepam for a year while also being an alcoholic and the double whammy of both Gaba suppressors almost killed me. The withdrawal from the benzo was much worse than from the alcohol. Happy to be sober for eight years now and I will be ever go near these addictive drugs again.
I'm going thru the worst wd from Klonopin. I have the worst air hunger to an extreme! Feels like I'm suffocating to death!! I went through 2 other wd's and didn't have air hunger. I also have vibrating pain that presses against my ribs..this is pure terror!! 😭I wanna die. 😭
20 years ago it took me 700 days to quit taking the smallest dose once a day, and I had only taken it for two months for a small tremor. I cut down removing very small amounts at a time. Even after that, I still had sweats and crushing withdrawals for 10 more days. I lost 17 lbs in the 10 days. That was only two months of use on the smallest dose. It was for a minor tremor. It did nothing for the tremor, by the way. Cutting out sugar, sugar substitutes, gluten and going low carb finally got me better. This man might want to cut sugar, carbs and gluten for his wife and see if keto helps her.
I’ve been through this. It is hell on earth. It’s been almost a year now and I’m just getting to where I am functional. You are treated as if you are a drug addict if you tell someone. I’ve never done drugs in my life. I was a person experiencing severe anxiety disorder, looking for help from medical professionals. I took my medication, exactly as prescribed. What transpired was worse than anything you can ever imagine and I am amazed that I am alive today to talk about it. God bless your wife and your family.
@@sadhu7191not so fast in 2004 I did not hv google - or believe me I would hv found out first it wasn’t untill 2010 or so that got into google and a lot of ion line tools it was already too late - trust me now in this day absolutely any med can be googled we k ow now but not THEN 0 zero
I was on clonazapam and adivan for almost 10 years(among a buffet of other related meds)... took me 2 years to ween off, and now 10 years later I'm still feeling the symptoms/side effects. very regular "brain shocks" totally disassociated from not only friends/family but myself/the world as well. I hope they can figure this out and stop poisoning people, because I wouldn't wish the last 20 years of my life on anyone. Now I'm too skeptical to even go to a Doctor, especially considering they want to MAIDS us here in Canada for less serious cases of mental health issues. My attitude now is there's no "care" left in medical care... it's all about profit... we need to change the medical business model so Drs get paid by keeping patients healthy, instead of keeping the m alive to be patients. we're not livestock for your wealth farm.
It's not the doctors. The pharmaceutical companies own the law makers, media outlets, and the medical colleges/ schools. It is all the younger doctor's know
@@hamsapiens it was a bunch of stuff... emotional numbing.. minus anger I was feeling THAT regularly, couldn't concentrate, had ZERO energy or motivation. then I found out the longer you use it the less your body can do for itself as far as producing those chemicals internally... annnnd I was like "is THIS how I want my life to be?" I decided it was not. THAT is when the suffering really started to be totally honest. lol the coming off is far far worse than the original condition. Should have just stayed with the anxiety because it was a super pleasant day at the park compared to the withdrawls and the seemingly permanent side effects I'm still dealing with... seriously I'd advise anyone who doesn't require meds to literally survive not BE on meds of any type. my answer is super simplified compared to the totality of the real life situation because it would be a forever read. pretty much I stopped because it's poison.
@@hamsapiens thank you.. I'm happy to talk about it because it feels like it's not made clear enough before we start taking it... or it wasn't 20 some years ago. for those it helps it works wonders, I don't doubt, but they seem to try to fix mental health by carpet bombing the issue with one-size fits all tactics (or more accurately if you want my honest take, NOT healing us because we'd not be paying customers if they actually did the job) I was having severe panic attacks... like to the point of seizures... but instead of helping anything the meds made my issues exponentially worse. my occasional seizures became daily occurrences and my incidents of anxiety attacks became the constant standard and grew to unbearable levels... PLUS a slew of neurological and psychological side effects... for me it was a massive mistake. at one point I had nightmares so bad I actually went to therapy over it.. I'd wake up searching my arms for blood splatter regularly.. it was rough. that was one of the things that started pushing me toward getting back to relatively drug free. now I use weed to self medicate and I'm like 10 times better than I was under treatment.. so yah, I hope it works for you, sounds like it is for the most part, but seriously look into the effects of being on them for too long and if Drs wont tell you it's bad you should try a different Dr because it's been known for a while. according to the info I've been able to gather the truth is something like about 3 MONTHS on them and you should stop. I was encouraged to carry on for 10 YEARS through multiple doctors, psychiatrists, and at least 2 neurologists. Just make sure you get as much info as you can, regardless.. and good luck
My physician wouldn't even give me a sleeping pill. His standard message for any mental issue: 'Go running, talk to a friend, try meditation' and for illness: 'Make a chicken broth, go to bed early'. He did not like to prescribe any such pills to anyone in his praxis. Now years later I have to thank him for that.
I am one of the injured from a benzo for sleep. I cold turkeyed (My idea) after 18 years of .5 a night and my doctor was fine with that idea. After suffering some crazy effects i found the reason by researching "Why is my brain shaking" It is a lonely journey and one we can only do on our own as the doctors are not at all educated. I am 3 years into this journey. What a wonderful and supportive husband. Thanks for this video.
The problem is we are told if we take a pill, we have to take it every day for the rest of our lives, which is completely false. Drugs are just like alcohol. Daily use creates some very undesirable effects. Intermittent use with breaks in between allows the liver to heal and the body to stabilize normally. Benzos are amazing drugs with very few side effects for intermittent use. But the mentality that we have to take it on a regimen to get the benefit is the problem. Benzo effects are immediate not cumulative. You can get the benefits in 15 minutes. What is cumulative are the negative side effects. Low dose intermittent use is the answer.
And may I add, what an amazing partner and husband you are. You are very tuned in to your wife, you protected her and have fought extremely hard to help her. You have educated yourself in all areas. You are the exception and i just wanted to acknowledge what an amazing husband and advocate you have been.
What a lucky lady to have you as her husband. You are correct, this is a broken medical system. It all stems from Big Pharma. Money is all that matters.
I was suddenly cut off in 2010 from 4mg a day of Klonopin, cold turkey. Glad to be off of them, but that isn't the way to do it. Our system is not only broken, it is punitive, exploitive, dysfunctional and profiteering off of sick people with zero accountablilty.
I agree animals are treated better at the vets than humans are by medical/mental health professions here in the UK too ! Most systems need reforming ! Sorry for the loss of your son R.I.P.🙏 The trauma/grief that you both experience will be overwhelming and pray that an adequate support system will be forthcoming. Seems your input in advocating for your wife has been such a grueling process to go through. Sound like you are an intelligent man and wonderful husband and have done your research ! Appalling how these systems operates like most systems in this world. Shameful /shocking conduct /treatment you both received. Thank you for sharing your story which I’m sure will benefit others. God bless you both ! 🙏
good luck Tina, I went through it too about 5 yrs ago. It will end, no matter how it feels. Stay with it. Reach out to others, we aren't alone. Benzo withdrawls are worse than opiates, and I have kicked both. It seems like with benzos, there is some weird doubling back. Like it's worse 2 weeks in than it was after the initial 5 days!! Horror. I kicked alone (4-5 Xanax 2mg per day habit), and it was a nightmare...no sleep, anxiety from hell, vomiting, diarrhea , fainting, seizures , holding onto things to walk in my house..a solid month of this. Then about 6 months of various symptoms. It was about 2 yrs before I was ok. Hope it is not so intense for you, I wish you well.
@@beckythornton6470 wow Becky I too have withdrawalled from opiates and alcohol. This is a monster I'm comparison for sure. Thank you for sharing your story and sending encouragement. Much love
@@apreviousseagle836 I can tolerate melatonin. Everyone in this chat is so supportive and for that I'm grateful. I love you all. You are giving me hope.
I came out of the military with lots of anxiety, and saw a psych. At the time PTSD was not a term. She couldn't do a thing for me, but I fell back on learning how to cope myself, and finding out what exactly was bothering me. That is the key, self help.@@anna-tn8mg
I have actually asked a psychiatrist and two psychology phds if there is any truth to the saying that they go into psychology to better understand their own issues. They all said yes. They all had either anxiety or neurosis themselves, or a suicidal/mentally ill sibling or parent.
@@nessae354 I went into Psych because I was, and am, fascinated by it, by all the questions; *why/how/nature/nurture* (+a big ETC!) It was the same for most of my classmates, at that time. About what age group do the 3 people you referred to fall into? (➕ anyone else in the comment thread who has any info to add...) I wonder if there's a significant correlation between *age* group and primary *reason* for choosing Psych as their career path. 'Psychologist/Psychiatrist heal thyself' 😄
When he said gabapentin we sighed at the same time. I’ve been on benzodiazepines for the last 12 years. My story is very similar to the ones I’ve heard in this channel. I asked to come off them many times, eventually I ran away from home and moved to Hawaii and weaned myself off it took me 3 months. I felt okay and came back to my house and was in the worst back pain of my life for 6 months. Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I thought I had cancer in my back too because I started chemo and the pain went away. It wasn’t until last night when I started listening to your channel, that I remembered that I asked for a script for Benzos for my anxiety about chemo. My fear is I beat cancer and benzos are going to take me down- never been this low in my life.
I am so sorry.. I’m going to write down your name and pray for you. Never give up hope. Fast and pray to God for help and strength. I’m very sorry you are going through such a hard time in life right now. God can do the impossible.
The best advice anyone will give you in your life is this: DON'T EVER SEEK "HELP" from a Psychiatrist. My father, who knew about these people, tried to warn me. But I had no idea that these psychiatrists would literally Destroy me and Everything I ever had. This is the most valuable advice you will ever get. Don't ever even think about going to them. Seek help from a counselor somewhere, anywhere but a psychiatrist.
my dad warned me the same. 15 years seeing psychiatrists has caused IMMENSE regret. I use to scoff when people called them pill pushers. boy was i wrong.
I know as a fact that it's many. The issue is that providing mental health care - which is expensive - is slow. Prescribing a nice little pill is easy. Look at fentanyl...
I love how he is a detailed historian of her symptoms and medication etc. The level of detail illustrates how attentive he was to her while this was happening.
What he says is so true. I was in an airplane accident and was very traumatized. One day I was at a new Dr. and she decided it was fine to be off my 60MGs of valium a month. I luckily knew this was wrong and flew to Mexico and bought a few boxes and did a two-year taper myself!! It was not fun but I honestly thought I was going to die of a seizure.
There is a huge bias against drug addiction and everyone (legal, medical, and social contacts) writes off "addicts," and treats them as less than human. All of us would be smarter next time, but the first time you go in believing the treatment professional know how to help. It is not unique to benzos because my son's experience with what ended up being heroin addiction and treatment was ridiculous. He was also given a list of diagnoses as long as your arm starting when he was just 15. I knew he didn't have those issues. He was traumatized, and depressed, anxious, having emotional flashbacks. He wanted to get clean and voluntarily completed 8 programs from 1-9 months in length, and relapsed immediately every time and the last time he died. Only then (because at the end he was 20 years old, an adult, and I didn't want to treat him like a child) did I realize the statistics and that they never addressed his trauma except with even more drugs . You do end up being at the mercy of these rehabs that are like One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. It was a nightmare! It really is hard to believe it can legally go on in the United States.
Drs really shouldn’t be allowed to practice unless they are capable of empathy- I’ve met few who can. And they wonder why patients hate them and don’t listen
they are mostly ran by former addicts to. i also had a heroin addiction so i understand some of what you have been through and the last place i went to in florida i was offered percs, weed pens everywhere , people having sex it's INSANE how some of these places are run. it's either a free for all or just like you said just like the movie... 20 years old what a shame i'm so sorry for your loss.
Thirty years ago, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac had a nightmare with Klonipin. She was very outspoken about how terrible it affected her, and how hard it was to quit.
I don't know about other cases, but this was more than benzos admittedly, and who knows what she might have done to cope with unbearable sorrow of losing a son in college.
I college, I read 'I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can' That was in the early 1980s. The woman stopped taking I think valium suddenly and had a psychotic break. It's a true story of a journalist
They are not that hard to quit. One of the less addictive Benzos prescribed. Omg! How do you even know if she was taking as prescribed & what else she was taking.
Thank you for letting us know this, velvetbees. They know full well what they're doing by now. Besides, I've read the NWO agendas, and let's just say they don't want us around anymore.
Wow. This is very similar to my experience. My heart breaks for this man’s wife. I’ve been going it alone now for 7 months. I won’t subject myself to the medical machine anymore- I’m trying to heal myself with knowledge from caring and properly informed CZcams creators like yours, it has been infinitely more helpful than all the in person doctors I’ve seen. Thank you for your work here - you are making a difference.
May God hold and keep you 🙏. And send his angels to watch over you. You are a brave and beautiful person. so please be careful, benzos and alcohol withdrawal can be deadly. ❤
I cant tell withdrawal from my "real" anxiety and panic attacks? They switched Xanax to diazepam (Valium) and I have just ended my horrific painkiller addiction. Now Im gonna lower my Valium slowly and Im scared as h*ll. I suffered from so severe panic attacks that I couldn't even leave my house and that was before they prescribed Xanax? How will I be able to go through this hell? Could it be the Valiums who give me severe depression and suicidal thoughts?
I was involuntarily hospitalized 8 times because of benzo and tramadol withdrawal. Was treated less than humane. given so many different labels and medications like your wife. Wish that i had someone that believed me and advocated for me. the doctors had me and my family believing i was severely mentally ill because going through the withdrawals made me act like i was.
If you decide to come off benzos you must taper very slowly. adjust to the new amount for a few weeks then come down one milligram. it took me months. it wasn't easy but it was far far better than going down too fast or cold turkey. get you pharmacist to help you do it. they have to be strict but kind. get them on your team and explain that you need support. I still take zopiclone to sleep. I suffer horrible withdrawal even from that. it's no joke. I do not sleep at all if I don't have it. I get mentally unwell and physically ill. I'm now 1 year cannibis and alcohol free. my next goal is to taper off the zopiclone.
I'm on the tramedol, n it's nearly impossible with just that! How do u get off!!!! I was taking 400 MG a day. I'm now down to 350 n feel HORRIBLE all the time. How do u get off this horrible medicine! Feel like I'll need to be on it forever to feel normal. It's terrifying! 😢
@@witchywomen6650 Some just need to taper super slow. Get a scale that measures in milligrams and be very patient. It takes me 2-3 months just to get off valium. Good luck its hell and im back on valium cause i need em. I did last 7 months one time. Its definitely possible and i was addicted too.
@@cmgordon12345 I agree. I went through my cold turkey withdrawal and all its symptoms all alone, and I was grateful for not inflicting this on anyone else.
I was offered benzo's a year ago, for low level anxiety. Thanks to people like you, I was warned and refused to take them. I'm sure many lives have been saved because of your courage.
Good job , I think I had just saved myself by watching this video only taking klonopin for a month and quit last week cold Turkey luckily only had a week of withdrawal symptoms had to call out of work but they have dissipated. Thank you sir for these videos
A death in the family while traumatic, is no reason to be going on prescription meds indefinitely. The intense emotions and depression are situational, so, as time passes, most will begin to feel better. People also have to recognize when it's time to become proactive and prevent this new depressive & negative identity from forming.
Good advice to follow is that if you are offered a prescription, first check to see if it has a black box warning, and then check to see if the drug you're about to take has an online support group. Those two things would be called red flags.
I can relate to every this man's wife is going through. My heart breaks for her and what he's describing is the reality that many of us are living through. I'm 3.5 years post withdrawal and I'm currently bedridden. Where are we supposed to go for help. What he described is exactly what happens. I'm 64, I live alone and have 3 beautiful grandchildren and I can't attend any of their sports, or any engagement. I'm in pain 24/7, have the same head pressure, neck pain, more migraines than before, and too many symptoms to mention. I understand now why people take their own !ives. Thank you for putting a spotlight on this barbaric process we are forced to go through. Your videos are very informative and helpful.
I am sorry for your suffering .I am 10 years post-withdrawal, age 69 Was bedridden most of the time for 3-4 years. Suffering intolerable to the point of making inquiries about assisted dying. I am vastly better than those years but far from being completely well. However life is manageable. I hope that you will see improvements with the passage of time. I have found no help apart from online support groups. I have consulted with 3 psychiatrists and 2 neurologists. I live in the UK.
I myself spent several years on and off psych-meds of various kinds, mostly benzos and SSRI's. Destroyed my health completely. I finally found stability for moods by way of smoking a few organic cigarettes a day. But now those of my church are urging me to quit and the mere effort to reduce the dose has been sending me down a rat-hole of insability, my moods and brain pain going off the scale as a result. Never could have imagined the fraity of a neural system so completely perverted and disturbed in the wake of psychiatric care and now due to attempts at tobacco cessation I'm back to going into crazy bad moods, every bit as bad as before. How on earth tobacco came to be regarded as a "sin" a big mystery to me. My Christian advisers appear to demonstrate an attitude of patronizing condescension and contempt, which hardly serves to generate respect in my own heart with regard to their theological views. It's becoming insane, and I'm not sure who is more off their proverbial meds, me for coming unglued due to withdrawal or my Christian advisers who seem always to have a stick up their ass.
Fiona & Patty, What u have experienced is horrific. This is beyond unacceptable 😢 Noel- Do what's best for you & your body. Also, you write very elegantly ❤❤
& what if this mans wife didn't have her husband there to witness her reactions to the drugs, she may have thought she was going crazy. Klonopin is a MF, the drug is safe if taken at a low enough dose for short periods of time (note, if u drink, alcohol on top of benzodiazapines is not safe at any level) but *entirely UN-SAFE to withdrawal from* *especially at the rates that most all Dr.s prescribe*
Maybe Stevie Nicks would speak out more about this. She had a terrible experience being prescribed Klonopin by a psychiatrist with no informed consent. She talked about the experience in an interview with the NY Times.
I saw her in an interview years ago talking about her getting off of Klonopin after being on it for eight years and said it was the most difficult experience in her life.
@@SunnyCarnivorei agree that has been disappointing since he acts like its something to cover up rather than hit at the source. the actual drugs. i dont hear him warning others now, i dont think he wants to remind people but he’s already a public figure who went through it and its a bit of a disservice to gloss over
Stevie was on a cocktail of all the benzos. It wasn't Klonopin alone she had to w/d from. She was also rapid tapered at the Betty Ford Clinic. Horrific for her.
The story is definitely heartbreaking, but if you paid attention to it there are a lot of other factors than just benzodiazepines involved that made the story absolutely more horrifying
@@SAMEntalhealth As far as I can tell I was paying attention, but just in case I missed something, please be more specific. What are these factors you're referring to? And what is your point in making this statement? I really want to understand.
As a survivor of protracted withdrawal, and the ignorance of the pharmaceutical and medical corpse. I truly appreciate the way he speaks about his wife. He was supportive and protective, and not dismissive.
Well this is common knowledge. You will experience anxiety from hell,depression, insomnia, upset stomach and bowels, sweating and cold. It's like the worst flu plus severe anxiety. It's very much like heroin withdrawal but it can last much longer, sometimes years.
they are ignorant and don't really care. I went to so many doctors - everyone just tell me the same bs, they don't even take their own subject serious - it's just about getting that money. I am glad this Chanel exists, these psychiatric medications are a big danger to people, its criminal
Agreed. I’m a psych nurse and never completely understood why the psychiatrists were so conservative with the use or overuse of Ativan. After seeing this video I’m going to give Atarax more offer for anxiety unless it’s very severe. I will use Ativan much less for anxiety.
So sorry to hear about your wife. Sir, would you consider a ketogenic diet? I’m on Benzos for Lance Adams Syndrome and have been successfully cutting my dose by 1/16th of a tablet every 3 months for the past 3 years. Like your wife, everything was fine until 2 recent consecutive emotionally traumatic events. The first thing my GP’s recommend are more benzos! I am appalled and have refused. I am a biohacker. There are only 150 people alive in the world with this condition. I am going everything natural to heal. The insomnia and depression were crippling. It’s getting better but I have to force myself to get up and be proactive. Sun gazing. Exercise, low carbs (focusing more on fruits and veggies, healthy fats and protein). I am blessed not to suffer with any neuropathy. I am grateful everyday and send you and your wife prayers and healing energy. I am studying to help people to heal themselves naturally which means a change in career at 58. I believe healing is possible . I’ve had the condition for nearly 10 years and am doing everything to heal my brain and give it what it needs. God bless you.
Yes I am sure the manufacturers of benzos know exactly the extreme addictiveness of benzos and withdrawals. It's a business. All about the American dollar.
It started when they burned the midwives and the sage women who knew about herbal medicine as witches. Then medicine was becoming a male profession, firmly in the hands of the church and the satanic elite. They started to cut up dead bodies - a taboo in many societies - and develop modern medicine. The first remedies they described were arsenic, lead and mercury. Not much has changed since then, the remedies just have fancier names. Look at the symbol they chose : a staff with a serpent crawling around it ! Western medicine is satanic and designed to make people sick, weak, dumb and dependent. They invented all the modern drugs, with exception of cocaine. Heroin was invented by Bayer and prescribed as an antidote to opium dependancy. Each time one of their drugs was denounced as being harmful, they came up with a replacement. Codeine in childrens' cough sirup, Fentanyl and Oxycontin. They have known about the harmful effects of opium derivatives since over hundred years, and still put Fentanyl on the market ? That's not an accident, that's malicious intent. Western modern medicine is good when it comes to surgery and all the machines they invented - defibrillators, anesthesia, hip replacements and so on. That's what creates trust and draws people in. And then they destroy them with their pharmaceuticals. At the top of most governements worldwide are satanists, and their interest is to make people addicted to drugs, because it weakens society and creates a lot of suffering. They thrive on the suffering of the people. And many addictions lead to demonic possessions, because the suffering and the loss of control over the brain opens the mind up, so demons can enter. After that, it's the demon forcing his host to continue taking the drug.
@carniwarrior, I believe 5 years from now it will be a full blown epidemic like the opioid epidemic. I have lost 3 people to suicide in my small circle of people I met through the support group. There's simply no resources available to support the number of people suffering. It's not like you have a choice in my state, they told me they were taking me off with no plan in place to address the symptoms I was prescribed them for which was Lupus. I was on them 22 years and never had a problem.
I'm so glad you stuck to your guns. I'm sure it was a difficult decision. I've been on meds since I was 18. I'm 53 now. It's such a decision to make because we all want to feel better so badly. It's been 4 years off the Valium now after 25 yrs with it. I'm still struggling. My mental health is a fight everyday.
@@neilacrabtree1617 Awe, I’m sorry to hear that but congratulations on being able to get off the medications, I’m sure it wasn’t easy. I’m always so proud of anyone who can defeat a lifelong dependency on medication, because goodness knows the formulations of those products don’t make them easy to get off of.
I know these comments are going to be overwhelmingly focused on the negative aspects of benzos, so I'll add my own anecdote: a mild prescription of xanax was the only thing that helped me cope with the trauma of sexual assault. After feeling nothing but pain, it helped me appreciate small things like music and sunsets again. It allowed me to carry on when I simply wanted to end it all. Each medicine has its place, its uses.
take it long enuff and IT POISONS.. the devil's hook is it works good at 1st..then..welcome to hell..in the literal sense..same as crack..you keep seeking that elusive 1st high
@@cj5273well, some addictions are OK if it benefits you. Oh, well. Life sux. Not everyone has an easy go at life, not many do, but a lot needs meds and some don't. Saying, benzo bad, don't ever start, get off it, is not realistic for far too many ppl. This talks are nice, but they don't even inspire. I've quit too many times - 18 mos was longest and still felt like shut, should I've done 3, 4, 5 yrs. .. 10 yrs? Not possible, don't even remember how I ever went beyond a week.
They tapered me off in 4 days. The hospital did not believe my symptoms as being real with my super sensitivities to everything. The doctor was shocked when I recited everything she said from down the hall and behind 2 closed doors though.
@@patriciabarnes9584 Wow! You need more meds! Sorry if I joke a bit It's not to be mean. But what are the choices? You can cry or laugh at how the system works and ignores the proof Infront of them that it's the meds that caused everything. In my case they apologized for some of the things they said about me that I was not supposed to hear. They thought I was faking my symptoms including passing out and the long list of other stuff when I was going through hell on earth. They wanted me out the door because they got worried about the insurance paying. I do wonder what the notes said though and if they said it was something else or just did not mention it at all.
This corrupt, insurance draining facility, diagnosed me with schizoeffective disorder on my discharge papers even though I was never diagnosed with it or anything similar previously at 52 years old. I really had BIND, of course and they knew it. I was aware and I advocated for myself by refused taking antipsychotics since it wouldn't be helpful. Anyway, I had a completely different diagnosis 3 weeks prior during intake, Benzodiazepine Abuse Disorder, even though I was taking my script as prescribed. ( Is that even a real diagnosis?)
@@newjerseydevil6115 They dare call it abuse, those weak f-cking doctors with no accountability. Makes me so mad. I have been told too that I abused them back when they still prescribed me oxazepam, hell yes I was dependant but DID NOT ABUSE IT. Taken as prescribed cannot be abusing the drug. I have developed a deep, deep hatred towards doctors, I remember meeting one very sweet lady in the past 10 years and the rest have been either like numb zombies or plain mean and undermining symptoms.
Under guard in her room! OMG. That’s horrific that she went in for help and was kept there. A very similar thing happened to me. Thank God I was able to contact my therapist who threatened to sue the hospital because decisions were being made without a psychiatrist. This woman is so blessed to have a husband like him!
I have been on 2 mg of Clonazapam for 6 years after my son died. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks and thought I was losing my mind. They were not giving me the Clonazapam.
As a patient of methadone for over 15 years I share your wife's pain and totally understand....a lot different if you have been there ..I was almost crying for her and believed every word you said...hear from the UK 🇬🇧 my heart goes out to you both STAY STRONG
This is the second time I haveattended to your sincere, honest sharing of this horrendous experience! I cannot tell youhow deeply I admire you and your wife and the compassion I feel for your humbling experience. I am a retired mental health counselor - 30 years - and have seen a widerange oftreatment. There truly are gems in this field and I was fortunate enough to work with several. I am also licensed in alcohol and drug treatment...a field that is developing. My focus was dual diagnosis...major psych dx as well as substance abuse...As far as I can see, there are FEW black and white treatments and M.D. does NOT mean major deity. When we work as a team, with the bottom line of respect and love...we seem to make the best progress..that is to assist our person to live comfortably in their own skin. Sending you all warm feelings of support. Idea...why don't you and your wife have a "date night"? Blessings.....
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m 5+ years into a brutal taper from various psych meds. I’m only 52 and have teenagers. This is so not fair to my husband or my teens. Our family life has been ruined by these poisons. I have the awful head pain almost daily plus about 20+ other sxs. Unbelievable that I have survived this so far.
And, it all started with some mild anxiety… I am so sick now compared to when I started taking the first ssri over 20+ yrs ago. So polydrugged over the years and gaslighted by the psychiatrist who put me on these drugs. It’s plain evil.
@@rosesRred2400I am sorry to hear this ia happening to you. I am in a similar situation. Teens, husband, Xanax for TOO MANY YEARS. Life upside-down. I recently came down from 6mgs to 2mgs in about a couple of months. Only difference, that's the only Rx that I took.
Thank you James for sharing your story and thoughts about you and your beloved 's gruelling health experience. Wishing you both good mental, physical, and spiritual health always. From Scotland👍💐🌟🕊
It's heartbreaking. Someone close to me went through this. The system was completely inadequate, missed the benzo withdrawal aspect, added more and more medications, ECT, 6 hospitalisations which caused the person more and more distress with worsening of symptoms with some added, including chronic fatigue, suicidal ideation and attempts and twitching. I put in a complaint, so hopefully they learned something. They are off all meds now and much better, but it's left its mark.
A close friend of mine stopped talking to me after I sent her a TED talk on benzo addiction. She had been on them for about 15 years at that point, and was drinking more and more and I felt like I was watching her deteriorate in slow motion. She was absolutely suffering from unhealed pain, and the benzos made it infinitely worse. Thank you for speaking out about this..
Well you did a good think sending it to her but there's a reason they say don't shoot the messenger. We of course have to be kind when alerting people to information that night make them sad,angry etc. She may feel being in denial about this is easier until she's ready to do something about it n isn't yet but I'd have a much better regret if I knew something and was t sharing it. Ultimately it's they're decision to get help n we can support them but not if they react like that unfortunately.
Drinking mixed with benzos is the most lethal combination, I’d try to convince her to cut back on the drinking if she’s goin hard on the benzos or something bad will happen and it will
@@stantondavid4435 Sure, in very high does the combo can be lethal but it's more a problem than just lethal overdose. Most of the problems people have with benzos is that there is alcohol involved. Actually most horror stories about drugs in general are actually drugs+alcohol.
It will be two years next month since my wife took her life. She had been suffering terribly with the effects of benzodiazepine withdrawal and simply could not withstand the pain and agony. She had sought help from a number of health care professionals only to be dismissed and let down. This interview with Mr Rath could have been us. When Mary tried to share the Ashton manual with her so called care providers it was dismissed out of hand. I wish Mr Rath and his wife the best of luck. Something must be done.
I'm so sorry about your wife. That's so sad and frustrating. I'm not sure how I made it through it. 4 yrs later and I'm still dealing with many issues. 25yrs on Valium. Cut cold turkey from 30mgs a day. This should not be allowed to happen to any patient.
P.s. on alprazolam for almost 40 yrs. Doc wants to wean me off. Went from 2. 4 x day to 1.5 a day and working my way down slowly...off and on since 2016....caregiving mom 24 x 7 with Alzheimer's did not help. So happy I found this channel.🙏🙏🙏
When I discovered that benzodiazopenes cause dementia later in life I weaned myself off of mine in a graduated fashion. I am so thankful I found a more natural approach to manage my anxiety. Thank you God.
@debrajabs9523 I did the same as you after I was prescribed Restoril for sleep disturbance for peri-menapause at forty years old. I weaned myself off of it slowly on my own at sixty years old over several months. My doctor couldn't believe how I accomplished that on my own. I'm proud of myself, too!
I admire your courage and bravery and fight, James, thank you for sharing your story. I know too. My husband was cold-turkeyed from benzo early last year, and, like you and Kate, the gaslighting and indifference and HARM is mind-blowing, and I have a freaking PhD in psychiatric epidemiology, but what do I know about research. I would be there right with you and 9998 of our friends at the FDA office on World benzo day. You are not alone.
Soooo many of us out here struggling with this. Thank you for sharing your story with your wife, I pray this helps preventing more from starting this medication although I will say, like you, many of us "trusted" the doctors and medical establishment. It is heartbreaking it is robbing us of LIFE
Your wife has had the good fortune to have you advocating for her throughout the tough times which you describe, so eloquently. Your warmth, dedication and loving compassion in helping her through this is truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Dear James you're fuelled my motivation to keep on standing up for the for the vulnerable human being who so easily falls prey to prejudice because they are lifelong psychiatric patient in the eyes of doctors. Indeed; revolution must come from the patients. I am the chairperson of a complete volunteer-run patients-association in the Netherlands.
I not only have personal experience with benzo withdrawal (I went cold turkey after 15 yrs) but I have worked in health care since 1999. I have personally seen the difference in business models and most of the visits, especially teledoc, could probably be better done by ai or a robot. For the last 3 yrs I have worked in pharmacy....and it is mind blowing how many people are on just whatever and don't have a clue what their taking. I call it medicine by committee. Its like a flow chart. If you have x symptom you get x drug and so on. I have been off benzos for 4 years now, and I still am affected. I think I'll have severe insomnia forever at this point. This needs to be talked about more and realize it's not just junkies that this an issue for, it affects everyone and anyone. Thank you for platforming this gentleman and getting the message out.
Incredible, you can still ride it out. I thought I was tough. Quit too many time with 8mos and 18mos being max. I have no fn idea .. don't even remember how I endured more than 5, 6 days. You're a warrior. Wow. There's a limit to what kind of pain I can sustain. Waking up is the worst. Wow. Worst drug on planet. Its a drug I can get down to a piece, but now sure anytime soon I'll ever be a position to ever be fully cleared. The thought of starting that misery again is not even an option. Some ppl have money and resources that average ppl will never have access to, unfortunately.
Good grief , I really feel for you . So for some reason I thought I was the exception and despite knowing all about bz w/d I thought I could turkey off 40/50mg valium /day. What an idiot ..... I had several fits broke my ribs in a fit /fall and after 10 days of no sleep was hallucinating,sweating and shaking and was in all sorts of trouble and it was getting worse . I managed to get myself to hospital, they put me back on valium and things calmed right down. So I did a measured wd over 9 months. It was hell every step of the way. Every drop was a new kind of misery but I did it . Afterwards I pretty much thought I had broken something inside . Protracted wd symptoms sweats and shaking suddenly out of nowhere , I thought I had lost myself , my personality , It was all I could do to stay away bc I knew from my hospital experience 5mg would make this terrible feeling go away. I tried to be good to myself too, gave myself 3 x 1hr sessions in a float tank . Cycled , ate well but it must have been a year clean before I could look back and say I was actually feeling like I was getting somehwhere Ive clucked off opiods , thats no joke but Id do it a dozen times rather than go through bz wd again. That is a special type of hell . So easy to slip into addiction and almost impossible to quit.
The doctors that prescribe these medications know exactly what the outcome will be. Corporate Pharma knows what the outcome will be with prolonged use and the shareholders should know!
I'm not an expert. Worked as an RN for 33 years in many areas. I had to medically retire at 57 due to autoimmune and treatment for hep C. Gradually during my nursing career medications began to frighten me. The negative effects on patients caused me to doubt the profession I entered to help people. So, I got out of hospital nursing where I did not have to administer meds. I began doing massive research since becoming disabled. Big picture: Rockefeller Medicine. He developed modern medicine. Basically owned it. Donated to medical schools and demanded a place on the board where they decided the curriculum. Planned and implemented campaigns to turn the public against natural healing and traditional medicine practiced forever. Vaccines. Create. Disease. Foods cause disease. They make obscene amounts of money off of people with diseases they created. It's all evil. Very complex and layered.
PEOPLE create their own problems more often than not. Then, they seek answers from people with the same problems or even worse problems- to prescribe addictive substances that create worse problems- that inevitably will effect every person in their family- and it spirals down from there- when the kids who recognized their mom or dads behavior change after getting their pills go into the pill cabinet and Try them pills themselves. And then the doctor who was seeing one patient in the family now sees all the family- until one or two OD.
She is very lucky to have a husband that is fighting for her is completely. If she were alone, it seems like she would never get on the path to recovery. I have friends addicted to this drug and I am sure they will still be taking this when they pass on. They say it’s worse then when they got over opioids. Our medical system is really messed up.
I am horrified this is me. The pharmacy was being weird with filling it on time. I was so sick, even a high fever. I had ice cubes melting on my head trying to break this weird fever. Chest pains, body convulsions, and then years later i put it together. I wouldn't want this hell for anyone. If you're living this hell, and have not developed a deep empathy, than you're sadistic. Nobody would want hell on earth for a person. Dr. J i hope you continue to get as many of us to open and do these interviews with you. I would, but i could be having weird convulsions one moment or projectile vomiting, etc, etc. I put the connections together years ago and started a documentary showing my horrors and two others i could find. This was a few yrs ago before i couldn't. Thank you for doing this Dr. J! Giving you positive vibes, thoughts and well wishes in 2024, and all else out there suffering this.
Wow! Thank you Dr. Josef!!!! Thank you James for sharing your courageous journey. Kate’s story has been my story. Thank God I am so much better today but the suffering and torment was unbearable for years. The physical and emotional pain …all of it just completely debilitating! I started researching bc all doctors would do was give more meds! It was infuriating! Thank you for these podcasts. What helped me and started my descent out of hell was Dr. Georgia Ede and Dr. Chris Palmer. 18 months ago I read his book “Brain Energy” and changed my diet the next day. I relate to this story so much that I cried all the way through. Thank you so much for bringing light to this “holocaust” like torture and torment brought on as you come off of these “harmless” medications. I pray your podcast blows up! I just “liked, subscribed and shared”. Sooooo many people need to hear these interviews as this “epidemic” makes you feel like you are the only one suffering like this. It is so isolating and terrifying. So grateful for your work! Thankful for the courage and vulnerability of James and Kate! These podcasts are saving lives!!!
How are these doctors so oblivious? Non-medical professionals could look at symptoms 4 weeks out from years of benzo use and easily tell that shivers and sweating is from withdrawal but doctors at John Hopkins couldn’t? That’s embarrassing for them.
American doctors score very POORLY by international standards. To get benzos in other countries there have to very good reasons. In my country, they are class A drugs alongside heroin and cocaine. They are used, but only in a strictly controlled way.
Ego. Pure and simple. Sadly, doctors and “specialists” seem to lose their humility after med school and develop god-complex’s. Then there’s the system that makes too much money from these drugs. Pharmacology should not be a for profit business.
Along with Leah’s comment, tunnel vision of treatment options The dollar sign screams at them more than the truth of working hard to unravel the layers of symptoms
Thank you for sharing James. You said that you could not be as strong as your wife, but you are the strongest person she knows as you have stood by her every minute through this catastrophic situation! I hope your wife continues to heal and get better!
Thank you both. As a person who was taken off a slew of psych meds w no taper at the directive of an inpatient facility dr, I literally feel like my soul was broken. It's taken me years to be able to construct what happened during a 2 week hold at a psych ward. Converting my thoughts, feelings and experiences (until recently, beyond description) into coherent facts seems impossible. I have so much renewed hope for exposing these dark practices. Like your wife, i was label bi-polar, Stories and podcasts like this are night lights for some of us who can't describe what we've seen/felt during these shockingly ruthless, psychiatric med interventions, we are at the mercy of psychiatrists at hospitals who can divorce themselves from their patients as if they are tourists observing zoo animals. They label you bi-polar so nothing you say can be held against them. It's the insanity diagnosis.
I’m so sorry for what your wife has endured. And you. Listening to you opened my eyes to what my husband has gone through caring for me for the last 6 years. I was worse the second and third year after discontinuation. And then I started to see the sun behind the clouds. I also had really bad head symptoms for a long time. Just keep her off any more meds. The only way out is through and it is horrible and painful but she can survive and heal. ❤
Aside from the disgust & rage I feel towards child abusers, rapists, cold-blooded murderers, etc., there are two things in particular that cause a uniquely visceral type of anger in me & will always get me into a justice-seeking frame of mind: 1) power-tripping cops who abuse their authority & the public they’re supposed to be serving, & 2) condescending doctors who dismiss their patients’ concerns, prescribe recklessly, & end up doing unspeakable harm to the same person who came to them seeking help. There is definitely a degree of overlap between those two personalities, too. Both wield the privileges, knowledge, or ability to outright ruin you in a matter of minutes. These patients are incredibly courageous folks who are dealing with both unspeakable torment & the burden of stigma on top of it. It just angers & hurts me to see good people hurting. Blessings to every one of y’all.
I have dragged myself through the thick of benzo withdrawal. I have suffered immensely. Today I stand before all of you and say you will get better with time. I tapered using liquid Librium over 4 years. It was hell on earth and still can be at times. I just keep moving a few minutes at a time. I was a a worst case senario. You absolutely must keep moving foward. 36 months free from hell this year as of September 27th.
May I ask you how you weaned yourself off? [Obviously over 4 weeks mentioned elsewhere doesn’t work]. I’ve weaned myself from Clonazapam 2.0 mg down to 0.5mg at bedtime for the last couple of months, over a couple of years. How do you cut down from 0.5mg? Ty.❤
@@leekoss7083 the same way, keep cutting down, .4 then .3 etc eventually it should become so pointless you will forget to take it and realise you dont need it.
The system is broken. The psychiatrist in Florida prescribed 5 medications for my son, unbeknownst to our family. He's an adult. There was another pain management Dr prescribing 3 meds. Each doctor was prescribing a controlled substance so they should have known with access to E-FORCSE. He goes into psychosis, and then the psychiatrist diagnosed my son with schizophrenia. Add another med. He gets picked up on the Baker's Act and the hospital treats him for schizophrenia and gives him more meds. Dead at 34 from cardiac arrest and rhabdomyolysis. This is after 5 days of hospitalization. The medical examiner's report states schizophrenia was a contributing cause of death. He NEVER had "psychiatric" issues in his home state. Ever. Thank you for speaking out. I too, will continue to tell my son's story.
@@rieyuki The laws protect the doctors and medical facilities. Not the patient, especially if they are in crisis, family sees that their over medicated. These laws were written by lawyers and we've been made to believe they were written to protect us. Not so much so.
Thank you for sharing this. I have been on Ativan for thirty years. They had me on four milagrams now Im on one milagram. It has been so hard. Im extremely nervous about going off. But the doctors are making us. Trust me its been so hard sometimes I dont know if I will have the strength to do it. ❤blessings towards all of you who are going through this.❤❤
No, you don’t have to. If you do best on it, and know the risks of both, ultimately you have the right to fight back. “Best practice” tells the benzophobic drs that they shouldn’t force someone off a medication they are doing well on. Find another dr, tell them the deal- if they refuse to play ball, move on to the next\
You are an amazing husband James and I truly hope that Kate eventually finds some relief. God bless her. 🙏. Thank you for doing this interview with Dr. Josef…we need to bring awareness to everyone!!!
This is a horrifying account of medical and pharmaceutical abuse. I've had my own struggles with benzos over many years and know just how true this all is.
Hi; sometimes people scoff; not understanding but my late partner a war vet, suffered like hell on the psych meds he was on. So unfair; my own doctor was shocked that he was on a Benzo; my doc totally disapproved; wish my b.f. had come to my doc instead of the veterans docs.
I’m so thankful to find this rabbithole. I have a nonverbal epileptic child that seemed to go bonkers with GI issues and screaming shooting pains, insomnia, apnea etc. After months of grasping at straws in a hospital with them saying it’s palliative care time, I realized he had switched from the branded clobazam to a generic months prior to this nightmare. Within a month of giving him his Onfi back he was on the mend. Thanks to all the spouses sharing their experiences. You’ve greatly improved our quality of life.
I started working in psych 5 years ago after transferring from CTU. I hear now spent the past 3 years In addiction at a detox center . I have seen this in many of clients who come into the facility. Yes it is like an assembly line. Of course to be efficient but people are different and need more time than other cases. Benzodiazepines are the worst in the long term effects after long term treatment. It truly breaks my heart because I have seen what this gentleman is talking about. Patients paralyzed with fear and their body shutting down after being tapered off quickly. There needs to be a different way of detox off of them better. Especially the more dynamic cases such as in this video. I pray for him and his wife for resolution.
I used weed for recreational use and to help with anxiety for 13 years until no longer helped as I developed tolerance and I had to use more and more so I decided to quit cold turkey. I had really bad withdrawal from it, depression, GI problems and insomnia, which made every symptom worse. I was desperate so I went seeking help from a psychiatrist. I was prescribed Ativan 1 mg at night but only took half the dose as it made me feel weird in the mornings. Took it for 40 days and found videos and warnings about side effects so I stopped taking it and now the insomnia and nightmares are back. It did helped to get some needed rest, my GI symptoms got better thanks to that, but I decided to stop taking it. I hope it gets better with time and doing trascendental meditation and the Wim Hof method I found online. Some how even tho Im not out of the woods yet, I feel I dodged a bullet after listening to testimonies like this one. If you are going through something like this, I wish you the best of luck. And a warning ⚠️ do not abuse weed, it’s not as harmless as I was made to believe by so called friends.
Benzodiazepines are great for acute anxiety, but if you come to rely on them you will quite literally be screwed. The rebound anxiety from trying to come off of these is much worse that where you started, not to mention its dangerous.
We need to live without drugs. Only for life threatening conditions. And only for a short time. All psychological states, we gotta deal with them heads on. No drugs. Say NO TO DRUGS.
@@schluesselblume2337 there are a few that can help to face and understand what's going on. I Won't call them drugs, and exclude them. But for the whole rest I agree.
Tragically for our society, this story is all too familiar. I once served as a moderator in a FB support group for benzo withdrawal. The level of desperate suffering caused by ignorant doctors is beyond belief. They prescribe these addictive poisons as if they are candies.
I don't think they prescribe them like candy. At least not my doctor. My doctor tried to prescribe a muscle relaxer to me to see if that would work first, when I requested Clonazepam for my chronic hypnic jerking. When the muscle relaxer didn't work, then zi was allowed to have one .5 milligram tablet per night. When that didn't work completely I called in to ask if i could take a second one at night, and I had to answer several questions as to why I wanted an additional tablet, which I thought would be obvious. They were trying to determine if I was trying to abuse the drug, which I wasn't. I felt treated as though I was trying to be sneaky. I wasn't. So no, I don't think it's like that anymore. Additionally I'm only allowed to have a 30 day supply at a time.
I don't think the Dr's are that ignorant. They just turn their back. Big pharma supports their med schools, they get kick backs from pharma reps, Dr's support big pharma.
back to etc disagrees but I agree; saw my former partner a vet; subjected to a slew of meds and even iatrogenic comas; an ordeal that pretty much ruined him. The docs were not malicious... they just did not have a clue.
@@backtoasimplelife the doctors have to question you like that due to federal regulations; don't take it personally. I worked with an MD who served time for handing benzos out like candy, and he also lost his license to practice; possibly permanently. One of my coworkers in the medical field was prescribed benzos by him, and she didn't function very well in her practice. She was dependent on those meds, and said they were more addictive to her than nicotine was. Pain management physicians are monitored closely now, so they monitor their patients closely. Many mental health clinics are benzo-free now, and do their best to wean new patients off, offer alternative medications & therapy. It is definitely not easy.
After 25 years of being on klonapin I’ve successfully tapered off it. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I still struggle but everyday is another step towards a better future.
I was misdiagnosed for having what i called "episodes" and was told straight away that i was having panic attacks. Those "episodes" only got worse over the nxt 3 yrs. Then things started getting trippy. It took a grand Mal seizure and 3 days in the ICU to find out I'd been having seizures all those years. Now my neurologist tells me i cant get off bc im epileptic. Its absolutely nuts! Nobody can or will help me get off. Unless a money tree sprouts and I can pay for extended rehab.
I am in Australia. I have/am experience similar to your wife. 2.5 years since very rapid taper after 10 years of prescription. Drs not acknowledge could be from cessation of Serapax. Even though all horrific symptoms started after cessation. Four times iv called ambulance once admitted to mental health unit 8 days after being prescribed Lithium. 9 other psyc meds prescribed over this 2.5 years NONE helped. The constant terror became to much for me & I approached a Dr who prescribed me Bupronorohine & reinstated Valium. I am very slow tapering off Valium using Bupronorohine as the backbone. I am alone, I have lost so much on top of the living hell symptoms. So at this stage I’m still alive.
What dose buprenorphine are you on? I've come off long term benzos a few times over many years and know the pain all too well. I'm currently trying to come off buprenorphine after several years and I'm sorry to tell you that it's just as bad, if not worse. I've been slowly tapering off it for 2 years now and am often unable to move due to the withdrawal symptoms.
@@lucydayLucida 1.8 mg split morning & afternoon. I am in my late 50s and after the last two and a half years of constant terror, I could not cope any further. The bupronorohine was the only thing that lowered the terror symptom for me. Now it’s just back to usual anxiety and sometimes panick attacks. I am at the point where I no longer worry about stopping a medication just to say I’m medication free. I just am grateful to have some quality of life back. I still have memory impairment, especially short term, though some days are better than others. In ways, I have become disabled from either taking & discontinuing a long term high dose of Serapax, or from being tapered off that over 11 days. I have also tapered off a high dose taken as prescribed Codeine, also after long term use. And while this was extremely difficult, for me the Benzodiazepine issue has been much longer more severe & harmful. But this is just my experience. I wish you and All of us, much strength & hope 🙏🏼
You are not alone. Distraction, prayer (anything that brings you solace) experience something new (beautiful photos, music, textures) etc… this is a very slow process. I’ve known people who took nearly a year to work their way back.. be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Remind yourself, you are a hum. You are wanted, worthy and wonderful. I wish you all the best.
The TRUTH is ....Most people would be much better off if they NEVER set foot in a psychiatrist office.... EVER.
Truth!
AGREE!
Yes Yes
True that
Exactly !!
I dated a psychologist for a short time. She said most of her colleagues are crazier than their patients.
The reason many go into the profession in the first place.
she wasn't an outlier
I had (2) next door neighbors for years. Both lesbians and "crazy," Always fighting, breaking up & getting back together...
One day while chilling, I asked them how did they come to choosing their respective specialties? One's was "alcoholism," I forgot the other.
And they told me that shrinks usually study and specialize in what they suffer themselves, need, or their addictions
That's what I heard from someone who left the profession.
Most are indeed crazy, from my experiences anyway. There are ancillary studies that suggest this as well, certain personality types being drawn to the profession for instance. I just know from my experiences with professionals in this field, from the Hippie psychologists I worked with in the late 70s on, most have been eccentric, peculiar, a bubble off center, if not completely wacky verging on nuts. And everyone sees this, crazy, wacked-out mental health professionals have become the subject of many Internet memes. It is true and we all know it, if not how do you explain Frasier Crane?
I went through the hell of withdrawal from zanex about 6 years ago. No help from the professionals to do a slow withdrawal and no compassion. The mental and physical pain of coming off this drug which I was prescribed for anxiety disorder is something you can't imagine. I was considering suicide. It took months before I could function at all. Thanks for bringing light to this issue.
I went cold Turkey off Xanax after just a month and nearly went crazy Manic beyond your wildest imagination
@@frederickmuhlbauer9477 hope u better Freddy
I've been taking Xanax since 2008 and I can't quit because I work and can't afford to take a whole bunch of time off to withdraw. And, from what I understand seeing everyone's comments, it's not something I could function enough to continue to work while going through.
There is physical addiction and mental addiction people need understand this. Physical addiction does not make a drug addict but mental addiction is when you become a drug addict like or not that is the science . I my self partake because of issues and could not stop cold.
@@clairestephens4916please try. These are linked 100 percent to Alzheimer’s. Go on, google . Please try
At this time, NO medicine is the best medicine. I believe that there are those that want most of us dead. Praying for your wife and all others suffering.
such as no food but the one from your garden and farm is good, welcome to the end of times
natural remedies and healing from within, Love is the answer.
Yes. And those synthetic drugs are no medicine anyway, they are poison for the nervous system, they literally are.
precisely. Our food system is toxic. Our pharmaceutical system is genocide.
@karenmoreau4589 I wish more people knew what you know. Plus there are other things going on at the same time including fresh water contamination, 'forest' fires', and all kinds of weather.
My husband, addicted to benzodiazepines,
tried to get of them,
took antidepressant,
got panik attacks,
comitted suicide.
My father addicted to benzodiazepines,
tried to get of them, physician prescribed antidepressant,
also comitted suicide.
This combination of benzo-withdrawl symptoms plus antidepressant seems to be a VERY bad idea.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your experience. ❤
Oh Dear! Heartbreaking!
There are many people who see suicide as their only escape from the horror of benzodiazepines withdrawal.
@@kaehler22 Yes. So sad. 😔
my God that is terrible :( prayers 4 u !! but yeah, my best friend took his own life... shortly after stopping anti-depressants. He only was on anti-depressants a few months. its SOOO maddening !! I hate anti-depressants. They literally kill people.
You’re much too generous in not thinking these doctors aren’t aware of the damage they do. They get paid for their willingness to not look under the hood.
Agreed . And their blatent arrogance.
You are right! They all know!
Nothing like creating a nation of sickness and addiction to further your own net worth.
@thestar2870 Yep. My doctor tried to gaslight me, said I was "playing mind games" with him and "I sign thousands of prescriptions, I can't be expected to keep track of them all." Excuse me? That's literally your job, dipshit. It's what you're paid to do.
When I filed a suit against him, and won it - I got no money, but he was disciplined, amazingly - it came out that for a lot of the time he was refilling my prescriptions, he actually _wasn't_ signing his own prescriptions, his nurse was! So he had no idea what I was taking. He lied to me! It's not illegal to get your nurse to do it, but it's very irresponsible for patients who are on narcotics.
The board also noted that even after I got off the benzos, he kept prescribing me other psychiatric medications for three years as my doctor, and never asked to see me once. What a lazy, incompetent asshole.
I agree 100% with what you said. You have a lot of that, and then the rest are students who never ask questions because they don't truly want to heal. They just want the lifestyle.
Hi Josef, psychiatric colleague here from Switzerland. Your work made me aware and inspired me a great deal. And my patients and I are very grateful. Keep up the amazing work.
He's excellent indeed. Great information👍🏻 -NW Ohio 🇺🇸
I hope there's a class action. 18 months later from coming off Benzos I'm having panic attacks, IBS, memory loss, tinnitus, insomnia, myalgia. I have a high pain threshold, but this was almost too much. Things are now improving but it's been a living nightmare.
Same here. I wish I could share my experiences with someone. Tinnitus just started 2 weeks ago.
I also had cancer treatment 1 year ago. Did the radiation cause this? No one knows. I'm probably not going to make it. I pray everyday
Hang in there! It's been 5 years and every one is better than the last. At first I had issues with just normal lights and sounds and could not think straight. 6mg/day minimum for years
I too hope there is a class action. You would know what people suffer; my Canadian veteran friend had horrendous side effects as you did. I was witness to the ultra rapid cycling down to four minutes apart all night long; the hallucinations; the splitting of the personality. Granted some other meds caused trouble too but the Tolerance w.d. and later full withdrawal from Clonazepam was the worst. Mario you have my full sympathy. What i want to see are suggestions as to some relief; would Pot help? I am just throwing that out as an idea; Fasting? Yoga? Hypnosis? If any listeners have heard of something that offers relief please pass your suggestions along.
Keep your head up! I've felt the same horrible pain. I don't anymore. 8 years sober.
I’m also going through what the smart informed ones know as BIND ( benzodiazepine Induced Neurological dysfunction) and also PAWS ( post acute withdrawal syndrome). It’s horrible. Intrusive thoughts are the worst. The mental anguish to me is worse than the physical symptoms like burning nerves all throughout the nervous system.
A psychiatrist once told me that I make bad life choices after I refused benzodiazapines.
I guess she was wrong.
It was the Valium clouding her mind when she was saying that. You made the right choice. I had to quit these shit meds and the withdrawal is physically more painful than that of opiates. It doesn't have quite the psychological pull which is great bc if they did they actually would be impossible to quit upon one's own free will.
MD degrees don’t like you thinking for yourself. That’s a diabolical ego, arrogance, authoritative complex, and unrighteous. No one should EVER hand over the agency of their bodies, decision-making power over their own welfare of themselves, their children or pets. Getting medical advice to be consider, while educating and deciding for oneself is ALWAYS the best and only choice. I’ve even had several experiences with veterinarians who were reckless. Or, when I would assert my preference of drug against known side effects and too several times, healed what they couldn’t, they are spiteful, jealous, and or can’t admit what they did. ALWAYS look up the drug they are recommending. EVEN. Some of the newer antibiotics ( a center fluouride molecule or other) can permanently make you, destroy your gut beyond the old side effects, and bring on serious and incurable autoimmune disease. Sometimes antibiotics are necessary for serious and emergency infections REASEARCH before you take anything. There are natural alternatives for almost everything. I know and have cured a LOT that docs can’t come close to. There are hundreds of thousands of scientific studies on herbs for people and pets.
Try everything before trying to put any stake in a pill
❤everything you need is already inside
😮
@@dorinazahariaminoiu5808 it's in my book, living with autism undiagnosed
I know of a pharmacist who left her profession because she didn't want to continue to fill prescriptions for these types of meds for children/teens anymore, she said she knew what these meds were going to do to the them in the long run, she had ethics.
Good for her!
Yes thanks for staying this bc this idea that none of them know what they're doing is a lie n we need to stop giving them as a group the benefit of the doubt. Individually perhaps as we don't know how experienced they are etc but at some point they know. We should start making it more public so they feel more accountability n shame n less will get into this field or leave it. Right now too many have plausible deniability. That needs to end.
And I always thought physicians prescribed the meds...
@@suesjoy 👍
@@brandyk 👍
Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, dr.sporees I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
Anxiety happens when you think you have to figure out everything all at once.
Breathe. You're strong. You got this Take it day by
day.
Is he on instagram?
Yes he is. dr.sporees
I took Clonazepam for a year while also being an alcoholic and the double whammy of both Gaba suppressors almost killed me. The withdrawal from the benzo was much worse than from the alcohol. Happy to be sober for eight years now and I will be ever go near these addictive drugs again.
I have witnessed withdrawal in my veteran friend; it was horrific.
Congratulations to you! Can you share how you got off the benzo?
❤👍❤
Congrats! Happy for you! Always love to hear someone kicked the habit of either of those terrible drugs. ❤
I'm going thru the worst wd from Klonopin. I have the worst air hunger to an extreme! Feels like I'm suffocating to death!! I went through 2 other wd's and didn't have air hunger. I also have vibrating pain that presses against my ribs..this is pure terror!! 😭I wanna die. 😭
Thank you James for speaking out, being on board with this shit show and standing by your wife. A true gem
20 years ago it took me 700 days to quit taking the smallest dose once a day, and I had only taken it for two months for a small tremor. I cut down removing very small amounts at a time. Even after that, I still had sweats and crushing withdrawals for 10 more days. I lost 17 lbs in the 10 days. That was only two months of use on the smallest dose. It was for a minor tremor. It did nothing for the tremor, by the way. Cutting out sugar, sugar substitutes, gluten and going low carb finally got me better. This man might want to cut sugar, carbs and gluten for his wife and see if keto helps her.
Exactly what almost killed Jordan Peterson. His wife needs to go on a carnivore diet for a year.
@@lindamacfarlane6817 Oh yeah, that's right.
I've had similar experiences myself, eating more meat and way less carbs helped me feel better too.
SHIT SHOW INDEED! A PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF THE MEDICAL CIRCUS!
MARCIA BEDARD, PhD, Professor Emerita CSU Fresno
I shudder to think what might have become of his wife if he wasn't by her side and fighting for/with her every step of the way. True love.
I’ve been through this. It is hell on earth. It’s been almost a year now and I’m just getting to where I am functional. You are treated as if you are a drug addict if you tell someone. I’ve never done drugs in my life. I was a person experiencing severe anxiety disorder, looking for help from medical professionals. I took my medication, exactly as prescribed. What transpired was worse than anything you can ever imagine and I am amazed that I am alive today to talk about it. God bless your wife and your family.
You was peer pressured into taking drugs. It's ok. Your a drig addict. It ok.
U had google to know what drugs have withdrawals
@@sadhu7191not so fast in 2004 I did not hv google - or believe me I would hv found out first it wasn’t untill 2010 or so that got into google and a lot of ion line tools it was already too late - trust me now in this day absolutely any med can be googled we k ow now but not THEN 0 zero
I am so glad you survived this wrong treatment and this hell!
Respect.
Sending lots of love ❤
If I were you I would try the carnivore diet. Its amazing what it has done for me and many others I have spoken to post withdrawal.
I was on clonazapam and adivan for almost 10 years(among a buffet of other related meds)... took me 2 years to ween off, and now 10 years later I'm still feeling the symptoms/side effects. very regular "brain shocks" totally disassociated from not only friends/family but myself/the world as well. I hope they can figure this out and stop poisoning people, because I wouldn't wish the last 20 years of my life on anyone. Now I'm too skeptical to even go to a Doctor, especially considering they want to MAIDS us here in Canada for less serious cases of mental health issues. My attitude now is there's no "care" left in medical care... it's all about profit... we need to change the medical business model so Drs get paid by keeping patients healthy, instead of keeping the m alive to be patients. we're not livestock for your wealth farm.
It's not the doctors. The pharmaceutical companies own the law makers, media outlets, and the medical colleges/ schools. It is all the younger doctor's know
AMEN!!!
This is so accurate. There IS no more 'care' in medical care.
@@hamsapiens it was a bunch of stuff... emotional numbing.. minus anger I was feeling THAT regularly, couldn't concentrate, had ZERO energy or motivation. then I found out the longer you use it the less your body can do for itself as far as producing those chemicals internally... annnnd I was like "is THIS how I want my life to be?" I decided it was not.
THAT is when the suffering really started to be totally honest. lol the coming off is far far worse than the original condition. Should have just stayed with the anxiety because it was a super pleasant day at the park compared to the withdrawls and the seemingly permanent side effects I'm still dealing with... seriously I'd advise anyone who doesn't require meds to literally survive not BE on meds of any type.
my answer is super simplified compared to the totality of the real life situation because it would be a forever read. pretty much I stopped because it's poison.
@@hamsapiens thank you.. I'm happy to talk about it because it feels like it's not made clear enough before we start taking it... or it wasn't 20 some years ago. for those it helps it works wonders, I don't doubt, but they seem to try to fix mental health by carpet bombing the issue with one-size fits all tactics (or more accurately if you want my honest take, NOT healing us because we'd not be paying customers if they actually did the job) I was having severe panic attacks... like to the point of seizures... but instead of helping anything the meds made my issues exponentially worse. my occasional seizures became daily occurrences and my incidents of anxiety attacks became the constant standard and grew to unbearable levels... PLUS a slew of neurological and psychological side effects... for me it was a massive mistake.
at one point I had nightmares so bad I actually went to therapy over it.. I'd wake up searching my arms for blood splatter regularly.. it was rough. that was one of the things that started pushing me toward getting back to relatively drug free. now I use weed to self medicate and I'm like 10 times better than I was under treatment..
so yah, I hope it works for you, sounds like it is for the most part, but seriously look into the effects of being on them for too long and if Drs wont tell you it's bad you should try a different Dr because it's been known for a while. according to the info I've been able to gather the truth is something like about 3 MONTHS on them and you should stop. I was encouraged to carry on for 10 YEARS through multiple doctors, psychiatrists, and at least 2 neurologists. Just make sure you get as much info as you can, regardless.. and good luck
My physician wouldn't even give me a sleeping pill. His standard message for any mental issue: 'Go running, talk to a friend, try meditation' and for illness: 'Make a chicken broth, go to bed early'. He did not like to prescribe any such pills to anyone in his praxis. Now years later I have to thank him for that.
You got a very good doctor. Never let him go. My doctor gave me an AD for sleep. I'm still dealing with the consequences 11 months off
👍 EXACTLY! Except sometimes you DO need these meds AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE THERE FORE AND YOU CAN'T GET THEM.
Wow! That doctor loved you! Thank God for him! 💕
W
What kind of „medical“ advice is that? Your barber could give you the same advice for free.
I am one of the injured from a benzo for sleep. I cold turkeyed (My idea) after 18 years of .5 a night and my doctor was fine with that idea. After suffering some crazy effects i found the reason by researching "Why is my brain shaking" It is a lonely journey and one we can only do on our own as the doctors are not at all educated. I am 3 years into this journey. What a wonderful and supportive husband. Thanks for this video.
The problem is we are told if we take a pill, we have to take it every day for the rest of our lives, which is completely false. Drugs are just like alcohol. Daily use creates some very undesirable effects. Intermittent use with breaks in between allows the liver to heal and the body to stabilize normally. Benzos are amazing drugs with very few side effects for intermittent use. But the mentality that we have to take it on a regimen to get the benefit is the problem. Benzo effects are immediate not cumulative. You can get the benefits in 15 minutes. What is cumulative are the negative side effects. Low dose intermittent use is the answer.
My heart goes out to you Mary ❤🙏
Awww thank you for the care.
@@tomg.8904so sweet of you.
Of course dear 😊
And may I add, what an amazing partner and husband you are. You are very tuned in to your wife, you protected her and have fought extremely hard to help her. You have educated yourself in all areas. You are the exception and i just wanted to acknowledge what an amazing husband and advocate you have been.
What a lucky lady to have you as her husband. You are correct, this is a broken medical system. It all stems from Big Pharma. Money is all that matters.
Dr Jordan Peterson went through this withdrawal for a couple of years. He IS a shrink and did not know these withdrawal symptoms could occur
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy on us all
I was suddenly cut off in 2010 from 4mg a day of Klonopin, cold turkey. Glad to be off of them, but that isn't the way to do it. Our system is not only broken, it is punitive, exploitive, dysfunctional and profiteering off of sick people with zero accountablilty.
how r u alive?
I agree animals are treated better at the vets than humans are by medical/mental health professions here in the UK too !
Most systems need reforming !
Sorry for the loss of your son R.I.P.🙏
The trauma/grief that you
both experience will be overwhelming and pray that an adequate support system will be forthcoming. Seems your input in advocating for your wife has been such a grueling process to go through.
Sound like you are an intelligent man and wonderful husband and have done your research !
Appalling how these systems operates like most systems in this world. Shameful /shocking conduct /treatment you both received.
Thank you for sharing your story which I’m sure will benefit others.
God bless you both ! 🙏
I'm barely able to type. Pure agony. I love, care and pray all withdrawaling from this poison better health. We must be strong. ❤
❤
good luck Tina, I went through it too about 5 yrs ago. It will end, no matter how it feels. Stay with it. Reach out to others, we aren't alone. Benzo withdrawls are worse than opiates, and I have kicked both. It seems like with benzos, there is some weird doubling back. Like it's worse 2 weeks in than it was after the initial 5 days!! Horror. I kicked alone (4-5 Xanax 2mg per day habit), and it was a nightmare...no sleep, anxiety from hell, vomiting, diarrhea , fainting, seizures , holding onto things to walk in my house..a solid month of this. Then about 6 months of various symptoms. It was about 2 yrs before I was ok. Hope it is not so intense for you, I wish you well.
@@beckythornton6470 wow Becky I too have withdrawalled from opiates and alcohol. This is a monster I'm comparison for sure. Thank you for sharing your story and sending encouragement. Much love
Can you handle taking any supplements? How is your sleep?
@@apreviousseagle836 I can tolerate melatonin. Everyone in this chat is so supportive and for that I'm grateful. I love you all. You are giving me hope.
My father, who was a voracious reader and very smart, said "psychiatrists need psychoanalysis themselves"...
Most probably do. In my past, I had a friend who was an academic psychologist and I heard numerous self-jokes about these specialists.
I came out of the military with lots of anxiety, and saw a psych. At the time PTSD was not a term. She couldn't do a thing for me, but I fell back on learning how to cope myself, and finding out what exactly was bothering me. That is the key, self help.@@anna-tn8mg
It’s actually a requirement in many countries…
I have actually asked a psychiatrist and two psychology phds if there is any truth to the saying that they go into psychology to better understand their own issues. They all said yes. They all had either anxiety or neurosis themselves, or a suicidal/mentally ill sibling or parent.
@@nessae354 I went into Psych because I was, and am, fascinated by it, by all the questions; *why/how/nature/nurture* (+a big ETC!)
It was the same for most of my classmates, at that time.
About what age group do the 3 people you referred to fall into?
(➕ anyone else in the comment thread who has any info to add...)
I wonder if there's a significant correlation between *age* group and primary *reason* for choosing Psych as their career path.
'Psychologist/Psychiatrist heal thyself' 😄
When he said gabapentin we sighed at the same time. I’ve been on benzodiazepines for the last 12 years. My story is very similar to the ones I’ve heard in this channel. I asked to come off them many times, eventually I ran away from home and moved to Hawaii and weaned myself off it took me 3 months. I felt okay and came back to my house and was in the worst back pain of my life for 6 months. Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I thought I had cancer in my back too because I started chemo and the pain went away. It wasn’t until last night when I started listening to your channel, that I remembered that I asked for a script for Benzos for my anxiety about chemo. My fear is I beat cancer and benzos are going to take me down- never been this low in my life.
I am so sorry.. I’m going to write down your name and pray for you. Never give up hope. Fast and pray to God for help and strength. I’m very sorry you are going through such a hard time in life right now. God can do the impossible.
wishing you fast recovery
So sorry.. please take it one step at a time and you can work it out
God bless you
The best advice anyone will give you in your life is this: DON'T EVER SEEK "HELP" from a Psychiatrist. My father, who knew about these people, tried to warn me. But I had no idea that these psychiatrists would literally Destroy me and Everything I ever had. This is the most valuable advice you will ever get. Don't ever even think about going to them. Seek help from a counselor somewhere, anywhere but a psychiatrist.
my dad warned me the same. 15 years seeing psychiatrists has caused IMMENSE regret. I use to scoff when people called them pill pushers. boy was i wrong.
Scary stuff. I wonder how many homeless people ended up that way with ‘help’ from from our mental health professionals.
I know as a fact that it's many. The issue is that providing mental health care - which is expensive - is slow. Prescribing a nice little pill is easy. Look at fentanyl...
A lot tbh
the scary thing is when you're having a panic attack and the doctor wont prescribe you any benzos because they're unjustly stigmatized.
Psychiatrists cause homelessness.
I did from this unfortunately
I love how he is a detailed historian of her symptoms and medication etc. The level of detail illustrates how attentive he was to her while this was happening.
What he says is so true. I was in an airplane accident and was very traumatized. One day I was at a new Dr. and she decided it was fine to be off my 60MGs of valium a month. I luckily knew this was wrong and flew to Mexico and bought a few boxes and did a two-year taper myself!! It was not fun but I honestly thought I was going to die of a seizure.
you mean 6 10mgs per Month!!!?? or 60 10mgs per month? 6 a month sounds discouraging,,,such a low dose
Sorry, 60/ 80 mgs a week. @@007chriscloud
There is a huge bias against drug addiction and everyone (legal, medical, and social contacts) writes off "addicts," and treats them as less than human. All of us would be smarter next time, but the first time you go in believing the treatment professional know how to help. It is not unique to benzos because my son's experience with what ended up being heroin addiction and treatment was ridiculous. He was also given a list of diagnoses as long as your arm starting when he was just 15. I knew he didn't have those issues. He was traumatized, and depressed, anxious, having emotional flashbacks. He wanted to get clean and voluntarily completed 8 programs from 1-9 months in length, and relapsed immediately every time and the last time he died. Only then (because at the end he was 20 years old, an adult, and I didn't want to treat him like a child) did I realize the statistics and that they never addressed his trauma except with even more drugs . You do end up being at the mercy of these rehabs that are like One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. It was a nightmare! It really is hard to believe it can legally go on in the United States.
Drs really shouldn’t be allowed to practice unless they are capable of empathy- I’ve met few who can. And they wonder why patients hate them and don’t listen
they are mostly ran by former addicts to. i also had a heroin addiction so i understand some of what you have been through and the last place i went to in florida i was offered percs, weed pens everywhere , people having sex it's INSANE how some of these places are run. it's either a free for all or just like you said just like the movie... 20 years old what a shame i'm so sorry for your loss.
Thirty years ago, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac had a nightmare with Klonipin. She was very outspoken about how terrible it affected her, and how hard it was to quit.
I don't know about other cases, but this was more than benzos admittedly, and who knows what she might have done to cope with unbearable sorrow of losing a son in college.
They've known about this for a long time. It's amazing what they've failed to learn.
I college, I read 'I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can' That was in the early 1980s. The woman stopped taking I think valium suddenly and had a psychotic break. It's a true story of a journalist
They are not that hard to quit. One of the less addictive Benzos prescribed. Omg! How do you even know if she was taking as prescribed & what else she was taking.
Thank you for letting us know this, velvetbees. They know full well what they're doing by now. Besides, I've read the NWO agendas, and let's just say they don't want us around anymore.
Wow. This is very similar to my experience. My heart breaks for this man’s wife. I’ve been going it alone now for 7 months. I won’t subject myself to the medical machine anymore- I’m trying to heal myself with knowledge from caring and properly informed CZcams creators like yours, it has been infinitely more helpful than all the in person doctors I’ve seen. Thank you for your work here - you are making a difference.
Hang in there YT creators is how I made it through this horror.💜
May God hold and keep you 🙏. And send his angels to watch over you. You are a brave and beautiful person. so please be careful, benzos and alcohol withdrawal can be deadly. ❤
Carnivore diet
I cant tell withdrawal from my "real" anxiety and panic attacks? They switched Xanax to diazepam (Valium) and I have just ended my horrific painkiller addiction. Now Im gonna lower my Valium slowly and Im scared as h*ll. I suffered from so severe panic attacks that I couldn't even leave my house and that was before they prescribed Xanax? How will I be able to go through this hell? Could it be the Valiums who give me severe depression and suicidal thoughts?
Ive ended the Xanax addiction 2 times before and it wasn't as tough as this time.
I was prescribe benzodiazepines over fifteen years ago. I took them for three years, six months. The detox i suffered was unimaginable.
I was involuntarily hospitalized 8 times because of benzo and tramadol withdrawal. Was treated less than humane. given so many different labels and medications like your wife. Wish that i had someone that believed me and advocated for me. the doctors had me and my family believing i was severely mentally ill because going through the withdrawals made me act like i was.
If you decide to come off benzos you must taper very slowly. adjust to the new amount for a few weeks then come down one milligram. it took me months. it wasn't easy but it was far far better than going down too fast or cold turkey. get you pharmacist to help you do it. they have to be strict but kind. get them on your team and explain that you need support. I still take zopiclone to sleep. I suffer horrible withdrawal even from that. it's no joke. I do not sleep at all if I don't have it. I get mentally unwell and physically ill. I'm now 1 year cannibis and alcohol free. my next goal is to taper off the zopiclone.
I'm on the tramedol, n it's nearly impossible with just that! How do u get off!!!! I was taking 400 MG a day. I'm now down to 350 n feel HORRIBLE all the time. How do u get off this horrible medicine! Feel like I'll need to be on it forever to feel normal. It's terrifying! 😢
@@witchywomen6650 Some just need to taper super slow. Get a scale that measures in milligrams and be very patient. It takes me 2-3 months just to get off valium. Good luck its hell and im back on valium cause i need em. I did last 7 months one time. Its definitely possible and i was addicted too.
I'm so glad this lady has this man, who so obviously loves her deeply, as a husband. Imagine all those that sadly have to go throught this alone.
too bad hes brainwashed and also stupid what a shame
It is quite lovely. I seriously don’t think my husband would be there like this for me 😢
There are some paths you can only walk alone and you partner will be better for it. It's scary but true
@@cmgordon12345 I agree. I went through my cold turkey withdrawal and all its symptoms all alone, and I was grateful for not inflicting this on anyone else.
Joseph Campbell's last statement is directly about your comment. czcams.com/video/kuHjYl3W46I/video.htmlsi=3ErskGfHGlbct1uD
I was offered benzo's a year ago, for low level anxiety. Thanks to people like you, I was warned and refused to take them. I'm sure many lives have been saved because of your courage.
Good job , I think I had just saved myself by watching this video only taking klonopin for a month and quit last week cold Turkey luckily only had a week of withdrawal symptoms had to call out of work but they have dissipated. Thank you sir for these videos
A death in the family while traumatic, is no reason to be going on prescription meds indefinitely.
The intense emotions and depression are situational, so, as time passes, most will begin to feel better.
People also have to recognize when it's time to become proactive and prevent this new depressive & negative identity from forming.
Good advice to follow is that if you are offered a prescription, first check to see if it has a black box warning, and then check to see if the drug you're about to take has an online support group. Those two things would be called red flags.
I can relate to every this man's wife is going through. My heart breaks for her and what he's describing is the reality that many of us are living through. I'm 3.5 years post withdrawal and I'm currently bedridden. Where are we supposed to go for help. What he described is exactly what happens. I'm 64, I live alone and have 3 beautiful grandchildren and I can't attend any of their sports, or any engagement. I'm in pain 24/7, have the same head pressure, neck pain, more migraines than before, and too many symptoms to mention. I understand now why people take their own !ives. Thank you for putting a spotlight on this barbaric process we are forced to go through. Your videos are very informative and helpful.
I am sorry for your suffering .I am 10 years post-withdrawal, age 69 Was bedridden most of the time for 3-4 years. Suffering intolerable to the point of making inquiries about assisted dying. I am vastly better than those years but far from being completely well. However life is manageable. I hope that you will see improvements with the passage of time. I have found no help apart from online support groups. I have consulted with 3 psychiatrists and 2 neurologists. I live in the UK.
I myself spent several years on and off psych-meds of various kinds, mostly benzos and SSRI's. Destroyed my health completely. I finally found stability for moods by way of smoking a few organic cigarettes a day. But now those of my church are urging me to quit and the mere effort to reduce the dose has been sending me down a rat-hole of insability, my moods and brain pain going off the scale as a result. Never could have imagined the fraity of a neural system so completely perverted and disturbed in the wake of psychiatric care and now due to attempts at tobacco cessation I'm back to going into crazy bad moods, every bit as bad as before. How on earth tobacco came to be regarded as a "sin" a big mystery to me. My Christian advisers appear to demonstrate an attitude of patronizing condescension and contempt, which hardly serves to generate respect in my own heart with regard to their theological views. It's becoming insane, and I'm not sure who is more off their proverbial meds, me for coming unglued due to withdrawal or my Christian advisers who seem always to have a stick up their ass.
Fiona & Patty,
What u have experienced is horrific. This is beyond unacceptable 😢
Noel- Do what's best for you & your body. Also, you write very elegantly ❤❤
& what if this mans wife didn't have her husband there to witness her reactions to the drugs,
she may have thought she was going crazy.
Klonopin is a MF, the drug is safe if taken at a low enough dose
for short periods of time (note, if u drink,
alcohol on top of benzodiazapines is not safe at any level) but
*entirely UN-SAFE to withdrawal from*
*especially at the rates that most all Dr.s prescribe*
@@noelgillett346They may just not want you to die of lung cancer or suffer from COPD. My ex husband can barely walk 20 feet without losing his breath.
Maybe Stevie Nicks would speak out more about this. She had a terrible experience being prescribed Klonopin by a psychiatrist with no informed consent. She talked about the experience in an interview with the NY Times.
I saw her in an interview years ago talking about her getting off of Klonopin after being on it for eight years and said it was the most difficult experience in her life.
Celebrities speaking out would be helpful.
I was hoping Jordan Peterson would speak out on it but he has moved on and rarely talks about it.
@@SunnyCarnivorei agree that has been disappointing since he acts like its something to cover up rather than hit at the source. the actual drugs. i dont hear him warning others now, i dont think he wants to remind people but he’s already a public figure who went through it and its a bit of a disservice to gloss over
Stevie was on a cocktail of all the benzos. It wasn't Klonopin alone she had to w/d from. She was also rapid tapered at the Betty Ford Clinic. Horrific for her.
I wish I could get in touch with this man. We need a community that understands this nightmare.
Benzo Buddies is a really good support group you’ll find everything you need there❤
The story is definitely heartbreaking, but if you paid attention to it there are a lot of other factors than just benzodiazepines involved that made the story absolutely more horrifying
@@SAMEntalhealth As far as I can tell I was paying attention, but just in case I missed something, please be more specific. What are these factors you're referring to? And what is your point in making this statement? I really want to understand.
As a survivor of protracted withdrawal, and the ignorance of the pharmaceutical and medical corpse. I truly appreciate the way he speaks about his wife. He was supportive and protective, and not dismissive.
@@stephaniemartin6898 did you recover? What were you on? How long? What dose?
One side effect of benzos often not discussed is rebound where the drug produces effects opposite of it's intended use
It's hell on earth
Well this is common knowledge. You will experience anxiety from hell,depression, insomnia, upset stomach and bowels, sweating and cold. It's like the worst flu plus severe anxiety. It's very much like heroin withdrawal but it can last much longer, sometimes years.
@@toddlavigne6441 yes. Benzos and alcohol are the only 2 drugs that can have fatal consequences from a withdrawal that’s not medically managed.
I had that. Absolutely horrifying. Thats when I knew I had to stop.
@@toddlavigne6441bladder pain as well - urinary problems etc
Needs to be heard by all med students and MDs
they are ignorant and don't really care. I went to so many doctors - everyone just tell me the same bs, they don't even take their own subject serious - it's just about getting that money. I am glad this Chanel exists, these psychiatric medications are a big danger to people, its criminal
AGREE
Agreed. I’m a psych nurse and never completely understood why the psychiatrists were so conservative with the use or overuse of Ativan. After seeing this video I’m going to give Atarax more offer for anxiety unless it’s very severe. I will use Ativan much less for anxiety.
@@mariannegirouard8746wild how this video is what's informing you about what to prescribe. You weren't aware already?
THEY DON'T CARE.
I am so impressed by your listening skills Dr. Josef. Keep up the fantastic work you're doing!
I noticed that too, lovely doctor.
So sorry to hear about your wife. Sir, would you consider a ketogenic diet? I’m on Benzos for Lance Adams Syndrome and have been successfully cutting my dose by 1/16th of a tablet every 3 months for the past 3 years. Like your wife, everything was fine until 2 recent consecutive emotionally traumatic events. The first thing my GP’s recommend are more benzos! I am appalled and have refused. I am a biohacker. There are only 150 people alive in the world with this condition. I am going everything natural to heal. The insomnia and depression were crippling. It’s getting better but I have to force myself to get up and be proactive. Sun gazing. Exercise, low carbs (focusing more on fruits and veggies, healthy fats and protein). I am blessed not to suffer with any neuropathy. I am grateful everyday and send you and your wife prayers and healing energy. I am studying to help people to heal themselves naturally which means a change in career at 58. I believe healing is possible . I’ve had the condition for nearly 10 years and am doing everything to heal my brain and give it what it needs. God bless you.
I think it's worse than we realize. We are always saying things like "the system is broken." What if it's not? What if it's working perfectly?
Yes I am sure the manufacturers of benzos know exactly the extreme addictiveness of benzos and withdrawals. It's a business. All about the American dollar.
Yes, it's working perfectly for those at the top of the system, not working so well for us towards the lower end of the "system".
Right! The evil money loving system is working perfectly for THEM.
You are correct. Perspective is EVERYTHING
It started when they burned the midwives and the sage women who knew about herbal medicine as witches. Then medicine was becoming a male profession, firmly in the hands of the church and the satanic elite. They started to cut up dead bodies - a taboo in many societies - and develop modern medicine. The first remedies they described were arsenic, lead and mercury. Not much has changed since then, the remedies just have fancier names.
Look at the symbol they chose : a staff with a serpent crawling around it !
Western medicine is satanic and designed to make people sick, weak, dumb and dependent. They invented all the modern drugs, with exception of cocaine. Heroin was invented by Bayer and prescribed as an antidote to opium dependancy. Each time one of their drugs was denounced as being harmful, they came up with a replacement. Codeine in childrens' cough sirup, Fentanyl and Oxycontin. They have known about the harmful effects of opium derivatives since over hundred years, and still put Fentanyl on the market ?
That's not an accident, that's malicious intent.
Western modern medicine is good when it comes to surgery and all the machines they invented - defibrillators, anesthesia, hip replacements and so on. That's what creates trust and draws people in. And then they destroy them with their pharmaceuticals.
At the top of most governements worldwide are satanists, and their interest is to make people addicted to drugs, because it weakens society and creates a lot of suffering. They thrive on the suffering of the people. And many addictions lead to demonic possessions, because the suffering and the loss of control over the brain opens the mind up, so demons can enter. After that, it's the demon forcing his host to continue taking the drug.
This interview was both amazing and heartbreaking. I have a vested interest in this invisible epidemic. Please keep bringing this content to light 🙏🏼
@carniwarrior, I believe 5 years from now it will be a full blown epidemic like the opioid epidemic. I have lost 3 people to suicide in my small circle of people I met through the support group. There's simply no resources available to support the number of people suffering. It's not like you have a choice in my state, they told me they were taking me off with no plan in place to address the symptoms I was prescribed them for which was Lupus. I was on them 22 years and never had a problem.
Thank God I found these videos, my hubby was prescribed benzos, and I would not let him take them, due to videos like this. Thank you!
I'm so glad you stuck to your guns. I'm sure it was a difficult decision. I've been on meds since I was 18. I'm 53 now. It's such a decision to make because we all want to feel better so badly. It's been 4 years off the Valium now after 25 yrs with it. I'm still struggling. My mental health is a fight everyday.
@@neilacrabtree1617 Awe, I’m sorry to hear that but congratulations on being able to get off the medications, I’m sure it wasn’t easy. I’m always so proud of anyone who can defeat a lifelong dependency on medication, because goodness knows the formulations of those products don’t make them easy to get off of.
I know these comments are going to be overwhelmingly focused on the negative aspects of benzos, so I'll add my own anecdote: a mild prescription of xanax was the only thing that helped me cope with the trauma of sexual assault. After feeling nothing but pain, it helped me appreciate small things like music and sunsets again. It allowed me to carry on when I simply wanted to end it all. Each medicine has its place, its uses.
take it long enuff and IT POISONS.. the devil's hook is it works good at 1st..then..welcome to hell..in the literal sense..same as crack..you keep seeking that elusive 1st high
Are you still on it? If you are, you're just another addict
@@cj5273well, some addictions are OK if it benefits you. Oh, well. Life sux. Not everyone has an easy go at life, not many do, but a lot needs meds and some don't. Saying, benzo bad, don't ever start, get off it, is not realistic for far too many ppl.
This talks are nice, but they don't even inspire. I've quit too many times - 18 mos was longest and still felt like shut, should I've done 3, 4, 5 yrs. .. 10 yrs? Not possible, don't even remember how I ever went beyond a week.
Yeah its not black and white 🖤
@cj5273 wow. You're mean!
They tapered me off in 4 days. The hospital did not believe my symptoms as being real with my super sensitivities to everything. The doctor was shocked when I recited everything she said from down the hall and behind 2 closed doors though.
This happened to me. My doctor immediately diagnosed me as schizophrenic (hearing voices).
@@patriciabarnes9584 Wow! You need more meds! Sorry if I joke a bit It's not to be mean. But what are the choices? You can cry or laugh at how the system works and ignores the proof Infront of them that it's the meds that caused everything. In my case they apologized for some of the things they said about me that I was not supposed to hear. They thought I was faking my symptoms including passing out and the long list of other stuff when I was going through hell on earth. They wanted me out the door because they got worried about the insurance paying. I do wonder what the notes said though and if they said it was something else or just did not mention it at all.
This corrupt, insurance draining facility, diagnosed me with schizoeffective disorder on my discharge papers even though I was never diagnosed with it or anything similar previously at 52 years old. I really had BIND, of course and they knew it. I was aware and I advocated for myself by refused taking antipsychotics since it wouldn't be helpful. Anyway, I had a completely different diagnosis 3 weeks prior during intake, Benzodiazepine Abuse Disorder, even though I was taking my script as prescribed. ( Is that even a real diagnosis?)
@@newjerseydevil6115 They dare call it abuse, those weak f-cking doctors with no accountability. Makes me so mad. I have been told too that I abused them back when they still prescribed me oxazepam, hell yes I was dependant but DID NOT ABUSE IT. Taken as prescribed cannot be abusing the drug. I have developed a deep, deep hatred towards doctors, I remember meeting one very sweet lady in the past 10 years and the rest have been either like numb zombies or plain mean and undermining symptoms.
@@newjerseydevil6115 oh how awful! Did they lie so insurance would cover your stay?
Under guard in her room! OMG. That’s horrific that she went in for help and was kept there. A very similar thing happened to me. Thank God I was able to contact my therapist who threatened to sue the hospital because decisions were being made without a psychiatrist. This woman is so blessed to have a husband like him!
Happens in Canada, a lot 😪
I have been on 2 mg of Clonazapam for 6 years after my son died. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks and thought I was losing my mind. They were not giving me the Clonazapam.
@@mandyvasseybryant4618oh my god🫢 I have no words❤
As a patient of methadone for over 15 years I share your wife's pain and totally understand....a lot different if you have been there ..I was almost crying for her and believed every word you said...hear from the UK 🇬🇧 my heart goes out to you both STAY STRONG
This is the second time I haveattended to your sincere, honest sharing of this horrendous experience! I cannot tell youhow deeply I admire you and your wife and the compassion I feel for your humbling experience. I am a retired mental health counselor - 30 years - and have seen a widerange oftreatment. There truly are gems in this field and I was fortunate enough to work with several. I am also licensed in alcohol and drug treatment...a field that is developing. My focus was dual diagnosis...major psych dx as well as substance abuse...As far as I can see, there are FEW black and white treatments and M.D. does NOT mean major deity. When we work as a team, with the bottom line of respect and love...we seem to make the best progress..that is to assist our person to live comfortably in their own skin. Sending you all warm feelings of support. Idea...why don't you and your wife have a "date night"? Blessings.....
And seniors are getting the worst of it
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m 5+ years into a brutal taper from various psych meds. I’m only 52 and have teenagers. This is so not fair to my husband or my teens. Our family life has been ruined by these poisons. I have the awful head pain almost daily plus about 20+ other sxs. Unbelievable that I have survived this so far.
And, it all started with some mild anxiety… I am so sick now compared to when I started taking the first ssri over 20+ yrs ago. So polydrugged over the years and gaslighted by the psychiatrist who put me on these drugs. It’s plain evil.
Couldn't agree more@@rosesRred2400
@@rosesRred2400I am sorry to hear this ia happening to you. I am in a similar situation. Teens, husband, Xanax for TOO MANY YEARS. Life upside-down. I recently came down from 6mgs to 2mgs in about a couple of months. Only difference, that's the only Rx that I took.
What a loyal, brave, honourable man you are standing by your wife through thick and thin. Thank you for doing this podcast. God bless you 💖💯
Every 50 year old shamed young people for doing drugs haha
Thank you James for sharing your story and thoughts about you and your beloved 's gruelling health experience.
Wishing you both good mental, physical, and spiritual health always.
From Scotland👍💐🌟🕊
It's heartbreaking. Someone close to me went through this. The system was completely inadequate, missed the benzo withdrawal aspect, added more and more medications, ECT, 6 hospitalisations which caused the person more and more distress with worsening of symptoms with some added, including chronic fatigue, suicidal ideation and attempts and twitching. I put in a complaint, so hopefully they learned something. They are off all meds now and much better, but it's left its mark.
You are an amazing husband and advocate for your wife. Thank you for being such support system!
A close friend of mine stopped talking to me after I sent her a TED talk on benzo addiction. She had been on them for about 15 years at that point, and was drinking more and more and I felt like I was watching her deteriorate in slow motion. She was absolutely suffering from unhealed pain, and the benzos made it infinitely worse.
Thank you for speaking out about this..
Well you did a good think sending it to her but there's a reason they say don't shoot the messenger. We of course have to be kind when alerting people to information that night make them sad,angry etc. She may feel being in denial about this is easier until she's ready to do something about it n isn't yet but I'd have a much better regret if I knew something and was t sharing it. Ultimately it's they're decision to get help n we can support them but not if they react like that unfortunately.
Drinking mixed with benzos is the most lethal combination, I’d try to convince her to cut back on the drinking if she’s goin hard on the benzos or something bad will happen and it will
@@stantondavid4435 When they stop talking to you, you can't tell them anything anymore.
@@brandyk k
@@stantondavid4435 Sure, in very high does the combo can be lethal but it's more a problem than just lethal overdose. Most of the problems people have with benzos is that there is alcohol involved. Actually most horror stories about drugs in general are actually drugs+alcohol.
It will be two years next month since my wife took her life. She had been suffering terribly with the effects of benzodiazepine withdrawal and simply could not withstand the pain and agony.
She had sought help from a number of health care professionals only to be dismissed
and let down.
This interview with Mr Rath could have been us. When Mary tried to share the Ashton manual with her so called care providers it was dismissed out of hand.
I wish Mr Rath and his wife the
best of luck.
Something must be done.
I'm so sorry about your wife. That's so sad and frustrating. I'm not sure how I made it through it. 4 yrs later and I'm still dealing with many issues. 25yrs on Valium. Cut cold turkey from 30mgs a day. This should not be allowed to happen to any patient.
P.s. on alprazolam for almost 40 yrs. Doc wants to wean me off. Went from 2. 4 x day to 1.5 a day and working my way down slowly...off and on since 2016....caregiving mom 24 x 7 with Alzheimer's did not help. So happy I found this channel.🙏🙏🙏
When I discovered that benzodiazopenes cause dementia later in life I weaned myself off of mine in a graduated fashion. I am so thankful I found a more natural approach to manage my anxiety. Thank you God.
Thank you GOD!
You said it sister..
God be with you!
@debrajabs9523
I did the same as you after I was prescribed Restoril for sleep disturbance for peri-menapause at forty years old.
I weaned myself off of it slowly on my own at sixty years old over several months.
My doctor couldn't believe how I accomplished that on my own.
I'm proud of myself, too!
I'm at 5 years down to 1mg kpin. I want off now! I'm 39 I don't want my future destroyed. You give me hope. How much dud you take and how long?
I admire your courage and bravery and fight, James, thank you for sharing your story. I know too. My husband was cold-turkeyed from benzo early last year, and, like you and Kate, the gaslighting and indifference and HARM is mind-blowing, and I have a freaking PhD in psychiatric epidemiology, but what do I know about research. I would be there right with you and 9998 of our friends at the FDA office on World benzo day. You are not alone.
Soooo many of us out here struggling with this. Thank you for sharing your story with your wife, I pray this helps preventing more from starting this medication although I will say, like you, many of us "trusted" the doctors and medical establishment. It is heartbreaking it is robbing us of LIFE
Your wife has had the good fortune to have you advocating for her throughout the tough times which you describe, so eloquently.
Your warmth, dedication and loving compassion in helping her through this is truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Dear James you're fuelled my motivation to keep on standing up for the for the vulnerable human being who so easily falls prey to prejudice because they are lifelong psychiatric patient in the eyes of doctors. Indeed; revolution must come from the patients.
I am the chairperson of a complete volunteer-run patients-association in the Netherlands.
I not only have personal experience with benzo withdrawal (I went cold turkey after 15 yrs) but I have worked in health care since 1999. I have personally seen the difference in business models and most of the visits, especially teledoc, could probably be better done by ai or a robot. For the last 3 yrs I have worked in pharmacy....and it is mind blowing how many people are on just whatever and don't have a clue what their taking. I call it medicine by committee. Its like a flow chart. If you have x symptom you get x drug and so on. I have been off benzos for 4 years now, and I still am affected. I think I'll have severe insomnia forever at this point. This needs to be talked about more and realize it's not just junkies that this an issue for, it affects everyone and anyone. Thank you for platforming this gentleman and getting the message out.
Incredible, you can still ride it out. I thought I was tough.
Quit too many time with 8mos and 18mos being max. I have no fn idea .. don't even remember how I endured more than 5, 6 days. You're a warrior. Wow. There's a limit to what kind of pain I can sustain. Waking up is the worst. Wow.
Worst drug on planet. Its a drug I can get down to a piece, but now sure anytime soon I'll ever be a position to ever be fully cleared.
The thought of starting that misery again is not even an option.
Some ppl have money and resources that average ppl will never have access to, unfortunately.
Good grief , I really feel for you .
So for some reason I thought I was the exception and despite knowing all about bz w/d I thought I could turkey off 40/50mg valium /day.
What an idiot ..... I had several fits broke my ribs in a fit /fall and after 10 days of no sleep was hallucinating,sweating and shaking and was in all sorts of trouble and it was getting worse . I managed to get myself to hospital, they put me back on valium and things calmed right down.
So I did a measured wd over 9 months. It was hell every step of the way. Every drop was a new kind of misery but I did it .
Afterwards I pretty much thought I had broken something inside . Protracted wd symptoms sweats and shaking suddenly out of nowhere , I thought I had lost myself , my personality , It was all I could do to stay away bc I knew from my hospital experience 5mg would make this terrible feeling go away.
I tried to be good to myself too, gave myself 3 x 1hr sessions in a float tank . Cycled , ate well but it must have been a year clean before I could look back and say I was actually feeling like I was getting somehwhere
Ive clucked off opiods , thats no joke but Id do it a dozen times rather than go through bz wd again. That is a special type of hell .
So easy to slip into addiction and almost impossible to quit.
Severe insomnia and tinnitus affect me also after being off Klonopin for 2 years. Thank you for sharing.
This guy's story needs to be heard all around the world very quick.
The doctors that prescribe these medications know exactly what the outcome will be. Corporate Pharma knows what the outcome will be with prolonged use and the shareholders should know!
I'm not an expert. Worked as an RN for 33 years in many areas. I had to medically retire at 57 due to autoimmune and treatment for hep C. Gradually during my nursing career medications began to frighten me. The negative effects on patients caused me to doubt the profession I entered to help people. So, I got out of hospital nursing where I did not have to administer meds. I began doing massive research since becoming disabled. Big picture: Rockefeller Medicine. He developed modern medicine. Basically owned it. Donated to medical schools and demanded a place on the board where they decided the curriculum. Planned and implemented campaigns to turn the public against natural healing and traditional medicine practiced forever. Vaccines. Create. Disease. Foods cause disease. They make obscene amounts of money off of people with diseases they created. It's all evil. Very complex and layered.
Yes...have not done extensive research on this, but have heard the ugly history of the Rockefeller's.
Truth, the scales have fallen from our eyes! It's exactly why I left my pharmacy career. It's not about helping people, it's all been a lie.
@@colleenjensen6584People.
PEOPLE create their own problems more often than not.
Then, they seek answers from people with the same problems or even worse problems- to prescribe addictive substances that create worse problems- that inevitably will effect every person in their family- and it spirals down from there- when the kids who recognized their mom or dads behavior change after getting their pills go into the pill cabinet and Try them pills themselves.
And then the doctor who was seeing one patient in the family now sees all the family- until one or two OD.
take off the tin foil hat, youve got a box of wine waiting for you in the fridge im sure
She is very lucky to have a husband that is fighting for her is completely. If she were alone, it seems like she would never get on the path to recovery. I have friends addicted to this drug and I am sure they will still be taking this when they pass on. They say it’s worse then when they got over opioids. Our medical system is really messed up.
What they have done to her is unconscionable. This is beyond torture. Anyone suffering with this needs to speak out
I am horrified this is me. The pharmacy was being weird with filling it on time. I was so sick, even a high fever. I had ice cubes melting on my head trying to break this weird fever. Chest pains, body convulsions, and then years later i put it together. I wouldn't want this hell for anyone. If you're living this hell, and have not developed a deep empathy, than you're sadistic. Nobody would want hell on earth for a person. Dr. J i hope you continue to get as many of us to open and do these interviews with you. I would, but i could be having weird convulsions one moment or projectile vomiting, etc, etc. I put the connections together years ago and started a documentary showing my horrors and two others i could find. This was a few yrs ago before i couldn't. Thank you for doing this Dr. J! Giving you positive vibes, thoughts and well wishes in 2024, and all else out there suffering this.
Wow! Thank you Dr. Josef!!!! Thank you James for sharing your courageous journey. Kate’s story has been my story. Thank God I am so much better today but the suffering and torment was unbearable for years. The physical and emotional pain …all of it just completely debilitating!
I started researching bc all doctors would do was give more meds! It was infuriating! Thank you for these podcasts. What helped me and started my descent out of hell was Dr. Georgia Ede and Dr. Chris Palmer. 18 months ago I read his book “Brain Energy” and changed my diet the next day.
I relate to this story so much that I cried all the way through. Thank you so much for bringing light to this “holocaust” like torture and torment brought on as you come off of these “harmless” medications. I pray your podcast blows up! I just “liked, subscribed and shared”. Sooooo many people need to hear these interviews as this “epidemic” makes you feel like you are the only one suffering like this. It is so isolating and terrifying. So grateful for your work! Thankful for the courage and vulnerability of James and Kate! These podcasts are saving lives!!!
How are these doctors so oblivious? Non-medical professionals could look at symptoms 4 weeks out from years of benzo use and easily tell that shivers and sweating is from withdrawal but doctors at John Hopkins couldn’t? That’s embarrassing for them.
I'm convinced doctors get some kind of kick-back from Big Pharma, so they love to prescribe pills and more pills.
American doctors score very POORLY by international standards. To get benzos in other countries there have to very good reasons. In my country, they are class A drugs alongside heroin and cocaine. They are used, but only in a strictly controlled way.
Ego. Pure and simple. Sadly, doctors and “specialists” seem to lose their humility after med school and develop god-complex’s. Then there’s the system that makes too much money from these drugs. Pharmacology should not be a for profit business.
Along with Leah’s comment, tunnel vision of treatment options
The dollar sign screams at them more than the truth of working hard to unravel the layers of symptoms
@@crazystemlady This is very much an American problem. Just like the over-prescribing of opioids.
Thank you for sharing James. You said that you could not be as strong as your wife, but you are the strongest person she knows as you have stood by her every minute through this catastrophic situation!
I hope your wife continues to heal and get better!
Thank you both. As a person who was taken off a slew of psych meds w no taper at the directive of an inpatient facility dr, I literally feel like my soul was broken. It's taken me years to be able to construct what happened during a 2 week hold at a psych ward. Converting my thoughts, feelings and experiences (until recently, beyond description) into coherent facts seems impossible. I have so much renewed hope for exposing these dark practices. Like your wife, i was label bi-polar, Stories and podcasts like this are night lights for some of us who can't describe what we've seen/felt during these shockingly ruthless, psychiatric med interventions, we are at the mercy of psychiatrists at hospitals who can divorce themselves from their patients as if they are tourists observing zoo animals. They label you bi-polar so nothing you say can be held against them. It's the insanity diagnosis.
Now i uderstand when a friend of mine tells that she cant read anymore!
I’m so sorry for what your wife has endured. And you. Listening to you opened my eyes to what my husband has gone through caring for me for the last 6 years. I was worse the second and third year after discontinuation. And then I started to see the sun behind the clouds. I also had really bad head symptoms for a long time. Just keep her off any more meds. The only way out is through and it is horrible and painful but she can survive and heal. ❤
Listening to the horrific trauma caused by meds and medical makes me feel rage.
I feel rage as well.
@@pattilynnwahlsimmonsIts awful. Total horror show.
💯 when will the tipping point come to wake everyone up? Slow rolling boil to complete shit show
@@lynnepaquette4124 They just don't care. $$$$
Aside from the disgust & rage I feel towards child abusers, rapists, cold-blooded murderers, etc., there are two things in particular that cause a uniquely visceral type of anger in me & will always get me into a justice-seeking frame of mind: 1) power-tripping cops who abuse their authority & the public they’re supposed to be serving, & 2) condescending doctors who dismiss their patients’ concerns, prescribe recklessly, & end up doing unspeakable harm to the same person who came to them seeking help.
There is definitely a degree of overlap between those two personalities, too. Both wield the privileges, knowledge, or ability to outright ruin you in a matter of minutes. These patients are incredibly courageous folks who are dealing with both unspeakable torment & the burden of stigma on top of it. It just angers & hurts me to see good people hurting. Blessings to every one of y’all.
I have dragged myself through the thick of benzo withdrawal. I have suffered immensely. Today I stand before all of you and say you will get better with time. I tapered using liquid Librium over 4 years. It was hell on earth and still can be at times. I just keep moving a few minutes at a time. I was a a worst case senario. You absolutely must keep moving foward. 36 months free from hell this year as of September 27th.
‘Properly process the grief’.
Amen, brother, amen.
Can’t get through it when you’re out of it.
Took me 1 year and 4 months to slowly taper off. Countless days of no sleep because of the withdrawals. Glad to say I pulled through and endured.
May I ask you how you weaned yourself off? [Obviously over 4 weeks mentioned elsewhere doesn’t work].
I’ve weaned myself from Clonazapam 2.0 mg down to 0.5mg at bedtime for the last couple of months, over a couple of years.
How do you cut down from 0.5mg?
Ty.❤
@@leekoss7083 daily taper using a scale and shaving the pill.
@@leekoss7083with a razor blade and a scale? I’m on 2 mg of xanax but I usually take only one mg. Wondering how to get off them eventually.
Now they’re handing out gabapentin like candy for back pain. I refused to take it. Now it’s a controlled substance in some states.
@@leekoss7083 the same way, keep cutting down, .4 then .3 etc eventually it should become so pointless you will forget to take it and realise you dont need it.
The system is broken. The psychiatrist in Florida prescribed 5 medications for my son, unbeknownst to our family. He's an adult. There was another pain management Dr prescribing 3 meds. Each doctor was prescribing a controlled substance so they should have known with access to E-FORCSE. He goes into psychosis, and then the psychiatrist diagnosed my son with schizophrenia. Add another med. He gets picked up on the Baker's Act and the hospital treats him for schizophrenia and gives him more meds. Dead at 34 from cardiac arrest and rhabdomyolysis. This is after 5 days of hospitalization. The medical examiner's report states schizophrenia was a contributing cause of death. He NEVER had "psychiatric" issues in his home state. Ever. Thank you for speaking out. I too, will continue to tell my son's story.
That’s horrifying…so sorry.
😢
“Unbeknownst to our family”
Yes, he was the patient, not the family. Ever hear of medical privacy?
@@rieyuki The laws protect the doctors and medical facilities. Not the patient, especially if they are in crisis, family sees that their over medicated. These laws were written by lawyers and we've been made to believe they were written to protect us. Not so much so.
Just curious, was your son also on a statin, like Lipitor?
Thank you for sharing this. I have been on Ativan for thirty years. They had me on four milagrams now Im on one milagram. It has been so hard.
Im extremely nervous about going off. But the doctors are making us.
Trust me its been so hard sometimes I dont know if I will have the strength to do it. ❤blessings towards all of you who are going through this.❤❤
No, you don’t have to. If you do best on it, and know the risks of both, ultimately you have the right to fight back. “Best practice” tells the benzophobic drs that they shouldn’t force someone off a medication they are doing well on. Find another dr, tell them the deal- if they refuse to play ball, move on to the next\
Makes so very angry when doctors just take away these kind of drugs, then people commit suicide, boils my blood big time!😡
You are an amazing husband James and I truly hope that Kate eventually finds some relief. God bless her. 🙏. Thank you for doing this interview with Dr. Josef…we need to bring awareness to everyone!!!
This is a horrifying account of medical and pharmaceutical abuse. I've had my own struggles with benzos over many years and know just how true this all is.
Hi; sometimes people scoff; not understanding but my late partner a war vet, suffered like hell on the psych meds he was on. So unfair; my own doctor was shocked that he was on a Benzo; my doc totally disapproved; wish my b.f. had come to my doc instead of the veterans docs.
BARBARIC...Mendele Level barbarism
I’m so thankful to find this rabbithole. I have a nonverbal epileptic child that seemed to go bonkers with GI issues and screaming shooting pains, insomnia, apnea etc. After months of grasping at straws in a hospital with them saying it’s palliative care time, I realized he had switched from the branded clobazam to a generic months prior to this nightmare. Within a month of giving him his Onfi back he was on the mend. Thanks to all the spouses sharing their experiences. You’ve greatly improved our quality of life.
Thank you for this discussion and sharing your story sir.
I started working in psych 5 years ago after transferring from CTU. I hear now spent the past 3 years In addiction at a detox center . I have seen this in many of clients who come into the facility. Yes it is like an assembly line. Of course to be efficient but people are different and need more time than other cases. Benzodiazepines are the worst in the long term effects after long term treatment. It truly breaks my heart because I have seen what this gentleman is talking about. Patients paralyzed with fear and their body shutting down after being tapered off quickly. There needs to be a different way of detox off of them better. Especially the more dynamic cases such as in this video. I pray for him and his wife for resolution.
I used weed for recreational use and to help with anxiety for 13 years until no longer helped as I developed tolerance and I had to use more and more so I decided to quit cold turkey. I had really bad withdrawal from it, depression, GI problems and insomnia, which made every symptom worse. I was desperate so I went seeking help from a psychiatrist. I was prescribed Ativan 1 mg at night but only took half the dose as it made me feel weird in the mornings. Took it for 40 days and found videos and warnings about side effects so I stopped taking it and now the insomnia and nightmares are back. It did helped to get some needed rest, my GI symptoms got better thanks to that, but I decided to stop taking it. I hope it gets better with time and doing trascendental meditation and the Wim Hof method I found online. Some how even tho Im not out of the woods yet, I feel I dodged a bullet after listening to testimonies like this one. If you are going through something like this, I wish you the best of luck.
And a warning ⚠️ do not abuse weed, it’s not as harmless as I was made to believe by so called friends.
God, I can feel this good man's pain. I can believe the negligence they have faced.
Benzodiazepines are great for acute anxiety, but if you come to rely on them you will quite literally be screwed. The rebound anxiety from trying to come off of these is much worse that where you started, not to mention its dangerous.
So true.
Benadryl works just as well and is not addictive!
@@sallysailor5642great idea ban them tomorrow see what transpires.
We need to live without drugs. Only for life threatening conditions. And only for a short time. All psychological states, we gotta deal with them heads on. No drugs. Say NO TO DRUGS.
@@schluesselblume2337 there are a few that can help to face and understand what's going on. I Won't call them drugs, and exclude them.
But for the whole rest I agree.
Tragically for our society, this story is all too familiar. I once served as a moderator in a FB support group for benzo withdrawal. The level of desperate suffering caused by ignorant doctors is beyond belief. They prescribe these addictive poisons as if they are candies.
I don't think they prescribe them like candy. At least not my doctor. My doctor tried to prescribe a muscle relaxer to me to see if that would work first, when I requested Clonazepam for my chronic hypnic jerking. When the muscle relaxer didn't work, then zi was allowed to have one .5 milligram tablet per night. When that didn't work completely I called in to ask if i could take a second one at night, and I had to answer several questions as to why I wanted an additional tablet, which I thought would be obvious. They were trying to determine if I was trying to abuse the drug, which I wasn't. I felt treated as though I was trying to be sneaky. I wasn't. So no, I don't think it's like that anymore. Additionally I'm only allowed to have a 30 day supply at a time.
I don't think the Dr's are that ignorant. They just turn their back. Big pharma supports their med schools, they get kick backs from pharma reps, Dr's support big pharma.
When I needed help desperately for lack of sleep and severe anxiety it was very difficult to get any doctor to prescribe benzos
back to etc disagrees but I agree; saw my former partner a vet; subjected to a slew of meds and even iatrogenic comas; an ordeal that pretty much ruined him. The docs were not malicious... they just did not have a clue.
@@backtoasimplelife the doctors have to question you like that due to federal regulations; don't take it personally. I worked with an MD who served time for handing benzos out like candy, and he also lost his license to practice; possibly permanently. One of my coworkers in the medical field was prescribed benzos by him, and she didn't function very well in her practice. She was dependent on those meds, and said they were more addictive to her than nicotine was. Pain management physicians are monitored closely now, so they monitor their patients closely. Many mental health clinics are benzo-free now, and do their best to wean new patients off, offer alternative medications & therapy. It is definitely not easy.
After 25 years of being on klonapin I’ve successfully tapered off it. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I still struggle but everyday is another step towards a better future.
I was misdiagnosed for having what i called "episodes" and was told straight away that i was having panic attacks. Those "episodes" only got worse over the nxt 3 yrs. Then things started getting trippy. It took a grand Mal seizure and 3 days in the ICU to find out I'd been having seizures all those years. Now my neurologist tells me i cant get off bc im epileptic. Its absolutely nuts! Nobody can or will help me get off. Unless a money tree sprouts and I can pay for extended rehab.
Every brain is different. I feel like we’ve been polydrugged into insanity.
Thank you for sharing your heart breaking story mr. Rath! Wishing your wife best recovery and God`s blessing and healing to you both and your family
A Dr. Jordan Peterson spoke about this extensively. These drugs need to be outlawed
Outrageous that they don't consider withdrawal symptoms with their heavy drugs.
I am in Australia. I have/am experience similar to your wife. 2.5 years since very rapid taper after 10 years of prescription. Drs not acknowledge could be from cessation of Serapax. Even though all horrific symptoms started after cessation. Four times iv called ambulance once admitted to mental health unit 8 days after being prescribed Lithium. 9 other psyc meds prescribed over this 2.5 years NONE helped. The constant terror became to much for me & I approached a Dr who prescribed me Bupronorohine & reinstated Valium. I am very slow tapering off Valium using Bupronorohine as the backbone. I am alone, I have lost so much on top of the living hell symptoms. So at this stage I’m still alive.
Hang in there … Have Hope , go slow . You will get there !
What dose buprenorphine are you on? I've come off long term benzos a few times over many years and know the pain all too well. I'm currently trying to come off buprenorphine after several years and I'm sorry to tell you that it's just as bad, if not worse. I've been slowly tapering off it for 2 years now and am often unable to move due to the withdrawal symptoms.
@@lucydayLucida 1.8 mg split morning & afternoon. I am in my late 50s and after the last two and a half years of constant terror, I could not cope any further. The bupronorohine was the only thing that lowered the terror symptom for me. Now it’s just back to usual anxiety and sometimes panick attacks. I am at the point where I no longer worry about stopping a medication just to say I’m medication free. I just am grateful to have some quality of life back. I still have memory impairment, especially short term, though some days are better than others. In ways, I have become disabled from either taking & discontinuing a long term high dose of Serapax, or from being tapered off that over 11 days. I have also tapered off a high dose taken as prescribed Codeine, also after long term use. And while this was extremely difficult, for me the Benzodiazepine issue has been much longer more severe & harmful. But this is just my experience. I wish you and All of us, much strength & hope 🙏🏼
You are not alone. Distraction, prayer (anything that brings you solace) experience something new (beautiful photos, music, textures) etc… this is a very slow process. I’ve known people who took nearly a year to work their way back.. be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Remind yourself, you are a hum. You are wanted, worthy and wonderful. I wish you all the best.
@@emmabovary1228 Thank you 🙏🏼❤️