Jump to content

Has anyone contacted their local media?


[We...]

Recommended Posts

I'll give you an experience of a man named Ove Carlson in Sweden who I've corresponded with and he won his case but when I explain it, you'll see why. He got media coverage and things are different as far as awareness and education with benzos in Sweden but it hasn't all been ironed out yet.

 

As far as here, you better have your facts down and educate them first to "our side" and provide the reference material from other docs. As soon as they hear benzos they'll turn into addiction and mental health from their misunderstanding and it will be conveyed in the wrong light.

 

Ove Carlson in Sweden went to the "media" about benzodiazipine withdrawal so it opened that up and he fought for 15  years and won his case and was awarded in the amount of 3 years of symptoms. I don't know how much that was. Nor the specifics on what was said in the media. He shared the general information with me and I can't read Swedish but there is info on the net in regards to his case in Swedish. Google his name and his book comes up in Swedish.

 

The reason it took so long, Big Pharma kept providing expert witness saying what we experience is false. His expert witnesses finally beat them. I wish I knew specifically what was said. Ove did say, as of a few years ago Sweden has a mandatory law with Big Pharma. They have to carry insurance on meds and if someone has a reaction they have to prove it and then will be compensated. So, it took him 15 years, terrible the length, but he proved it.

 

The insurance company paid the damages to him. That's all. Therefore Big Pharma did not get charged and it did not get recorded in a court of law as side effects from benzodiazipines.

 

Joan Gatsby is here where I live in Vancouver Canada. Addiction by Prescription is her Book. After a long fight that ended in 2003 she lost 2 million fighting Big Pharma over an 11 year period. She sued her attorney as well as her lawyer as they got the facts wrong. Her book got attention, she traveled extensively educating, making documentaries. Look at her resume. She's a very well educated professional woman and she tried.

 

It's a tough nut to crack, but you or anyone else so inclined might say and convey the RIGHT thing and get the media's attention again.

 

It doesn't directly answer your question but perhaps gives you some insight as to what has been done in certain avenues with this in the public eye.

 

I curious to know if someone here has a well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vancouver Girl,

 

Thanks for the info! As far as proving the meds caused everything, I don't know how anyone can do that or say for sure. That's a pretty hefty task. It's true im ten fold worse since 1/15/2003, the day I began (too rapid) tapering from ativan, but how can I say for sure that it's from ativan or that the ativan is the only cause. It's something I've struggled with much. Most illnesses have multiple factors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2003 rapid taper Wendy? You're ten fold worse since then? I am so sorry, that's a very long time. You don't have a signature so where are you in this now? What kind of symptoms do you have?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Wendy and Vancouvergirl, :)

 

Documentaries on benzos and how they impact people's lives is something I've been tossing around in my head for a little while. I really think there are so many stories out there about this, and I think it would be cathartic for people who have been damaged by benzos to be able to tell their stories.

 

I got an idea from my sister who has a friend who entered a documentary contest in our city...her documentary was about DV (domestic violence). This person actually won first place and received a monetary prize and a lot of attention for her film....I've been thinking, even if it didn't win, it could bring attention to the issue, so I'm seriously thinking of doing a documentary and entering it in contests. It can't hurt.

 

And thank you Vancouvergirl for the suggestion of the book Addiction by Prescription, I'll have to check it out. I haven't read any benzo books yet (I have printed off the Ashton Manual). Do you have any more that you would recommend? I heard The Benzo Book was good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2003 rapid taper Wendy? You're ten fold worse since then? I am so sorry, that's a very long time. You don't have a signature so where are you in this now? What kind of symptoms do you have?

 

 

Sorry, i keep forgetting to add a sig. See below.  Overwhelming issue for me is restful, deep sleep. I don't ever experience it anymore, even with any medication. I feel awake even when I'm asleep. It has weakened me terribly.

 

(Took benzo's mostly ativan on and off since  1994 for severe sleep disorder associated with chronic fatigue syndrome and Lyme disease. Went off the benzo several times relatively easily with a one week fast taper.  January 2003 I went off 4mg Ativan in one week, sleep became many times worse than ever before.  Tried many other things, other meds, reinstated  at much lower does a few times. Finally tapered from about .25 mg and off altogether since August 2010. Some improvement in first three weeks, NONE since. Devastating sleep, has ruined my life for 8.5 years!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wendy, I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with sleep, that is hard to deal with. Have you gone to a sleep specialist?...or have you tried bio-feedback?

I did bio-feedback at one time and it helped me to relax, so could fall asleep at night. What have you tried for your insomnia? Have you found the insomnia board? I haven't gone there myself, but I think people give each other tips on what helps them.

 

I hope your Lyme's disease and CFS has gotten better...it must be hard to deal with all of these things together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wendy, I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with sleep, that is hard to deal with. Have you gone to a sleep specialist?...or have you tried bio-feedback?

I did bio-feedback at one time and it helped me to relax, so could fall asleep at night. What have you tried for your insomnia? Have you found the insomnia board? I haven't gone there myself, but I think people give each other tips on what helps them.

 

I hope your Lyme's disease and CFS has gotten better...it must be hard to deal with all of these things together.

 

HI Nicolette, thanks. Actually my cfs/Lyme is way worse - cant function wo/sleep, ya know. Yup, been to sleep drs, tried everything I think. : ) Did something like biofeedback called neurotherapy but brain couldnt follow the computer image. i went to the insomnia boards in the beginning, months ago, havnet been back. Havnet been on the boards at all much in last six months or so i think.

 

I hope your taper is going as smoothly as possible.

 

: ) W

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wendy,

 

I'm sorry your cfs/Lyme is worse. I hope you have good doctors dealing with this. I think neuro-feedback is the same as bio-feedback. As for sleep, I sleep 5 hours a night, not as much as I would like, but I would rather just accept that, than try to get 8, and toss and turn all night or wake up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. For a while I left my teevee on all night, for some reason, but now I don't and that has helped me.

 

So far my taper is going pretty well, I just don't know how hard it will be further down, since I'm on Xanax...people can go straight off of Xanax and I sure hope I am one of them.  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Nicolette, I haven't read a lot of benzo books and there are a ton out there but I can't recommend any others. I know someone else could add to the list though. Your documentary idea sounds very good indeed. That would be a serious project with this topic wouldn't it.

 

Hi Wendy. Oh my gosh. That is terrible. Light short sleep. And for so long. I am so sorry. And you've tried many things to remedy this as well. My sleep is deep, but broken and short. Very little groggy sleep feeling though, exhausted. I say that only in that I relate somewhat, and it is terrible and you have tried so many things. You feel awake even while sleeping. Terrible. And in August some improvement in 3 weeks and then none. It's too long for you and my heart goes out to you Wendy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hi Wendy and Vancouvergirl, :)

 

Documentaries on benzos and how they impact people's lives is something I've been tossing around in my head for a little while. I really think there are so many stories out there about this, and I think it would be cathartic for people who have been damaged by benzos to be able to tell their stories.

 

I got an idea from my sister who has a friend who entered a documentary contest in our city...her documentary was about DV (domestic violence). This person actually won first place and received a monetary prize and a lot of attention for her film....I've been thinking, even if it didn't win, it could bring attention to the issue, so I'm seriously thinking of doing a documentary and entering it in contests. It can't hurt.

 

 

Is this something you are still thinking about doing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Wendy and Vancouvergirl, :)

 

Documentaries on benzos and how they impact people's lives is something I've been tossing around in my head for a little while. I really think there are so many stories out there about this, and I think it would be cathartic for people who have been damaged by benzos to be able to tell their stories.

 

I got an idea from my sister who has a friend who entered a documentary contest in our city...her documentary was about DV (domestic violence). This person actually won first place and received a monetary prize and a lot of attention for her film....I've been thinking, even if it didn't win, it could bring attention to the issue, so I'm seriously thinking of doing a documentary and entering it in contests. It can't hurt.

 

 

Christopher,

 

Yes I am. I don't think it would be too difficult to make a small documentary and enter it in a contest. The more people who learn about benzos the better. My guess is there are a lot of people who have all kinds of difficulties and are not even connecting it to a benzodiazepine. Xanax and it's affects crept up on me and I really had a lot of cognitive dissonance about it until very recently. I didn't even know I was on Xanax, the pill bottle says alprazolam and I had never heard the word benzodiazepine until this Spring. Doesn't 1mg sound like a small amount of something, even 2 or 3? There would have been a huge red flag for me had I been prescribed Valium, I had heard of it before and most likely 20mg of something would have set off alarm bells for me. I'm not discounting the affects of Valium or any of the other benzos at all. There are probably people who are on benzos with different names and not even connecting they are on the same thing. Everyone who has had bad experiences with benzos has a story. Undoubtedly most people even know someone on a benzo and are not attributing their downward spiral to benzos.

 

Firstly, I have to finish my taper, I certainly would feel weird about doing a project whilst (not from the UK, just love that word) still on a benzo. I just learn more and more about benzos all the time and I would like to educate people as much as I can, however small a way it would be.

 

P.S. Dr. Whitfield uses the term "spell-binding" when referring to benzos and other psych drugs. I believe that spell-binding is one reason people aren't connecting the dots about benzos.

 

Is this something you are still thinking about doing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Wendy and Vancouvergirl, :)

 

Documentaries on benzos and how they impact people's lives is something I've been tossing around in my head for a little while. I really think there are so many stories out there about this, and I think it would be cathartic for people who have been damaged by benzos to be able to tell their stories.

 

I got an idea from my sister who has a friend who entered a documentary contest in our city...her documentary was about DV (domestic violence). This person actually won first place and received a monetary prize and a lot of attention for her film....I've been thinking, even if it didn't win, it could bring attention to the issue, so I'm seriously thinking of doing a documentary and entering it in contests. It can't hurt.

 

 

Oops, read in the blue box above, my answer accidentally got captured in the quote box.  :)

 

Christopher,

 

Yes I am. I don't think it would be too difficult to make a small documentary and enter it in a contest. The more people who learn about benzos the better. My guess is there are a lot of people who have all kinds of difficulties and are not even connecting it to a benzodiazepine. Xanax and it's affects crept up on me and I really had a lot of cognitive dissonance about it until very recently. I didn't even know I was on Xanax, the pill bottle says alprazolam and I had never heard the word benzodiazepine until this Spring. Doesn't 1mg sound like a small amount of something, even 2 or 3? There would have been a huge red flag for me had I been prescribed Valium, I had heard of it before and most likely 20mg of something would have set off alarm bells for me. I'm not discounting the affects of Valium or any of the other benzos at all. There are probably people who are on benzos with different names and not even connecting they are on the same thing. Everyone who has had bad experiences with benzos has a story. Undoubtedly most people even know someone on a benzo and are not attributing their downward spiral to benzos.

 

Firstly, I have to finish my taper, I certainly would feel weird about doing a project whilst (not from the UK, just love that word) still on a benzo. I just learn more and more about benzos all the time and I would like to educate people as much as I can, however small a way it would be.

 

P.S. Dr. Whitfield uses the term "spell-binding" when referring to benzos and other psych drugs. I believe that spell-binding is one reason people aren't connecting the dots about benzos.

 

Is this something you are still thinking about doing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to put together some kind of a documentary about this but I think it is important to understand what you would be getting yourself into if you were to take on a project like that. If you have never done video production there is WAAAAY more that goes into it than meets the eye. I have done everything from 30 second tv commercials to infomercials to informational videos. I just finished an hour long video that took hundreds of hours to complete. And sure, you can pay someone to do whatever you can't do or don't have the talent to do, but those people don't come cheap. You could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars and a year of your life on a project like this. And that is not even taking into account marketing it so you can recoup your investment and get it seen by the public.

 

That said I would love to be able to do something like this if I had the time and the resources. I'm just not sure that there is enough of a market to make it worthwhile enough from a financial standpoint to justify taking on a project of this scope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to put together some kind of a documentary about this but I think it is important to understand what you would be getting yourself into if you were to take on a project like that. If you have never done video production there is WAAAAY more that goes into it than meets the eye. I have done everything from 30 second tv commercials to infomercials to informational videos. I just finished an hour long video that took hundreds of hours to complete. And sure, you can pay someone to do whatever you can't do or don't have the talent to do, but those people don't come cheap. You could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars and a year of your life on a project like this. And that is not even taking into account marketing it so you can recoup your investment and get it seen by the public.

 

That said I would love to be able to do something like this if I had the time and the resources. I'm just not sure that there is enough of a market to make it worthwhile enough from a financial standpoint to justify taking on a project of this scope.

 

Hi FloridaGuy,

 

I say do it if you'd love too, there are inexpensive ways to do almost anything. I certainly wouldn't expect anything I did to be marketed on a national level. I was thinking about benzo awareness on a local level, with a small amateur documentary. Why not?  That being said, I know anything worthwhile take lots of work.

 

How are you doing anyway? Are you getting more windows? I hope so. I still have 3-4 months of tapering to go, but I'm doing alright considering where I was 3 months ago.  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to put together some kind of a documentary about this but I think it is important to understand what you would be getting yourself into if you were to take on a project like that. If you have never done video production there is WAAAAY more that goes into it than meets the eye. I have done everything from 30 second tv commercials to infomercials to informational videos. I just finished an hour long video that took hundreds of hours to complete. And sure, you can pay someone to do whatever you can't do or don't have the talent to do, but those people don't come cheap. You could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars and a year of your life on a project like this. And that is not even taking into account marketing it so you can recoup your investment and get it seen by the public.

 

That said I would love to be able to do something like this if I had the time and the resources. I'm just not sure that there is enough of a market to make it worthwhile enough from a financial standpoint to justify taking on a project of this scope.

 

Hi FloridaGuy,

 

I say do it if you'd love too, there are inexpensive ways to do almost anything. I certainly wouldn't expect anything I did to be marketed on a national level. I was thinking about benzo awareness on a local level, with a small amateur documentary. Why not?  That being said, I know anything worthwhile take lots of work.

 

How are you doing anyway? Are you getting more windows? I hope so. I still have 3-4 months of tapering to go, but I'm doing alright considering where I was 3 months ago.  :)

 

FloridaGuy,

 

I too work in the video field.  I understand your concerns and your points and they are  valid.  However, when you have a such a large crossection of the world affected by a single cause, resources tend to present themselves.  I mean not everyone  going through benzo hell is a lawyer or banker right?  ;D:D  Besides, I don't think you would have responded if you weren't a little bit interested yourself?  ;)

 

 

Nicolette,

 

I agree with you as well that modern technology allows us to do things much cheaper then in the past.  That said,  everything I have seen so far done on this subject does not do it justice.  It's just been a let down.  I do believe something bigger can be done.  This is a problem on global scale and needs to be addressed on such a level.  Truth is, I've put a lot of thought into this over the last year or so.  I know with the resources I have, I can get it to a completed project level.  Beyond that, in terms of marketing and advancing the film,  I don't have any experience.  But if it's good enough, I'm sure a lot of that would take care of itself.  Regardless, I think it would be an interesting project to work on. 

 

Christopher

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi FloridaGuy,

 

I say do it if you'd love too, there are inexpensive ways to do almost anything. I certainly wouldn't expect anything I did to be marketed on a national level. I was thinking about benzo awareness on a local level, with a small amateur documentary. Why not?  That being said, I know anything worthwhile take lots of work.

 

If I were to do it I would want to do it right, so it might have the potential to reach a wide audience. It wouldn't be nearly as difficult to do something that the benzo community would appreciate but in order to do something that might get picked up for nationwide broadcast would be a pretty big undertaking and beyond the scope of my talents, unfortunately.

 

How are you doing anyway? Are you getting more windows? I hope so. I still have 3-4 months of tapering to go, but I'm doing alright considering where I was 3 months ago.  :)

 

I am doing pretty good, thanks. I will be 8 months off in a couple of days. The lights are still a little dim in the motivation/cognition department but my overall condition is slowly but steadily improving.

 

Good to hear you are only 3 months away from being off. I still have yet to break completely free from this mess but having come this far I can now see that I made the right choice to get off of this poison  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FloridaGuy,

 

I too work in the video field.  I understand your concerns and your points and they are  valid.  However, when you have a such a large crossection of the world affected by a single cause, resources tend to present themselves.  I mean not everyone  going through benzo hell is a lawyer or banker right?  ;D:D  Besides, I don't think you would have responded if you weren't a little bit interested yourself?  ;)

 

I am interested. I thought about doing something like this but at this point I need to concentrate on making up for the past five years of my life and so far I'm only making a tiny dent in my to do list.

 

A big problem with this kind of project is how you have to present it. You might feel like chopping head but you can't come out there waving an axe or people will just think you are a crackhead. It would have to be carefully scripted so as to put the point across about how dangerous these drugs are but in a way that convinces people in a round about way. I was thinking that it would need to have interviews with real life people during various stages of WD built around a foundation of interviews with medical professionals who are versed in the dangers of benzos. And that would be a BIG project to tackle.

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi FloridaGuy,

 

I say do it if you'd love too, there are inexpensive ways to do almost anything. I certainly wouldn't expect anything I did to be marketed on a national level. I was thinking about benzo awareness on a local level, with a small amateur documentary. Why not?  That being said, I know anything worthwhile take lots of work.

 

If I were to do it I would want to do it right, so it might have the potential to reach a wide audience. It wouldn't be nearly as difficult to do something that the benzo community would appreciate but in order to do something that might get picked up for nationwide broadcast would be a pretty big undertaking and beyond the scope of my talents, unfortunately.

 

How are you doing anyway? Are you getting more windows? I hope so. I still have 3-4 months of tapering to go, but I'm doing alright considering where I was 3 months ago.  :)

 

 

 

I am doing pretty good, thanks. I will be 8 months off in a couple of days. The lights are still a little dim in the motivation/cognition department but my overall condition is slowly but steadily improving.

 

Good to hear you are only 3 months away from being off. I still have yet to break completely free from this mess but having come this far I can now see that I made the right choice to get off of this poison  :)

 

Wow, I didn't know you were in the video field, that's interesting, and now you find out Christopher is too, imagine that.

 

I found this old documentary on benzos about a month ago and posted it in another thread, but I'll post it here in case you haven't seen it:

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8251974378917740291

 

It's from 1987 and Dr. Ashton and Dr. Lauder are in it as well as other researchers and patients. Just a few weeks before I found it I was thinking about documentaries. I think I can tell the story about benzos well for a small, amateur documentary. I've published social science papers before, my background is Anthropology. I would just like to bring awareness to my own community and not spend money on marketing, just enter it in a local venue.

 

I'm really excited about feeling I'm close to the end of this ordeal, granted I may still have sx's when I'm done tapering, but I will be benzo-free. :thumbsup: I understand about breaking free from the mess, I have to rebuild the last few years of my life and that will be part of my story. Success story. :) I'm glad you are steadily feeling better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to put together some kind of a documentary about this but I think it is important to understand what you would be getting yourself into if you were to take on a project like that. If you have never done video production there is WAAAAY more that goes into it than meets the eye. I have done everything from 30 second tv commercials to infomercials to informational videos. I just finished an hour long video that took hundreds of hours to complete. And sure, you can pay someone to do whatever you can't do or don't have the talent to do, but those people don't come cheap. You could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars and a year of your life on a project like this. And that is not even taking into account marketing it so you can recoup your investment and get it seen by the public.

 

That said I would love to be able to do something like this if I had the time and the resources. I'm just not sure that there is enough of a market to make it worthwhile enough from a financial standpoint to justify taking on a project of this scope.

 

Hi FloridaGuy,

 

I say do it if you'd love too, there are inexpensive ways to do almost anything. I certainly wouldn't expect anything I did to be marketed on a national level. I was thinking about benzo awareness on a local level, with a small amateur documentary. Why not?  That being said, I know anything worthwhile take lots of work.

 

How are you doing anyway? Are you getting more windows? I hope so. I still have 3-4 months of tapering to go, but I'm doing alright considering where I was 3 months ago.  :)

 

FloridaGuy,

 

I too work in the video field.  I understand your concerns and your points and they are  valid.  However, when you have a such a large crossection of the world affected by a single cause, resources tend to present themselves.  I mean not everyone  going through benzo hell is a lawyer or banker right?  ;D:D  Besides, I don't think you would have responded if you weren't a little bit interested yourself?  ;)

 

 

Nicolette,

 

I agree with you as well that modern technology allows us to do things much cheaper then in the past.  That said,  everything I have seen so far done on this subject does not do it justice.  It's just been a let down.  I do believe something bigger can be done.  This is a problem on global scale and needs to be addressed on such a level.  Truth is, I've put a lot of thought into this over the last year or so.  I know with the resources I have, I can get it to a completed project level.  Beyond that, in terms of marketing and advancing the film,  I don't have any experience.   But if it's good enough, I'm sure a lot of that would take care of itself.  Regardless, I think it would be an interesting project to work on. 

 

Christopher

 

Christopher,

 

I agree, the story of benzos could be better told than it has in the past, simple because patients (at least some) have become far more educated on their condition and the circumstances they have found themselves in. You're right about benzos being a problem on a global scale, it's a pandemic. Amazingly, only a few short months ago I thought it was just me. I'm sure there are a lot of people who feel alone in their benzo dilemma.

 

I just told FloridaGuy my background is in Anthropology, so I feel I can understand this on a cultural level as well as from personal experience.  :stretcher:

 

That's interesting you have a background in video as well. I think that would be great if you do something with this, and I think a story well told sells itself, there are just so many captivating benzo stories that so many people would find illuminating and relate to. For me to do something like that would be cathartic as well as empowering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, I didn't know you were in the video field, that's interesting, and now you find out Christopher is too, imagine that.

 

That isn't my main business. I'm a serial entrepreneur so I have been exposed to a lot of stuff over the years. Video was something that I enjoyed but doing anything over 30 seconds is a ton of work. Even 30 second tv spots take some time. An hour long documentary with interviews with people all over the country or the world....whew......that's some serious time and money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, I didn't know you were in the video field, that's interesting, and now you find out Christopher is too, imagine that.

 

That isn't my main business. I'm a serial entrepreneur so I have been exposed to a lot of stuff over the years. Video was something that I enjoyed but doing anything over 30 seconds is a ton of work. Even 30 second tv spots take some time. An hour long documentary with interviews with people all over the country or the world....whew......that's some serious time and money.

 

I was thinking two hours would cover all of it. Start to finish.  ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You probably would have to travel the world to find benzo experts. lol. They are undoubted few and far between. It definitely would take time and serious money to do it on that scale. Definitely have to travel to the UK to interview researchers--that's probably where most of the benzo experts are.

 

I was talking on a smaller scale in my own community--and I haven't found a benzo expert here, although I might be becoming one.  ::)

I would be happy to spread benzo awareness to even a handful of people, but it would be wonderful to be involved in a full scale production like Christopher here is talking about. Something like that would give a person a real sense of purpose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...