Research paper on benzodiazipines by Dr. Malcolm Lader who did the brain scans.

http://www.benzo.org.uk/lader2.htm

Some paraphrases I found interesting:

"It is more difficult to withdraw people from benzodiazepines than it is from heroin. It just seems that the dependency is so ingrained and the withdrawal symptoms you get are so intolerable that people have a great deal of problem coming off."

"Later it became apparent that some people were having problems trying to stop and that they weren't on high doses; and then the whole question arose: can you actually get dependent - can you actually become addicted - to normal therapeutic doses? And then the alarm bells started to ring, quietly at first and then louder and louder...… Doctors were not well equipped to deal with this."

"When somebody comes into my office and says that they've been trying to stop their lorazepam, my heart sinks because I know I shall have twice as much of a problem as getting them off, say, Valium: the symptoms are more severe, they're more persistent, more bizarre, and people are much more distressed by them... "

[quote

"When somebody comes into my office and says that they've been trying to stop their lorazepam, my heart sinks because I know I shall have twice as much of a problem as getting them off, say, Valium: the symptoms are more severe, they're more persistent, more bizarre, and people are much more distressed by them... "

WoW!  I sure as heck wish I had read this 2 years ago instead of right now.    This makes me absolutely furious!  Benzo rage may be bad but "benzo spouse enduring 19 months of torturous hell" rage is pretty darn bad also!  ...I've actually watched my husband doing this very thing for months on end last year!  I think I'd rather watch the idiot N.P. who prescribed this crap to my husband over the phone and insisted it wasn't addictive do something similar with his pea-brained head. 

I sure hope this doesn't mean that we have another year of this to endure. :'(

Thanks for posting this, Vancouvergirl....maybe I'm supposed to see this so I can prepare for the worst.  I'm still gonna hope for the best though.

puffin

Hi Puffin,

Yes, I understand your anger. I am still shocked with all of the research I have which shows the truth about benzodiapines that is not used as study material. I brought in an 8 page letter with links and educated a doctor and I always recommend people to bring in this material to lend credibility when explaining their story. It worked for me as there was nothing the GP could dispute being my material was all from much more educated doctors like Lader with benzos being their specialty, and other "medical" journals from links Perseverance has gathered etc.

I am at 21 1/2 months and klonopin has a harsh w/d like ativan for many and that is what I am experiencing as well. But, I do expect full recovery (that wavers when exhausted lol)  and I have read many success stories where many that take longer to heal see positives that bring them to easier plateau's after the second year. This could very well be the case with your husband. Bless you for stickin by him Puffin. xo