Nov 7, 2010 England News... BENZO DRUGS LINKED TO BRAIN DAMAGE 30 YEARS AGO...

England News

Nov 7, 2010 ... England News,newspaper and information. ... Drugs linked to brain damage 30 years ago ... “I asked to set up a unit to research benzos but they turned me down… they could have set-up a special safety ... No brain scan has even been done. ..... The British Retail Consortium said last week that food ...

www.englandinfonewspaper.com/

This is going to freak some people out.  Unnecessarily.

Until there is actual proof of what causes what, this kind of scaremongering should be toned down a little.  

Whilst we all know of the horrors these drugs can cause, there are millions of people who stop taking them with little to no trouble.

I saw an article recently about a man who claims to be brain damaged from benzo use, he was on 600mg Valium for over a decade.  I think that is to be expected,  one wouldn't drink a litre of whiskey every day for a decade and expect to be normal after doing so.  A lot of research into this needs to be done before fear inducing headlines are plastered everywhere.

I'm not saying that benzos are good by any means but this kind of scaremongering is wholly bad for people in a heightened state due to withdrawal.  Remember, Ashton's, albeit limited, research showed that all users went on to recover, some might have a protracted withdrawal but they all showed improvement over time.

I hope no one freaks out about this article.

edit: grammar

the article wouldn't load for me so maybe thats a good thing don't wanna be more freaked out

!

Honestly I'm not even going to look at this.. as I think we have enough stress already..

If it causes permanent Brain Damage, why am I tapering.. if I'm destroyed for life?

No pun, but I'm just saying. When I do heal, I think I'll just go on with life as years have

already been subtracted.

Keryn.

There is NO PROOF off brain damage , there is hope hun , theres always hope, theres still no proof or evidence that this will cause permanent brain damage , my brother God rest his soul was a functional alcoholic , they also say that alcohol permanently damages the brain too , but he was the smartest guy I knew for someone who drank hard liquor since he was 15 years old, so was his brain permanently damaged NO , his Liver was but not his Brain.

Love Laura

xoxoxoxo

I hope so.. these posts of Permanent Brain Damage are starting to make me wonder..if something new has been discovered?? Ashton says there's not.. I hope she don't need revision.

I don't think it causes brain damage either, but it's enough to be in a wave and think about this.

Keryn.

Hello Benzo Buddies- Unintended consequences- it was not my intention to share this news coverage to imply that everyone who takes benzos will have brain damage- JUST THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE- it was to show that research was not funded by Ashton and others about benzos and their effects--in America, if you talk to many doctors about benzo dependence and protracted withdrawal syndrome, they look at you like your hair is on fire-- I believe that benzos are a ticking time bomb but Big Pharma has huge profits from them, so the public is in the dark about their dangers.

Please take my original posting off- I certainly don't wish to add to the suffering of anyone.

My deepest apologies to everyone.

Hi Kim,

Thanks for clarifying your intention, I didn't think it sounded like you to cause upset to anyone.  We'll leave your post up, this information has been posted on the forum in another thread as well.  To tell you the truth, it's better to hear about this stuff here, this way we can all talk about it and decide together if it has merit. 

Thanks Pam-

I'll be more careful in the future and I'll stay positive (in future postings and in my life!)-because I am healing, I don't think I have done permanent damage to myself and I know I will be stronger than I was when I started my accidental journey into the dark night of my soul.

Namaste Girl

Thanks Pam-

I'll be more careful in the future and I'll stay positive (in future postings and in my life!)-because I am healing, I don't think I have done permanent damage to myself and I know I will be stronger than I was when I started my accidental journey into the dark night of my soul.

 

Namaste Girl

Namaste Girl,

You will heal, we all do..

I've never really read anything on Brain Damage about Benzos.. I have on AntiPsychotics if they are taken for years and years on out..

Keryn.

I am in England and no newspaper I,ve read today featured this, mind you my brain is a bit scrambled, not damaged though at least 2 brain scans say its not. If our brains can recover from gunshot wounds and other head traumas I dont think we need to pay much attention to this.

Both The Independent (a national newspaper in Britain) and Psychology Today magazine have run the article. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm PLEASED to see news of this scandal finally breaking as it may pave the way for class action lawsuits. I'd like to see Big Pharma pay (and pay and pay) for what their profits-before-people mentality has done to us.

I'm not concerned about brain shrinkage and/or brain damage because, quite frankly, what's done is done. I'm still confident in my eventual recovery from this nightmare. I know people who were absolute worst case scenarios who are absolutely fine today.

This is my blog entry on the subject. It has links to the articles if you'd care to read them.

http://lifelieswaiting.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/experts-warned-nearly-30-ago/

I am in England and no newspaper I,ve read today featured this, mind you my brain is a bit scrambled, not damaged though at least 2 brain scans say its not. If our brains can recover from gunshot wounds and other head traumas I dont think we need to pay much attention to this.

Vita I think the link is ok, but it's written by someone else other than a Scientist so on..

http://lifelieswaiting.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/experts-warned-nearly-30-ago/

this one!

I knew a guy who was in the hospital 2 years because a limb well, went through his head and he recovered, if that can happen, we recover..

I think Benzo recovery takes time, that's just it. When that time is, no one knows.. but it gradually happens..

K.

Edit: And I agree, if someone can heal from a gunshot to the head, they can this..

The shrinkage I have read before..

To believe it.. I don't know.. to believe in the Lochness Monster I don't either, one thing I do know.. we heal.. to many stories with good endings out there, thousands, millions..

They say Alcohol shrinks the brain too.. I've known people to drink 20 years if not longer and recover..

There is NO PROOF off brain damage , there is hope hun , theres always hope, theres still no proof or evidence that this will cause permanent brain damage ,

my brother God rest his soul was a functional alcoholic , they also say that alcohol permanently damages the brain too , but he was the smartest guy I knew for someone who drank hard liquor since he was 15 years old, so was his brain permanently damaged NO , his Liver was but not his Brain.

 

 

 

Love Laura

 

xoxoxoxo

 

 

 

Laura,

Yes I agree, I have 2 uncles who was alcoholics and they drank for years, very smart too.. they were ok thereafter, no brain damage..

Keryn.

Vita I think the link is ok, but it's written by someone else other than a Scientist so on..

 

http://lifelieswaiting.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/experts-warned-nearly-30-ago/

this one!

You've got that right! The blog entry was written by me; definitely not a scientist.    The articles in The Independent and Psychology Today (links are in my blog entry) were written by mainstream journalists, not scientists. What was written by a scientist were the documents that the MRC hid for 30 years. Heather Ashton wanted to conduct an investigation using sophisticated EEG and MRI scans, and cognitive testing. The MRC rejected her proposal. So, as of yet, the science is lacking.

When I read the article from Psychology Today last night, it excited me so much (in a good way) that I just had to share it with my benzo friends. Finally, some publicity which might, down the road, lead to a real chance at a successful class action lawsuit for us. Also, the resulting negative publicity from such a suit might lead to responsible prescribing of our most hated class of drugs.

In my rush to share the good news, I didn't stop to consider that posting it in a thread entitled "Benzo Drugs Linked to Brain Damage 30 Years Ago" would cause everyone to focus on that aspect rather than the positive aspects. Rather I thought, "Oh, look, they're already discussing it. I'll just join right in." That's what I get for posting in the middle of the night.

Regarding "brain damage," here are my personal beliefs, based on years of anecdotal evidence from the personal experiences of all of us. I tend to think of my "condition" as temporary central nervous system damage which will heal given time. If I have lasting effects, it will probably be along the lines of brief temporary flare-ups of the old hated symptoms when exposed to some sort of triggering substance or event. One of my friends who is healed had a six day flare after using some hormone cream. She was scared when it happened, but it went away.

Perhaps it might be appropriate for me to repost this under a less scary headline.

Vita I think the link is ok, but it's written by someone else other than a Scientist so on..

 

http://lifelieswaiting.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/experts-warned-nearly-30-ago/

this one!

 

You've got that right! The blog entry was written by me; definitely not a scientist.    The articles in The Independent and Psychology Today (links are in my blog entry) were written by mainstream journalists, not scientists. What was written by a scientist were the documents that the MRC hid for 30 years. Heather Ashton wanted to conduct an investigation using sophisticated EEG and MRI scans, and cognitive testing. The MRC rejected her proposal. So, as of yet, the science is lacking.

 

When I read the article from Psychology Today last night, it excited me so much (in a good way) that I just had to share it with my benzo friends. Finally, some publicity which might, down the road, lead to a real chance at a successful class action lawsuit for us. Also, the resulting negative publicity from such a suit might lead to responsible prescribing of our most hated class of drugs.

 

In my rush to share the good news, I didn't stop to consider that posting it in a thread entitled "Benzo Drugs Linked to Brain Damage 30 Years Ago" would cause everyone to focus on that aspect rather than the positive aspects. Rather I thought, "Oh, look, they're already discussing it. I'll just join right in." That's what I get for posting in the middle of the night.

 

Regarding "brain damage," here are my personal beliefs, based on years of anecdotal evidence from the personal experiences of all of us. I tend to think of my "condition" as temporary central nervous system damage which will heal given time. If I have lasting effects, it will probably be along the lines of brief temporary flare-ups of the old hated symptoms when exposed to some sort of triggering substance or event. One of my friends who is healed had a six day flare after using some hormone cream. She was scared when it happened, but it went away.

 

Perhaps it might be appropriate for me to repost this under a less scary headline.

Vita, I know you wrote it.. "Lifelieswaiting" plus I've used wordpress before.

Heather Ashton wanted to conduct an investigation using sophisticated EEG and MRI scans, and cognitive testing. The MRC rejected her proposal. So, as of yet, the science is lacking.

I just had an MRI, I pulled off this, at the Neurologist .. I told her I had a seizure, which I did.. back when I c/t, what I didn't tell her was it was after a c/t.. also I had a panic/seizure attack of some-kind tapering last year, as I typed on my blog. I only wanted the MRI because I wanted to see what they would find, EEG is next..

When I read the article from Psychology Today last night, it excited me so much (in a good way) that I just had to share it with my benzo friends.

Regarding "brain damage," here are my personal beliefs, based on years of anecdotal evidence from the personal experiences of all of us. I tend to think of my "condition" as temporary central nervous system damage which will heal given time. If I have lasting effects, it will probably be along the lines of brief temporary flare-ups of the old hated symptoms when exposed to some sort of triggering substance or event. One of my friends who is healed had a six day flare after using some hormone cream. She was scared when it happened, but it went away.

Yes, I agree with you.. if there is any damage left..it would be very minute if even noticeable.

Perhaps it might be appropriate for me to repost this under a less scary headline.

Nah, It's interesting to read.. not really scary because as you said we heal.. but with a few lingering flares like your friend.. so why would it be scary?

I perhaps think it could be a breakthrough, never know Vita.. anything is possible.

Ashton is retired .. as I've read .. she don't accept Emails nor letters anymore as I've read this with 4 or 5 member's, so I think her research is pretty much what she has recorded.. she's up in age.. and I respect her dearly, she's a lifesaver! As I was telling a friend yesterday, without her.. we would be hopeless.

It would be like trying to give Einstein if he was still living an essay on facts 30 years before Physics ( his findings and theories).. it all smooths out.

As far as the brain shrinkage.. I think it's variable and differential.. some are allergic to chicken, some are not.. probable and very inconclusive, really.

Vita, I wasn't trying to be offensive.

Keryn.

I perhaps think it could be a breakthrough, never know Vita.. anything is possible.

 

Ashton is retired .. as I've read .. she don't accept Emails nor letters anymore as I've read this with 4 or 5 member's, so I think her research is pretty much what she has recorded.. she's up in age.. and I respect her dearly, she's a lifesaver! As I was telling a friend yesterday, without her.. we would be hopeless.

 

It would be like trying to give Einstein if he was still living an essay on facts 30 years before Physics ( his findings and theories).. it all smooths out.

 

As far as the brain shrinkage.. I think it's variable and differential.. some are allergic to chicken, some are not.. probable and very inconclusive, really.

 

Vita, I wasn't trying to be offensive.

 

Keryn.

Keryn, I never thought you were trying to be offensive. I thought you were trying to be a good mod and prevent "scare-mongering."

Yes, Ashton is retired, but I assume she was still working back in 1995 when she submitted the study proposal. If they were to proceed with it now, someone else would have to do the work. But that's okay. We need a new medical researcher/benzo hero to take up the cause.

I think I am going to repost the news article links (along with a follow-up by the author of the piece in Psychology Today) under a less scary thread title; one that focuses more on what this might mean to a successful class action lawsuit down the road.

I perhaps think it could be a breakthrough, never know Vita.. anything is possible.

 

Ashton is retired .. as I've read .. she don't accept Emails nor letters anymore as I've read this with 4 or 5 member's, so I think her research is pretty much what she has recorded.. she's up in age.. and I respect her dearly, she's a lifesaver! As I was telling a friend yesterday, without her.. we would be hopeless.

 

It would be like trying to give Einstein if he was still living an essay on facts 30 years before Physics ( his findings and theories).. it all smooths out.

 

As far as the brain shrinkage.. I think it's variable and differential.. some are allergic to chicken, some are not.. probable and very inconclusive, really.

 

Vita, I wasn't trying to be offensive.

 

Keryn.

 

Keryn, I never thought you were trying to be offensive. I thought you were trying to be a good mod and prevent "scare-mongering."

 

Yes, Ashton is retired, but I assume she was still working back in 1995 when she submitted the study proposal. If they were to proceed with it now, someone else would have to do the work. But that's okay. We need a new medical researcher/benzo hero to take up the cause.

 

I think I am going to repost the news article links (along with a follow-up by the author of the piece in Psychology Today) under a less scary thread title; one that focuses more on what this might mean to a successful class action lawsuit down the road.

Vita,

I'm no Mod ..

Yes, Ashton is retired, but I assume she was still working back in 1995 when she submitted the study proposal. If they were to proceed with it now, someone else would have to do the work. But that's okay. We need a new medical researcher/benzo hero to take up the cause.

I agree, I think someone else will pick up the legacy there..where she left off..

Keryn.

I'm no Mod ..

You're not? Now I can sass you! 

I'm no Mod ..

 

You're not? Now I can sass you! 

lol, yes all ya want

I agree with Vita totally - I also posted a link to Chris Lane's article and certainly not to scare people.  I think it gives us all a small ray of hope that people are looking into this and that one day, we may be able to hold Big Pharma accountable.  I hope the UK can get a class action suit started - I was a bit scared when I read the first article that Vita put on her blog about brain damage, but I know I am NOT brain damaged - I get confused and have negative thoughts some times, but I am still as smart as I ever was............but I could see how some people might be frightened by the thought of brain damage.  But I am so glad that these articles are out there and more people are getting exposed to this information, and maybe now under the threat of a lawsuit, the MRC in the UK will go forward and allow some tests on these drugs.  We can't expect the drug companies to do it - in the article by Chris Lane about the drugs here in America - he says the President or CEO of Upjohn said in response to questions about these drugs - was #1 the main concern was money and the #2 concern was money and the #3 concern was money.......that's all they care about and until the doctors start to educate themselves about these drugs - it is up to laypeople and sufferers to get the word out, however we can. 

thanks for listening!

Hoping2bfree

Hoping2befree,

I was a bit scared when I read the first article that Vita put on her blog about brain damage, but I know I am NOT brain damaged - I get confused and have negative thoughts some times, but I am still as smart as I ever was............but I could see how some people might be frightened by the thought of brain damage.

If you can say that, then NO you're not Brain Damaged.. I think of it as the brain healing alng with the CNS, that's what it is..

Oh I agree with vita too.. I see where it's all pointing.. it will come forth..

Keryn.

here is an updated link FWIW there is certainly some  validity to brain damage for some of us, hopefully not forever.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/side-effects/201011/brain-damage-benzodiazepines-the-troubling-facts-risks-and-history-minor-tr