"Tranquilizer Detox Withdrawal Can Last Years"

Tranquilizer Detox Withdrawal Can Last Years is an article that was published today, over at ABC news' website. It features yours truly, so thought members might be interested. I've had them make few a corrections, which is why I didn't link to it earlier. I'm still not entirely pleased with the article. Even though I know what happened to me, I still find the article difficult to understand in places! Well, the most egregious error (it originally stated that I "tried to safely taper off the dose over two weeks") has been corrected. I actually carried out three accelerated withdrawals (six week taper, two week break, six week reinstatement) in an attempt to again make the clonazepam effective. I also had them add the "" around safe, so that it indicates that is not necessarily safe to quit over such a time scale (especially from a dose such as mine: 4.5mg per day).

 

Anyway, if you don't understand anything from the passages that deal with me, just post here and I will explain.

 

I suppose the main thing is that anything that helps get the message out is a good thing. After all, I should suppose that a fair few people will visit the ABC News website.

wow colin that is some article....i'll have to go back and read the whole thing...good job on doing that for us

Yay, thank you so much for this C!

Proud of you.   

great article Colin!!

How are you feelng overall these days??

Yay, thank you so much for this C!

Proud of you.   

 

Well, I'm not the publicity-hungry type, so was not too enthusiastic. I bit the bullet!

 

great article Colin!!

How are you feelng overall these days??

 

Hi,

 

I'm OK, but it does vary. I still suffer bouts of insomnia, headaches, and occasional cramps. My left side never feels quite right, and I often walk with a noticeable limp. Still, I'm far better off than on benzos!

wow colin that is some article....i'll have to go back and read the whole thing...good job on doing that for us

 

Hi Timber,

 

I wish it had more content. It appears to be the house style though, I guess. Way too many paragraphs and a rather disjointed structure. I only skimmed most of the article earlier, I should go back and read it properly myself!

How were you approached with doing that article Colin?

I think it should have been televised

great article Colin!!

How are you feelng overall these days??

 

Hi,

 

I'm OK, but it does vary. I still suffer bouts of insomnia, headaches, and occasional cramps. My left side never feels quite right, and I often walk with a noticeable limp. Still, I'm far better off than on benzos!

 

Hi Colin, my limp is on my right side. So together we'd do just fine!

 

I thought it was a great start! Don't worry, all journalists write like crap these days, but I think maybe everyone has become used to it and it makes "sense" to them. Get ready for the limelight ....I think there will be more interview requests in you future!

Colin,

 

I cannot thank you enough for stepping forward (out of your comfort zone) to share information and your experience about benzos and the agony of benzo withdrawal. I am just beginning my journey of w/d from klonopin and valium and like you, my symptoms began immediately after a small cut, in my case. I will be printing out copies of the article to share with my health care providers and others who just don't get what I am experiencing. There is a great need for medical personnel to be better educated/informed before prescribing these meds. I do hope that this article sparks more interest and generates future articles or other venues of communicating about this class of medications.

 

I also want to thank you for creating benzobuddies...I would truly be alone without access to it. (((Colin)))

 

hugs, Barb   

 

 

 

 

How were you approached with doing that article Colin?

I think it should have been televised

 

E-mail. The journalist contacted me through BenzoBuddies. She was looking for people that might contribute to her article. I didn't even consider myself, but then it transpired that she wanted someone that had been on clonazepam, and she thought the fact that I took benzos for reasons other the emotional/psychological as a plus. After all, it is common for the side and withdrawal effects to be explained away as 'the return of pre-existing symptoms'. At the time, I didn't even realise that clonazepam was used in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia - I thought I was taking an anticonvulsant, nothing more. I hummed and hawed, but thought it would be a good opportunity to mention BenzoBuddies. Otherwise, anyone's story from here would have sufficed. After all, nothing unique about my experience. I would like to reassure new members though, my experience is more at the extreme end. Even so, I am still far, far better off for quitting benzos.

great article Colin!!

How are you feelng overall these days??

 

Hi,

 

I'm OK, but it does vary. I still suffer bouts of insomnia, headaches, and occasional cramps. My left side never feels quite right, and I often walk with a noticeable limp. Still, I'm far better off than on benzos!

 

Hi Colin, my limp is on my right side. So together we'd do just fine!

 

I thought it was a great start! Don't worry, all journalists write like crap these days, but I think maybe everyone has become used to it and it makes "sense" to them. Get ready for the limelight ....I think there will be more interview requests in you future!

 

Sorry, I've not read about this - is your limp benzo-related?

 

I'm not a fan of tabloids, or tabloid style. I guess they serve a purpose, but I bet that if they didn't exist, the general public would just as pleased with a broadsheet, but better informed and educated. Tabloids are fast-food and they bring out my inner 'snob'!

Colin,

 

I cannot thank you enough for stepping forward (out of your comfort zone) to share information and your experience about benzos and the agony of benzo withdrawal. I am just beginning my journey of w/d from klonopin and valium and like you, my symptoms began immediately after a small cut, in my case. I will be printing out copies of the article to share with my health care providers and others who just don't get what I am experiencing. There is a great need for medical personnel to be better educated/informed before prescribing these meds. I do hope that this article sparks more interest and generates future articles or other venues of communicating about this class of medications.

 

I also want to thank you for creating benzobuddies...I would truly be alone without access to it. (((Colin)))

 

hugs, Barb   

 

Hi Barb,

 

Yes, I was out of my 'comfort zone'. Thanks for you kind words.

 

I actually didn't suffer to much (in terms of withdrawal symptoms) until I reached lower doses. Mind you, in my final - six-month - withdrawal, I seemed to suffer more. I think this was more to do with perception though. Because my memory is better of that withdrawal, I better remember the problems. And, of course, I was withdrawing for far longer, and suffered for a long while afterwards too. Still, I could not have quit following a six-week taper, as I would have run into the extreme and unbearable neurological effects.

 

I should probably write-up a proper article of my withdrawal experience. Remind me sometime if I forget.

great article Colin!!

How are you feelng overall these days??

 

Hi,

 

I'm OK, but it does vary. I still suffer bouts of insomnia, headaches, and occasional cramps. My left side never feels quite right, and I often walk with a noticeable limp. Still, I'm far better off than on benzos!

 

Hi Colin, my limp is on my right side. So together we'd do just fine!

 

I thought it was a great start! Don't worry, all journalists write like crap these days, but I think maybe everyone has become used to it and it makes "sense" to them. Get ready for the limelight ....I think there will be more interview requests in you future!

 

Sorry, I've not read about this - is your limp benzo-related?

 

I'm not a fan of tabloids, or tabloid style. I guess they serve a purpose, but I bet that if they didn't exist, the general public would just as pleased with a broadsheet, but better informed and educated. Tabloids are fast-food and they bring out my inner 'snob'!

 

Hi Colin, yes my limp is benzo related. It started during w/d's never quite goes away. .....I'm with you on the "snob" thing. I really do think it came out well all things considered. It will be interesting to see what the future brings!

Great Job Colin I wish we could all get together and have a voice in all this and there would be no more suffering for others..

                      god bless you my friend 

                                    love and hugs   

                                        sherry

Congrats Colin,

 

you have a fab site as you already know and you have helped so many people already by having this site and even more will hopefully come to this site for help after the exposure that you were given with this article!

great article Colin!!

How are you feelng overall these days??

 

Hi,

 

I'm OK, but it does vary. I still suffer bouts of insomnia, headaches, and occasional cramps. My left side never feels quite right, and I often walk with a noticeable limp. Still, I'm far better off than on benzos!

 

Hi Colin, my limp is on my right side. So together we'd do just fine!

 

I thought it was a great start! Don't worry, all journalists write like crap these days, but I think maybe everyone has become used to it and it makes "sense" to them. Get ready for the limelight ....I think there will be more interview requests in you future!

 

Sorry, I've not read about this - is your limp benzo-related?

 

I'm not a fan of tabloids, or tabloid style. I guess they serve a purpose, but I bet that if they didn't exist, the general public would just as pleased with a broadsheet, but better informed and educated. Tabloids are fast-food and they bring out my inner 'snob'!

 

Your 'inner snob'? Your 'INNER snob'??   

Hi Colin, yes my limp is benzo related. It started during w/d's never quite goes away. .....I'm with you on the "snob" thing. I really do think it came out well all things considered. It will be interesting to see what the future brings!

 

Yeah, sometimes I can look down my nose at pop-culture and the like. It's not that I think there is anything wrong with such things (I like a bit of nonsense from time-to-time too), only that some people seem to never rise above it. Anyway, I don't mean to do-down the article. It's all good.

 

Did any of you read that related article with videos from a doctor? Some of his comments about benzos are rather, rather, ill-informed, shall we say. My guess is that if one of his patients complained, he'd assume that they just need more benzo!

Great Job Colin I wish we could all get together and have a voice in all this and there would be no more suffering for others..

                      god bless you my friend 

                                    love and hugs   

                                        sherry

 

Thank you, Countrygirl.

Congrats Colin,

 

you have a fab site as you already know and you have helped so many people already by having this site and even more will hopefully come to this site for help after the exposure that you were given with this article!

 

Thank you, Recover. I'm afraid it will take far more than a single article, of course. It is only the drip-drip of such pieces that might make real difference. Things will change, eventually.

Your 'inner snob'? Your 'INNER snob'??   

 

Vic here ,Well done Colin I admire what you have done and wish you well. This is obviously a lifetime story for us and would take ages to write.I wish I could do more to help all benzo sufferers. We have lost so many years because of Benzos and you can not get them back. Over the years we have lost so many friends and lost out on many family get togethers.All of this needs to be brought out into the media and what you have done is behond excellence. With my dear wife so poorly she needs me 24/7.we all have to give up so much in life because of these poisonous drugs. Someone needs to be brought to justice for making people ill. Dont it just make you livid.Bless all you buddies luv Vic  

Colin,

 

Thanks for stepping up and helping to educate the public about the dangers of these drugs.

 

Great job!

 

Sandy

I'm thrilled to see the article, and saddened to see so many commenters dismiss the suffering as that of ill-informed "dimwits" who didn't do their homework. But hopefully the positive outcome of news stories like this, is that a few people learn something, they pass it along to a few more, who pass it along to a few more, and the learning process begins.

Way to go Colin!  I'm proud of you, boy.  The article is good enough and effective - I'm sure it will do some good out there...