Canadian Eh? Pre and post withdrawal support

Hey Kiddo, thanks for putting a stop to my little monologue-starting to sound like an infomercial 'calling all Benzo-Canajuns', eh?! Yeah, this snow is starting to give me a Timmins deja vu; skiing xc out the door, okay, but shovelling, not so much. But hey, this too shall melt?!

 

And Chinookwind, wellkommen . I have better memories of S. Alta. chinooks, although sometimes the super-early and late [in the season] snowstorms were challenging. Congrats on the free coffee; I've never won anything but coffee/donuts, but a friend once scored a nice BBQ! (Who wins those darn cars, anyway??)

 

If any Americans see this, the whole 'roll up the rim' thing may seem like a national secret, so I'm ready for CIA surveillance lol  . I guess there are some Timmies in the U.S., but not on every corner, that's for sure. Where I live, people who smoke who have tailgate coffee time in the parking lots of TH when the weather is more mellow.

 

Maybe there should be a TH political party, since the brand is already so imbedded in our Canuck brains (along with benzo goop, for some of us, bleah!)?! ...Cheeers to all rim-rolling/shovel-wielding north o' 49er's, and best of luck to us all  .

More snow and cold , at least in most parts of the country. Can anyone spell 'cabin fever'?? Hard to believe I taught skiing so many winters, not so long ago; now I'd just feel like phoning it in!! "Don't hibernate-participate" was one of the pro-winter slogans we used  . Hands up anyone who has spent the night in a 'quinzhee' (sp?)?! I had to for a high school outdoor course, and almost decided a 0 was better than a night out in -25 temps, but have to confess I was actually warm . (Great down sleeping bag was the key.)

 

Oh well, at least we have the ol' roll up the rim to win thing to keep us going now, and remind us that there is indeed grass somewhere under all that snow. I am, alas, continuing my stunning non-winning streak; anyone else have at least a donut or coffee win to report this week? Or perhaps a car they'd like to donate to a good cause (uh, that would be, ahem, moi)?? For now, persevere with the clothing layering strategy, and enjoy the lengthening hours of sun?light!

Hi again fellow Canucksters-hope y'all are being spared the Worst of Taper W/D SXS; I'm having severe issues with SWEATS, yuck. This sticky situation is exacerbated greatly by the numbers of layers I wear in the winter. Great for XC skiing, barn chores etc., but I need a nap just to build up the energy to layer and de-layer. People in southern climates must find the idea of needing to don and shed clothing constantly(!) a pretty hilarious concept-HA, not so much!

 

Also possibly going psychotic from my brain/body's insistence on this mind bogglingly frequent sweat routine; I challenge anybody game to a sweat-off (first person reduced to nothing but a puddle wins??).

To top it all off, yesterday I backed [ever soooo lightly] into another vehicle, rats. Please, if you park a white car beside a tall white snow bank, put some fluorescent tape on it!!

 

Luckily, I barely left some of my black vehicle paint on the bumper, which I was able to wipe off with my toque while chatting with the thankfully good natured owner of the white car-he totally waved off the incident as 'nothing,' and we parted on good terms. (I think I heart him  , and SOMEONE is getting a Timmy's gift card; if he wins a car, I'll be thrilled and not the least bit jealous!)

 

So what's up with everyone? When's the march on Parliament?

You found another Canadian.  I guess not many of us withdrawing?  I've been at it since July last year and going strong and getting much better but major huge slow process. I do find this cold blast were having right now is wearing me thin. I do want to run and hibernate. 

Babs - sorry to hear about your unfortunate sweating and even more unfortunate paint transfer debacle. Thank goodness there are still reasonable people in the world and he was kind to you. Maybe he is recovered from benzo withdrawal and now he doesn't sweat the small stuff 

 

Gonnawin - nice to see you here!! I second your sentiments about winter. I'm so done with it. My kids were excited today that it was only -12 and they'd be able to have outdoor recess again. Goodbye February and hello countdown to spring. 

Hey gonnawin, great to hear from another voice in the vast Canadian wilderness (even if you're an urbanite, you still qualify!). Thanks for checking in to Hotel Coldsnow  . Obviously every single person has challenges to grapple with, but for those of us in Benzoland, often every little thing just seems so daunting; it totally figures that the rigours of winter really stretch most of us to the limit. But with the upcoming time change/spring break/Easter fast approaching, there is relief on the way!

 

Good to hear from you too, Kiddo (initiator of this support group); yay for outdoor recess . Even though I'm butting in to help keep this clutch of Canucks from slipping into BB obscurity, I haven't forgotten that I just jumped on the bandwagon, er toboggan, once you'd given it a good push! The more the merrier, even if anyone just wants to say, "Hey, eh!" 

 

p.s. I like everyone's avatars (all so creative, and individual)-but I think goodwin is leading in the 'patriotic' category, especially what with our flag just turning 50 this month .

http://www.benzo.org.uk/caninfo.htmhttp://www.benzo.org.uk/caninfo.htm  ...just spent ages writing a post re: benzo resources in Canada, and lost it  . OOPS. Oh well, the idea was to pick up on Kiddo's earlier suggestion to share info/resources specific to our nation (or something like that!). Hope this link works-let me know! Interesting that it comes from benzo.org in Britain; the articles included aren't [mostly] quite as current as one would hope, but there's still some good info.

 

...drat, so the link didn't work for me; I couldn't find that exact page on the benzo.org.uk site again, but if you go to the media link, and sift through the articles, there are quite a few from Canada.

Just dropping by to say brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ...

 

Here in Nova Scotia there is absolutely nothing and no one for benzo folks that I have ever been able to find ... not going to give my rant about the so-called medical community around here ... suffice it to say they are all fully pledged members of The Three Monkeys Medical Profession ... TMMP for short ...

 

Hear no benzos, see no benzos, speak no benzos ... just prescribe them as often and as much as you can ... and turn away ...

 

Nothing wrong with the drugs ... just the people taking them ...

 

And again ... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ... outside ...

Been too busy snow shovelling/tapering to be on the board much lately, but couldn't resist participating in this  'National Thread'! Thanks for getting things going Kiddo, and for nudging it along, Bab...and to everyone else who has posted, or even just popped in. Pooling our frozen! Canuck resources sounds like an excellent idea. Maybe when Timmy's annual RUTRTW is over, people will be drinking a bit less coffee, and ready to post here more?!

 

Like Bab, I've been to CAMH (formerly kinda 'medievel' Queen St. Mental Health Centre in Toronto, now much updated and aspiring to be an all-encompassing/state of the art resource...at least it has a significant addictions department). I also am waiting for a second app't! I think I live a bit in the opposite direction outside TO than Bab, tho'. Big 'small' country/world, EH.

 

It's nice to see people checking in from a few provinces...I hope we can keep this going, and also expand on info and experiences, as well as moose sightings  . Only a couple of weeks till official spring, so someone better tell Ma Nature, maybe?

 

Note: you know you have snow/cold cred when you go to put away your mitts and toque (after earlier barn chores), and you find a 'hot pocket'...many hours later still very warm, I'm impressed 

Welcome Allie and Nova - nice to have you here 

 

I live about an hour outside of Toronto and cannot even express the joy I have that we will be experiencing above zero temps this week. I can hardly wait. This winter has been long and hard. Too cold for me....I've never been a lover of winter but being in withdrawal this winter definitely solidified my dislike. The days I NEEDED to get out and walk for my sanity were often thwarted by the bitter temperatures or the fresh dump of snow that made walking next to impossible. I've made a vow to myself: I will not, not even once, complain about the heat this summer!!!

 

My RUTRTW is pitiful but my husband has won a coffee on nearly every cup.

 

Don't forget to change your clocks on Sunday 

 

 

 

 

I always swore I would not be a 'weather obsessive,' but really, it does play such a big part in everyone's existence-no matter where you live, so I hear ya, Kiddo. I also will make a real effort not to whinge about the heat this summer-although if my sweats continue at their present pace, it'll be a challenge  !!

 

I've really missed being able to go on winter walks with my dogs lately! They're both frisky seniors-one large, one small-but both decided this fall to forgo any unnecessary outdoor activity. And despite getting nice snow boots for Christmas, I think I'd have been better off with those 'crampons' people use for snow/ice climbing .

 

Congrats to your hubby on his free TH coffee; anything beats that lousy 'Try Again'! As for the time change reminder, hope we all remembered. When I lived in Saskatchewan-where they don't change their clocks-one of my friend's mothers said changing the time was like "cutting off one end of the carpet and putting it on the other end to make it longer" lol.

 

Re: Nova Scotia, it's discouraging to hear that resources for any kind of benzo help are so thin on the ground (surprise, surprise), but it sounds like you have managed to do pretty well. Too bad most of us have to dig around for whatever we can find online, and suffer through a lot more than we would if there was even a bit more stuff available to us locally. Personally, being my own guinea pig has not been fun .

 

Why is Britain just about the only country that seems to have at least some sort of significant resources i.e. different help lines/more benzo savvy docs/titration taper kits sold in drug stores?? Guess it helps that Dr. Ashton really got awareness going, but 30 years later, we're still largely in the dark ages in most places. Not fun.

 

Better not get on too much of a rant/tangent right now  . Hope it's melting and sunny this week wherever we are.

Hey Kiddo, just saw your post in the 'reassurances from professionals that we will get better' support group thread, and was inspired by the savvy support from your pharmacist (as well as your continued progress and attitude  ).

 

So many of us can't find docs/pharmacists etc. who are sympathetic to our benzo challenges, let alone those who are actually conversant with the whole darn-hard-to-get-off phenom. Glad to hear you've got a good pharma  ; since we're in the same province, I'm tempted to take a road trip !

 

Maybe we should compile a list of some sort of Cdn benzo-wise/nice! professionals?? I know it's been done in the States, to some degree (although by someone with their own website, I think, and it's not super current from what I recall).

 

 

 

 

That's a great idea, Babs!!!

 

What do you think everyone? Would anyone find that helpful? 

Considering it seems tough to get ppl to reveal their Timmy's rutrtw results (maybe they're all too busy driving their new cars lol), I'm not sure who will step up or out to share any benzo help information? I don't have much in the way of resources to mention (WISH I had more!), however when I looked up CAMH in Toronto online, I found my way to the addiction section.

 

There, they gave some basic info, e.g. that they do have a benzo tapering program; you can go to a group info session, or book a longer app't to see an addictions specialist. Since I live a fair drive away, I booked the app't. A very nice med student took a ton of med history etc., then I saw a Dr. Jonathon Bertram.

 

I'm pretty gun shy of med types, esp. re: benzos, but Dr. Bertram was extremely nice, and although he doesn't use the Ashton protocol (usually?), he was very open to my plan to do so, and totally supportive. If I lived in TO I would definitely have booked regular app'ts; with the winter/distance, I put things off for the till the weather improves (I was there before Xmas).

 

I envy anyone who lives in TO, if only for their proximity to CAMH. Anyhow, I'll try to dig up some more info, and hope anyone/someone?! may have something to add. If you do have some positive info, the more you share, the more of us may experience less distress. If NO one has any input, I just hope it doesn't mean our national benzo resources are that totally hopeless?!

 

p.s. I've continued with my c/o, with co-op from my GP...must update signature!

Here is a list of Canadian (benzo wise) doctors I came across today. Two are familiar with the Ashton Protocol which I found promising.

 

 

Dr. Martin Judson (addiction and substance abuse specialist)

240 Wharncliffe Road

London, Ontario

Dr. Stevien M. Melemis,

208 Bloor St. West, Suite 702

Toronto, Ontario

Phone: 416-920-2982

Email: contact@addictionsandrecovery.org.

Web site: addictionsandrecovery.org

 

Contributor comment: "This doctor will help people with a slow taper off benzodiazepines and believes in Ashton. He is an addiction doctor and may approach the problem from that perspective."

 

Dr. Senthelol... Psychiatrist

Kitchener, Ontario

Phone: 519-749-4300 ext.3829

 

Contributor Comment: "When I went in for consultation she diagnosed me with Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, she based this on the heather Ashton manual."

 

Dr. David Slyfield

H.R Professional Building

2115 Finch Av. West, Suite 311

Toronto, Ontario, M3N 2V6

Phone: 416 746-3035

Dr. Pierre Steyn

423 Bronson Ave.

Ottawa, Ont, K1R 6J5

Phone: 613-235-9472

 

Dr Jim Wright

Vancouver Hospital

University of British Columbia

 

While I have no personal experience with the above mentioned doctors, I did have a good experience with a pharmapsychologist in Rexdale/Toronto who, 100% believed, and diagnosed me with benzo withdrawal syndrome. She was incredibly knowledgeable on how benzos work and how severely the impact of withdrawal can be felt. She felt slow withdrawal was necessary in all cases, and was an advocate for Valium crossover, although she respected my decision to taper directly from Ativan. When I saw her I was at 1.35mg and am now down to .23mg - I met with her 4x and have not seen her since about .90mg

 

Here is her information:

 

Dr. Anvita Joglekar

Sheppard Associates

649 Sheppard Avenue West

Toronto

Ontario

M3H 2S4

Phone: (416) 630-0610

Fax: (416) 398-5712

 

Hope everyone is enjoying the thaw!!! Finally 

 

Hello all, not sure how I missed this thread. Not recovering myself, but joined on behalf of wife to help her with her recovery. I'm about 1hr north of TO.

As for the Tim's RU............zilch! 

 

Welcome Navita! Thank you for being an advocate for your wife. Remeber to take care of yourself too!

Kiddo beat me to it  , but welcome to the thread for which she was a patriotic and pragmatic catalyst. Kudos to you for joining BB to support your wife, too. My husband has been an absolute rock for me (especially in terms of figuring out doses re: c/o etc., since I shudder to think what the heck I might be on now if I had to rely on MY um, interesting math [non]skills i.e. 1+1=11?!). I often worry about the toll my rather arduous journey has taken on him, though. Maybe you can provide some insight on that-if you feel like it.

 

Otherwise, any Timmy's news is always good (sorry you're not driving one of those elusive RUTWTW cars, but at least I don't have to feel jealous  ); a coffee is better than nothing, eh? Back to benzos, although my sig doesn't exactly reflect it-another Canuck who needs to update, oops-my experience parallels that of your wife to some extent, although she is further along than I am. (My play-it-by-ear progress is definitely not quite following the Ashton playbook, although certainly based on it.)

 

With your help, it sounds as if your wife is doing pretty well-considering the 'Benzo Begone!' challenges, so good for both of you  . Best of luck, and please do check in again!

Thanks to both of you for the welcome to this thread.

My wife is not too computer savvy (not that I am) but being a car buff I've learned how to navigate around forums half decent. At the onset of all her issues I really wished she would have joined, but she really is a "busybee" and doesn't have a lot of extra time. And now that I look back, it's probably better this way. Sometimes reading on here can create undue stress that's just not warranted. So, what I'll do is if I find a tidbit of info that may help her or prevent further WD symptoms I'll bring it to her attention. That way, she doesn't get drawn into the horror stories that can get your own mind revved up worrying.

 

As far as a toll that all this has taken.

With me, this has been a challenge to say the least. But a very rewarding one. This whole "benzo" journey came to a head in 2013 when she hit a wall with abuse and tolerance with Ativan and Zoplicone. At that point I had no clue what a benzo was. So when she landed in the hospital I was dumbfounded.

 

At that very point, I dove in and began researching the meds she was on, and slowly began to put the puzzle together. I think at the very beginning I had almost every emotion rush through me possible. But I wasn't about to let something like this get in the way of our family and marriage. I will simply say, this has brought us together closer than ever, and she still has a long way to go. So it just keeps getting better and better.

 

Here is wishing you the best bablatrice, and I'm glad your husband is supportive........I truly feel for the folks who don't have any support from their spouse or family. As the benzo demon is nasty and the WD period/timeline is very difficult to comprehend

 

 

Well Navita, I wasn't planning to post tonight (just a quick check in  ), but your articulate and compassionate response was just too much to ignore! Yes, I do feel very fortunate to have a spouse who appreciates qualities in me other than my intermittent 'benzo  angst.' And I must say your wife is indeed blessed with a spouse who is so sensitive with regard to her benzo journey-WOW.

 

Not only navigating and disseminating benzo info [for her] in a protective manner, but being so unequivocally committed to your relationship-and even being able to interpret the situation as having it's positive overall effects, is so admirable. I too feel for those without a strong and empathetic person in their life to help them deal with the many challenges that benzos toss our way.

 

PLEASE stick around as this fairly new group gains more members, with more insights; it would appear that your considered thoughts are a real [national!] asset  . You may not have won a TH car, but you've certainly got my wholehearted respect. 

 

p.s. hi and best wishes to everyone else who has posted, or who is just browsing .

bablatrice.

 

Thanks for the kind words. Pretty articulate yourself and bet it didn't take you an hour to write your post like myself. 

Oh, and I'll be checking this thread for new posts. Hopefully it will remain active.........kudos to Kiddo for getting it going 

Hey Kiddo/Group Originator, Bab/frequent poster & prez of Canuck group fan club(!?), and everyone else-visible and 'invisible'  . Thanks for posting your pretty extensive list of Cdn resources, Kiddo. That was a bit of work  ! Maybe some other people will pitch in with their info/experiences?? I've found from experience resources are hard to keep current, so don't be discouraged if you aren't able to access some. It's all a part of the never ending Benzo Challenge  , so don't give up looking and researching.

 

I spotted you on the new 'exercise group,' Kiddo (NOOO, not stalking!!), and that looks like a good group that will have some legs, lol  . If this Canuck group is going to keep up e.g. attract more posters, should we make it the Canadian Eh? Pre & Post W/D Support AND Exercise Group? We could discuss snowshoeing and shovelling etc. in the winter, and outrunning mosquitos and suchlike in the summer, ya think? Could be a winning combination  !

Hi Allie - great idea to change the thread name....it may indeed attract more people. I believe I read somewhere that 23% of the members here on BB are Canadian. Of course with my cog fog I could be completely mistaken 

 

My neck of the woods is sloooowly warming up, although it's still chilly, the snow is melting and the sun is shining.

 

I hope everyone manages to carve out a little peace today 

Well Navita, I wasn't planning to post tonight (just a quick check in  ), but your articulate and compassionate response was just too much to ignore! Yes, I do feel very fortunate to have a spouse who appreciates qualities in me other than my intermittent 'benzo  angst.' And I must say your wife is indeed blessed with a spouse who is so sensitive with regard to her benzo journey-WOW.

 

Not only navigating and disseminating benzo info [for her] in a protective manner, but being so unequivocally committed to your relationship-and even being able to interpret the situation as having it's positive overall effects, is so admirable. I too feel for those without a strong and empathetic person in their life to help them deal with the many challenges that benzos toss our way.

 

PLEASE stick around as this fairly new group gains more members, with more insights; it would appear that your considered thoughts are a real [national!] asset  . You may not have won a TH car, but you've certainly got my wholehearted respect. 

 

p.s. hi and best wishes to everyone else who has posted, or who is just browsing .

 

h miss bablatrice , i really like your kitty cat avatar ! great job on your art work i hope that your staying warm

Hey babyangel (and anyone/everyone else  !)...thanks for dropping by. That very  amateur cartoon is of one of my rescue/feral catz; all 5 are socialized indoor critters now, but 'Mini' has the least well developed social skills. Both with people and cats/dogs, he is just not very good at communicating effectively, so that lil' cartoon really sums up his "oops, what now?!" personality  . By the way, I like your 'tat' avatar-it's on you, I'd guess?!

 

Well, 'nuff said on the avatar issue, and on to the physical/exercise component-lol-that I proposed to drive up our group traffic, lol. Just for the heck of it, I will mention that I've always enjoyed sports and exercise...especially outdoors. (Sounds like you're a bit of a jock yourself, Kiddo!) This c/o thing has made things tougher, but I force myself to get out and move every day. My problem is often getting a bit obsessed and overdoing things i.e. biking.

 

I know it's difficult for many of us-especially at certain times-to get out and do stuff, but I do think in general it's very positive. Having a dog to walk is pretty good motivation; we have two of 'em, but unfortunately although they are both still pretty frisky (wish I could take their joint supplement  !), they voted this year to pass on winter walks. Good thing it's just about warm enough now; I always feel it's a bit of a waste to walk without a dog...although at least you don't have to make pit stops/stoop and scoop!

 

OOkay, so enuff of all this exercise focus etc.-this ain't supposed to be a 'bab blog'!! I've had a bleah! cold this week, so haven't even had the energy or taste for coffee; I'm so stunned I wouldn't know if RUTRTW is over??!! Feel free to fill me in, or report on any wins! Oh, and hey, spring is now officially here, so big yay for that, even if it's not quite beach weather yet (getting closer!). Hope everyone has a good first weekend of spring, anyway  !

 

p.s. navita, I'm sure your keyboarding isn't all that slow...quality vs. quantity, you'd beat me hands down !