my_road_to_hell_was_paved_with_xanax_and_klonopin_and_ativan_and_halcion/

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/06/my_road_to_hell_was_paved_with_xanax_and_klonopin_and_ativan_and_halcion/

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/06/my_road_to_hell_was_paved_with_xanax_and_klonopin_and_ativan_and_halcion/

 

Thank you drad dog.......as Ashton would say.....its a tragedy !

I actually hate these kind of stories of addiction.  I think most here weren't "addicted" in the way this person was.  It just perpetuates the misperceptions of the true nature of benzo dependence (that most experience).

yeah and if you read the comments they really come out of the woodwork. Actually it's best not to. I think all information brings us forward though in some way.

I actually hate these kind of stories of addiction.  I think most here weren't "addicted" in the way this person was.  It just perpetuates the misperceptions of the true nature of benzo dependence (that most experience).

 

I completely agree. When something like this represents the benzo problem (and it does, whether we like it or not) all it does is obfuscate the 800 lb gorilla in the room that is the real issue. I think that people who have addictions deserve respect and dignity but the bottom line is that these are two very different things and as long as they are treated the same this problem is never going to change.

 

 

 

Many (most?) of us are dealing with an iatrogenic issue, which is more controversial. I agree that change is needed, but it will require a lot of education -- of doctors and nurses, pharmacists, the public, etc.

 

Here's the definition of iatrogenic:

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iatrogenic

 

 

Many (most?) of us are dealing with an iatrogenic issue, which is more controversial. I agree that change is needed, but it will require a lot of education -- of doctors and nurses, pharmacists, the public, etc.

 

Here's the definition of iatrogenic:

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iatrogenic

 

Exactly, and this is why I hate these types of articles so much.  When I mention to anyone what I'm going through, they immediately assume that I was addicted in the sense that I was seeking out the drugs to get high, couldn't control myself, etc.  Nope, I simply abruptly stopped taking benzos and my body didn't function correctly any longer.  And of course, ignorant doctors chalked it up to my "underlying" anxiety....even though I'd never had anxiety issues in my life.

 

As far as a change in educating people about this issue, I don't see that happening unless big pharma's power/influence over health care is somehow removed/decreased.  Lapis, I think you post a lot of research on benzos.  I've noticed that most of the formal research on benzos was done in the 80s and 90s and there isn't much going on lately.  Have you noticed the same?  Almost seems like research in this area has really been impacted as big pharma has become more and more powerful over the last 20 years.  I've been looking at alcohol withdrawal research lately since there seems to be more going on in that area, and I think the mechanisms and problems with alcohol withdrawal are fairly similar to benzo withdrawal (at least at the biological level).  I do think alcohol withdrawal involves more "cravings" that don't exist with benzos.  If only there was as much research being done on benzo withdrawal as alcohol, maybe this change you mention could possibility happen. 

Hey Mackey,

I did come across some good articles from the UK about long-term benzo use and the associated issues. There's one by Dr. Malcolm Lader, who has done quite a bit of work in this area. There are many articles that connect these drugs with falls, fractures and motor vehicle accidents -- especially in the elderly. And then the research article about GP experiences and perceptions of prescribing benzos was done in 2013. Last fall, the study connecting benzos and Alzheimer's came out  and that made a splash internationally, but bear in mind that a lot of the info doesn't come to light. (Studies come out all the time, actually, but few are picked up by the media.) In early 2015, the Journal of the American Medical Association - Psychiatry -- had an excellent editorial asking why benzos are "not yet controlled substances", and it made some strong points. All of these studies/articles are posted, so do have a look.

 

Here's the JAMA Psychiatry article. Hopefully you can read the whole page (enlarge it if necessary):

 

http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2019953

 

 

 

 

 

I've been looking at alcohol withdrawal research lately since there seems to be more going on in that area, and I think the mechanisms and problems with alcohol withdrawal are fairly similar to benzo withdrawal (at least at the biological level).  I do think alcohol withdrawal involves more "cravings" that don't exist with benzos.

 

I absolutely did have cravings for alcohol but never for a benzo so I know that alcohol is much more prone to causing psychological addiction. With alcohol I also got a euphoric feeling when I would drink. Taking the pill was a matter of fact thing. No good feelings, no anticipation, just pop it in my mouth and it was done.

Mackey, here's one of the other good articles on benzodiazepines that have come out in the past five years. It's a 2010 study from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and follows people for one year following a controlled taper. The authors note four patterns, including one where the patients still had symptoms at the one-year mark. It attests not only to the existence of a withdrawal syndrome, but also to the differences between people in terms of patterns and length of time for symptoms to abate.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20629611

 

 

I've been looking at alcohol withdrawal research lately since there seems to be more going on in that area, and I think the mechanisms and problems with alcohol withdrawal are fairly similar to benzo withdrawal (at least at the biological level).  I do think alcohol withdrawal involves more "cravings" that don't exist with benzos.

 

I absolutely did have cravings for alcohol but never for a benzo so I know that alcohol is much more prone to causing psychological addiction. With alcohol I also got a euphoric feeling when I would drink. Taking the pill was a matter of fact thing. No good feelings, no anticipation, just pop it in my mouth and it was done.

 

 

i was with my relatives on sunday

celebrating Easter ...

they were drinking shots of vodka, champagne and wine...and eating of cause

girls were getting so happy and euphoric...

we were having our lana and gaga hits....

making crazy pics and uploading on FB...then deleting :idiot:

i wanted so badly to have a glass of champagne...

 

shit...

in the past, i only drunk on special occasions like one glass...

never got waisted....

 

seriously...

 

no comments...

 

 

Mackey, here's one of the other good articles on benzodiazepines that have come out in the past five years. It's a 2010 study from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and follows people for one year following a controlled taper. The authors note four patterns, including one where the patients still had symptoms at the one-year mark. It attests not only to the existence of a withdrawal syndrome, but also to the differences between people in terms of patterns and length of time for symptoms to abate.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20629611

 

Thanks Lapis, this and the Jama article are both good.  However, I still don't see very much "comprehensive" research associated with benzos and withdrawals.  There used to be more research a couple of decades ago.  And, I don't see much research going on in the USA, maybe because the drugs companies have such a big influence in the healthcare system - more so than other countries.  We've seen some recent research, like you point out, on effects in the elderly, Alzheimer's, etc., but nothing comprehensive like is going on with alcohol withdrawal.

 

For example, kindling. Researchers are quite certain that the kindling phenomenon exists in alcohol withdrawal.  But, I don't think this has even been researched with benzo withdrawal.  I'm quite sure if it exists with alcohol withdrawal, it is also something that can happen with benzo withdrawal.  The reason I say this is because there is nothing in the chemical makeup of alcohol that results in the kindling effect.  As I understand it, it's basically due to withdrawal upsetting the gaba/glutamate balance which results in excess glutamate.  That situation repeats itself over and over and the nervous system becomes more sensitized resulting in kindling.  This same exact biological reaction happens in benzo withdrawal....so I can't see any reason why kindling doesn't happen with benzo withdrawal.  Yet, there is no awareness of this issue in benzo withdrawal due to the utter lack of comprehensive research.

 

In fact, there have been a lot of warnings in the last few years about binge drinking for this very reason - the intoxicated/sober pattern repeated over and over can be very damaging.  This knowledge exists with alcohol since there is much more research going on in that area.  Not the case with benzos.  Obviously, benzos are not a drug that are usually associated with this binge-type of usage (except with users like in the article linked by the original poster) so these problems are not seen as much.  But, we see so many in this forum who have had multiple cold turkeys not understanding what was going on (like myself) or those who have had several failed taper attempts only to go back up to a higher dosage.  I actually think multiple cold-turkeys (or other erratic usage) are more problematic than steady long-term usage.  But, these types of issues can never be validated or diagnosed by healthcare professionals due to the lack of adequate research.

 

I'm not really sure if this situation will ever change. I just don't think benzo withdrawal affects enough people for anything to be done.  Comparing it to alcohol again, alcoholism and its effect on society is something that is measured.  You can find statistics on how much it costs society in terms of lost productivity, etc.  Plus, benzos are a legal "prescribed" drug so the perception is that they are safe and don't harm society in any way.  I wish I could be more positive about this lack of awareness changing, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

I've noticed that most of the formal research on benzos was done in the 80s and 90s and there isn't much going on lately.  Have you noticed the same?  Almost seems like research in this area has really been impacted as big pharma has become more and more powerful over the last 20 years.

 

I personally know a doc/researcher at a MAJOR teaching hospital, who wants to do benzo research - can't get funded or published, and is getting pressure from administration to lay off the benzo research.

I personally know a doc/researcher at a MAJOR teaching hospital, who wants to do benzo research - can't get funded or published, and is getting pressure from administration to lay off the benzo research.

 

Doesn't surprise me at all.  Do you know why he's getting pressure from the administration?

 

Back in the 70s, there was more awareness regarding the issues with benzos....so much so that the problem actually rose to the level of Senate hearings.  See this article:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062903105.html

 

Here's the snippet from the article:

 

As benzodiazepines grew in popularity, studies began to document their abuse potential. In 1979, the Senate Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research held a hearing on the drugs, where Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said, "If you require a daily dose of Valium to get through each day, you are hooked and you should seek help."

 

The next year, the National Institute on Drug Abuse declared that withdrawal from the drugs was in fact mild, "seldom leading to any serious consequences," and physical dependence was mostly avoidable. Pharmaceutical companies began releasing new types of benzodiazepines, marketing some for panic attacks and sleep problems.

 

I'd love to see a transcript of the senate hearings. Unbelievable that the National Institute on Drug abuse came out with that declaration the following year.  And, I think Xanax was released in 1981.  Blockbuster drug.  Huge profits for the drugs companies.  And, the awareness of benzodiazepine issues faded and has never really come back into focus.  What a screwed up society we live in where money trumps all....

in the past, i only drunk on special occasions like one glass...

never got waisted....

 

I sometimes wish I could have a drink but I don't crave it at all anymore. There is a big social aspect with alcohol that I miss as well. I have become more comfortable over time being "the guy who doesn't drink" but I wish that I hadn't effed up my receptors to the point where alcohol is essentially poison to me because it would be nice to be able to have a beer with my friends again.

 

I have my doubts as to whether alcohol really does create the kind of complications that people think it does with benzo wd but at this point I am pretty much resolved to the idea that I will never drink again. After 4 years of having serious cognitive problems, short term memory issues and loss of the creativity that defined me as a person I just can't take any chances with my brain.

I don't know why the researcher is getting pressure - he was reticent to say to much, but implied that the power of Big Pharma is all encompassing.

 

Who pays for the new buildings and labs, endows the chairs, and pays for the research? These big universities have grown dependent on Pharma money for their very existence.

 

Regarding Ted Kennedy, I would bet that he had either personal or family experience with benzos - he probably knew the dangers first hand. And I bet he dropped the investigation when he decided to run for president in 1980. I'm betting he either was worried about personal embarrassment, or was called off by big Pharma and their money boys. Just speculation on my part.

I don't know why the researcher is getting pressure - he was reticent to say to much, but implied that the power of Big Pharma is all encompassing.

 

Who pays for the new buildings and labs, endows the chairs, and pays for the research? These big universities have grown dependent on Pharma money for their very existence.

 

Regarding Ted Kennedy, I would bet that he had either personal or family experience with benzos - he probably knew the dangers first hand. And I bet he dropped the investigation when he decided to run for president in 1980. I'm betting he either was worried about personal embarrassment, or was called off by big Pharma and their money boys. Just speculation on my part.

 

I think you're right on about Ted Kennedy.

 

Regarding this National Institute on Drug Abuse that I mentioned in my previous post, if you read a little further on in that Washington Post article, it quotes this Robert DuPont clown:

 

Robert DuPont, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who has written several books on addiction and anxiety and maintains a psychiatric practice in Rockville, said the drugs are widely successful in treating panic and anxiety. He said that 90 percent of his patients have no difficulty taking the medicine, and those with problems are most likely to be people who've had issues with addiction in the past.

 

"The typical patient that I see with anxiety is taking [benzodiazepines] well within the green-light zone," he said. Addiction is an entirely different issue, having to do with a person "essentially falling in love with a chemical high," he said. "For those people, they're booze in the form of a pill."

 

Falling in love with a chemical high???  This guy is clueless and was the former Director for the National Institute of Drug Abuse.  No wonder they came out with that statement about how "mild' benzo withdrawal is.  This DuPont clown had very erroneous views about benzodiazepines & also had positions of strong influence.  He was "drug czar" under Nixon and Ford. 

I think you're right on about Ted Kennedy.

 

Regarding this National Institute on Drug Abuse that I mentioned in my previous post, if you read a little further on in that Washington Post article, it quotes this Robert DuPont clown:

 

Robert DuPont, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who has written several books on addiction and anxiety and maintains a psychiatric practice in Rockville, said the drugs are widely successful in treating panic and anxiety. He said that 90 percent of his patients have no difficulty taking the medicine, and those with problems are most likely to be people who've had issues with addiction in the past.

 

"The typical patient that I see with anxiety is taking [benzodiazepines] well within the green-light zone," he said. Addiction is an entirely different issue, having to do with a person "essentially falling in love with a chemical high," he said. "For those people, they're booze in the form of a pill."

 

Falling in love with a chemical high???  This guy is clueless and was the former Director for the National Institute of Drug Abuse.  No wonder they came out with that statement about how "mild' benzo withdrawal is.  This DuPont clown had very erroneous views about benzodiazepines & also had positions of strong influence.  He was "drug czar" under Nixon and Ford.

 

This is why anyone who uses the terms addiction and dependence interchangeably has no idea the detrimental effect it has on perpetuating the benzo issue.

 

If people at the top of the food chain can't understand the basic difference.....well....there's your problem right there.

You guys are right about this DuPont clown - what a dufus.

I've noticed that most of the formal research on benzos was done in the 80s and 90s and there isn't much going on lately.  Have you noticed the same?  Almost seems like research in this area has really been impacted as big pharma has become more and more powerful over the last 20 years.

 

 

Here is a BBC (London) article from 2011.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-14299501

Good article Claudia.

Good article Claudia.

 

There's a radio documentary link at the bottom of that article called "Face The Facts". It's worth a listen. There are numerous UK articles from The Telegraph and other newspapers, if you're looking for more. I've posted them elsewhere in the News section, or you can just do a search of those newspapers. Awareness is much higher there, it seems.

There's a radio documentary link at the bottom of that article called "Face The Facts". It's worth a listen. There are numerous UK articles from The Telegraph and other newspapers, if you're looking for more. I've posted them elsewhere in the News section, or you can just do a search of those newspapers. Awareness is much higher there, it seems.

 

Thanks Lapis. How many times did you hear ....

 

The Government is in denial of it ? .....too many times.

Thats the whole problem in my opinion.....

Governments and Pharma Industries are in buisness.....shocking.

I don't think the fault lies in one place, really. I think there are many factors involved  -- including doctors, pharmacists, public health departments, pharmaceutical companies, individual beliefs and attitudes about medication and about responsibility for one's health, lack of alternatives, etc.  A lot has to change in order for prescribing practices to change. It's about education.