This explains all about Lisa Ling's father

Lisa Ling's instagram post: This first photo of my dad and husband was taken in 2016. It was a very tumultuous year for my father in which was hospitalized numerous times and even put in palliative care. He initially went to hospital for a heart condition but because he was having trouble sleeping, he was put on Klonopin, a very powerful Benzodiazepine for 30 days. At 79 years old, I’m not sure why that drug was prescribed as there are warnings that indicate that seniors face a greater risk of side effects while on them. In the days after dad was prescribed, he started acting erratically so I stopped his usage after a couple of weeks. Over the next few months, Dad went crazy. He started hallucinating, his body couldn’t stop jerking and he would go days and days without sleeping. This first pic was on his 80th Bday—he had a bruised eye from falling and he hadn’t slept for 7 days straight. He was admitted to the ER the day. Not knowing what was wrong with him, he was given other meds to treat whatever was happening to him. All of this persisted for several more months—it was hell. After one hospital visit, his medical records indicated: delirium. We literally planned multiple funerals for him. Then, about a year later; Dad got better. The second pic is of Dad and @paulysong a year later. We will never know definitely if the Benzo was responsible for that horrendous period in my dad’s life because he was given other meds as well. But after hearing about the very same side effects that others developed after Benzos, I just can’t help but wonder. I am so grateful that my dad, 3 years later, miraculously seems back to normal, I know that so many aren’t so lucky. Hope you’ll watch this Sunday’s episode of #ThisIsLife on Benzos at 10PM on @cnnorigseries. Side note: We had already begun reporting episode on Benzos when, after hearing from those suffering, I realized that it may have played a role in an otherwise totally inexplicable and terrifying period in my dad’s life.

 

I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind that the source of the many problems with Lisa's father had to do with Klonopin! With the added drugs, it's no wonder that he was in delirium. And he obviously went through a very difficult withdrawal.

 

I don't understand, either, why doctors gave the drug Klonopin to an elderly person. That seems like malpractice to me. It's such a hard drug, and of course seniors become frail at 79 and don't have the capacity, as younger people do, to handle the extreme stress.

 

I'm glad he's well now!!  :thumbsup:

 

Here is an article in 2015 regarding benzos and the elderly: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4409441/#targetText=Inappropriate%20benzodiazepine%20use%20in%20elderly%20patients%20and%20its%20reduction,-Cara%20Tannenbaum%2C%20MD&targetText=A%20lifetime%20use%20of%20more,double%20the%20risk%20of%20death.

Thanks for posting this, Terry. I just saw it on Instagram and was wondering who was going to be the first to post 

 

I am so appreciative that she went into greater detail about her father's suffering. The Dr. Oz segment opened with the story about her father but I found it confusing-like what was the sequence of events that led him to the hospital. She cleared it up!

 

Her father got back to normal in three years and they didn't even know it was most likely the Klonopin that was responsible. Well, they know now and I think she has connected the dots. I am so grateful that she chose to delve into this nightmare. She is thorough journalist and I think she will reach a lot of people.

 

Honestly, its crazy the lack of empathy or knowledge most people have about stuff until something happens to them. It often takes the combination of an active/engaged person plus personal tragedy to get the ball rolling. Just a generalization.

 

 

 

 

I agree with all you wrote, Tater tot!

 

Yeah, I was so curious about the story of Lisa's father, and I'm so glad she explained everything! I'm so glad they fit the puzzle pieces together and indeed connected the dots. This has expanded our cause two-fold!

 

Honestly, its crazy the lack of empathy or knowledge most people have about stuff until something happens to them. It often takes the combination of an active/engaged person plus personal tragedy to get the ball rolling.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with you there! I never would have known the horrors of going through this and am truly sorry for not being empathetic towards my brother-in-law, who was suffering from benzo recovery and took so long to heal. Instead I had the sarcastic question: "What does he do all day???"

 

Now I have to say that I'm sure people around my condo building ask the same question of me because I never help out. And I finally said "I'm so sorry" to my brother-in-law after all these years!

I am sure that apology meant so much to him! But I bet he was so sorry you had to go though this nightmare, too.  :'(

 

Sadly, there really is no way to understand this nightmare unless you have personally gone through it or have gone through it with a spouse or child.

Its understandable. You must have a real empathy connection.

 

My boyfriend has been extraordinarily kind to me through this but I know he has benzo fatigue. He has not watched one thing about benzos nor read up on it. He says he has learned everything he needs to know by listening to me talk about it, but I am pretty cognitively impaired, so that's pretty iffy. You can't trust me! I pray he watches Sunday night's episode with me, but we'll see.

 

 

 

Thanks Terry,  It's helps getting the back story.  Sure does explain her tenacious drive to get this story out!

The show is this Sunday night on CNN. I think it will be such a relief to see our challenges VALIDATED!!!

Wow, thanks so much for posting that info, Terry! Having watched the Lisa Ling video already (during the brief time it was available), I didn't understand what had happened to Lisa's dad. It was wonderful to see him doing so well later in the video, but of course, some of the details were a bit unclear. Now I see what happened!

 

Fingers crossed that many people watched the episode this Sunday!

Oh dear God, another really sad story about how benzos can damage one. Medical people tend to think that if something is wrong, some pill will help it. As an RN that's how I USED to think. NOT NOW. I have had to learn the hard way that pills do not solves anything, except ones for hypertension, diabetes or heart disease. Real medical problems. Mental problems should NOT be medicated as much as they currently are.

I sure wish it wasn't like this. Its so wrong for drug companies to continue masking money off drugs that hurt people.

Going through benzo withdrawal taught me so much and I do not regret going through an awful ct off benzos and SSRIs. Going through this and surviving has made me a much better nurse, too.

I am finally free of benzos.

east

I am sure that apology meant so much to him! But I bet he was so sorry you had to go though this nightmare, too.  :'(

 

Sadly, there really is no way to understand this nightmare unless you have personally gone through it or have gone through it with a spouse or child.

Its understandable. You must have a real empathy connection.

 

My boyfriend has been extraordinarily kind to me through this but I know he has benzo fatigue. He has not watched one thing about benzos nor read up on it. He says he has learned everything he needs to know by listening to me talk about it, but I am pretty cognitively impaired, so that's pretty iffy. You can't trust me! I pray he watches Sunday night's episode with me, but we'll see.

 

That's true, there is NO way to understand this, I don't think, unless you yourself experience it.

 

Wow, your boyfriend is like many, I'm sure. I hope he does watch Sunday night's episode. He'd learn a lot. My family, except for maybe my sister, won't see it. My ex-husband won't see it. They've gone through so much with me. I guess they've had it. It's too bad, and I feel deflated about that. But what can I do? Yeah, I think my son and my ex-husband would say the same thing - that they understand it all from seeing me going through so much. But still, I wish they would watch. It would make me feel all the more validated.

Thanks Terry,  It's helps getting the back story.  Sure does explain her tenacious drive to get this story out!

 

Yes, I feel that way, too, Doveluv. And she's an investigative reporter, so of course she wants to get to the bottom of the story. She's probably been thinking of this for a long time.

The show is this Sunday night on CNN. I think it will be such a relief to see our challenges VALIDATED!!!

 

Me, too! I'm impatiently awaiting it because I know it'll cause a flurry of talk! And it's about time! It's been kept under wraps for far too long!

Wow, thanks so much for posting that info, Terry! Having watched the Lisa Ling video already (during the brief time it was available), I didn't understand what had happened to Lisa's dad. It was wonderful to see him doing so well later in the video, but of course, some of the details were a bit unclear. Now I see what happened!

 

Fingers crossed that many people watched the episode this Sunday!

 

I was wondering, too, Lapis, and I kept thinking that not knowing was hanging in the air about her father, not figured out. NOW I can see why her father was in delirium, why he suffered so much, and why they thought he was dying.

 

I hope A TON of people watch this show! I have friends that I told about benzos, but they just never got it. I kept writing about it, and I'm sure they got tired of reading about it (I moved away besides). Maybe they'll have some understanding if they do watch it, which I hope they will. I think one of the women's daughter-in-law was on Xanax or still is. I hope she learns something!

Oh dear God, another really sad story about how benzos can damage one. Medical people tend to think that if something is wrong, some pill will help it. As an RN that's how I USED to think. NOT NOW. I have had to learn the hard way that pills do not solves anything, except ones for hypertension, diabetes or heart disease. Real medical problems. Mental problems should NOT be medicated as much as they currently are.

I sure wish it wasn't like this. Its so wrong for drug companies to continue masking money off drugs that hurt people.

Going through benzo withdrawal taught me so much and I do not regret going through an awful ct off benzos and SSRIs. Going through this and surviving has made me a much better nurse, too.

I am finally free of benzos.

east

 

I wish doctors would understand that these drugs CAUSE a person to have such personality changes that it seems as if they have a mental problem.

 

I agree that doctors think pills can solve everything - or that's all they have in their arsenal. What else can they do??? They can't really rely on anything BUT pills. It's unfortunate. We have a medical system that relies on some really heavy-duty pills that elderly people cannot tolerate. It even says in the literature not to give benzos to elderly people! What were they thinking??

 

I don't know how you got through that very difficult c/t off benzos AND SSRIs. I certainly would be a goner. But you have healed amazingly well and are helping others now. BRAVA!!! :thumbsup:

My friends father 84 yrs old and Alzheimer’s in ALF.  She told me they put him on lorazepam and I told her that was crazy,  buspar is much safer for an elderly Alzheimer’s patient.  2 days later he died.  I wonder if there’s a connection.  I’m sure there is.

The use of benzodiazepines in the older population is outrageous. They can get worse side effects and it can be disastrous for them via falling and breaking bones, having a car crashes, cognitive decline, etc. I have no doubt that they hasten death quicker than if they were left unmedicated by a benzo.

 

Here's a link to a study (September 2018) by University of Michigan titled: "1 in 4 older adults prescribed a benzodiazepine goes on to risky long-term use, study finds." It states that benzos should only be prescribed in these populations for end of life care.

 

 

https://ihpi.umich.edu/sites/default/files/styles/hero_slide/public/2019-09/abstract_hero-graphics-blue.png?itok=FafbRQZz

 

I'll post the article for reference here:

 

Researchers call for clinicians & patients to ‘begin with the end in mind’ with sedatives like Valium or Xanax for anxiety, sleep issues & more.

They may start as well-intentioned efforts to calm anxiety, improve sleep or ease depression. But prescriptions for sedatives known as benzodiazepines may lead to long-term use among one in four older adults who receive them, according to new research.

 

That’s despite warnings against long-term use of these drugs, especially among older people, because they can increase the risk of car crashes, falls and broken hips, as well as causing other side effects.

 

The new study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine by a team from the University of Michigan, two VA hospitals and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, looked at benzodiazepine use by low-income older adults in a Pennsylvania program that helps with drug costs.

 

The researchers say their findings point to a strong need for better education of healthcare providers, and the public, about the risks associated with these drugs.

 

Of the 576 adults who received their first benzodiazepine prescription in 2008 to 2016, 152 still had a current or recent prescription a year later. The study only included people whose benzodiazepines were prescribed by non-psychiatrists, as the majority of older adults who use benzodiazepines have their prescriptions written by primary care physicians or other non-psychiatrists.

 

White patients were four times more likely to have gone on to long-term use. Those whose initial prescriptions were written for the largest amounts were also more likely to become long-term benzodiazepine users. For just every 10 additional days of medication prescribed, a patient’s risk of long-term use nearly doubled over the next year.

 

That rate of long-term use is concerning enough in itself, says Lauren Gerlach, D.O., M.Sc., the lead author of the study and a geriatric psychiatrist at U-M.

 

“This shows that we need to help providers start with the end in mind when prescribing a benzodiazepine, by beginning with a short-duration prescription and engage patients in discussions of when to reevaluate their symptoms and begin tapering the patient off,” she says. “We also need to educate providers about effective non-pharmaceutical treatment alternatives, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, for these patients.”

 

Gerlach points to two other concerning findings from the review of records and detailed interviews with program participants. Long-term benzodiazepine users were no more likely to have a diagnosis of anxiety, which is sometimes an indication for long-term use.

 

Also, long-term users were more likely to say they had sleep problems, despite the fact that benzodiazepines are not recommended for long-term use as sleep aids and may even worsen sleep the longer they are used.

 

 

 

More about the study

 

Gerlach and her colleagues at the U-M Medical School, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Corporal Michael Crescenz VA Medical Center and University of Pennsylvania used data from the Supporting Seniors Receiving Treatment and Intervention, or SUSTAIN, program.

 

The program provides a supplement to a Pennsylvania medication coverage program for low-income older adults. The program provides behavioral health and case management services by telephone across the state. All of the patients in the study live at home or in other community settings, so the study does not include patients in nursing homes and other skilled nursing facilities.

 

This included detailed interviews to screen for mental health issues including anxiety, depression, sleep issues and pain, as well as analysis of prescription records and other clinical data. The researchers calculated a medication possession ratio, based on how many days’ supply of benzodiazepines the person had been prescribed, and how many days remained in the time the prescription was valid. They set a threshold MPR of 30 percent over the course of a year as the definition of long-term use.

 

On average, the patients were 78 years old when they received their first benzodiazepine prescription – an advanced age for use of the drugs, which national guidelines say should rarely if ever be given to adults over about age 65. Very few had had any sort of psychiatric, psychological or psychosocial care in the past two years.

 

While treatment guidelines  recommend only short-term prescribing, if any, these long-term patients were prescribed nearly 8 months’ worth of medication after their initial prescription.

 

"This study provides strong evidence that the expectations set out by a provider when they first write a new prescription carry forward over time,” says David Oslin, M.D., of Penn and the Philadelphia VA, and senior author of the paper. “When a physician writes for 30 days of a benzodiazepine, the message to the patient is to take the medication daily and for a long time. This expectancy translates into chronic use which in the long run translates into greater risks like falls, cognitive impairment and worse sleep." 

 

“Since mental health providers see only a very small minority of older adults who have mental health issues, we need to support primary care providers better as they manage these patients’ care,” says Gerlach. “We must help them think critically about how certain prescriptions they write could increase the chance of long-term use.”

 

Donovan Maust, M.D., M.S., another U-M geriatric psychiatrist who has studied overuse of benzodiazepine drugs and risks associated with them, is a co-author. He and Gerlach are both members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and the Program for Positive Aging in the U-M Medical School's Department of Psychiatry.

 

Says Oslin, “Benzodiazepines are one of several classes of medications that have a high addictive potential and substantial risks for falls, cognitive dulling, and sleep impairment. From a public health perspective, starting 80-year-old patients on benzodiazepines is a high-risk prospect. In addition to the risks to the individual, there is also risk for greater drug diversion and exposure of these medications to grandkids if not properly stored and disposed."

 

The research was sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Reference: JAMA Internal Medicine, Sept. 10 2018

My friends father 84 yrs old and Alzheimer’s in ALF.  She told me they put him on lorazepam and I told her that was crazy,  buspar is much safer for an elderly Alzheimer’s patient.  2 days later he died.  I wonder if there’s a connection.  I’m sure there is.

 

Oh, that's so sad to read, Guinea pig!! I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Ativan played a huge part. These are very powerful psychoactive drugs, and older people don't process pills as well as younger people do. He was probably on lots of other pills as well, creating havoc.  :'(

The use of benzodiazepines in the older population is outrageous. They can get worse side effects and it can be disastrous for them via falling and breaking bones, having a car crashes, cognitive decline, etc. I have no doubt that they hasten death quicker than if they were left unmedicated by a benzo.

 

Here's a link to a study (September 2018) by University of Michigan titled: "1 in 4 older adults prescribed a benzodiazepine goes on to risky long-term use, study finds." It states that benzos should only be prescribed in these populations for end of life care.

 

 

https://ihpi.umich.edu/sites/default/files/styles/hero_slide/public/2019-09/abstract_hero-graphics-blue.png?itok=FafbRQZz

 

I'll post the article for reference here:

 

Researchers call for clinicians & patients to ‘begin with the end in mind’ with sedatives like Valium or Xanax for anxiety, sleep issues & more.

They may start as well-intentioned efforts to calm anxiety, improve sleep or ease depression. But prescriptions for sedatives known as benzodiazepines may lead to long-term use among one in four older adults who receive them, according to new research.

 

That’s despite warnings against long-term use of these drugs, especially among older people, because they can increase the risk of car crashes, falls and broken hips, as well as causing other side effects.

 

The new study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine by a team from the University of Michigan, two VA hospitals and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, looked at benzodiazepine use by low-income older adults in a Pennsylvania program that helps with drug costs.

 

The researchers say their findings point to a strong need for better education of healthcare providers, and the public, about the risks associated with these drugs.

 

Of the 576 adults who received their first benzodiazepine prescription in 2008 to 2016, 152 still had a current or recent prescription a year later. The study only included people whose benzodiazepines were prescribed by non-psychiatrists, as the majority of older adults who use benzodiazepines have their prescriptions written by primary care physicians or other non-psychiatrists.

 

White patients were four times more likely to have gone on to long-term use. Those whose initial prescriptions were written for the largest amounts were also more likely to become long-term benzodiazepine users. For just every 10 additional days of medication prescribed, a patient’s risk of long-term use nearly doubled over the next year.

 

That rate of long-term use is concerning enough in itself, says Lauren Gerlach, D.O., M.Sc., the lead author of the study and a geriatric psychiatrist at U-M.

 

“This shows that we need to help providers start with the end in mind when prescribing a benzodiazepine, by beginning with a short-duration prescription and engage patients in discussions of when to reevaluate their symptoms and begin tapering the patient off,” she says. “We also need to educate providers about effective non-pharmaceutical treatment alternatives, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, for these patients.”

 

Gerlach points to two other concerning findings from the review of records and detailed interviews with program participants. Long-term benzodiazepine users were no more likely to have a diagnosis of anxiety, which is sometimes an indication for long-term use.

 

Also, long-term users were more likely to say they had sleep problems, despite the fact that benzodiazepines are not recommended for long-term use as sleep aids and may even worsen sleep the longer they are used.

 

 

 

More about the study

 

Gerlach and her colleagues at the U-M Medical School, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Corporal Michael Crescenz VA Medical Center and University of Pennsylvania used data from the Supporting Seniors Receiving Treatment and Intervention, or SUSTAIN, program.

 

The program provides a supplement to a Pennsylvania medication coverage program for low-income older adults. The program provides behavioral health and case management services by telephone across the state. All of the patients in the study live at home or in other community settings, so the study does not include patients in nursing homes and other skilled nursing facilities.

 

This included detailed interviews to screen for mental health issues including anxiety, depression, sleep issues and pain, as well as analysis of prescription records and other clinical data. The researchers calculated a medication possession ratio, based on how many days’ supply of benzodiazepines the person had been prescribed, and how many days remained in the time the prescription was valid. They set a threshold MPR of 30 percent over the course of a year as the definition of long-term use.

 

On average, the patients were 78 years old when they received their first benzodiazepine prescription – an advanced age for use of the drugs, which national guidelines say should rarely if ever be given to adults over about age 65. Very few had had any sort of psychiatric, psychological or psychosocial care in the past two years.

 

While treatment guidelines  recommend only short-term prescribing, if any, these long-term patients were prescribed nearly 8 months’ worth of medication after their initial prescription.

 

"This study provides strong evidence that the expectations set out by a provider when they first write a new prescription carry forward over time,” says David Oslin, M.D., of Penn and the Philadelphia VA, and senior author of the paper. “When a physician writes for 30 days of a benzodiazepine, the message to the patient is to take the medication daily and for a long time. This expectancy translates into chronic use which in the long run translates into greater risks like falls, cognitive impairment and worse sleep." 

 

“Since mental health providers see only a very small minority of older adults who have mental health issues, we need to support primary care providers better as they manage these patients’ care,” says Gerlach. “We must help them think critically about how certain prescriptions they write could increase the chance of long-term use.”

 

Donovan Maust, M.D., M.S., another U-M geriatric psychiatrist who has studied overuse of benzodiazepine drugs and risks associated with them, is a co-author. He and Gerlach are both members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and the Program for Positive Aging in the U-M Medical School's Department of Psychiatry.

 

Says Oslin, “Benzodiazepines are one of several classes of medications that have a high addictive potential and substantial risks for falls, cognitive dulling, and sleep impairment. From a public health perspective, starting 80-year-old patients on benzodiazepines is a high-risk prospect. In addition to the risks to the individual, there is also risk for greater drug diversion and exposure of these medications to grandkids if not properly stored and disposed."

 

The research was sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Reference: JAMA Internal Medicine, Sept. 10 2018

 

EXCELLENT article, Tater tot!!! Thank you very much for posting it.

 

One of the things doctors HAVE GOT TO UNDERSTAND is that insomnia only gets worse the longer these pills are taken: On average, the patients were 78 years old when they received their first benzodiazepine prescription – an advanced age for use of the drugs, which national guidelines say should rarely if ever be given to adults over about age 65. Very few had had any sort of psychiatric, psychological or psychosocial care in the past two years.

 

While treatment guidelines  recommend only short-term prescribing, if any, these long-term patients were prescribed nearly 8 months’ worth of medication after their initial prescription.

 

Doctors have continually broken the Hippocratic Oath and have been prescribing these very powerful drugs long term.

 

I'm so hoping that this documentary tomorrow will have far-reaching ramifications in the medical community and knock some common sense into them! Who knows how many elderly have died because of improper benzo prescribing, yet what is written as the cause of death is something different. Benzos have been under the radar for far too long!!!

 

Thank you again, Tater tot!!!

💯💯💯

 

Agreed! I can't even imagine all the early deaths due to benzos that get chalked up to other issues and the whole thing gets swept under the rug.

I hope doctors and the medical community get a clue after this show. I hope benzos are no longer swept under the rug!

Really? Most doctors do know!  They prescribe them because benzodiazepines shut people up. It’s the go to prescription drug for people of all ages.

They know that the cause of a lot of people's suffering is trauma. And they aren't prepared to deal with that. So they medicate it. But medicating it doesn't fix it, it just hides it, for a time. And then it erupts or it mutates.

 

I think a lot of doctors know they don't have the tools to really solve the problem. I do think many of them are ignorant of the long term costs of benzo use. The question is why they don't care enough to find out. It's like were teaching them one at a time, but that isn't enough. They just get replaced with new ones that get the same 15 minutes on Benzos.

Really? Most doctors do know!  They prescribe them because benzodiazepines shut people up. It’s the go to prescription drug for people of all ages.

 

I wonder if they do know all of the ramifications of prescribing a benzo. I agree that getting a prescription for a benzo shuts the patient up. I think doctors just put on blinders and do it because all the other doctors in their group do it. It's part of their protocol.

 

My sister had a doctor who refused to prescribe benzos. He knew how awful they were. But the other doctors in his group shunned him because of this. He was a strong-willed doctor, so he didn't care. But every doctor's group seems to have a herd mentality, and to go outside the herd means being shunned by the others.

They know that the cause of a lot of people's suffering is trauma. And they aren't prepared to deal with that. So they medicate it. But medicating it doesn't fix it, it just hides it, for a time. And then it erupts or it mutates.

 

I think a lot of doctors know they don't have the tools to really solve the problem. I do think many of them are ignorant of the long term costs of benzo use. The question is why they don't care enough to find out. It's like were teaching them one at a time, but that isn't enough. They just get replaced with new ones that get the same 15 minutes on Benzos.

 

Yes, I agree with you about doctors not having the right tools to solve problems. They seem to only have pills,  which can cause much damage to a lot of people. But they can also help. People believe in them, so that adds to their efficacy. We've learned to do that. "It must be good. The doctor has prescribed it."

 

And I think you're right about them being ignorant about the long-term costs of benzo use. As I was saying to babyrex, I think there is a herd mentality within a certain group of doctors. They have protocols they follow. One of them is the pills they prescribe. If a doctor sees that other doctors within that group prescribe benzos, then they probably don't think about it much, figure that it's fine, and that's it. They don't go looking up information about it. That's what I feel happens. And this goes on for years and years.

40 new people registered for BB in Introductions October 7 after the Lisa Ling documentary aired. And the day has barely begun.