FDA finally put black box warning on all benzodiazepines

And now, everybody that has been injured wants to sit around and act like they were not given any warning and their lives are ruined and they didn't do anything wrong. When everybody here knows that it wasn't a good idea to take them long-term but did it anyways.

 

Disagree again. I didn’t know it was unsafe and take it anyway. Nor are the majority of the contacts I receive of that nature. Many people didn’t even know they were on a benzo to begin with. I was assured repeatedly of the safety of long term prescription. I wasn’t addicted to anything. If you actually read the thing it goes into how quickly people developed physical dependence especially on Xanax. Three days. There is nothing about that in the prescribing literature. I believe the Xanax prescribing literature says it’s safe up to eight months.

Well I've been dealing with benzos my whole life and I know all types of people, whether it was a little old ladies that took Xanax for anxiety or drug addicts that took them to get rid of their alcohol withdrawal and other drug withdrawal come down.

And in the long run, it doesn't matter what you took them for or how long, if you got addicted, you got addicted. Or maybe you didn't get addicted and you just want to call it physical dependence instead, still doesn't matter if it was prescribed or not.

And if you're able to get addicted in three days, then why do some people think physical dependence is any different? Does it really matter if it was psychological or physical? And yes, upjohn who makes Xanax, they told everybody not to take it long term.

So we all got screwed over whether it was prescribed or not and whether it was for anxiety or drug withdrawal or whatever else, we all got screwed over. But at the same time, most of us knew better.

And for those that didn't know any better, that's really unfortunate. But even if your doctor said it was safe for the long-term, I bet your Pharmacy said otherwise. This is not new information oh, they've known this since the sixties.

You can look on YouTube, there's videos of people addicted to Pills and they were making public service announcements back in the 70s. Whether it was about Red's AKA barbiturates, or benzos, Mother's Little Helpers.

So then all of a sudden somebody gets addicted in the 2000s and starts complaining that they didn't know any better and were not notified by their doctor. And all of a sudden want some kind of special treatment just because they don't want to be put in the addiction class.

I'm not even trying to argue or make anybody feel bad, but I'm really close to being healed at 16 and a half months. I still have horrible days on and off about half the time. But now I know better and I know that it's not the doctor's fault, but it's a combination of things.

The manufacturer said not to take it long term and we didn't listen. Whether it was just us or the doctor or the pharmacist or whoever, or a combination. And whether it's addiction or physical dependence, doesn't make a difference because we have to go through the same thing regardless.

So you can sugarcoat it all you want, but we have to go through benzo withdrawal regardless because we took them for too long and at too high of a dose. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this predicament. You can put the blame on whoever you want. Or you can accept it and move on with your life.

Well I've been dealing with benzos my whole life and I know all types of people, whether it was a little old ladies that took Xanax for anxiety or drug addicts that took them to get rid of their alcohol withdrawal and other drug withdrawal come down.

 

And in the long run, it doesn't matter what you took them for or how long, if you got addicted, you got addicted. Or maybe you didn't get addicted and you just want to call it physical dependence instead, still doesn't matter if it was prescribed or not.

 

And if you're able to get addicted in three days, then why do some people think physical dependence is any different? Does it really matter if it was psychological or physical? And yes, upjohn who makes Xanax, they told everybody not to take it long term.

 

So we all got screwed over whether it was prescribed or not and whether it was for anxiety or drug withdrawal or whatever else, we all got screwed over. But at the same time, most of us knew better.

 

And for those that didn't know any better, that's really unfortunate. But even if your doctor said it was safe for the long-term, I bet your Pharmacy said otherwise. This is not new information oh, they've known this since the sixties.

 

You can look on YouTube, there's videos of people addicted to Pills and they were making public service announcements back in the 70s. Whether it was about Red's AKA barbiturates, or benzos, Mother's Little Helpers.

 

So then all of a sudden somebody gets addicted in the 2000s and starts complaining that they didn't know any better and were not notified by their doctor. And all of a sudden want some kind of special treatment just because they don't want to be put in the addiction class.

 

I'm not even trying to argue or make anybody feel bad, but I'm really close to being healed at 16 and a half months. I still have horrible days on and off about half the time. But now I know better and I know that it's not the doctor's fault, but it's a combination of things.

 

The manufacturer said not to take it long term and we didn't listen. Whether it was just us or the doctor or the pharmacist or whoever, or a combination. And whether it's addiction or physical dependence, doesn't make a difference because we have to go through the same thing regardless.

 

So you can sugarcoat it all you want, but we have to go through benzo withdrawal regardless because we took them for too long and at too high of a dose. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this predicament. You can put the blame on whoever you want. Or you can accept it and move on with your life.

Just wrong! There's just so much misinformation in there, like nearly every word, and the rest is untested assumptions. I'm not sure it's worth the limited energy I have to explain why. I doubt my explanations will change your conclusions. Have a good day.

Okay great, so now not only are you not an addict, but everything I say is completely wrong because I don't know anything right? Like nobody has ever been warned about taking them for too long and there's no such thing as addiction. I don't think I'm wrong about anything, I think you're in denial.

But let's get rid of that addiction word because I don't like it either. Let's just say that we were both physically dependent after taking our prescribed medication, well maybe we wouldn't be physically dependent if we didn't take them so long. Is that incorrect to say as well?

Look at your signature for example, you went through a six-year taper. That's the same thing as taking them for 6 years. Maybe that wasn't a good idea either. And now you've only been off of them this year. I feel for you, but I'm going through the same thing.

And don't forget they were prescribed to me as well, for an anxiety condition. But does it matter what they were prescribed for? I don't think it does, because it's the same drug no matter what.

Like for example, if you had given half of your prescription to somebody else like your brother or sister or something, every single month that you had them throughout your life. Do you think your brother or sister would have any different withdrawal? No, they would be in the same predicament as you. So the prescription is irrelevant.

You can say I'm wrong all you want, but the truth is I'm probably not.

Well I've been dealing with benzos my whole life and I know all types of people, whether it was a little old ladies that took Xanax for anxiety or drug addicts that took them to get rid of their alcohol withdrawal and other drug withdrawal come down.

 

And in the long run, it doesn't matter what you took them for or how long, if you got addicted, you got addicted. Or maybe you didn't get addicted and you just want to call it physical dependence instead, still doesn't matter if it was prescribed or not.

 

And if you're able to get addicted in three days, then why do some people think physical dependence is any different? Does it really matter if it was psychological or physical? And yes, upjohn who makes Xanax, they told everybody not to take it long term.

 

So we all got screwed over whether it was prescribed or not and whether it was for anxiety or drug withdrawal or whatever else, we all got screwed over. But at the same time, most of us knew better.

 

And for those that didn't know any better, that's really unfortunate. But even if your doctor said it was safe for the long-term, I bet your Pharmacy said otherwise. This is not new information oh, they've known this since the sixties.

 

You can look on YouTube, there's videos of people addicted to Pills and they were making public service announcements back in the 70s. Whether it was about Red's AKA barbiturates, or benzos, Mother's Little Helpers.

 

So then all of a sudden somebody gets addicted in the 2000s and starts complaining that they didn't know any better and were not notified by their doctor. And all of a sudden want some kind of special treatment just because they don't want to be put in the addiction class.

 

I'm not even trying to argue or make anybody feel bad, but I'm really close to being healed at 16 and a half months. I still have horrible days on and off about half the time. But now I know better and I know that it's not the doctor's fault, but it's a combination of things.

 

The manufacturer said not to take it long term and we didn't listen. Whether it was just us or the doctor or the pharmacist or whoever, or a combination. And whether it's addiction or physical dependence, doesn't make a difference because we have to go through the same thing regardless.

 

So you can sugarcoat it all you want, but we have to go through benzo withdrawal regardless because we took them for too long and at too high of a dose. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this predicament. You can put the blame on whoever you want. Or you can accept it and move on with your life.

JustinTime, THIS IS THE THING:

The problem is that no one says what "addiction" really is when it comes to benzos. People envision someone "Jonesing for a buzz". Not someone who wants to give a speech, fly on a plane, sleep better, or worse yet the many other stupid a** other reasons that these drugs are prescribed that I've come across such as : dry eyes, difficulty with urinating. Yeah dumb reasons like that. One little sentence in the FDA prescribing info is not enough. (This is pre- new regs) One little sentence saying not to take it more than 3 weeks is not enough. There's a reason that it's one little sentence. The pharmaceutical company does not want the public to not buy their drug because they want to make money.

I was a nurse. A registered nurse. It was 20 years ago, and I never had any idea that someone could feel like their skin is burning from a benzo for weeks and months after the drug is stopped. I never knew that someone would pace & pace for weeks and longer from excruciating Akathasia and find no comfort anywhere. I had no idea that someone could feel like they're on a boat 24/7 for months & months. I didn't know what benzo belly was. I did not know that it could screw up your physiology so bad that even taking something like an antibiotic could bring on stronger tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. I didn't know that it could strip you of your ability to drive, walk, balance & become bedridden for months AFTER the drug is stopped. Of course I could go on and on with symptoms but we all know what this feels like. And, I was not a poor student. I got A's in nursing school. They just flat out did not teach this, and they STILL DON'T to this day. They did not teach this about antidepressants either.

Probably the only place that really deals with benzo tolerance and withdrawal symptoms the most, and is truly familair with them is in drug rehab. And, that's dangerous too because they treat benzo withdrawal many times with polydrugging.

I've never had a pharmacist, nor doctor tell me of the horrors of this drug. I did not learn it in nursing school, no nurse learned that. No doctor either. It's partially because of the nature of how tolerance all unfolds. Tolerance happens slowly and everyone, doctor and patient alike, think it's something else like a vestibular issue, or MS, or fibromyalgia, or Menieres, or that the person's own anxiety is increasing or that now some supposed psychosis is rearing it's head, and it's BS. It's from the drug itself.

If the FDA prescribing info would tell the truth and say that there's like a 50% chance that you may get a movement disorder from this drug that could last for months even after you stop taking it, would you damn take it? If a doctor told you: "Hey this benzo may help you with your temporary angst from your divorce, but even less a month from now there's like a 50% chance that you will not be able to drive on a highway, or even worse you'll be bedridden for months and using a walker after you try to stop taking it." Would you take it if you were properly informed of the potential of this happening to you?

Physicians and big pharma have done an excellent job in hiding this one, but as the years pass and more and more doctors prescribe it, that in combination with the internet and pi**ed off patients, these pi**ed patients will handle this on their own with Coalitions & increased public awareness.

You see, the internet "evens the playing field" for us regular people now. We don't have to wait for some public announcement, magazine, news channel etc to choose to make "The Hell of Benzodiazepines" a headline. We have a voice now. Coalitions are being started. The word is getting out there so it will be just as well known in every household the dangers of benzos like it is with opioids. More and more books are being written too. We will be heard. It will happen in my lifetime. This will come to an end. The irresponsible, reckless prescribing of Benzodiazepines will come to an end.

Also, who goes searching on YouTube for benzo symptoms when they're physician says: "You can take this forever with no issues." It doesn't just "pop up". You have to look for it. Also, smart phones and You Tube have only been around so long. There are MANY people in a benzo dilemma that already began waaaaaay before YouTube.

BTW I was born in 1970. I've never seen a public service announcement about the dangers PRESCRIPTION drugs in my life, with the exception of the opioid crises in the last 10 years. I've seen them about street drugs... you know like that vintage fried egg in the pan commercial from 1987. "This is your brain on drugs" ... Like that public service announcement. They should have made that commercial about Benzos ... not about street drugs. Except the commercial should have been more explicit: "This is what Benzodiazepines do to you. There's like a 50% chance you will be this way from benzos." And, the commercial can be more detailed and REAL. It can show people pacing, and using walkers, and screaming because they're skin feels like it's on fire, and people in bed for months and months, and people avoiding the highway unable to drive for 2 years. "This is BENZOS. This is your brain on BENZOS. (Egg frying in a pan) Any questions?"

ANY QUESTIONS?

BTW, I'm glad to hear that you are improving and coming along in your healing.

Thank you, Miss Fortitude.  This feels validating.  The thing is, whatever was in the prescribing information is not necessarily what we were made aware of by our doctors when we started taking the medication as prescribed.  Maybe we should have read the fine print, but how many people do? (I'm sure most of us do NOW, but that's because of our painful experiences).  Guess whose job it was to read that fine print and relay the information to us? (Hint: it's the licensed professional with years of education and an ethical duty to their patients). 

I was told repeatedly by my doctor, "you can be on these meds (yes, he prescribed me two different benzos at the same time) for the rest of your life."  I was led to believe as long as I didn't take more than prescribed (which I didn't), I would be fine.  And the thing is, I WAS fine, until I started trying to get off, which I did on my own because of the information I was belatedly becoming aware of, about the linkage between benzos and dementia.  My doctor STILL told me, "it's okay for you to stay on the lorazepam for the rest of your life, at a low dose."  He says that to this day.  I'm doing this taper anyway, painfully and slowly and with the explosion of withdrawal symptoms, mostly related to sleep and cognition, that has happened since I got below what probably was a therapeutic dose. 

I don't spend a lot of time being angry, or dwelling on what happened.  I choose to focus my energy on healing and feeling better, and not panicking that I will never get better.  But I am certainly not going to condemn or disparage myself, or any of the other buddies, for not knowing what we were never told. 

I am glad we are healing, little by little. Anyone's success story is our success story, and we need to hold each other up in this ordeal.  Happy Thanksgiving, buddies.

Haimona

I agree with what you say, It's just sometimes I get fed up how some people on here know that they were addicted yet try to act like they are better than everybody and like they have never an addicted to anything and they were only so-called physical dependent. And it's like they try to come up with every excuse in the book just to not be labeled a drug addict. And I'm like what good is that doing you?

Maybe they never considered the fact that benzos are so addictive that you can be addicted to them in a couple days. And if you can be addicted to them in a couple days, why does it matter what they were prescribed for? It's not like a benzodiazepine cares whether or not you have it prescribed, because all it does is increase your Gaba and dopamine.

And Gaba and dopamine, they don't care what condition it was prescribed for. And so whenever you quit taking it, there's a lack of Gaba and dopamine. So for the people that keep trying to quit taking benzos and are unsuccessful, they keep going back on them to get that feeling. And without that feeling, they are extremely sick for months and years. You can call it physical dependency or addiction, it doesn't really matter because it's the same thing.

The only difference is really that true drug addicts, the kind that go get their fix so that they can get high, are usually using something recreational. Not that many people use benzos as a recreational drug. But some people do. But the majority of us, took them for a medical reason. But you also have to consider, if we had actually liked the way that they made us feel, and that's the only reason we were taking it, it does the same thing to our body. So whether or not we like the feeling, the pill works the same way. Which means we are addicted whether we like it or not. So if we were physically dependent, that means we were all so addicted, we just didn't care about the high like some people do. But just because we don't care about the high, doesn't mean we were not addicted. See what I mean?

So I'm not going to sit here and keep trying to prove myself as a drug addict, because I took them for 20 years as prescribed, sometimes more and sometimes less. I basically decided what my own dose was because when you take them for that long, you know how they work more than a doctor. I guess that's a debatable comment oh, but you know what I mean. From 2000 until 2020, you learn to take your own dose.

Now as far as going back over the years, there's tons and tons of videos from the 50s and 60s and 70s and even a benzodiazepine documentary in the 80s. Way before medicating normal or any of these other things like Lisa Ling. And people have been having major issues with benzos and barbiturates since way back in the day. This is not new at all, it's just that doctors are starting to realize more these days.

And yes we are definitely spreading the awareness, but that's bad for certain people. There are certain people that we're going to get them put in a bad spot. Like whenever you hear people on benzo buddies talking about how they were ripped off of them in a short amount of time or cold turkey, well that's what we are promoting whether you know it or not. Whenever you say things like people need to quit taking them long-term, how else do you think doctors plan on getting them off in hospitals?

We all know that hospitals are acute stays so if doctors feel that people shouldn't take benzos anymore, that means they're going to have to pull them off within a week or two. I've been to plenty of hospitals and I've been pulled off of them multiple times. We are never going to change the amount of time at a hospital or Medicaid authorizations, you already know that because you were a nurse. So that means they have no choice other than to pull them off of them within a short amount of time and discharge them.

And doctors are already aware of slow tapirs, but if it goes on for years, that means they have to prescribe the drug for years. Doctors don't want to keep prescribing meds for years when they're focused on pulling people off. So that's another issue.

And big Pharma is not trying to hide anything and neither are doctors, they just don't know much. That's something completely different. And sometimes they will totally disregard what you have to say because they think it is the anxiety condition and they think it's you being a hypochondriac or trying to get pills when you bring up stuff.

Now I feel like I'm just typing for no reason because I've been over this a million times. We all know what they do and we all took them and we are all healing. I've got almost 17 months off of these things after being on the highest dose you can imagine for 20 years. I had an appointment with my doctor the other day and she was amazed at how long this has been going on. My therapist now knows as well. They are all learning. So am I, I didn't know the level of severity until I quit them for good. This is my seventh or eighth time and it's my final time. Each time truly got worse.

That's another thing, now people are calling it kindling. But you do realize that people have been calling this relapse for the last few Generations right? So just because we call it physical dependence and kindling, that doesn't mean that it wasn't addiction and relapse before that. We just call it something different on this website. Tomato and tomato, kindling and relapse, dependence and addiction. It doesn't really matter what you call it, it's the same thing.

But I completely see your side of the argument, and I agree with it. It's almost like a gray area because we weren't trying to get high. But for the people that are trying to get high on benzos, it's still the same pill doing the same thing and people get addicted to it simple as that. So if somebody tells us that we are addicted, it's better just to agree with them and not stress yourself out.

Because they are going to think the same thing regardless, so if you argue with them, it makes you look more like a drug addict. Whereas if you just agree with them and smile in your head at how stupid they are, things are a lot easier. You're already off of them anyways, so just let people think what they want. It doesn't really matter at the end of the day.

Just so you know, I do appreciate where you're coming from and I think the same thing sometimes. It's not true addiction. And I was born in 83 and a lot of my family and my ex-wife are nurses. I also have family that is doctors. I even have family in the biomedical industry, and some of them even worked for the pharmaceutical industry.

And if there's one thing about all of these people in my family, they had to learn as they moved on with their careers, little by little, just like everybody. If they knew that something was really harmful, they wouldn't be selling it anymore. Like my family member that worked for Johnson & Johnson, he went around selling all kinds of pills and promoting them. Most likely some of them were dangerous oh, but that doesn't mean he was hiding anything. He just didn't know. And if he did know, he still had to provide for his family and get paid. And he didn't want to get fired just because moral belief.

And it's not like a CEO of a company ever looks at side effects and who's dying off of their medications, somebody in business isn't concerned with medical literature. So if the CEO has a company like Genentech or Roche, it's not the CEOs fault that people are dying. They didn't make the medicine. And then the people that make the medicine, they are not doing research on who's dying. They're only doing chemical analysis. They're not reviewing people's medical charts.

See where I'm going with this? Basically everybody in society is so busy with their own life and their own job, that they're not paying attention to somebody else's. And that's where this whole problem Falls in a gray area, and we are the ones bringing all the stuff up to the company's attention. That's what these FDA medwatch reports are for. Without everybody explaining the stuff to their doctor and the FDA and everybody else, it would take generations to move along.

But I can tell you what will change things, if you call FDA and tell them they're incorrect on the Black Box warning. That's what I did, I called them and said you guys are idiots because you have all the info wrong. So then they had me explain myself through an email and I did, I said it doesn't take months, it takes years.

I said you guys need to change your black box warning so that it says withdrawal lasts for years, not months up to a year. I said it's a completely different story when it goes on for years and ruins your finances. So that's where the change needs to be. Also I said instead of saying anxiety, you need to put Terror and paranoia. And I said it's not rebound anxiety, it's a neurological damage. So I corrected them on all kinds of stuff on their website. Hopefully that helps a little more. Also, they're only going off of medical info so if you don't tell your doctor and therapist what you're going through, it won't be documented. So making sure that your doctor has all the details is very important.

JustinTime,

Glad to hear you properly reported it to the FDA that there are serious flaws in their warning.

My husband read somewhere once (sorry I don't have a reference.) That the reason there are no "Benzo Rehab Facilities" is for the reason that they cannot support people healing for months or a few years.  Like you said... insurance/medicaid and the sheer need just for long term beds like that.

BUT, we can increase awareness. It can become a well known thing in every household what benzos can do. That has happened with opioids. It can with benzos too. Yes, benzos have a MUCH longer withdrawal recovery. Well, incorporate that into the care so people know how to help those recover while at home, or while working. Institute programs such as that. Or, at the very least make public awareness so there is no longer confused looks of disbelief from doctors, medical professionals, and family members. Awarness also prevents irresponsible and reckless prescribing in the first place. Make the public aware. Institute proper care protocols with physicians to stop polydrugging (Because they are mishandling it big time which makes it worse.) Institute protocol on how to heal in the home (since it takes too long to be in a facility for the recovery).

I did report the Reglan to the FDA. That drug almost killed me. The effect of that felt like instant brain damage during the IV injection. It didn't happen a day later, nor an hour later. It was while the drug was being administered. Which after some basic, simple research is common when this reaction occurs to an IV administration of Reglan. My God I could have gotten Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome from that ... which in my opinion that's what all these symptoms are to psychotropic meds. A form of a "watered down" Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome. That's just my opinion. I did not read that anywhere.

I also reported all three practiontioners involved to the medical board because I was not properly warned about what Reglan can do. I received one dose in the ER for a migraine. I was told in these exact words: "Reglan can make you a little irritable. So we give it with Benedryl to counteract that." - later I found out (basically on the ride home from the ER when I Googled it.) that there is a black box warning on Reglan for tardive dyskinesia. No one warned me of that. And, like the benzos the black box warning is wrong. Tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movement disorder, that in most cases is permanent) is NOT THE ONLY THING REGLAN can cause. It also causes akathasia that can last for months and months. I got the akathasia. I did not get Tardive Dyskinesia .. I dodged a bullet there, but I still went through hell. It did not matter that they gave it with the Benedryl... it still about ruined my life and the lives of many others, even with the benedryl.

When I obtained my full chart from the ER visits around that incident (I returned 2x due to how sick Reglan made me and learned that they could not do anything for me.) The physician said in my notes for my return ER visit for the Reglan reaction : "Akathasia from Reglan not responding to Benedryl."

It almost killed me... basically by me thinking that I was damaged for life & suicide would be my only relief... but I found a support group for Reglan on FB and people I did not know, and from other states & other countries saved my life. Just like what happens here on BB. Strangers saving strangers. In the long run, I've been through this with the two different drugs. The Ativan and the Reglan. I've come a long way.

I did not know that I also had a tolerance to the Ativan I was taking until months after I started healing from Reglan. Especially since I was only taking around 2 Ativan pills a month. (See my signature). Months later, in hindsite, I recognized some tolerance symptoms (insomnia & a strange intolerance to noisy, busy places that I never had in my life before a benzo.) I was having before the whole Reglan incidence and the "light bulb" went off in my head. - BTW, I took Ativan to help me sleep. I would have been better off meditating or painting, doing a crossword until 2am ... anything else! But, as you know the doctor's hand it out while saying it's safe. I was told it was: "just like drinking one beer." by the prescribing physician.

Thank God I had stopped the Ativan back then too. But, yeah it was like a gummed up mess similar to polydrugging while being in tolerance from Ativan since Reglan (used for stomach issues and migraines, but once used as an antipsychotic - in the 50's and 60's) is a dopamine antagonists like Respirdal & Haldol. So, I was horribly horribly misinformed of BOTH drugs.

I actually talked to 3 different lawyers about the Reglan because I was so HUGELY misinformed by the practioners in the ER...and it was a "no go".

But, like you said it's better to use our energy to heal then be mad. I'd rather be healed and not win a lawsuit, than be sick still and win a law suit.

I completely agree, also sorry about yesterday. I was having a horrible wave and sometimes when that happens I get tired of this website and hearing all the drama and stories of people never healing and stuff like that. So I don't know why I don't just do something else but we can't really explain what we do during benzo withdrawal. AKA neurological injury.

So as far as the Reglan, you're not the only one. I ended up in the emergency room because of that drug, I was given Reglan for nausea. I was using it for about a month at a low dose with no problems and then one day I had the most extreme anxiety you can get, it was similar to benzo withdrawal. I couldn't take it so I went to the ER and they asked me if I quit taking anything recently and I said yes the Reglan. And they gave me an Ativan at the hospital at the same time.

So it seemed to help out and then I went home with my partner at the time. That night I was still having horrible anxiety so I decided to have some beers. I went to sleep and then I woke up and couldn't walk normally. It was like I was convulsing and my leg and arms and my back was bent and it was really painful. So I kept drinking more beer to loosen up.

Well that wasn't a good idea because then I couldn't walk and it was mainly because of the Reglan and my body all tensed up and the dystonia is what they called it, I had dystonia from the med. So I was at the emergency room and they thought I was just drunk and my ex was really pissed off. I kept saying this isn't because of the alcohol and then eventually the doctor started listening. He started going through all the possibilities and then started to realize there was something wrong. Eventually he came back to the room and said you might have dystonia from the Reglan and gave me some Benadryl. He gave me some pain med also, which we both know you shouldn't be giving at the same time as alcohol and benzos but that's how they are. So then with the Benadryl, I snapped out of it immediately. So Reglan was the culprit and it was causing me dystonia. That's my only true allergy.

And yes there's all these meds being prescribed at the same time and doctors don't know what's causing what. Poly drugging is a bad thing. I've been on all kinds of meds at the same time and kept getting worse and worse only to find out it's because of the doctors and their horrible prescribing practices.

And last year when I was at the psychiatric hospital the last time, the time that I permanently stopped benzos, they were giving me all kinds of antipsychotics and antidepressants and even Suboxone trying to help out with benzo withdrawal. And they did not stabilize me at all and then sent me on my way in a taxi with a referral for suboxone. Suboxone for benzo withdrawal? Yes, they thought it would help. But it didn't.

So then I got home and had a couple beers which made things worse, especially just having a couple. But I needed a cigarette and a couple beers after being at the hospital for 30 days almost. And then I took a nap and woke up and decided that was it and I was in it for the Long Haul. No more doctors and no more harmful meds.

So from 17 years old until now at 37, I just decided enough was enough suffering and I'm staying off of everything regardless of what happens live or die. But luckily I'm 17 months out almost and healing a lot now. It won't be that much longer.

But I even brought that up at the hospital, I said why don't they have anything for helping benzo withdrawal symptoms if they have Suboxone and Methadone for opiates? The doctor didn't care and he didn't know all they knew was they can't keep you there because of the amount of money it cost the insurance and because it's an acute hospital and they need the beds for other drug addicts. Usually for the types of drug addicts that are taking things just to get high and don't even have prescriptions. Usually about nine out of 10 people at the hospital are there because of drugs or stress. So they don't care much about people that just need to quit taking their prescriptions. They just get them off real quick and kick them out the door.

 

 

So as far as the Reglan, you're not the only one. I ended up in the emergency room because of that drug, I was given Reglan for nausea. I was using it for about a month at a low dose with no problems and then one day I had the most extreme anxiety you can get, it was similar to benzo withdrawal. I couldn't take it so I went to the ER and they asked me if I quit taking anything recently and I said yes the Reglan. And they gave me an Ativan at the hospital at the same time.

 

So it seemed to help out and then I went home with my partner at the time. That night I was still having horrible anxiety so I decided to have some beers. I went to sleep and then I woke up and couldn't walk normally. It was like I was convulsing and my leg and arms and my back was bent and it was really painful. So I kept drinking more beer to loosen up.

 

Well that wasn't a good idea because then I couldn't walk and it was mainly because of the Reglan and my body all tensed up and the dystonia is what they called it, I had dystonia from the med. So I was at the emergency room and they thought I was just drunk and my ex was really pissed off. I kept saying this isn't because of the alcohol and then eventually the doctor started listening. He started going through all the possibilities and then started to realize there was something wrong. Eventually he came back to the room and said you might have dystonia from the Reglan and gave me some Benadryl. He gave me some pain med also, which we both know you shouldn't be giving at the same time as alcohol and benzos but that's how they are. So then with the Benadryl, I snapped out of it immediately. So Reglan was the culprit and it was causing me dystonia. That's my only true allergy.

JustinTime,

Don't take Compazine or Phenergan ever either. They do the same thing as Reglan.

I actually have taken Phenergan and Compazine since that incident, but they ended up giving me anxiety. They didn't give me dystonia though.

So then because of the weird anxiety, I ended up having them switch me to Zofran. Luckily it's been almost 17 months and I haven't needed anything at all.