Powerful Trailer for the film As Prescribed….

https://youtu.be/ufqMh7pxc6g

Very powerful trailer for “As Prescribed” a documentary.

They are still waiting for a release date. Just this brief trailer speaks volumes of this crisis and stiffens your resolve where ever you are in your recovery.

That made me cry. 

I have Matt Samett's book.  He went through the worst kind of hell, but he survived and recovered.  What's interesting is that he had a major setback 6 years out from his last dose and it lasted a couple months.  I'm experiencing the same thing right now, except I'm 8 years out.  His was from stress and caffeine I believe.  Mine is from having C19.  Every story of recovery helps when you feel like you will never be normal again.

I am glad you watched it. I cry every time I see it. I read Matt Samet’s book as well. He is an incredible

writer. I read some of his blog posts and it concerned me that he had a relapse as well. He did a podcast in 2019 and he was climbing a lot and sounded like he was back.

The woman in the trailer Geraldine Burns has become a treasured friend this past month and is helping me through it. I cannot believe this battle.

I am sorry the you have a return of symptoms. I am glad you are here to be reminded by no Benzos and that they can make everything worse. I read your Success Story and remember your Post Office job and how stressful it was… not unlike Matt’s overwork with his writing and pushing himself so hard.

Take Care,

HopeFull01

This remark by Matt Samet from the linked and unfinished documentary rang out to me like a warning siren: "Where things went wrong is when I tried to stop ... "

I searched some of his writings and imo, this statement by him is his best explanation for many herendous symptoms people suffer from various conditions in their lives and more specifically how some people who have been exposed to long-term use of benzodiazepines and who then subsequently try to stop their use: "Reality can be reduced, at its sparest, to chemical reactions, our body craving the release of GABA, oxytocins, endorphins, serotonin, dopamine. It doesn’t care about their provenance. It just doesn’t. Cut off the source—any source—and you will pay."

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/beauty-breakdown/

Based upon my observations and research, it is apparent to me that long-term benzodiazepine use, when withdrawn, will likely cause severe symptoms which wax and wane and usually last indefinitely. For not fully explained reasons, long-term benzodiazepine use may cause our bodies to stop properly producing &/or receiving the neurotransmitters mentioned by Matt Samet above.

It is very unfortunate that some people come to be in and suffer from such conditions, whether those conditions are related to benzodiazepines or not, but imo how people stricken by such conditions and then must somehow live or die with them should remain a personal choice and not a choice made by other people or organizations. Sincere Best Wishes to All 

An additional article I read was an interview with Matt Samet. I found this question & answer regarding pharmacology, psychiatry and Scientology interesting:

"The book paints a very bleak picture of pharmacology and psychiatry as industries – almost secular Scientologist, so strong it made me think about Scientology, do you think pharmacology and psychiatry have a place in the treatment of mental illness?

Yes, I suppose I almost do align with that view in this case. Interesting! Far be it from me to tell anyone what to do, and I’m not a mental-illness denier per se. I do believe believe people experience what are labeled as “depression” and “psychotic episodes”, etc. The real problem, however, is who gets to define mental illness and who gets to define what sorts of treatment are appropriate? Clearly psychiatry and Big Pharma have a stranglehold on this role, but with all the dubious things that have gone on – overprescription, off-label marketing, forced drugging, electroshock, knowingly bringing unsafe pills to market – you have to wonder about how much profit and power motives are interfering with actually helping people. From what I experienced, the meds did way more damage than good, and I’m much happier and healthier off them. I believe we suffer emotional and cognitive darkness for a reason; the key is to listen, to treat such things as teachers, and to consider that there are many more ways than just swallowing pills to manage these conditions and even get better. Many great books have been written on this very subject, in particular Mad in America and Anatomy of an Epidemic, both by Robert Whitaker, and Toxic Psychiatry, by Peter Breggin."

https://www.verticallifemag.com.au/2013/02/death-grip-the-matt-samet-interview/

As for me, I have taken benzodiazepines my entire adult life with the exception of one period where I cold turkey stopped them and then a subsequent prescribed reinstatement and one period of doing a prescribed and fairly rapid taper to a low dose. I believe that for me, staying on the medication is more beneficial than harmful. Everyone is different and I believe decisions regarding the use or non-use of pharmaceuticals should be a personal decision.

As for me, I have taken benzodiazepines my entire adult life with the exception of one period where I cold turkey stopped them and then a subsequent prescribed reinstatement and one period of doing a prescribed and fairly rapid taper to a low dose. I believe that for me, staying on the medication is more beneficial than harmful. Everyone is different and I believe decisions regarding the use or non-use of pharmaceuticals should be a personal decision.

As much as I hate benzos for myself, I actually agree with you there.  My Grandpa, who is in his 90s, has been on benzos his entire life and for him to quit now wouldn't make a bit of sense.  WD is so brutal and it can last so long that it could eat away the rest of his life.  He could die in WD.  On the other hand, he has had very few problems with his meds over the years.  So the best thing for him is obviously to keep taking them.  He was told when they were prescribed years ago that he would be on them for life and that they were "like insulin for diabetics."  He believed that and I think he still might.

This conundrum is in my face again. 55 years out of my 61 I didn’t take any medication‘s and this happens with many, they threw the kitchen sink at me and I’ve never been the same.

The past few days after being Benzo Free for 50 days… I’ve been having tardive dyskinesia like symptoms. Brutal. I went to my nurse practitioner today and she prescribed a Cogentin tape drug for Parkinson’s and dyskinesia… she was inferring that’s just stop all the horrible face pulling etc.…

Agree what you said above it’s a good drug for some people. My friend is 80 and tapering Xanax was impossible. 20 years before that he called turkey Valium. After 18 months half a Valium he got better, but years later started taking Xanax.

I’m trying to listen to my gut… but I feel I should not take that Parkinson’s like drug… I haven’t been diagnosed with anything and it was given to me after a 10 minute visit with the nurse practitioner.

God help me.

HopeFull01

 

This conundrum is in my face again. 55 years out of my 61 I didn’t take any medication‘s and this happens with many, they threw the kitchen sink at me and I’ve never been the same.

The past few days after being Benzo Free for 50 days… I’ve been having tardive dyskinesia like symptoms. Brutal. I went to my nurse practitioner today and she prescribed a Cogentin tape drug for Parkinson’s and dyskinesia… she was inferring that’s just stop all the horrible face pulling etc.…

Agree what you said above it’s a good drug for some people. My friend is 80 and tapering Xanax was impossible. 20 years before that he called turkey Valium. After 18 months half a Valium he got better, but years later started taking Xanax.

I’m trying to listen to my gut… but I feel I should not take that Parkinson’s like drug… I haven’t been diagnosed with anything and it was given to me after a 10 minute visit with the nurse practitioner.

God help me.

 

HopeFull01

I don't know what the right thing is for you, but I know for me that my gut is usually right when it comes to meds.  If it does not feel right, it's probably not.  The thing is, every single psych med is something that you could build tolerance to, could end up on ever increasing doses, and could eventually have to taper, which is always hard. 

Have you spoken to anyone who has experienced TD?  Do people sometimes recover from it spontaneously?  I don't know that much about it.  All I know is that it's a consequence of taking anti-psychotic meds.

Sage,

I have talked to people who have been diagnosed with TD and Parkinson’s and totally healed.

I think my best bet is to stay away I’m out on drugs… I got a message to my NP provider telling herself. The fact that my symptoms are ebbing and flowing Could be they are consistent with withdrawal. My best shot I think.