Jump to content

Any documentary on benzos?


[Ca...]

Recommended Posts

I have done some film and tv production.  Has anyone every produced a documentary on benzos?

 

When I become fully recovered, I'm considering doing this.  I feel as though I need to do my part to help others on a bigger scale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not that I know of specifically related to benzodiazepines.  There is "Numb -  A Documentary" about a man going off Paxil which I ordered and really appreciate watching now and again.  It would be great if you could make one about benzo's.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen one on utube. I would really like to see one on what sufferers go through rather than the history of benzos or maybe a bit of both. I think a lot of people are in tolerance withdrawal and don't even know it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Carebear, That is a WONDERFUL idea!! Sure hope you can do it. We BBs would love to help in any way we can. This is something that definitely needs doing! Daisy mae
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"IN PILLS WE TRUST" is a full length documentary on BENZOS (over an hour) on YouTube. Best doc I've seen so far on the subject. I Encourage everyone to watch it!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Carebear,

 

Joan Gadsby did a TV documentary called 'Our Pill Epidemic ~ The Shocking Story of a Society Hooked on Drugs', you may order it from her website.

I haven't seen it but her book 'Addiction By Prescription' is excellent.

All the best to you in your future endeavours, I think it's a wonderful idea!

 

Chinook

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I have done some film and tv production.  Has anyone every produced a documentary on benzos?

 

When I become fully recovered, I'm considering doing this.  I feel as though I need to do my part to help others on a bigger scale.

 

Carebear:

 

Every window of mine I think about getting something like this going. 

I have some good friends that have a lot of resources for it, talent and equipment both.

 

I could never find the "in pills we trust" video that a previous poster put up, I wonder if it's the same as this one? https://youtu.be/IgCpa1RlSdQ

(My mantra is "link or it never happened")

 

At what point are you at with this?  Some of the documentaries I've seen only touch on benzos and it seems that antidepressants (as awful and debilitating as their side effects are - that's a given) get more play and benzos are a second fiddle.  Like "Accidental Addicts" in NZ - link here: 

 

I'd like to work with you on something since the more heads the better.  Lord knows we only have a 1/8 of a brain on bad days anyway.  ;)

 

PM me when you can and I'll put this in a PM too. 

 

There are big challenges to making something like this, the biggest ones are:

1) Finding a Doc IN THE STATES that works with folks on a V taper that can be interviewed

2) Getting some stats/estimates on how many folks are taking this and the big question is on how long folks are incapacitated - it should be very interview heavy. 

 

I have a fellow in mind that could potentially speak to the brain chemistry aspect of it here: 

http://northwestfunctionalneurology.com/about-glen-zielinski-dc-dacnb/

 

Sorry for the long stream of consciousness but you know how windows go. 

 

I hope to hear from you soon.

 

EG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a BBC article with a link at the bottom to "Face The Facts: Prescribed Addiction", a radio documentary:

 

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

 

Here's the description:

 

"Prescribed Addiction: John Waite investigates the "scandal" that has left up to 1.5 million people addicted to drugs prescribed to them by their GPs. Experts in the field tell us that addicts to benzodiazepine tranquillizers, the most popular of which are diazepam and temazepam, far outnumber those addicted to illegal drugs. There's evidence that some family doctors are ignoring guidleines by prescribing the drugs for much longer than is recommended, while successive Governments are accused of turning a blind eye to the problem and offering little by way of treatment to the victims who want to withdraw."

 

Producer: Kathryn Takatsuki.

 

I, too, think it's a great idea to produce a TV documentary. Maybe this radio doc can be of some use to you.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Lapis2, I'll take a look.

 

I talked about the idea of making a documentary with my therapist today, she made a good point that there are a lot of folks out there that need benzos to survive and they are necessary.  I don't know.  It seems that could be true with V but with X and K the negatives outweigh the positives unless you prescribe it for a month or to with a specific taper plan and ongoing cbt or some sort of therapy. 

 

I don't know.  Very confusing and I'm also in a big wave with massive headaches right now. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to see an investigative journalism program do something on this topic. It could look at the history, starting in the 60s, how benzos were discovered, how they were marketed ("Mother's Little Helper"), how withdrawal symptoms began to be recognized, the controversy over good/bad/useful/dangerous, etc., etc. It could include interviews with doctors (both sides of the divide), public health officials, pharmacists, drug withdrawal counselors, people who have had an easy time withdrawing and those who have been through hell, etc., etc. The connection between benzos and falls/fractures/motor vehicle accidents, as well as the recent study on the benzo-Alzheimer's link, would be essential pieces as well.

 

Benzos can be found on the street, and of course, we all know that some big Hollywood stars have died with these drugs in their systems. They're the drugs of choice for many anxious and sleep-deprived people.

 

There's A LOT of literature on benzodiazepines, and they DO have their place in the medical arsenal (e.g. pre-op, seizures, epilepsy). But good, fact-based info needs to get out there so that people understand that these little pills can be harmful if taken beyond 2-4  weeks. And they can be deadly when combined with alcohol or other drugs. People should receive clear info as to the benefits vs. the risks. Many of us would have made different decisions had we been properly informed (as in "informed consent").

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to see an investigative journalism program do something on this topic. It could look at the history, starting in the 60s, how benzos were discovered, how they were marketed ("Mother's Little Helper"), how withdrawal symptoms began to be recognized, the controversy over good/bad/useful/dangerous, etc., etc. It could include interviews with doctors (both sides of the divide), public health officials, pharmacists, drug withdrawal counselors, people who have had an easy time withdrawing and those who have been through hell, etc., etc. The connection between benzos and falls/fractures/motor vehicle accidents, as well as the recent study on the benzo-Alzheimer's link, would be essential pieces as well.

 

I am not a journalist by any stretch of the imagination but I do have background in writing and producing video and this sounds EXACTLY like something I would love to do. Right before this benzo mess hit me I  wrote, produced and starred in an informational video and I have even dabbled in audio and video editing so if I ever recover my brain function I do have some of the resources in place that make me consider doing something like this in the future.

 

The big problem I see is that I'm not sure there is any kind of market or audience for it. Who would buy it? Who would show it? These are questions you have to ask yourself before taking on a project of that magnitude.

 

In my case I think it is a lot more likely that I will end up writing a book. Again, not a really big audience and I wouldn't do it to make a bunch of money but it wouldn't cost much so there wouldn't be much of an investment I would have to recuperate. And if it had any kind of impact it would be well worth it in my eyes. If I could save one person from the fate that has befallen me I would be absolutely ecstatic and I think a book has the potential to do more than that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a documentary in 2 parts at the bottom of my signature. It has ashton in part 1. It is from the 1980's here in UK.

 

It's a good watch xx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FG, I was thinking of TV networks that already have investigative journalism programs airing on a regular basis. Perhaps there might be interest there. Alternatively, there are documentary film festivals and documentary channels, if someone has the funds and interest to produce a doc.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"IN PILLS WE TRUST" is a full length documentary on BENZOS (over an hour) on YouTube. Best doc I've seen so far on the subject. I Encourage everyone to watch it!

 

Can't seem to find that.......in pills we trust....is that the name of the documentary?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FG, I was thinking of TV networks that already have investigative journalism programs airing on a regular basis. Perhaps there might be interest there. Alternatively, there are documentary film festivals and documentary channels, if someone has the funds and interest to produce a doc.

 

I could see this being something that the alternative film community might have some interest in but I think it would be hard to get the mainstream media on board just because this issue isn't widely acknowledged. This has the shock value that they are looking for but it lacks credibility. The networks can't afford to have people changing the channel due to the fact that the information comes of more like a bad sci fi movie than a legitimate documentary.

 

Honestly I would much rather do a video piece than write a book, but it's just so much more involved and so much more expensive and unless some miracle befalls me and I end up coming across an extra few million dollars I simply wouldn't have the time or the money to do something like this in the foreseeable future even if I did regain enough of my cognitive function to take on a project of this magnitude.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a "60 Minutes" item on the placebo effect with SSRIs, which is obviously controversial yet they still covered it. I'm not familiar with US media, so I can't really weigh in too much, but that's the kind of program I was thinking about. Also, perhaps journalists who cover health issues might show interest.

 

I think that any item done on this topic would have to avoid doctor-bashing and the like. There's some good research out there -- including something from the Karolinska Institute that follows people post benzo taper for a whole year -- and journalistic papers on the other topics I noted above. The JAMA Psychiatry editorial from a couple of months ago is a great piece to draw attention to the issues at hand.

 

Anyway, if one is still in the midst of the turbulence that benzo withdrawal causes, then it's likely not a good time to get into all of this. But it's good to kick around the ideas, right?!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, that's the whole thing. They're not "poisons". Benzodiazepines are not good for long-term use but they DO have their place in medicine at this point in time. People have to understand that and use factual information to tell the story. Any documentary would have to look at the good and the bad and show how short-term use turns into long-term use and what the associated problems are.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, that's the whole thing. They're not "poisons". Benzodiazepines are not good for long-term use but they DO have their place in medicine at this point in time. People have to understand that and use factual information to tell the story. Any documentary would have to look at the good and the bad and show how short-term use turns into long-term use and what the associated problems are.

 

True....Benzos have their place in medicine.....in a responsible manner.

After years of use ......they can make your body toxic.....

which means they can poison you, no doubt about it........

because it happened to me and many others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any documentary or news item on this topic has to be balanced, and that's what good journalism is all about. If it's not balanced reporting, then it loses credibility, as a result, you will lose potential viewers, and then what's the point? Do it intelligently -- with facts, with information (there's enough of it out there) -- and you will get your point across in a respectful, credible, smart way. And in so doing, you may turn the heads of those who were previously unwilling to listen.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lapis and Fla Guy:

 

You are both right, and I think something objective, even on youtube that others in the bz recovery community can refer to could be helpful.

 

I really like your idea Lapis about the interviews on both sides.  I'm certain that bz friendly docs will sound more credible though.  ;).

 

I'll work on a storyboard between waves.  :sick:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...