In late March, we put out a call to action for U.S. patients who had suddenly lost access to their prescribed benzodiazepines, making safe tapering impossible. Today, we’re grateful to share that The New York Times has published the resulting article: “When They Couldn’t Get Benzos Anymore, Quitting Was Torture.”
The piece highlights the horrific experiences patients face during forced discontinuation, including BIND (benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction). We were surprised to see the quoted experts were Dr. Carl Salzman and Dr. Edward K. Silberman—members of the International Task Force on Benzodiazepines, a group known for advocating in support of benzodiazepine prescribing. Even they had to admit the grim reality: “some patients were left shaving flakes off pills just to survive.”
We were also surprised by the article’s suggestion to switch to an antidepressant. There is no evidence that antidepressants help with benzodiazepine withdrawal, and they carry their own risks, including physiological dependence and withdrawal. We do not support substituting one psychiatric drug for another without full informed consent and a clear, patient-led choice.
That said, we’re glad patients now have a nationally recognized article they can point to when pushing back against prescribers attempting to cut them off—especially the line: “It’s absolutely insane to pressure people to get off and to withdraw people abruptly.”
We thank journalist Christina Caron for her thoughtful reporting—and for generously providing a gift link so the article is accessible to all.
Most of all, thank you to every person who bravely shared their story. You made this possible.
Read the article here.
I am being tapered too much too fast off of long term clonazapam usage taken as prescribed for panic attack disorder. I am 69 and have taken these meds for over twenty years, so I am physically dependant. I was initially prescribed these meds by a psychiatrist and received the best assessments and diagnosis available. Now, after suffering terrible dental malpractice, and losing three perfectly healthy teeth, and suffering spinal bulges in my neck, I am faced with a fanatical war on benzodiazapenes, and I am expendable. The taper began at 25% of the total dose, 2 mg., down for over four months. Horrible withdrawals. Nausea, chest pains, chronic insomnia and almost no sleep in four months. I am afraid they will kill me. I requested a stop taper. No response. I begged for it. No response. I got upset. I got a lecture on the rules and coerced to stay at one clinic branch. I begged for a stop taper. No response. I finally called my relative who lives near the Spanish coast And he Agreed to talk to the CHAS clinic in Spokane for me. They agreed to reassess my medication tomorrow. So is the system so crazy that they make us get ill or kill us rather than give us a medication proven to works? If you quit any psychotropic abruptly or too fast you get Discontinuation Syndrome and rebound effect. The new tapering guidelines to protect patients are ignored. I have really been terrified by these people now. My trust in the US medical system for profit is zero now. I am expendable to them, never mind my grand kids. They don’t care about us. Rapid taper for a senior after long term use did not work. Just let me have the medication that worked. People can be so blind and cruel it’s beyond me.
I am being tapered too much too fast off of long term clonazapam usage taken as prescribed for panic attack disorder. I am 69 and have taken these meds for over twenty years, so I am physically dependant. I was initially prescribed these meds by a psychiatrist and received the best assessments and diagnosis available. Now, after suffering terrible dental malpractice, and losing three perfectly healthy teeth, and suffering spinal bulges in my neck, I am faced with a fanatical war on benzodiazapenes, and I am expendable. The taper began at 25% of the total dose, 2 mg., down for over four months. Horrible withdrawals. Nausea, chest pains, chronic insomnia and almost no sleep in four months. I am afraid they will kill me. I requested a stop taper. No response. I begged for it. No response. I got upset. I got a lecture on the rules and coerced to stay at one clinic branch. I begged for a stop taper. No response. I finally called my relative who lives near the Spanish coast And he Agreed to talk to the CHAS clinic in Spokane for me. They agreed to reassess my medication tomorrow. So is the system so crazy that they make us get ill or kill us rather than give us a medication proven to works? If you quit any psychotropic abruptly or too fast you get Discontinuation Syndrome and rebound effect. The new tapering guidelines to protect patients are ignored. I have really been terrified by these people now. My trust in the US medical system for profit is zero now. I am expendable to them, never mind my grand kids. They don’t care about us
I am being abused by the medical system that placed me on benzodiazapenes first in the 90s and then in 2007. I had terrible panic attacks from OCD and I had been run through every psychotropic they have, it seems, and only benzodiazapenes worked to control the anxiety. Then suddenly they wanted to cold turkey me off of clonazapam. 2 mg. Taken as prescribed. So I transfered from that doctor and met with a psychiatrist. He spoke of tapering but we never started one. Meanwhile I was violated by a fake dental surgeon in Hawaii who harmed a lot of Hawaiians and was from somewhere else. He destroyed three teeth so when I returned to the mainland, three teeth, including one that broke off a week later in my mouth, good teeth he ruined, had to be yanked. I should have read the reviews. So this maniac pulled so hard on my jaw I have bulging discs in my neck. I should have read the horrifying reviews. Meanwhile the pressure to o get off of my anti anxiety meds is here again. I’m 69 years old. It worked and kept me stable. Why? Why? I set up a taper with a doctor who would work with me. But he told he’s never seen one work. He is reducing me at 25% of the total dose every 28 days. I set up the dose reduction schedule I usually with him . but he is soon replaced by a P A. He won’t work with me And I have slept approximately eight partial nights since July. I begged and pleaded, please stop or pause the taper, they refuse to and lecture me for getting upset, coerce me to attend only one clinic, and refuse to as top or pause the taper though it is giving me Chronic anxiety, twitches, insomnia, chest pains. Help! Someone please help me! I’m a retired psychosocial rehabilitation specialist and these people have been harming me.
I’m looking for help for a loved one. She is 36 weeks pregnant and been suffering from BIND for many years. She was prescribed Klonopin for 9 years, we didn’t know what was wrong until a year ago. She has to find a hospital or doctor to help her. We are in Washington & every doctor she sees insists her withdrawals cannot be a problem after 2-4 months. Cold turkey has been a nightmare for her and Im afraid for her and her baby. I’d travel to get her care. Her insurance will cover her if we get an out of state referral. I just can’t find the appropriate place that can help her. The two in Washington wanted to put her in a detox and they have no other options. There is more details but I could go on and on. Bottom line is we need help and she has been experiencing horrible withdrawals that are endangering her life and we can’t find any doctor educated in benzodiazepine induced neurological dysfunction. Please help!
Please help. Klonopin prescribed at age 20 not knowing what I do now. Cold turkey 4 mg a day. Went to detox and came out sicker. Feel like I’m dying
My name is Matt. I’m a disabled American veteran dependent on Valium. I’m down to 2.5 mg and my Physchitrist is hell bent on getting me off these pills. I asked if she knew about the Ashton method. Well anyway the veterans administration has facilities for Sundance abuse and ptsd and other things. The detox off pills program is 3minthd long no matter what. I hope I cxx as n get off these last of these pills and have don’t type of life left without protracted withdrawal dad. I’m 65 yrs old and it’s been brutal in my body coming off third pills
Thank you for listening to me
Its scary how sick you will be. It last for more than a year and in our age is a kiling atemt to give us a deadly cold tyrkey
Yes I’m one of those people
Where to even begin? When you have a drug so strong,deadly ,and addictive that we have to “shave pieces off to survive”,and even “known benzo-advocates”,(we have a couple of these on a local street corner), warn about the deadly possibilities of cold-turkey and fast withdrawal,WHY in the name of God’s mercy are “doctors” STILL so ignorant and reckless?(Investigate,if you don’t know already, how the the opioid epidemic in Appalachia started with:”safe,effective,non-addictive,doctor-prescribed OxyContin”.Death rate in this area now hovers close to 42% higher than the rest of the U.S.). Years ago,the late,great Dr Heather Ashton warned about SSRI’s, but here we are: “doctors” poly-drugging the life out of people in benzo withdrawal. They add and abruptly take away more dangerous chemicals than a child playing with their first chemistry set. Dr Frankenstein blushes. On the note of SSRI’s,here’s a little ditty “doctors” don’t play for the people they get hooked on these monsters: Reversible Vasoconstriction Syndrome.Many people on long-term SSRI’s have found out the hard way: RVCS is not “rare” or particularly “reversible” and it’s totally life destroying. Maybe the best cure for “doctors” who believe THEY know best is for them to actually take the life-destroying dope they pedal for awhile. You go first.