Benzodiazepines: The Hidden Epidemic - Stanford Psychiatrist Anna Lembke Speaks Out
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- Опубліковано 17 вер 2024
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For more information, including links to the scientific evidence base for the statements in this video, as well as further resources: medicatingnorma...
Stat News: "Benzodiazepines: Our Other Prescription Drug Epidemic" by Anna Lembke: bit.ly/2EMYdYw
Anna Lembke’s book provides much more detail about the topic discussed here. “Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop”: amzn.to/2ufK6VG
Anna Lembke’s biography at Stanford University: shc.is/2GXVjTO
The Ashton Manual provides detailed information about withdrawal symptoms and the tapering process for benzodiazepines. It can be found at www.benzo.org....
BenzoBuddies is an online community providing a forum for people to connect around their experiences withdrawing from benzodiazepines. It can be found at www.benzobuddie...
Examples of benzodiazepines include: alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), diazepam (Valium, Diastat) and lorazepam (Ativan).
Note: This video does not constitute medical advice. Stopping psychiatric drugs, especially abruptly, can be dangerous, as withdrawal effects may be severe, disabling or even life-threatening.
Music: www.purple-pla...
Video edited by Daniel Mackler
This has been the best of these clips, so far. This information needs to be shared with all doctors and the public.
After over a decade of being prescribed high dosages of these drugs, I've spent the last 3.5 years tapering off of and recovering from them. My brain is finally beginning to function normally without them.
Thanks for sharing this information!
Glad to hear. Wish you all the luck!
Maybe your brain cannot tolerate these drugs. Don't classify everyone in the same group. That is so foolish.
@@purplenights1 I agree
@@purplenights1 high doses are bad. I think benzos have their place but in high doses they are almost ways bad.
The higher dose seems to carry more of the cognitive risks.
Just like opiates I think there is a place for their use chronically but one needs to limit dosage
@@purplenights1 you're obviously one of those who work at big pharma companies that sell these drugs, that's why you're defending them so much
This is about to blow up, I can feel it.
Please share our clips and help us get the word out!
I suffer bad from,this crap I feel like I'm dieing
No it won't
@@vinodkumaraug Well, it was a hunch because Peterson talked about this issue recently. Now it's at the mercy of the algorithm.
I wish.
I'm an RN that went through a hellish 6-week withdrawal from Ativan after 2 months of daily doses - taken as prescribed by my physician. A year later, I feel I'm still healing from this medication. I'm glad this problem is finally getting the media attention it needs. I say finally because benzos have been around since the late 60's, and this has been a problem since then - people enduring far worse than I have since then.
My life has been far much better since starting benzodiazepines. I am less anxious and much more sociable, and my life is better. There has been a great improvement in my work performance. One shoe doesn't fit all.
@@purplenights1 can't say it any better! Saved my life.
@@purplenights1 She's talking about what happens when you try to come off. That's the whole point - the exit plan. Many people thought the same as you when they started taking them...until they hit tolerance or tried to stop. Best of luck.
23 years clonazepam taken as prescribed, I've tapered off!
did the medication cause any long term effects? i just recently got myself off because of the long term effects, which i think i developed
@@lg97x no, not that I notice..I've been off 1 year and feel good..
@@NoName-pu5ls wow that’s a blessing! i’m happy to hear u came off of them so well 😇
@@lg97x I was very fortunate, many struggle and suffer. You'll heal
@@NoName-pu5ls thank you so much, the withdrawals have been rough and the anxiety it brings too. with time i know i’ll be alright 😇
Fast forward to today when on Mikhaila Peterson's Podcast #9 (Jordan B. Peterson's daughter) they discuss this very topic. Scary to know what damage medical drugs can actually cause. Perhaps treating a symptom, rather than the underlying problem that is causing it.
Watched the same podcast and came here to learn more. Sad how people trust medical professionals for treatment only to get stuck in a new world of pain...
@@thegilmourfan We have almost 100 clips all about this. Please watch, subscribe and share. We post new clips every Friday at noon, central time.
i was first prescribed benny's in 1978 when I was 21 after what was then called a "panic attack" I was taken to the hospital given an injection and felt relaxed. I had never had anxiety in my life....... I have since done research myself over the years..... I am 62 now. and have the occasional mother's little helper. I smoked for 48 years...gave p cold turkey in July 2017...Was a heavy drinker for 20 years.. Now have a drink once a year..
A Benny is a methamphetamine inhaler.
Benzos are not called Benny.
@@davidkruse4030 They are in Australia
When can we all sue the drug dealers in white coats
If YOU do not want to take benzodiazepines, then don't. No one forces you to take any drug. My sister called my doctor and tried to get my doctor to stop prescribing my benzodiazepines. I told my sister to keep her f'ing nose out of my medical issues or I was going to sue her for trying to violate HIPPA laws. I have also instructed my doctors not to discuss my medical conditions with anyone without my written consent before that happens. I told my sister that when she gets her medical degree, to come back and talk about my medications, but not before. We no longer speak. All because she wants to control MY medical issues to suit her. She is a bitch. I have never asked her for anything, and now she thinks she is going to control my medical conditions? To hell with her!
Sue? You decided to take it, it takes two to tango.
@@hightidelowtide6380 The problem is that most people who decide to take it don't get the fully informed consent. And some have really bad side effects and withdrawal and are ignored. And then they are trapped because they are dependent on the drug that doesn't help them. Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone. And it's obvious a lot of people get their lives ruined. But I'm happy for you, that those drugs worked in your case.
You could totally come around with the argument that people decided on their own to take them if they had all the risks presented what simply isn't the case.
They are hell to stop. Took me 7.5 months to taper off just .25 of Klonopin. I was able to stop on 11/3/19. Still having daily hot flashes. I took Klonopin less than a year at a low dose and will never take it again. It’s just too powerful but it’s easy to like because your anxiety melts away. Find another way to control your anxiety rather than start a benzo. You will probably regret ever starting it unless it’s only for a few days.
Mr. Q congratulations on getting off klonopin. You have amazing tenacity. I hope you are no longer in pain. In 2000 I sustained a head injury. Was given diazepam for my pain and numerous other symptoms.. After 2 weeks I asked if diazepam was addictive. I was ridiculed for asking such a stupid question. I forced my self to stop taking it. Over 18 years later, still with chronic pain and inflammation I came across the work of Dr Ray Peat (eg his article on Three Youth-Associated Hormones opened my eyes on how to regain health: raypeat.com/articles/articles/three-hormones.shtml)
I am now taking progesterone & small dose dhea. Lots of my symtoms have reduced and resolved. I am now slowly healing
We all suffer traumas. The "medical profession" do not seem to have much compassion guiding the approach they adopt to help their patients. They do not assess our hormones with a view to rebalance them so we can heal from our traumas. Instead they seem to have to promote the agenda of the pharmaceutical industry. They seem to have become "legal" "drug pushers"
It is tragic, as it does not seem to help many patients regain their health. If you dare to question their sole reliance on a pharmaceutical approach you are labelled treatment resistant and a time waster
hello i am getting off klonopin 0.25 does that i only took for 4 months twice a day. i have been tapering for 2 months im down to 0.072mg day and 0.052 night. and the withdraw symptoms are terrible i feel like death. did you have bad withdraw side effects
Bullets Garage Well I did a 7 month liquid taper and it was tedious and my last day was Nov. 3, 2019. So after my last dose the worst side effects were hot flashes, in fact I had Hot flashes most of the time I was tapering. I was also clenching my jaw and sort of grinding my teeth which I have never done before in my life.
It’s been about 8 months now and occasionally I grind my teeth a bit. But I feel pretty good. I was usually doing .25 a day but sometime up to .5. I am just not sure what to tell you except that I really hope you don’t give up. This whole business of tapering off benzodiazepines is very uncertain and an inexact situation. It’s not like you are on a real super high dose and I was pretty much in your same general situation where I would take even half of a .25 and do that at various times during the day.
Believe me I understand the side effects you are having because I quit cold turkey around Christmas of 2018 because I didn’t know any better. I ended up in the hospital for about six hours in the ER.
All they could do for me was give me more Klonopin and send me home. It scared the shit out of me and my wife. That’s when I realized what a rat hole I climbed into. It took me a couple months to figure out how to start a taper and then it took me seven months to work through it. It’s sad but none of these freaking doctors know how to help. I had to stop Ambien before I stopped Klonopin. As I look back still can’t believe I was using all this stuff.
I have one more mountain to climb and that’s to substantially cut my Serequel dose down from 100mg to as low as I can over the next year or so. I have found a pharmacy in the Netherlands that I’m going to work with and my doctor said he would provide the prescription for them. They are able to make any dose I need to do monthly cuts. It’s about $140 a month but But I think it’s worth it. I feel like Serequel is shortening my life. It’s as deadly, and as difficult to get off of as Klonopin and it’s not a controlled substance like Klonopin-but it should be.
Just hang in there and know that if you get your daily dose low and slow you can eventually jump off it and the bad side effects don’t last very long. The rule of thumb is that you will have some side effects for as long as you took the drug.In your case 4 months. I am in my 70s so probably quite a bit older than you and it’s harder on my body as an old guy than for someone like you. (I am assuming you are younger than me.) Hang in there I believe you can do this I really do.
@@joqiii3 so youre saying that it was bad and the only problem you had were hot flashes and teeth grinding? seriously? while these drugs save lives? how? explain? please? no like srsly
BlueSky I am not sure I understand your question. After I stopped Klonopin, after a long taper, for a few months I would have hot flashes, lots of sweating, and I would grind my teeth. Those three things, after about 5 months went away. Once in awhile, I still grind my teeth. But it’s very rare--not like before. I am not sure if that answers your question.
My friend killed herself taking Benzos.
And my friend killed himself because he lost his house? What's your point?
It's a mess for sure. Totally destroyed my life but I'm fighting to get some of it back. I quit Klonopin, Paxil and BuSbar 11 months ago. Thanks for spreading the word because they're throwing these things at people.
Did they throw the Paxil and Buspar at you too?
What a great person, she cares. Bless
Thank you!!
2mrrw's 23 yrs since my friend Susie passed away from fibromyalgia (compounded by an Ativan OD). R.I.P., Susie H. (4/21/1957-12/23/1999).
She’s brilliant
I'm glad Jordan B. Peterson come back and overcome the effects of this drug though he may still look in pain. This is a dangerous drug.
My friend takes Xanax like she's eating candy. She is really messed up in her head and I think those pills are the reason why. She gets so many that they just put the label on the manufactuers container and it's just a general practioner prescribing them to her.
Please share our video with her!
Jordan B. Peterson is also a victim of this drug, his family had all the resources but it is so hard for them to look for the cure and Doctors who were able to remove this from his blood which they found in Serbia.
It's not just injuring her brain. Benzos work on GABA receptors, and those receptors can be found throughout the entire body - especially in the gut. There are more receptors sites in the gut than in the brain, actually. You really don't find out how damaging these drugs are until you stop them.
@@danielrazulay They should, and we'd lose 1/2 of license holders if they revoked licenses for that.
@Candice P YUP
Been on Klonopin for 5 plus years with no addiction and it as worked wonders for my anxiety
you sound delusional, you are left with no memory and zero concentration
Actually my memory and mental faculties are fully intact
Where do you people get this stuff? My work performance has greatly increased, am far more productive, and have had no ill effects from these drugs. They do not make you tired and listless as so many say. Those that this happens to are not following the direections of the drug. I have been on 10 MG of Diazepam twice a day for over 10 years, and have had no problems, my anxiety has cleared up and am more socially active than I have ever been. I actually find enjoyment in the small things in life. Why take that away from someone when it is causing YOU no harm?
@@purplenights1 I approve your message 👌
@@matthewbyleckie1581 good for you Sir 👍
how can you prescribe a medication if you do not know the dangers of the drug itself.
Welcome to western medicine :)
I heard that Carbamazepine would take care of benzodiazepines withdrawals. Why doctors don’t prescribe this and help people?
I was almost killed by cold turkey stoped .5mg Clonazepam that I took for only four weeks.
Because the crooked medical system wants you to withdrawal in a hospital and keep going to doctors when your miserable
I finished a 2 year taper off of one mg klonopin 3 years ago and am just now able to sleep but still have a long way to go to be completely well.
This is not always the case. I have periods where I can go without with no issues.. They are in my cabinet. I try to take my dose regularly but it doesn't always happen. I am on .5 mg of klonopin at this point twice a day as needed.
My mom was on Ativan for years for severe panic disorder (the effects which I witnessed) and had to stop cold turkey due to lack of insurance. She was fine. It's the person and their chemistry, not the other way around.
Right but when they react so badly to a lot of people's chemistry it is an issue. And then check before if they work for someone before prescribing.
There are a lot more people than you & your mom taking this stuff. There are inevitable consequences for many people who take these drugs, doctors lie about it up front, & there's no way of knowing who's gonna have their life ruined, or their brain/body destroyed. It's easy to say what you're saying when you're not suffering from it - yet.
It drives me crazy that so many people will defend this crap so vigorously.
@@matthewatwood8641 I totally agree with you and the fact that psychiatric drugs blunt empathy is causing huge issues for family members and friends, along with all the other ones! 😥
I take them occasionally -- maybe 3 or 4 times a month -- for stress related insomnia. Rebound anxiety, derealization, and agitation usually occurs two days after cessation, but the symptoms usually disappear after a day or two. You should never take these drugs continually because you will develop tolerance. In other words, your body's own mechanisms for mitigating feelings of anxiety will take a backseat since its no longer summoned to do the job. This is not a good place to be if you already have a predisposition for anxiety. Use benzos similar to indulging in an occasional glass of wine.
Unfortunately, there are people in severe withdrawal for months and many years - not just a day or two.
@@MedicatingNormal and unfortunately, there are people who are miserable and have nothing to lose due to ptsd and other severe illnesses-so take whatever helps.
@@hightidelowtide6380 And that is their choice. The point is not to control people's choices, it's to demand INFORMED CONSENT (which the majority of people report not getting). In other words, if many people knew the true risks at the time of prescription, they'd pass or look for alternatives.
@@hightidelowtide6380 Also, if you read the literature, benzos are harmful for PTSD: www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/benzos_va.asp
@@MedicatingNormal perhaps, but it helps all of my symptoms and I can care less if it's not for ptsd
Drs need to be held accountable for ruining lives and murdering equivalent to street drug dealers...they're educated and they DO KNOW better...THIS IS THEIR COP OUT...
youtube algorithm: promote this
Every dr need to go to jail fir this shit
This clip was very good as far as it goes, but it would have been so beneficial if you would have addressed research (or LACK of research) on benzodiazepine withdrawal. The withdrawal from these is far worse than opioid withdrawal. Benzodiazepines are very beneficial for mental illnesses and seizure disorders, but as stated, SHORT-TERM ONLY.
I tore many ligaments and tendons due to benzos induced muscle weakness. I’m bedridden.
THANK YOU! I was fighting for this.
I've been on Klonopin for over twenty years. Early on 1mg, later 2 mgs, then tapered to 1.5 mg. Now 1mg daily. I have zero side effects. The medication has been tremendously helpful for me to lead a normal productive life.
That is good for you, although you've not tried to stop, so you could still go on to experience a withdrawal syndrome. But, you may not. Some don't.
That said, there are a significant number of people who did not have your experience, who had their health and lives ruined by this class of drug, or who died by suicide because of it.
Both experiences can be true at the same time. Your leaving this comment here doesn't cancel or negate the horrific suffering that others experienced from Klonopin and other benzodiazepines.
opiate prescribing went down ok, but opiate use has gone up (heroin) right along with the Xanax.
Thank you ! Benzo free going in 3 years .
Can suboxone help with benzodiazepine withdrawal
We, who take them and when we begin to decrease our dosage, we need detox centers to help us. Most of us are not abusing them.
benzoinfo.com/ashtonmanual
What if someone has cancer and they’re in pain and afraid I see no reason not to take these drugs if you’re really suffering
The question is really, is that person given informed consent? Can they really know the risks and benefits of a drug when pharmaceuticals aren't telling us all of them and no one really knows the long-term impacts of drugs? Are they given an exit strategy or expected to stay on them for life? Are there other ways to manage suffering besides drugs that carry severe side effects, withdrawal syndromes and poor long-term outcomes?
@@MedicatingNormal I guess you couldn't be bothered to read the part of the question about having cancer. My dad's friends gave him hassle about taking morphine while he had stage 4 bone cancer. He begged me to buy him a gun so he could just end it all. I'm tired of "one size fits all" declarations about the "badness" of drugs. You're a bunch of heartless fools.
@@murfmurf313 I talked about informed consent. It's not up to any of us to decide what is best for another person. Obviously, someone with cancer needs pain relief and I would never say they don't. I just think they also need INFORMED CONSENT about it which I outlined above.
@Medicating Normal, I think that if it isn't YOU, then YOU should keep your nose out of it. I have yet have any doctor give me any drug and mot tell me what it is, what it is for, and the side effects to look out for.
@@purplenights1 Well you're in the minority. That is not common for our audience here. I'm so glad you have an ethical doctor!
Most people's anxiety isn't temporary. Some people have daily anxiety for many year's. What are they supposed to do with a month's supply and that's it?
Benzodiazepines WORSEN anxiety and panic long term. Even Pharma-funded studies reveal this. Ask anyone who is tolerant to benzodiazepines or in withdrawal from them how much more severe their anxiety was compared to what they started with - and they'll tell you it's much worse.
Does klonopin cause depression......I don't know what to take to sleep and my mother died? I am 78 and been on 2 years....help!!
Whats a high dose in your opinon for each one.please tell us
Thanks interesting because in the U.K. benzo prescriptions have been decreasing over the past two decades.
i read its near impossible to get Xanax over there but Ativan is an issue. The weaker little brother of Xanax
I can't find a place to detox me off of them,I suffer horrible
www.benzoinfo.com/ashtonmanual/
The conventional drugs is a controversial issue for modernists ....I had positive results from contemporary alternative medicines.
These focused on the problems as conventional just symptoms?
Wish I never would have taken the first pill they're awful caused me excruciating side effects and withdrawals
does klonopin affect the thyroid gland
What about all the people with PTSD and Panic Disorder who need them and without them they may suicide??
benzos are contraindicated in PTSD and have been shown to make it worse: www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/benzos_ptsd.asp
long-term, benzos worsen panic and anxiety: www.benzoinfo.com/2019/03/04/the-revival-of-the-market-for-benzodiazepines/
Made my ptsd worce 10× fold
Made my ptsd 10x better, so now what?
My son is going through this ATM
I'm so sorry Ro. We have some resources on our website: www.medicatingnormal.com
Thank you so much for the link 💙
There is an explosion in the homeless population.
It’s so annoying hearing her mispronounce benzodiazepines over and over
Some people need benzos
@@langlang9326 well researched answer. F off
@Kay Lang, so YOU have the definitive answer. You should be awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine with your one-word answer. You have no idea about other people's lives.....
I'm on benzos for 8 years now and been stable and yes I have a one way ticket due to debilitating pain and mental anguish