Benzos: The (Other) Prescription Drug Ruining a Generation
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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So i just withdraled on Effexor. Oh my god i would rather detox off of alcohol and cigarettes again, multiple times. It was hell. Brain fog, zaps where it felt like electricity going thru my brain every few seconds and nothing helped. But now im not suicidal and im gaining feelings back in my hand as it basic went numb as i was on it
@@Shad0wBoxxerno bud effexor withdraw won’t kill you unless you fall down the steps from the brain zaps alcohol withdraw will kill you just like benzos from horrible seizures if the hallucinations don’t
@@Shad0wBoxxerbtw don’t start smoking again the effexor may have mad quitting easier
Can you cite sources for your videos?
Honestly the "Keeps taking them just to avoid the withdrawals" applies to basically all medications for psychological issues. I was on a benzo but was taken off for something different and over the years I've worked my way up to four different medications currently. None of them are benzos and yet I'm still freaking terrified of stopping them because my pharmacy has been late filling them occasionally and has either resulted in me hiding under my blanket shaking and wanting to throw up for days or just straight up in the hospital. I mean some of them I legitimately have to stay on but at least one I just have no desire to go through all that again so I keep filling it. They're trying to transfer me from fentanyl to medical marijuana (or at least lower the dosage and find some sort of meeting ground) and I'm bloody terrified because during the fentanyl shortage I ran out and did very nearly die from it.
I was given a prescription for Ativan after ending up in the emergency room from a really bad panic attack about five years ago. I only took them when I was having a panic attack so it was never a regular thing, but I was having them multiple times a week. When I ran out I had recently switched doctors and when I asked if it could be refilled she refused and told me how highly addictive it is and she didn’t to put me at risk of an addiction because I was so young. I will forever be grateful to that doctor because who know what she saved me from back then!
I have panic disorder among other anxieties, but I only used Ativan maybe 10-15 times a year. My doctor used to resist giving me this medication to the point that I would end up in tears. Going to the doctor or running out of Ativan became an anxiety trigger. One time my apartment was broken into and the guy only stole like 4 things, 1 being my Ativan, and I lost it because it meant I had to go back to the doctor and beg him for more. I even brought the police report and he wouldn’t give them to me until I broke down. I used to get a prescription of 2-5 pills at once (because my doctor was a dick) and I would be anxious to use them because I knew to get more would be a nightmare. If I had any less than 3 pills I wouldn’t even leave my house because I couldn’t risk having a panic attack and having to use a precious pill. I’ve since changed doctors and my overall anxiety has gone down and I use maybe 3-5 a year if that. Last year I think I only used 1. A lot of my issues seemed to come from the anxiety of running out of medicine and not being able to get more and becoming “stuck” in a panic attack. I still get pretty bad anxiety about going to the doctor which is crazy because my new doctor is kind and has never made me feel like a drug seeker. I think the first doctor caused me to have a very unhealthy, almost dependent relationship with Ativan that I never had with other doctors either before or after him.
I started Ativan 15 years ago after a similar ER visit. Took it once in a blue moon, and only like 1/4 of a 0.5mg tablet. Over the last 2 years, my anxiety had crept up due to extreme stress and burnout, the loss of several close family members, and basically one crisis after the next with no breathing room. I started relying on increasing doses of Ativan to sleep, and one day I realized I was taking up to 6 or more tablets in a day to try and manage my insomnia and anxiety--and I needed to knock it off. About six weeks ago, I cut back to 75% of a single tablet at night and no ativan during the day. The rebound anxiety was weirdly delayed, hitting me hard about a week later and it's been SO HARD. 3 weeks into this adjustment, my dad died. It would have been so easy to medicate myself back into relative calm, but I've stuck with it. My resting heartrate is always 180-200bpm these days, but I know it will improve with time. Ativan has been a godsend for legit panic attacks, but it's dangerous af for generalized anxiety or long-term insomnia. I wouldn't wish this on anyone!
I went to my doctor about 23 years ago because I was feeling really mentally unwell and actually close to wanting to unalive. And when I went to my doctor I'm like I need something for the same ciety and depression but I am terrified of being prescribed things like Xanax or anything like that. And his immediate response was oh no they have the ability to potentially cause blood clots in the brain as well as having a myriad of other issues and being addictive so the most I'm going to give you is these two lesser medications that were helpful but we're not nearly as strong. And I'm very thankful for him being honest
As you should be for that great doc - good for you!!!! A close relative of mine discovered the addiction by simply ending his short RX’d “upon need” course and went through HELL AND BACK. I suspect many docs truly don’t realize how all-encompassing anxiety can be and therefore don’t realize how addicting relief of it is for many patients. These drugs are WAY stronger than they need to be. Again, GOOD FOR YOU!
@@AlexisS998 i am so happy you're better now. If you try to see this from the doctor's point of view, your case is not the rule - it's the exception. The doctor is bound by rules. He/she sees 15 patients per day, many drug seekers - it makes a doc less sensitive to pleas for benzos. People pleasing for benzos are desperate, manipulative and tricky, because benzos are so good, like a band-aid for your soul, but it doesn't heal anything, doesn't make anything better in the long run.
After the fentanyl episode, I've had great respect for how this channel discusses why withdrawal isn't an easy thing. The fentanyl one helped me gain the courage to finally stop morphine patch, Dr and I have been trying to get me off them for my spinal issues, and I finally managed it.
But I'll definitely keep an eye out if I get given Benzos in the future because the withdrawal sounds way worse and something I'd rather avoid at all cost. Especially if people usually give it to people already on the opioids.
Thank you to those wishing me well. It's very much appreciated.
It’s almost impossible to get benzodiazepines if you’re on any kind of opioid, at least legally.
Jacked back here too. Used to ask for sleeping pills...Dr would give me these other 'safer' non-benzo sleeping pills...high read up on them and they have all the same issues as the benzo with some extra problems but they were 'designed' to be safer and they pharma companies told all the dr's they are safer however they are not. lol. Now high just grow plants (on my channel).
@@TheBLGL At least I know there's less chance I'll have to deal with them if its that unlikely legally. Thanks for the information
It’s so bad, it’s almost indescribable, and I’ve been through a lot of stuff in my life. Have a very high threshold for pain and suffering, but it is like tripping on acid, but you have the worst flu you’ve ever had in your life and you can’t even see straight or speak correctly. It’s not like nausea and hallucinating, it’s more cerebral. Absolutely worst feeling I have ever been through and I’ve gone through it several times. I will never touch that poison again. I hope the drug manufacturers who make all this crap they absolutely know hurts us and sometimes kills us sleep really well on their golden encrusted pillows or whatever. I almost laugh when I hear people say that smoking cigarettes is bad… A lot of the things that doctors say/said are/were good are actually literally toxic and history will reflect that like with tobacco.
*Shame in them all!*
Know that Benz is aren’t nearly as addictive as opioids. However also know once addicted to benzodiazepines the consequences and difficulty of the addiction is as bad or worse than opioids. This is the paradox that keeps people unable to understand benzo addiction!!!!
This video has made me finally admit to myself that I’m addicted to Xanax. I didn’t want to believe my parents when they said I was becoming too dependent on it, even though I knew I was getting worse. Every time I feel even slightly anxious I think “I need a Xanax.” I can’t believe that this is what made me believe them.
Be careful. Even two weeks of using Xanax daily at prescribed doses can cause withdrawal
Hope you’re doing well!
Get off that crap. You don't need it
i had a whole comment and it ran away :(
tldr was Talk to your prescriber, ask them to decrease dosage (if possible) and let them know you want to work more on coping mechanisms you can use when it isnt possible or feasible to take medication.
while medications like Xanax can still be used when you Need Them (think panic attack level), having the coping skills to get by without them make things Better. not easier per se, but if you can talk yourself down, you dont feel that spike of panic on top of the already-present anxiety when you cant find your meds right away ó.ò
i wish you the best of luck, please stay safe and please keep your parents involved in your work to lessen intake (and quit if you would eventually like to do that, if youre able)
If you have serious anxiety/panic disorder and you take your Xanax exactly as prescribed, then you are absolutely NOT an addict! Becoming physically dependent on a substance is your body’s natural response to having taken a medication for a long period of time. But physical dependence does NOT automatically mean you’re an addict.
I was addicted to prescription benzos, as well as a handful of "research" varieties for almost 10 years. I went into a rehab facility and withdrew so badly that I ended up in the psychiatric ICU for 3 days in a psychosis. I'm almost 2 years clean now, but that experience was the most terrifying thing in my life, and I'm grateful to be alive.
Yes I've noticed that the research chemical benzos have been flourishing on the internet over the past decade or so. Congrats on recovering, shits tough.
I struggled with Xanax for 3 years I went through a whole 90 ct farmapram bottle in less than a week one time, I’m so glad I’m sober now:) the coke and the xans were so hard to stop.. I never want to take another pill in my life, I still get coke craving’s sometimes but Since my best friend passed at 24 the risk isn’t worth it with all the fetynal out there.. I get a better natural high running 10 miles a day
good for you man, ive had friend who unfortunately couldnt get clean. Even though im clean now, its been rough and definitely had some weak moments. I wish you the best my friend
Because of my addiction I lost all my friends, my girlfriend, and almost died from fake Xanax.. drugs aren’t cool, even weed/alcohol made me not motivated and I was just wasting so much time.. I still don’t have any friends, or hangout with anyone because I socially isolated myself so much. I strongly believe this is gonna be my year.. my heart goes out to anyone struggling with drugs and alcohol🙏
I got off Xanax cold turkey. Suffering Hell is a good way to describe it
I took a fairly high dose of benzos, as prescribed. I never abused it but because my doctor never told me the risks of dependency or withdrawal, I took my klonopin daily for sleep. After about a year, I had trouble refilling my prescription and ended up going cold turkey. It was horrendous. Constant shaking and vomiting, severe panic attacks that lasted hours, and eventually, I became suicidal. My thinking was so warped that I thought the rest of my life would be this way, and a I attempted to end my life. I am very lucky that my girlfriend saved my life by calling 911 on me. I spent days in the ICU. It was genuinely a traumatic experience and it could have been prevented if the US healthcare system was actually fuctional.
Did you ever have mental health therapy during and throughout your benzo days? Klonopin given to make your sleep is really a dumb thing for a doctor to prescribe. Klonopin interferes with normal sleep - REM is degraded and anxiety ensues. It's not the US health care - there are stupid doctors everywhere. If sleep was your main proboem - which I suspect - why not prescribe a very safe drug like Vesteril? I'm surprised that it's rarely used.
I feel so weird after watching this video. I've had a benzo rx for well over a decade for PTSD. But they were always used on an emergency basis much like a rescue inhaler for asthma. The benzo was meant to throw the brakes on a day I couldn't handle or get me through serious triggering isolated events. Take them 2 or 3 days in a row and the rebound anxiety is intense. The benzo was never prescribed with the idea that it would relieve PTSD symptoms wholesale or forever. I was thoroughly educated on how long it took addiction to form & to treat my benzo as a last resort. I'm rather horrified that such enormous numbers of people treat them as magic pills.
Same.
Yeah, I had a prescription for several years, for panic disorder. I stopped taking them entirely when I realized that I was taking them more than I should or even for fun.
Me too. They definitely help but only in moderation.
@@terrideleon6350 I think if you have an addictive personality, you shouldn't even mess with them. But I've had a script for Klonopin for a long time for pop-up panic attacks and the reason they give it to me is because I fill it so rarely.
same here, got them for my panic disorder in case I can't calm down in my own
and I don't like taking them
I don't know how people take them daily
I was prescribed Xanax for panic attacks when I was 17, and was hooked on them until my early-mid thirties.
I’ve been through some horrific shit, but nothing compares to withdrawing from benzos (and alcohol). It is absolutely unbearable. Every second feels like you’re about to die and you can’t eat, sleep, or function. I was hallucinating for days and had spasms.
Worst fucking part of my life.
I've seen first hand, I've brought plenty of people like yourself to the hospital 🚑
You got through it be proud
The nightmare will never be over. People who take these drugs will have a higher risk of developing dementia.
They don’t tell you when you start (or have your first drink) that you can die from stopping. Benzos and alcohol are the only things they have to detox you even in prison! Heroin has nothing on benzodiazepines or alcohol withdrawal. But I am happy you’re one of the few able to get off
@Bbgun
Based.
Benzos literally took 5 years of my life away from me, I cannot remember anything between the ages of 15 and 20. I'm 22 now and have been sober 2 years, and FINALLY I am STARTING to have full capabilities back. Please anyone who reads this comment, even if your DOCTOR prescribes you a benzo, ask about other options first. I'll never be able to remember the same again, and it hurts my relationships a lot. Take care everyone, drugs stink, whoever you are, youre a better person without them. Sending love.
im 34 and missing my years from 18- 21... i retained a few key memories, but its almost completely BLANK, and its fucking terrifying
and yes i cant say it any better than you did. peace and blessing to you friend
Ugh this was me with Zoloft. I don’t remember anything from 22-25. I hope you continue to heal. These meds are dangerous.
I WISH I didn't remember anything between 15 and 22, or any age above 6 for that matter. And the only options I have been offered are allergic medicine and they do nothing.
Sadly teens still beg for Xanax.
Thank you for this. When I started experiencing peri menopausal anxiety in the early 40s, I was given a prescription for Xanax. My doctor said: “You are really going to like these.”
5 years later I was still taking them, very addicted, depressed, and my marriage fell apart. I couldn’t get off them. And doctors kept renewing my prescriptions, when I needed more and more to keep from having anxiety attacks.
It was awful.
I finally put myself in rehab with meth and heroin users to get off them.
I wish people knew how awful this drug can be. And I wish there was a backlash like the one towards opioids.
Drug dealer hands u fent. U really going to like this. Takes randomly oh my God why am I addicted.
@@sadhu7191 My exwife was prescribed Xanax for her bipolar disorder. when she could not afford her health insurance after losing her job, her prescription expired and she went to a pharmacy in Tijuana to get a refill. The "Xanax" she bought from a "legitimate" pharmacy in mexico, was cut with fentanyl, and she died. RIP Heidi Ann Horner
Oh there is a backlash. I use them sparingling as emergency medication for seizres and every month is a struggle to secure my prescription. This is in UK. They are not prescribed for anxiety anymore
I understand FULLY how dangerous they are.
I have suffered misuse in the past and accidentally OD
I've taken benzos for 15 years responsibly. No negative effects. No addiction.
Your experience was a you problem, maybe the doctors should have been more responsible but you are responsible for yourself at the end of the day.
Hope you're doing better now.
@@memberwhen22 My exwife was prescribed Xanax for her bipolar disorder. when she could not afford her health insurance after losing her job, her prescription expired and she went to a pharmacy in Tijuana to get a refill. The "Xanax" she bought from a legitimate pharmacy in Mexico, was cut with fentanyl, and she died. Mexico's pharmacies have been taken over by the cartels. Look it up. RIP Heidi Ann Horner.
The whole point of the affordable care act/obamacare, was to make health insurance accessible and affordable to everyone regardless of their preexisting conditions. Obamacare was a good start, but we need more. We should have socialized Medicare For All, like the majority of other developed nations.
Don't judge the struggles of strangers.
We lost my brother to od of methadone and xanax which were prescribed to him from his family doctor. His doctor ended up losing his license because he gave numerous people these 2 drugs together and like my brother many died, I can't remember how many now but it was enough for him to get in big trouble. It's sad that so many doctors have got to where they seem to not care. RIP Josh love you brother.
Your family doctor should not be prescribing methadone. I didn't even know that was possible I thought you had to go to a clinic it's so controlled. And yeah benzos with any other kind of depressant effects the breathing and based on your body chemistry that could put you out just like a light. Hopefully you sued.
It's a real clusterfuck... Irresponsible doctors have led to so much pain and suffering, not only from the overdoses deaths and addiction they caused, but now it's impossible to get any kind of pain medicine for people who genuinely need it
@@jsully8076 Back in the 90's doctors could write a Rx for methadone for pain mgmt.
I had a script for them. It was difficult getting off methadone, but getting off benzodiazepines was much worse.
I'll never take benzos again.
So sorry for your loss
well the thing w doctors is you dont know if your md graduated at the top or bottom of the class. another issue; do you know pple who are really book smart but cannot translate what they learn into appropriate action? i have run into more than a handful during my professional life.
I short term used a benzodiazepine to manage PTSD that had gotten so bad I was basically constantly having a panic attack. I was not functional and would have had be inpatient without benzos. With them, I was able to continue life functioning and get therapy, and after a couple weeks I stopped the benzodiazepines. Yes, I was more anxious off them than on them and it was a little uncomfortable, but because I had treatment for PTSD which included other management tools, I no longer had constant panic attacks. I had my life back. This is the proper use for them! They can be a very powerful tool, but they need to be used in conjunction with therapy and care.
So much yes. ❤
I had panic attack problems for about a month, secondary to developing sleep apnea. While I got myself on treatment, my anxiety kept spiking and I didn't sleep for several days. I was prescribed benzos for that, but the day I got the prescription I didn't need to take one because the security blanket of having a prescription and pills if I needed them meant I could relax and fell asleep
Yes,@@personzorz! Several years later, I had some life events that triggered me and I started getting panic attacks again. It wasn't as bad, but it sucked a bit. I was given a prescription for Xanax and it lives in my medicine cabinet for that purpose. Just knowing it's there in case I need it helps me as well. I've used maybe one of in the past six months. It's so helpful to have there to remind me I have control over my situation and I never have to go back to having constant panic attacks again.
I agree that they work well, but goddamn is it dangerous for them to ever be prescribed to anyone for more than a couple weeks to MAYBE a month.. Which unfortunately, they have been, in MASSIVE numbers.. It’s a huge business, and it’s screwing people up, permanently.. Unimaginable numbers of suicides are people that are on benzos, I’ve experienced the intense suicidal ideation from them, and it’s terrifying because I’ve literally never had those kinds of thoughts/feelings before in my life.. It’s difficult to even find facilities that are willing/capable of getting people off them.. Yes, opioids and the withdrawals from trying to stop them are horrific, but there’s an under the radar epidemic of millions and millions stuck on benzos and antidepressants, experiencing horrible effects on their day to day lives, and potentially totally deadly withdrawals if they try to stop..
@@booognish What's unsettling is how people can have such different responses to the same drug.
I've had a benzo prescription for years to relieve occasional spells of insomnia. I haven't had any problems with them, but I take lower dosages and don't use them that often. I've never felt anything remotely pleasurable or "recreational" from taking them either, they just help me unwind and go to sleep.
I justwant to add in regards to using benzos in nursing homes, it is not just to sedate pts so staff doesn't have to deal with them. It is also for the pts comfort and safety. Imagine having dementia and being terrified and anxious constantly, not knowing where you are, or what is going on. Sometimes it's more humane to give a person something to calm them down, as opposed to them being fearful and anxious with no ability to reorient them or really calm them down. Not to mention the risk of a bed bound pt falling out of bed because of agitation and restlessness due to their dementia. It's just not about staff convenience, it's ultimately about pt comfort. And we use benzos with opioids in hospice all the time. It is perfectly safe if taken only as prescribed and under the supervision of a doctor.
People who have never worked in elder care, either on a personal level or professionally, often don’t get this. You can’t therapy their kind of anxiety away because their brains are deteriorating. Expanding on your statement, there is the violence factor. The public often don’t understand how violent some elderly dementia patients can be. People see an older person and assume they are frail, but fail to recognize many caregivers are the equally elderly spouse of a dementia sufferer or are living with other older people in a care facility. Sedation is also sometimes needed for the safety of other patients, staff, and family members.
Even without dementia being a factor, people seem to forget what happens to a violent sociopath is often they grow into a geriatric violent sociopath. They may need specialized elder care, but are still the violent abuser at their core. They deserve to be cared for well in their own vulnerable state, but we still have to be cognizant of the fact that just because someone is old and more fragile, it doesn’t make them innocent like a baby.
The State in which one works takes medication very seriously so contrary of what one thinks drugs are considered a restraint
Yes demtia is a difficult, some get very very violent
I think when it comes to hospice…when someone is literally confirmed terminal and in end of life care, the gloves should come off when it comes to anything that will reduce or altogether prevent suffering.
Yeah at that point just shoot me
It amazes me how you tube channels, especially this one, can report on more relevant news and provide more investigative reporting than main stream news channels. Sincere thanks and bravo to you!
Amen!
Well, every news report is brought to you by one pharmaceutical company or another, take notice how often you hear “brought to you by Pfizer”
@@DarkFire1536 Well the big Pharma companies are all major advertisers on the TV news programs. So there will be no balanced reporting on drugs on a venue being paid for by drug sales.
I hate this epidemic. I’m on a very small dose of benzos, that I desperately need. Before benzos, I’d have regular, crippling panic attacks. I’ve passed out at grocery stores, pulled over on the freeway, at work, etc. I’m very responsible, never abuse them (honestly I’ve seen horror stories, and have no desire to go down that path) and it’s getting harder and harder to get my medication.
I get it’s like a safety thing, but my quality of life is piss poor without them. I wish kids never found these things.
Try to find alternative treatments, all these drugs do is treat the symptoms not the causes
Indiamarkt
I have the same problem. I don't even take them often but when I'm in a full blown panic attack lorazepam is the only thing that works
@@tonyahinrichs8828 diazepam lasts waaay loonger
Have you tried SSRI or similar antideptessants?
As someone with panic disorder, I can’t make it through a day without a benzo. I was a wreck, nearly losing everything, for six months before I got a prescription. I’ve taken benzos daily for 4 years and they saved my life.
They have their uses is all I’m suggesting.
I posted something similar. They've impacted my life for the better. They're not right for everyone, but they're right for me and my doctors treatment plan.
I feel the same way. However in my particular case the tolerance increased so I'm taking more dosis ( prescribed) me and my psychiatrist been working hard to reduce dose.
I always do crazy reckless things and get into trouble when I take my clonazepam. Then I never even remember what happened
I don’t agree. They are literally changing your brain chemistry. You can do that with meditation, yoga, healthy diet, excercise and even massive change of your environment and life style. But you do you, if you wanna be a slave to a chemical and the system to live life… that’s your life. This is coming from an addict who used many substances and thought some were beneficial for my brain chemistry. Now that I’m 100% sober and found what works for me I feel better than ANY chemical ever could do for me.
i use lorazepam for my severe catatonic episodes, its pretty much saved my life during them. they can be extremely useful but there really does need to be more caution used when prescribing them due to how addictive they can be
After my father’s cancer diagnosis (and eventual death) I was prescribed a low dose ‘as needed’ Xanax prescription.
Admittedly…it does work like people say. See normally my SSRI takes care of that but when we lost my dad I was an absolute mess that not even the SSRI could stabilize. I would be lying down and suddenly have a massive anxiety attack. I thought I was having a heart attack. A friend had to talk me down…they go through the same kind of attacks.
I’m feeling lucky that these pills haven’t taken over my life and I’ve found other ways to deal with these issues…
Though admittedly sometimes I wish there was a safe instant way to just…calm my entire brain immediately.
I got prescribed Lorazepam to help me go to college because of agoraphobia caused by CPTSD. I was not warned it was addictive. Got hooked for about ten years, finally weaned off them in early 2020. Even with the weaning over about a three month period, the first week was...rough. Again, I was not warned of the danger...that you can die by weaning off them--I had to find it out on my own. My new psychiatrist (who did not warn me of DYING) seemed surprised that I was being cautious in the weaning process.
@hamter_mental_counsellingsee I don't get you, it's like you are really working to contradict yourself.
You are mad that people get on benzos since your taxes apparently pay for that, yet you get even madder when people quit them? And go to personal attacks on the way by judging on profile pics or checking their channel?
Dude, it sounds like you need some meds for that bipolarity.
You could not figure out they are addictive?? lol can you wipe your own ass?
That’s horrifying. I’m glad you were able to wean yourself off them in such a short amount of time. I’m in the process of weaning off the Klonopin that I’ve been taking at a high dose for almost 15-20 years! Like you, I was not warned it could be addictive. Early this year, I ran out of my meds, and spent 4 horrifying days without it (doctor was closed over the weekend, and pharmacy was out of stock). I got so sick that my partner almost took me to the ER. Once I had the pills again, I took one, laid down for an hour to let it take effect…then immediately called my psychiatrist and demanded to be taken off Klonopin for good.
To his credit, my doctor was horrified this happened to me, he took full responsibility (he admitted he “really dropped the ball” and “this should have never happened”), and agreed right away to help me slowly and *safely* get off the drug so an episode like that never happens again. He said that it can take as long as 12-18 months to be completely safe about it, and he’s been great every step of the way. 6 months later, I’ve halved my original dose, I’m working with my psychiatrist and therapist to manage my anxiety and PTSD with safer coping mechanisms, and my aim is to be completely benzo-free by New Year’s Eve this year. Hopefully I won’t need any prescriptions for anxiety or panic attacks after this, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I just want to be healthy.
As a gp I saw countless people on benzos, and the ones I researched how they got on the benzo train almost all were documented in the beginning of being told "this is a very temporary solution and is not to be taken daily". Then it became daily, then dosages started rising. Even the zopiclone/zolpidem sleep meds are highly addictive
Thank goodness zopiclone has that fantastic side effect of tasting copper for at least 12 hours after waking. I love getting a full good night's sleep, but the taste the next day was not worth it. Whatever is in zopiclone that makes that taste should be put in Xanax bars and any other abused benzo. I had a raging Xanax addiction back in 2009, so much that I actually overdosed after walking to the mall... after taking 8 bars in the summer..in Vegas.
I did not stop getting a Xanax prescription until 2019, and I was switched to Valium. Valium works better, and I can function and not abuse them.
With Xanax, my ex had a different name for me because I acted like a totally different person and wouldn't remember doing any of it. He would have to tell me. 'Xantanex' did some crazy shit in Vegas and if he wasn't there, I don't know *literally* anything I've done on more than one bar. I'm now trying to work on cutting slowly down on Valium while trying CBT therapy even though CBT is basically brainwashing (imo)
@@HorrorHermitofHell Try grasping the idea that "brainwashing" does NOT make something inherently evil. It depends on what exactly you're washing...
What I mean is that brainwashing and indoctrination are EVERYWHERE... for EVERY little thing. From schools setting schedules for children to become "good little 9-5 worker drones" to bootcamps turning perfectly decent people into industrialized murderers to even cartoons and movies "G.I. Joe'ing" all the Boys, and "Betty Crocker'ing" the Girls...
Society has LONG used stories and narratives from folk lore to religious doctrine to "tune people up" for a tighter relationship standard with society, itself.
What defines the "Evil" of brainwashing is the intent and result. Working toward "washing out" the addiction and related struggles to be replaced with coping mechanics in the moment, and healthier practices to reinforce your self consciousness and self worth might actually be good for you IN SPITE of being "basically brainwashing"... ;o)
@gnarth d'arkanen I know this. I think my issue with it the first time was that it was in a group setting of complete strangers with the instructors giving us a handout of one raisin and a sheet of paper that tells us what to do with the raisin.
"Pick it up. Is it heavy? Do you feel the lines and ridges in the raisin?"
Etc etc
This time, I will be trying it in a one on one setting, and hopefully, there will be no lone raisins to describe.
It was an exercise, and I understood that, but I'm pretty sure only 2 other people did, and the other 10 were just going through the motions like a court ordered program.
The instructor was the person who told me it basically was brainwashing, just with healthier goals in mind. It kind of weirded me out to be in a group doing brainwashing exercises... kind of cultish to me in a way. The focus was on being mindful, and I swear that word gives me PTSD now only because it shocked me that people had to be told to be mindful of themselves and others.
@@HorrorHermitofHell That's not brainwashing... It's insulting... REALLY??? A friggin' raisin and a brochure of instructions???
What it sounds like you SHOULD be getting is a "Meditative Exercise"... Something that can start really simple, and then steadily grow in complexity as you learn and develop, but is also relaxing, fun, and exciting all together... Yes, that IS possible...
I get that the raisin is an exercise, but there's no good to come of a process that started out as an insult to your intelligence... Nobody establishes rapport or trust by demeaning or degrading the other person(s).
I'm bordering on an idiot and I know better than that...
Anyways... Maybe in the interest of building rapport with your next/new therapist, you can bring up some ideas of your own (interests or possible hobbies) to suggest a better exercise to quiz you about while you come for this one-on-one stuff... They can ask you all the same questions as with the raisin while you go... and probably more... get you "out of your head" to think about what you're so interested in... build on the meditative process as much as the hobby-skill(s)... and go from there...
Not going to pretend to know all the answers, so this IS ONLY a suggestion. Might help... might only let you in on "this person's only here for the damn paycheck"... or might actually work out a compromise... Worst they can say is "um... no, let's don't do that." Right?
I meditate on a motorcycle, but that's not exactly conducive to a one-on-one session with anyone. The wind-noise alone ruins any chance at conversation... AND it's not likely a therapist wants to join me while I meditate at 90 mph... haha..
BUT there's always D&D or other games with books, dice, and "theater of the mind" to build the visuals and create stories, no matter where you get "inspiration" or how you code "this is what triggers me" into the storyline... If that might help... I know it has helped make me a better person than the despicable SoB I might've been otherwise... ;o)
My mom was a classic benzo addict from the start, and this began when dad had her placed in a psych ward for a very short period of time, when my brother, sister and I were very young. Mom came out of the hospital with prescriptions for both Librium and Valium. She kept taking them for years, which involved some creative "doctor shopping". She would also occasionally crush up some of her pills and put them in glasses of orange juice, which she would serve to us three kids when we were cooped up in the house and were becoming restless and unruly.
Yeah, I knew plenty of kids in my neighborhood while growing up where a benzo-mom would drug her children so they'd go to sleep and not "bother" her.
😮
Eminem
Eminem's "My MOM" song talks exactly about this issue
Started Xanax to treat my severe panic attacks and anxiety disorder - ended up getting hooked onto it for 7 years because of personal mismanagement... Please, if anyone is reading this - if you're taking Benzos, or whatever psychiatric medication you are taking, be careful and always follow your physician's directions.
Been clean for two years and I cannot imagine myself being in that hole again.
Just wanna say make sure the physician is a good one first!
I followed a doctors direction on the doses, I was not informed about them being addictive and I also ended hooked up on xanax, experienced a withdrawal and I had no idea what that was at the moment, I was delirious and all. Horrible. I hated forgetting everything and just stopped taking them, had to treat the addiction for 3 months with another doctor and another substance. The first recommended xanax 1mg daily and 0,5mg if I have a panic attack. After 2 weeks on xan the panic attacks were constant and lasted up to 10h.
@@jasminegallella8208 That is true… especially in countries where doctors can sell medication, benzodiazepines are an easy way out to improve your problem short term - but not actually solving the root
@@jasminegallella8208 that doctor should be in prison. Absolutely disgusting how common your experience is.
6:47 I feel the need to point out that while dementia continues to be a concern (I have o sign a waiver every year). The correlation between dementia and benzo usage continues to decline and is below 50% at the last conversation with my doc.
As a recovering opiate addict (7 months sober), benzos were the one thing I refused to screw around with. I used them seldomly recreationally, and a little during my many opiate withdrawals. After I dated a benzo addict and saw the absolute hell they put him in, I swore them off for good. Only took them in opiate withdrawal, but never for any other reason. Benzo withdrawal is brutal; they give you heart attacks and seizures, psychosis, uncontrollable anxiety, you may not be able to sleep for over a week. It's horrible because all you want is to get some escape from it in the form of sleep, but no, you can't, you have to suffer in this delirious state as you get weaker day by day. Horrific stuff. My ex always ended up relapsing because he couldn't take it. He's still on them today. Benzos scare me.
I was a serious methadone/opiate addict for over a decade and the lack of ability to sleep was the hardest part. Literally a year later and I still struggled to get a proper night's sleep 😞
Glad that's in the past!
@@technomage6736
I was on methadone for 17 long years. I feel you. 💚
You can always cry out to Jesus. That's what i did when i was addicted. He set me free.
It is a deal with the devil.I am attempting to taper DOWN but without Spousal/Work Support,IT IS Difficult.Been on it for YEARS.Feel like a dead man walking.GOD Bless.😊
This is a fantastic and informative video! Another horrifying fact is that 70% of Suboxone prescriptions are paired with a benzo for "maintenance."
I just wanted to add this: There are cases where there is no good option, for example I've tried 6 different antidepressants from several drug classes, antipsychotics for anxiety/insomnia, mood stabilizers, etc. I however found exposure to work, but I do personally know several people with severe, and I do mean severe anxiety who tried everything I tried and didn't get help from therapy, and for them there isn't another option than benzos. This however is a very small fraction of the population. Same thing applies to opioids, though there I have tried everything and actually have ended up on opioids since it's literally the only thing that works (muscle relaxants, paracetamol, nsaids, antidepressants all failed my pain). Just remember that sometimes there isn't a better option. A lot of people have very, very strong opinions about these medications but clearly don't have even a tiny bit of experience with living with anxiety so severe that it makes you physically ill (chills, can't breathe, chest pain, 150bpm pulse, numb limbs, headache, etc) or pain that makes you consider suicide more than depression ever did. All I'm saying is don't entirely discount these drugs, however yes I do agree they need to be given only under certain circumstances: for example when other treatments were first tried, and there needs to be good follow up and it needs to be a part of a detailed treatment plans which includes doing other things at the same time and simply not just giving the meds and giving up. I.e physical therapy for pain, or exposure therapy or cbt for anxiety
This comment is not nearly appreciated as much as it should be. As someone who has been on 8 antidepressants, 5 antipsychotics, and multiple others, Benzos, specifically Valium, have been the only medication that actually stopped the panic attacks long term. It sure beats sobbing at work and losing my job 😂
Very true.
Doctors just want you addicted to drugs. Benzos should be completely discounted as anything except a recreational drug. Certainly shouldn't be giving horribly addictive depressants to the depressed. Makes everything so much worse.
I have BAD dental phobia, so when I had to go in for wisdom tooth removal, my dental surgeon prescribed me Halcyon to take before I came in. It’s a very strong benzo. Holy MOLY, what a ride. Ten minutes after the pills I was slumped down in the passenger seat giggling at everything, feeling like I was floating without a care in the world (normally just going in for my checkup has me needing to squeeze stress balls in the chair and occasionally being sick to my stomach in the waiting room…) and then I have only a vague memory of even walking into the dentist. Aside from some drunk-style texts I sent people later, I don’t even remember the rest of that day until I woke up in bed at home at 3 in the afternoon (my surgery was at 9 am). They worked- but sweet bajeesus, no WONDER they were so strictly controlled at the pharmacy. I can’t imagine being addicted to that. I’m also ADHD comorbid with autism- Since my brain is constantly seeking dopamine AND a release of the never ending low-key daily anxiety, I KNOW how dangerous they could be for me to take with my brain being what it is if I had a prescription on hand and I just won’t take the risk.
I used to combine xanex & methadone. It amazes me that I'm still here but I believe my reason for surviving is to spread awareness & share my story. To try & help others. I have a scar over my left eye from a seizure I had while going through benzo withdrawals. At the same time my poor body was going through opiate withdrawals. I was wearing sunglasses inside because I felt like complete shit! Next thing I remember was waking up in the floor with a crowd standing over me. I was bleeding from a deep gash above my left eye. My head struck the corner of a coffee table with my sunglasses on. They broke & split my left eyebrow into. I was waiting to be admitted to a rehab but took a trip to the hospital instead that day. I had agoraphobia & severe panic attacks following for a while. I only take zoloft now for anxiety & I'm fine with that. I do daily yoga now to manage anxiety. Eat clean & just take my zoloft. It's made a huge difference!!! I will never take another benzo again as long as I live or opiate, unless I HAVE to.
There is no pill out there that can take away all anxiety. What does work over time is lots of hard work reframing old habits & thoughts. Exposure therapy & learning how to turn your parasympatetic nervous system on. Eating right, limiting caffeine, exercise, etc. CBD can be helpful too. It was CBD & yoga that got me through the rough beginning of starting zoloft. The start was rough but after a few months, the sun came out again & everything was different. It was easier to work on my reframing & exposure therapy.
I will add that I'm not telling anyone not to take benzos, but use extreme caution & awareness when you do. My doctor had written the script for me to take 2 a day, not 2 as needed but 2 a day. As young as I was at the time I did not know what I know now. I took them as prescribed & suffered significantly.
Me too 200mg of methadone plus 4 or 5 xans at once and after a while I just started buying flualp and other rcs that were legal at the time and dosing those plus a bit of h every now and then , I od and died a few times but not once during that time period
I took alprazolam and then Clonazepam for years for my depression and anxiety but I can't say I became an addict. I've always had a huge respect for my meds and never take more than the dose my psychiatrist prescribed even when I sometimes think the meds are not 'working'. Last year my doctor took me off Clonazepam, but game me an extra med for a short period of time to help me cope with withdrawals. All I can say is never ever take more than the dose your doctor prescribed you and never self-medicate. Education is also a great tool, so do your research and learn every bit about whatever meds a doctor prescribes and when the time comes for your doctor to wean you off a certain drug, don't resist.
BRING BACK THE QUAAALUUUDES
They are available in Mexico and South Africa...just watched a video regarding the little magic pills...
If I knew then what I know now ...I would have majored in chemistry ...
I thought they were not being manufactured any longer due to outlawing them? I used to love smoking them.😂
@@NYPD99STARR Methaqualone is fairly straight forward and easy to 'do'. But there are certain risk when making it, so don't be a complete amateur/ noob and understand what you may be doing.
video starts at 1:09
Thanks. I use sponsorblock and someone already marked that first part as an auto skip segment.
I've been on prescription benzos for over ten years and thankfully my Dr. has been upfront with me about the dangers from day one. At first I was on a moderate dose several times a day but after several years, other medications and behavioral therapy, I now only take one in the morning- more of a maintenance dose than anything- and have them in case I have a panic attack. They're a lifesaver in regards to my anxiety but I'm just as addicted to them as someone who buys them from a black market dealer. It really sucks that we can't have things that make life feel less bleak without them also killing us. 😑
Addiction is also largely influenced by the individual's specific personality. Not everyone is prone to become an addict as easily as others.
Look I take one of these whenever I have a panic attack. I don’t find them addictive. Just calming.
As someone who has had a lifelong struggle with mental illness, I'm so glad you did this. I've been working on finding a drug free way to manage my problems because I didn't think a pill alone was enough. People need to know the bad side effects.
Had ativan prescribed to me at 13 when I had horrible insomnia, didnt even know it was anything so problematic until I went to pick it up at the pharmacy and they acted like I was well, picking up something dangerous, which I was in hindsight. I've seen enough drug addiction in my life that frankly taking it I knew it could be a problem and I never got refills but yeah, wow is the effect dramatic. I ended up just keeping the pills and using them for specific things like my first day in a new class or job interviews, can't imagine having taken them daily like I was told to
I quit Benzos but went through 5 seizures and uncontrollable anxiety. Worst withdrawals I ever went through
It’s good having someone like Simon to shed a light on this problem. So many people don’t take this problem seriously, this is one of the main reasons why the problem with prescription drugs isn’t getting better. In fact it’s getting worse and until we start holding these pharmaceutical companies accountable for their actions nothing will ever change, at least for the better. Thank you for video, I’m glad someone is taking the time to discuss this problem and share this information with the public.
Their actions? How about the people popping the pills?
For me, these drugs are simply borrowing tomorrows dopamine to use today. It leaves me on a shortage, a “low” the days after I take a pill. This low is worse than what I felt before. Opioids also made me feel really, really awful which gives me an aversion towards them. I’m very grateful I haven’t developed an addiction to any of these.
FINALLY, SOMEONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT. Simon, please, for the love of God, put this on a bigger channel.
These made me nearly destroy my life. I have stayed off for 2 years now and still have daily anxiety now as a result. Please don’t abuse these.
As a pharm tech of 15+ years, thank you for covering this. The opioid epidemic is in the public consciousness, but benzos? Not so much. The sheer amount of people I come across who are simply shocked their doctor prescribed them a "controlled" medication tells me docs are prescribing them without adequately educating patients in recent years.
Benzos are over in the UK they’ve been pretty much banned unless it’s a severe case
Other pharmacy tech here, we get people coming into our pharmacy very clearly strung out on benzos, but you can’t turn them away, you just have to feed their addictions. Personally it makes me feel sick to my stomach and has weighed on me for ages,
@@Sch1z0gam1ng then perhaps you ought to consider a new career. I mean, if it Has been weighing on you."
@@Sch1z0gam1ng It’s none of your business and not your job to judge them. Would you rather they not get them and die during withdrawals? Mind your own damn business or find another job.
@@Sch1z0gam1ng you aren't a doctor. your job is to put pills in a bottle Just do your job
I went through withdrawal for five years of heroin dependency.
I went through withdrawal for about three months of benzo addiction.
Opioid withdrawal was the worst think I could possibly imagine...
Until I had to stop benzos. I would rather go through heroin withdrawal three times than go through benzo withdrawal once.
Yet, it's that bad.
I honestly don't think anyone can explain it well enough to convey it to someone who hasn't experienced it.
I thought I would never be the same again.
I talked to bugs because I thought they were sent by God to punish me.
I had to have all the knives removed from the house because I couldn't see a knife without wanting to kill myself.
I thought all the people in the ER were monsters who were trying to kill me. I mean, I couldn't look at their faces because they were scary monster faces.
I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. When I did try to eat or drink, it all tasted like bleach, or paint, or blood.
I was terrified and I cried almost all day, every day, for about two weeks.
I couldn't stop defecating in my pants several times a day.
I was convinced that my dog, who was so sweet and loving for years, was going to kill me.
Every time I heard a noise (and noises are SO loud and lights SO bright) I was sure it was somebody coming to kill me.
I couldn't listen to music. Everything I had ever loved, I hated and couldn't stand.
This is just some of what I remember. And it seemed to go on, and on, forever.
Other bad things in my life, like getting shot, or the death of my mother, were NOTHING compared to it.
You're strong. I hope you have peace in your life.
How horribly scary for you. Thanks for sharing your story and so glad you came out the other side of this 🙂
I wouldn't say I'm strong. I was really lucky 5hat I had people who cared about me and help from physicians.
Imagine what it would be like if you were in jail, or homeless. There are many, many more people who are stronger than me.
I just wanted to use my experience as a warning. So, hopefully, it might keep someone else from having to go through all of that.
When I was first prescribed Valium, I was shocked at how much I’d be given with each refill. I became so addicted that three months after I’d stopped taking it, it was still showing up in urine tests. And that initial withdrawal…..I thought I was losing my mind. Just awful stuff.
I just reached 0 on Clonopin after a year and a half, of weaning off it. To say I’m relieved isn’t the word. It’s doable!
Thank you for making this video! Benzo abuse and addiction really isn't discussed enough. We've got to do something (other than outright banning them) about this, although frankly I don't know what the solution is.
And I'm saying this as someone who has been prescribed Klonopin for about 5 years. It gave me my life back. I was having panic attacks constantly due to PTSD and I couldn't hold down a job even as a part-time cashier. Initially I took them every day, for several months. Gradually I decreased the frequency. Now and for the past year or so, it depends on the week, but I take them anywhere from 1-4 times a week, but never more than 2 days in a row. I've never experienced withdrawal. I don't know whether I'll be on it forever and I'd prefer not to, but for now it helps me to live a more normal life. I don't experience any side effects. It's like opioids and stimulants for ADHD- if you really need it, and take it as prescribed, you're not going to feel high. You're just going to feel more "normal."
I'm really glad we're bringing to light the issue of benzo abuse/addiction but I think it's important to keep in mind people like myself who genuinely benefit from these medications. They shouldn't be handed out like candy. But they also shouldn't be as hard to get as a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert when you clearly would benefit from taking them.
I visited a psych ward to see a relative and the doctor said that 80% of those in the ward were there from Benzos. There were accountants, preachers, lawyers and every segment of society being treated there. It’s not that they needed Benzos . It was just easy for them to take drugs than to deal with the root cause of their anxiety. Benzos are a bandaid for the vast majority of people who take them. They were never intended for regular use and almost always increase the problems of people who use them long term.
I use two benzodiazepines to control extreme anxiety. With the drugs, I am functioning, can work, have meaningful relationships. Benzodiazepines make my anxiety disorder manageable. I suffer no side effects and most likely use them the rest of my life and I’m OK with that.
Same boat, clonazepam and alprazolam. I also have no side effects, I think some people just blow things out of proportion. I'm also on opioids for chronic pain after a nasty traffic accident. It is what it is, at least I can function normally. Pain patients and those with benzo scripts are treated like criminals, nevertheless I go to the doc and get my pills. Sure you got a few bad apples who try to mess it up for everyone, but I've personally been stable for over 5 years and don't regret taking the meds that gave me my life back and are legally prescribed to me!
@@benjaminsmekens2344 same here. I take 2mg whenever I need to for extreme episodes of PTSD. Before being prescribed these I'd always end up in the hospital. With use of 2mg as and when, I have been given some control over my own care. I only take them when needed, so only use them around 4 times a year and the maximum I'll take is 6mg. I am not addicted, and I won't be ashamed for using medicine to control a very real health condition.
I had an almost unlimited supply of benzos in my early twenties and was not responsible enough to appreciate their strength (I still drank heavy at the time, etc).
Years later, I came back to them out of desperation and they have been a life-saver - literally the only thing that has helped me to leave the house.
I guess, in sum, these meds must be treated with caution, but they absolutely can be helpful.
Oh, and by the way, the research suggesting they cause dementia is sketchy at best...
@@VidaBlue317I’m glad you found something that works. My situation is almost identical to what you described.
Same. Bad anxiety and bipolar 1, just part of my life using them.
I've been addicted to benzos twice, once in college and once in university. They were cheap and easy to get, and I usually had one or more friend in addiction with me. We'd often bulk buy saying we were gonna sell to make a profit but usually just end up taking it all, only selling to each other. As an anxious depressed insomniac teenager, I loved how it made me feel, all the overthinking stopped. If I had to describe the high I would say it was just nothing, blissful oblivion. As someone who had always been an over thinker it was heaven. I stopped because both times because two separate friendship groups who weren't using with me said the same thing verbatim "We don't like it when you're on benzos, you have nothing to say, it's like you're not there" This hit hard the second time, when friends I had recently made at university were saying the same things as my college friends had two years earlier. I'll admit I was a zombie on benzos, I was also drinking heavily and smoking weed which can't of helped, though my friends who were using with me were much more high functioning, it's why some of them are still addicted today 4 years later. I quit benzos and never looked back, it's one drug I'll always turn down if I'm offered. Coming off them was hell, I ruined what could have been my first relationship due to my erratic and frankly insane behavior. I was incredibly paranoid all the time, constantly in fear of being arrested or kicked out of university, my paranoia manifested in campus security, I would leave parties to go and sit in my room alone. Overall the come down was like 3-4 months of hell, and I've lost entire months of my life where a really have no idea what I was doing.
I would personally never touch benzos again, and would advice anyone against them, it's so easy to get addicted to £1 pills that take all the worry and pain away but in the end it's not worth it.
it's gonna be different for everyone, so your advice should best be 'don't take them regularly long-term'. ppl who use it infrequently, it's fine. but it surprises me that... well, I'm assuming lower doses weren't working for you, or? I did go off them for a month since I got scared that I had to start taking 2, but then I got back down to 0.5~1mg again.
I'm bipolar and also have pretty severe C-PTSD and rely on Valium and other medications to prevent me from becoming psychotic or suicidal. I recognise that some people are over prescribed their benzodiazepines but it is also prescribed for legitimate patients like myself. That's worth mentioning as well instead of just demonising the substance.
We are all legit patients,do you think your special? Don't you think that people warning people about them don't truly suffer from the same things you do if not more,it's easy to point at everyone else and say "not me ,not me"..wake up
@@patswayze7359 I, and other's I've met from being in the psyc ward multiple times, rely on benzo's. They work for us. So, I'm not saying that for some people they're not ok, I'm saying that benzo's have their place. This has nothing to do with me thinking I'm special, I'm representing the other side of the argument which was not mentioned in this video.
I’ve got the same diagnoses as you. Timely targeted use of benzodiazepines has saved my life on more than one occasion. Haven’t needed them in a while thank goodness, but nothing else works for catatonia or a panic spiral.
I got benzos as a sedative for an mri and it’s scary how I haven’t been able to forget how it made me feel . I have anxiety (though my drs now think it’s caused by living 19 years with undiagnosed autism and adhd) and have thought about benzos for anxiety attacks, but I know I would get addicted
Bro i will never forget that freedom on Xanax
I know many people that have had absolutely no issues with benzos and also experienced significant improvement with minimal side effects in their conditions when taken properly. Videos, articles, and news like this make it extremely difficult for people that have a legitimate need for these prescriptions to receive their proper meds because information like this has the effect of demonizing doctors and patients away from these medications.
You’re wrong, when you take something you have to be informed, it’s no secret Benzos can be dangerous and misused
People abusing benzos (and opioids) are why it's so difficult for people who actually do need them to get them. I take a very low dose of lorazepam (Ativan) as needed for panic attacks & acetaminophen with codeine (Tylenol 3) for chronic pain. I only take them when I really need them, I don't abuse them because I don't want to have a high tolerance and need stronger meds to get relief. Oh yeah, I also take muscle relaxers for back spasms. The combination of the 3 isn't dangerous if you're not stupid about it.
Payed for by cvs. Lots of drugs fo that dummy
Thank you for making this video. I'm in the UK and have just been put on a short term course of Diazepam by my GP, after a long talk, due to a massive spike in my diagnosed anxiety problem. What you've said in this video is exactly what my GP discussed with me. I hope this video reaches a lot of people, because you're very informative and medications like this shouldn't be used without knowing the potential problems.
I am also in the UK and was put on a very short course of Diazepam at one point by my GP to deal with what was pretty severe anxiety at the time. It was done only as the starting point leading to other treatment/counselling for the longer term. Reading some of the stories I can see I am lucky to have a doctor who was looking out for me longer term too rather than just the quick fix. I understood that they can be habit forming but as they really 'did the trick' I'm pretty sure I would have happily accepted more if they were very easily prescribed to me.
I was prescribed Valium for panic attacks that lasted for hours. I was using biofeedback and breathing but was non function during the attacks. I was shocked at how fast and well it worked. It just made everything smooth. I never took the prescribed amount and the thought of how addictive it could be, helped me make it through some bad attacks. I’m strong willed and I think that saved me. I was fully aware of how ‘easy’ it was. I can fully understand how addiction occurs and I can’t imagine how hard it would be to stop
I lost my son suddenly, and after a week of inability to fall asleep, I felt I had to find relief. It works, I only take what is prescribed, I'm not popping them thru out the day nor do I go over set amount. I don't abuse them, it's not a gateway drug nor have I asked for higher dose nor more pills. It has helped me thru part of the day, where I can function of keeping household & myself going. I understand it's a temporary fix, I am seeing a therapist and do not imbibe in illicit substances nor do I drink. There's a responsibility when it comes to taking these medications & then there is the irresponsible accessing the drug. I've never lost, misplaced my meds but there r frauds who hijack & abuse it. Not all of us should suffer the consequences of rotten apples.
Thank you for informative insight, it's necessary to bring light to issue.
I've seen what getting clean off these drugs can do to people. Watched a fairly well known public figure look almost dead for a month and sound almost dead even months after getting off of them.
Luckily he's seemed to have made a full recovery. No matter how you feel about people in the public space no one deserves to have to go through that especially from something prescribed by a Dr
Are you talking about Jordan Peterson? I saw this with him.
Now he’s being re-educated by the Canadian government I can see why he needed them in the first place
I'll be the odd woman out, since Klonopin was prescribed to me for epilepsy. After three months, when the worst phase was over - no tonic-clonic seizures- I quit taking the stuff. It's a controlled substance in the (EU) country where I live. I take other prescription anti-seizure medication, and do have a regular prescription for another benzo in case of emergency, which I do not take. Between seizures and benzos, I'll take benzos if needed.
The sad part is, for years these same company’s PIS, patient information sheets said the drugs where for short term use, 2-3 months and doctors got rich turning their ‘patients’ into pharmaceutical zombies and playing stupid.😢
I miss my Klonopin prescription so much. Yes, it’s addictive, if it greatly improves your quality of life… 🤷🏻♀️
For some yes for me It nearly ruined my life.
Nearly all the older women in my family have a prescription to some kind of Benzo, mostly Klonopin. I work in health care and know very well how horribly addictive they are, and I also know how neurotic and borderline crazy my family is. That said, Benzos are something I will absolutely never take myself because I know it would be all too easy to become habit forming.
Im actually allergic to benzos, how I found out, marks one of the most terrifying moments in my life, and trust me, Ive had a lot of them. I was so paranoid, it still scares me to think about those moments...
I am so thankful to have had my parents and doctors protect me from these kinds of medications. I couldn't pay attention in school because I thought it was easy and boring as a child. I was also anxious, and still am... It wasn't until I got into high school that I learned what it could've turned me into. I've met so many people over the years that have asked me if I knew where to get benzos. They always seemed like really cool people until I saw they were addicted. It's crazy how you can be a completely normal person and just one medication changes everything... You don't lose who you are, but you don't feel like yourself without them either it seems. I'm humbled by the stories everyone has shared. Thank you.
With school being easy for you i'm sure you probably have a pretty badass college degree in something that takes a ton of intellectual prowess. Not everyone can be as gifted as you sir
This is the kind of video to cause a knock at your door. Good job Simon and team.
Take it from someone who's been there: addiction is an incredibly scary place and it'll be years before you ever realize you need help.
I took Benzos for 3 years and they quit working. I was sleeping for hours, and started forgetting important things. I talked to my physician about how I was not getting anything out of them and instead of steeping me up, my doctor stepped my dosage down over 6 months and I was able to just step off them. I am so thankful that my doc scooted me down to nothing instead of moving me up in dosage. My best friend still takes them daily and he cant get off the couch. He has anxiety that kept him inside but whats the difference? Hes still stuck inside.
I've probably lost more friends to benzos in general than fentanyl, best thing i've ever done was learn how to cope with my anxiety without medications.
Growing up in the generation the makes drugs seem cool, this shit was everywhere and all I can say is stay away or you will probably ruin your life.
One of our cats was prescribed Downers, barbiturate, she survived but it's weird industry even does want cats and other pets to become addicted. Our cat detoxed successfully 🙌
I'm sorry to hear that. Benzos alone very rarely result in death so they were probably fake pills containing opioids.
Are you really comparing benzos with fentanyl? Also, this anti-medication crap needs to stop.
I tore many tendons and ligaments due to muscle weakness induced by benzodiazepines. I’m mostly bedridden now.
I work in a pharmacy and am alarmed by the amount of benzos I hand to patients each week. I am glad a video was made about it showing the unsavory details of the drug. Keep up the good work!
I had a script from a psychiatrist for 6 MG of klonopin a day 2 mgs 3 times daily. It was not good
You should contact the prescriber, it could save lives
I'm just going to comment on my personal experience on your 'alarmed opinion'.
Do you by chance diagnose the patients you fill prescriptions for before passing judgment? Or is it just all of us that take prescribed alprazolam/klonopin/ect? Or even opiates too?
I have had 3 seperate 'pharmaceutical employees' contact my provider questioning my xanax prescription prescribed by a NEUROSURGEON. I am prescribed 2mg x 4 every 12 hours. I'm sure your gasping with disdain as you read this.
I was a former Paramedic with over 20 years experience when I was suddenly stricken with violent seizures lasting longer than 4-5 minutes, and some even with breathing cessation. I Went from fully independent, career oriented, to having life threatening grand mal seizures up to 6 - 9 a day!!
After a long stay on an Epilepsy Unit, it was determined I have PNES. They are non Epileptic seizures. But triggered by Severe Childhood and adult Trauma, Severe Insomnia, and some just whenever they want to happen.
A great many of us HAVE NO OTHER OPTION! So when pharmacy employees automatically pass judgment, like you and your some replies here are?
You are the reason some can't even get the medication they desperately need!
I don't like them, and I don't like what they do to my body, but I damn sure want to live if I can!!
And for mr.pdf, mind your own business. Who is a pharmacist to question a Medical Physician?
Now if they are calling early for their refills, or belligerent about the refill dates, I can see it.
But as a patient that desperately needs this medicine just to stay alive, was labeled as an "addict" and "a drug seeker" by seperate pharmacy employees WITHOUT MERRITT. And once those terms are put in your chart by someone "thinking" they are qualified to question your Dr? Even your insurance company is notified, and it's damn near impossible to get removed! I had to get numerous letters sent from my Neurosurgeon because of people not even qualified to make that determination. So stop automatically passing your alarmed judgment. Just despense as written unless there's a contraindication with another drug they are currently on.
Leave the rest to the qualified educated individuals.
You do far more harm than good!! I know!
An ex-gf who was a pediatric neurosurgeon had a breakdown from benzos and had to leave the field. I’m on one now and feel ok if I don’t take it, but I’m going to try to get off of it asap.
I have diagnosed and chronic anxiety and depression associated with agoraphobia, boarderline personality disorder, ptsd and bipolar disorder I wouldn’t be able to leave my house or do life at all without my benzos
My neurologist told me that it’s important to understand that benzos *do not* cause dementia. They *do* cause essential tremors in older users, as well as making falls more common, and they do make it difficult to lay down short-term memories, and therefore long-term memories.
Thank you so much for this comment. I hope he's right.
@@evenlyanxious I don’t see why he would have corrected me when I said I was worried about dementia risk if it wasn’t true.
Umm idk this video was mostly about doctors lying.
@@gromsgaming1256 ok feel free to elaborate.
Benzo’s used properly can be very beneficial The people that are abusing them are going to go through very bad withdrawal I’m 73 years old without the one I take I have rolling panic attacks I am very careful and use them the way they prescribed The medication helps so many when used properly stick to the directions
I occasionally take Xanax but I do so with great caution and awareness of the risk, thus I'm still primarily focusing on non-medication ways to lower my anxiety. I suspect I simply don't have an addictive personality as I don't feel any urge to take them spontaneously despite usually having 20-30 tablets available in my drawer if I wanted them. I think I've also grown used to embracing anxiety and negative feelings that I'm able to go from the total relaxation of Xanax back to the regular grind and just accept it for what it is (while working to improve it with time). All in all, though, I can see why there are risks because it can feel very nice, especially if going from a panicked state to calm, sedated and at peace. Perhaps addiction risk is very relative to your situation too. Maybe if I had far more day-to-day stressors that temptation would arise. Hard to know.
I had benzos prescribed for severe anxiety and panic attacks at the beginning of my treatment. I'm glad both my psychiatrist, therapist and gp gave me extensive verbal warnings about addiction and mixing them with other depressants. I was lucky enough not to need them often so I didn't get hooked, but many hs students around me did and sometimes even asked to buy them off me.
As someone with severe generalized anxiety, I and my doctors have been very vigilant about keeping me exclusively on SSRIs for this reason. It took 5 years to find ones that worked for me and the anxiety never goes away completely, but it’s still so much better than what could’ve happened if I was prescribed benzos.
I'm glad you covered the bases ITS. There is a growing medical literature that indicates not just the long term affect on the ability to recall names (not just of people, but everything), but it is also linked to dementia in later life. With that said, there is always the causation vs. correlation argument. (Are such people predestined to that fate naturally attracted to benzos or do benzos create that fate?) I am inclined to believe benzos do have an active role in cognitive decline, but for anyone who has ever experienced regular panic attacks (No Virginia, a panic attack is not just getting freaked out, frustrated, or scared about a situation.... it is more akin to hell on earth that has no rational basis. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy), then Benzos do have a place. But like most psychotropic drugs, they are over prescribed. This is unfortunate, because on the other side, people who CAN benefit from benzos are often denied them the same way people in severe pain are denied opioids out of fear they will become addicted. I have no solution.
I've heard horror stories about benzos. So when my dr suggested them I was honest and told her I'd rather not, I'm worried I'd like them too much. So instead I was started on 30mg of buspar. I'm maxed out at 60 now, 5 years later. This *has* to be enough. I can't mess with benzos except the 1 pill my dentist gives me right before they come at me with needles. But I'm learning that those of us with Ehlers-Danlos need more painkillers than most people, and have trash teeth, so a dental phobia is understandable.
@@ThisIsATireFire I can't speak specifically to your situation, but I will say that I hate the "one size fits all" policy that most of the doctors in my area take. It is such a cowardly stance (mainly fearful of litigation) and does the patient no good if his or her physiology is atyplical.
If I only knew this before getting on them. Prescribed them for 15 years. Doctor just stopped them one day. Eight months later I still can’t function. I’m so scared. I don’t even leave my room
I was prescribed to 6 mg of chlonazopam per day for almost two years. I have pretty bad anxiety and it was really hard to keep a job or people around for several years. Inside that two years I amassed a lengthy criminal record, broke a few bones from fights and made a complete fool of myself. I’ve since learned that having anxiety is that barrier of reserve that everyone needs to function in normally society. I would say and do things that had people asking me if they were on a hidden camera show because I acted so charismatic and fake. Imagine actually saying all the things you think and write anonymously online…just no fear of repercussions at all. It was the most powerful I’ve ever felt in my life and the feeling was phenomenal, until of course the arrests started occurring. Since weaning off the drugs I haven’t been in any trouble and it feels horrible having to communicate to anyone, especially in social functions but I prefer this to the path I was on. I’m happy to own my crippling social anxiety disorder now, after all that.
Drugs back in the 70s: I'm gonna do some coke at this party to have a good time and be awake longer, and then I'm gonna do some shrooms to open my mind.
Drugs today: I want to effing sleep, make me feel safe I don't wanna be here anymore.
I stopped cold turkey after 9 months, and had no problems at all. I was on (RX) morphine, benzos, and OxyContin for injuries in military service. Dunno if it has something to do with my extreme ADHD or what. I had no idea you could possibly die from stopping intake like that.
I was a heroin and Benz addict for nearly 2 decades been clean 11 years but those Benz made coming off smack seem like a slight cold it was brutal
Edit-yes they do have a good high better than most other drugs tbh so your wrong on that Simon I was popping upto 100 blues a day at one point but to start with I felt better off those than any other drug
I would disagree only a couple of benzos have any euphoria to them and those are mainly used in hospitals these days. Xanax and klonopin do not have any euphoria they just make you not care about anything.
To hear that something so well known for being highly addictive was like a slight cold compared to benzos is absolutely terrifying.
I literally stopped going to a doctor and found a new one because of how Willy nilly he would prescribe opioids. I'm sure if I went and said the slightest anxiety he'd prescribe a bunch of benzos. Honestly made me want to report him. And this isnt in the US.
100 blues a day? Fuck me!
@@AdamOBrien29 does this refer to 10mg diazepam (valium) tablets?
@@StreetPreacherr im guessing it's refering to 1mg Xanax tabs, they're commonly called blues or blueies
As someone with adhd, this thing makes me sluggish and even less alert, i get a lot of night terrors so I'd probably use a quarter of a tab to sleep, but that's it
When my doctor stopped prescribing me librium for my debilitating anxiety I found research chemicals and started making my own. Over ten years later something happened where my benzo use abruptly stopped and was not tapered by doctors. I had many grand mal seziures and woke up three weeks later in a psych ward barely able to walk or speak. I lost three weeks of time. I remember nothing of that time and it took a few days after I was conscience to feel somewhat normal. Benzos are no joke
Haha!!😆... (Oh sorry, i did think you were joking 😳)
@@Rugmunchersauce3 Nope, that happened
My man
Pervitin in the 30's and 40's - drugs to increase output have been used for a long time. Caffeine, pain killers, anti inflammatories to maintain output and tax production.
Took five years of pain and a red mushroom to finally get me free of them. Nature has alternatives.
When my psych Dr. Gave me Xanax he told me I needed to take a decent dose then get myself out of my comfort zone. I took 3mg and went to a small muddin' festival, then took 4mg and went to a live show. He told me "one day I want you to not come back for another prescription." I'm over my anxiety now.
I have CPTSD and have been on benzos for over 10 years. I find my anxiety builds up throughout the day, and take before bed to stop my racing mind. They have been a huge lifesaver.
Simon, i know you already produce on average 32 hours of content per day but id really like to see a video on gabapentin and lyrica. Every person that has a Klonopin and Suboxone prescription also has a Neurontin prescription. It gets overlooked because of opioids and benzos but its a problem here. Ive heard Northern Ireland it is too.
I have GAD and I absolutely love them. I can't take them because once I start I cannot stop. They do work for some people though who take them correctly.
I took a very high dose of Valium for almost a decade I was addicted and then there was the intervention of the psychiatrist to stop the frequent I need another script today.. the intervention was one question, how much do you think you need to not ask for extra prescriptions all the time as an addict I internally counted and answered 80mg ok then we will do that… when I found a psychiatrist out of the big mental healthcare circuit I started with ending this addiction and it took my almost 5 years to go from that prescribed dose of 80 to 0 and then another couple of years to get used to going clean, I was never cold but after that it took me almost 10 years to not feel that bone chilling cold anymore.
The medication has its place but please docs it’s for short term intervention!!
On a side note no I didn’t feel high or anything even from the 80mg a day but O I felt it when I didn’t take anything
I was hooked on these for over 19 years . as well as class A drug's and alcohol. It took me a lot rehabs and detox centres and hospitals to get my act together and I have to say these Tablets was the hardest to come off 😢I am over 7 years clean and sober now thank you Prestwich detox centre Manchester and shardale rehab 🇬🇧.
They are ruining my life for sure. These therapist prescribe pharamceutics like they trow them at us. Since age 11 treated with pharmaceutics. If a brain under 25 aint developped enough for any recreational drugs why would pharmaceutics be safer? This madness has to stop. The benzos have indeed have horrific withdrawels and it does worsen anxiety and insomnia terribly. 100% agree
Yeah I've been trying to explain to people close to me about this shit but it's like it goes in one ear and out the other or just don't believe me. I've been looking for a video explaining what Ive been saying and this one is the best one. If I can only get them to watch it and actually listen because it explains so much. Idk how much longer I can do this
I think the mental health problem have always been there, just that we had less knowledge about it back in the days, peoples would just say that it is imaginary...
i’m reading out these terrible statistics to my wife who has a klonopin prescription and she’s acting like i’ve just besmirched her mother.
That's just how addicts respond. When I tried time and again to get my mother off these Blue Devils, that's how she behaved too. Hope you have better fortune and luck than me friend.
Make sure you make note of the rate of occurrence. There are a lot of people treated with them in a variety of ways and for a variety of conditions and most of the listed statistics can be something as similar as "happened within the period during which patient was also taking drug," for FDA regulations.
I'm a part of the 17% of Americans that has had a benzodiazepine script prescribed legally by my psychiatrist, to also be prescribed an opiate after major surgery DESPITE the second doctor being aware of my benzodiazepine script. The only difference when I filled the opiate script was that I was given free narcan and warned extensively about staggering my benzo dose opposite of my opiate dose. So the doctors and pharmacist were all very aware and educated me that I could die from an overdose if I was not vigilant about my dosing schedules. Luckily, I stopped the opiate after I finished the script, and declined when my doctor asked if I needed another month supply.
3:51 Again, I’m weight in from the standpoint of someone who legitimately needs these pills and does not abuse them, but they don’t stop me from caring or even get rid of anxiety, it just takes me down off the ledge and keeps me from wanting to crawl into a bottle.
At one point I had 3 Xanax per day and 2 Klonopin at night. I ultimately had to choose between the two, but Klonopin helped me sleep better than anything, even Ambien. Because I can’t stop freaking worrying.
With anything, there are always going to be people who legitimately need strong meds and people who abuse said medication.
Im in palliative care for cancer and even they for the most part are unaware of the horror of coming off some of these drugs is. I was told coming off of all the heavy opiates i was prescribed would be like the flu for a couple weeks. Haha the flu huh? The withdrawals rival any of the brutal surgeries and procedures i had from the cancer if not worse.
I was prescribed Xanax in the beginning but it didn't do much for me. Thank God because those withdrawals are even worse. I just can't imagine it being worse. Withdrawal is shockingly terrible.
I was an opioid addict for 5 years. One single time I decided to buy what I thought was a xanax, and it is still the biggest mistake I've made in my entire life. I was found by my roommate standing in front of the freezer eating frozen fruit straight from the bag. He said he had never seen that look in my eyes before, and he's been my best friend of 15 years and saw me through my entire opioid addiction. I completely lost 12 hours of time and am physically incapable of remembering anything about that day. I was lucky to not die, especially because I was on opioids as well. It feels so damn good to be sober.
That wasn't a benzo.
@@nochannel1q2321 well, I think it could have been some research chemical benzo from god knows where. You’re right though, it without a doubt was not 2mg of alprazolam like I thought it was.
@@Luke24160 bro 12 hours? that sounds like flubromazolam. crazy potent with an unreal halflife
@@bijumbasph6445 yeah it was disgusting and terrifying. I have no real benzo knowledge so I can’t confirm that, but it sounds like it could have been what it was. Super scary.
The withdrawal is easier to manage than opioid withdrawal, use pregabalin for seizures and wine for pain
gotta say the amount of sedation flubromazolam, clonazolam, temazepam and others have is a lifesaver for extreme insomnia, but yeah unless you need them they're horrible for you (a common theme along with the study drug episode and opioids)