I liked the easy slower voice better! 😁. We get already so anxious about a lot of things. Please slow it down! I gave your name to people for your easy voice! Thanks for all you do.
Thanks jk, I like the slower voice too. It's the more introspective me, and that's the part of me that connects. I agree about being so anxious. Thanks for the feedback, that helps. Take care, D :)
Thank Greg, That's a good point. We DO MOVE ON. I can attest to that. My life has been relatively normal these past few years. Still some symptoms and a wave now or then, but overall, not distressing, just annoying. I always have to remind myself of what it was like at the beginning, and how far I have come. And I have come VERY FAR. We heal. Take care, my friend, D :)
Hi D. Thanks for all that you do. You’ve been a huge help to me during my taper. I am down to .05 mg of klonopin from 1 mg. So I am almost done. I am having a bit of trouble with high blood pressure. I wonder if you could speak about this symptom in an upcoming podcast. Thank you, Gene
Hi Gene, Congrats! That's great news. Just remember, don't be in any hurry. Klonopin is a strong drug (0.5mg = 10mg Valium) and if symptoms increase at all at lower doses, it's okay to slow down a bit. That being said, please remember that I am not a medical professional and none of this is medical advice. I'm just sharing my layman's opinion. And yes, blood pressure can fluctuate during withdrawal. Mine lowered, for some it can raise. It's always good to get it checked out by your doctor just to be sure. I'll bring up the topic in a future episode. Thanks for the suggestion. Best, D :)
Hi Gene, I wish I could help you there, but tapering advice is one of the areas that is considered medical advice. I am not a medical professional, and cannot give medical advice. I can refer you to resources if you like. I have a 2-part podcast on tapering and BIC and other sites have some excellent articles on it. And , of course, there is the Ashton Manual. I've put some of these links below. Hope they help, D :) Podcast easinganxiety.com/blog/how-to-taper-from-benzos-part-1-of-2-bfp041/ easinganxiety.com/blog/how-to-taper-from-benzos-part-2-of-2-bfp042/ BIC www.benzoinfo.com/ Ashton Manual easinganxiety.com/blog/ashton-manual/
Wonderful video!! I was on klonopin 0.5mg at bed for 2 years. Did a 6 month taper and have been off since February. This drug left me with chronic insomnia. I have tried Lunesta, makes very tired the next day. I feel the only safe z drugs to take is Sonota, out of your system in 2 hours, no next day hang over. Not sure if your aware of the newest sleep medication called quivivic? Non addictive and can be take daily. Many blessings to you
Hi Michael, Thank you. Sorry for the delay. Took some time off over the holidays. I'm not aware of quivivic. I hope it works. Still, I must admit, I am very skeptical of new medications. They said (and many still say) that benzos are completely safe, and we know how that worked out. Take care and talk soon, D :)
You're welcome, Gary. Sorry that I didn't have more unique information on Z-drugs with tapering and symptoms. I was amazed at the how Z-drugs really do fall under the shadow of benzodiazepines. This was a good reminder and I'll keep pushing to report more on Z-drugs along with our work on benzodiazepines. Thanks. Talk soon, D:)
Happy to have your input, Gary. You can send me any references or details directly to my email at foster@easinganxiety.com. I'm happy to add information in future episodes of the podcast and on my blog which will be starting up again with the new website early next year. Thanks, D :)
Hope you are doing well D. I've been patiently waiting for the next podcast. Hope you are doing well. Wanted to know if you watched the Netflix Doc about Xanax, and if you did, what were your thoughts ?
Hi Mark, I'm doing pretty well. Just this nagging tinnitus, but like most symptoms, I will adjust and/or it will go away on its own. I haven't seen the Netflix Doc yet, because we don't have Netflix. But we did discuss it at length in one of our work group meetings yesterday. It sounds like the response was mixed. I'm going to hopefully catch it this weekend on a friends Netflix account. What were your thoughts? Best, D :)
@@easinganx To be brutaly honest, was very dissapointed in it. The lack of testimonials of people who are severely suffering was alarming. Doesn't really talk about the real dangers of long term use. Except for one gentleman, all the people who were featured in the doc still use Xanax daily or as needed. To me it was fluff. Talks mostly about anxiety and different ways to treat it, without using Xanax, which is good in a way, but I want more real life testimonials of people who are suffering to show that these drugs are very bad and can lead you down a road that most people can't walk down. I guess I was just expecting something more hard hitting, more alarm bellos going off. I alot of talk about addiction rather than dependancy, which was sad. I know that you guys are doing great things in Colorado and in New England and with BIC. But it seems like the rest of the world, doesn't realize or care about the problem. I am just frustrated about the lack of knowledge from Dr's and the rest of the medical community who prescribe us these drugs, but have no clue about to safely get us off. I am the one who had to inform my Dr about the Ashton manual, and how to safely taper. I just finished my cross over from 3 mgs of Ativan daily to 30 mgs of Valium daily. Brought in my script/schedual to the pharmacist and explained that this is from the Ashton Manual, and they had never heard of it. So my taper should begin shortly as per the Ashton manual, I will be removing 2mg per 2 weeks until I get down to the 16 mg mark, then 1 mg per 2 weeks untill the end. So I guess it will be close to a year long taper give or take, I'm excited to start the journey but also scared out of my mind from all the horror stories I have read. Sorry for the long rant. Happy holidays to you and yours Mark
Hey Mark, Great reply. Honestly, I've heard similar criticisms of the documentary. We had no influence over the narrative that the filmmaker took. John, who I think is the "one gentleman" you mentioned, was very concerned about that. He's a good friend of mine here in Colorado, and he works with out work group quite often. The excessive talk about "addiction" was one of the things that my colleagues mentioned. In the end, it helps raise awareness and didn't make things worse. But it sure sounds like it could have been better. Educating medical professionals is one of our key goals and we are working hard on it. But yes, we have a long, long way to go. Dr. Alexis Ritvo, who I co-chair the work group with, put together a 4-part continuing educate series this year all on benzos. Dr. Christy Huff and I presented one of the four modules. The good news is that we have recorded this presentation on video and it will be available for medical education online early next year. It's only a drop in the bucket, but every little bit helps. Thanks again for the wonderful feedback. And please, have a wonderful holiday too. Take care, D :)
@@easinganx doc was a waste, simple as that. It will long be forgotten . AS MENTION MANY TIMES TILL YOU GET Congressional hearings sadly not much won't be done
I'm stepping down. I never did supplements but I'm going from pharmaceuticals but trying to do less and less invasive things. I was taking two tablespoons of olive oil but I'm healing anyways. When I'm done healing I'll see what I need.
Hey Greg, Thanks for sharing. I tried a variety of things along the way, but honestly, found very few that helped much. I agree with the less invasive things philosophy. That's my approach too. D :)
Hi Mark, I think you are referring to the Peer Support Training Course, and if so, yes, that is definitely something we can look into. I would love to see the course go international. We launch Colorado first part of 2023 and national in the U.S. the second part of that, if things go as planned. After that, we'd love to work with other countries to expand. Now, I do want to let you know that this course is property of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, which is where the work group I co-chair resides. I can recommend and help steer the project forward, but it will be the final decision of the Consortium about its long-term direction. Great question, though, and thanks for asking. D :)
@@easinganx so much to know about this posion. . Great job Quick question the use of phenobarbital of any help in at least getting the process started ..I have heard so much conflicting info on this
Hey Gary, There is a lot of controversy about pheno and honestly, it's not used that often anymore for benzos. Most of its use is a carry over from use for withdrawal from other addictive medications, and if there is any benefit it is usually very short-lived. Flumazenil is more common for benzos, but it has its own set of complications, and much like pheno, it usually does little for protracted withdrawal (BIND). Wish I had better news. Remember that I am not a medical professional, so none of this is medical advice. Please work with your doctor on this. Best, D :)
Hi annaberg... I'm not sure what you mean by "trap out." If you are referring to how to cut it down for tapering, then there are several methods. I did a two-part podcast on tapering a while back. Here's the link if you are interested. Wish you well, D :) Part I: easinganxiety.com/blog/how-to-taper-from-benzos-part-1-of-2-bfp041/ Part II: easinganxiety.com/blog/how-to-taper-from-benzos-part-2-of-2-bfp042/
I wish you the best with the Sonata and hope it helps you. Please remember that it is still a Z-drug and can have similar effects to benzos hen taken long-term. Please take care, D
