Just a thought about those who say they’re doing okay being on benzos or other psych drugs. I know someone who thinks he’s okay with a benzo but can’t sleep without it, and has “anxiety disorder” and chronic fatigue. Who knows what other symptoms are being judged as relatively okay but are far from it.
I think many people are so used to feeling chronically unwell as a baseline, that many problems are going under the radar. And what are likely drug effects are often assumed to be conditions that require drugging. Absolutely backward.
This is not to say that we should fixate on or enlarge our perception of problems. But to know what a healthy body and mind can be, to discern when something is really off, and not be satisfied with meaningless diagnoses.
I’ve kept a drug/symptom diary for many years, so I can get a better idea of the timing of symptoms relative to drugs. Even then, it took me nearly 50 years before I made the connection to benzos as the common denominator and culprit in all my multitude of intense and mysterious symptoms.
It amazes me how many people are ok with accepting the kinds of diagnoses which are really just descriptions of symptoms that don’t say anything about what’s causing them. Use the Latin word for a symptom you obviously know you have, and voila it becomes legitimized as a “diagnosis” with no further investigation.
I might use a Latin term, though.. Iatrogenic injury. Or drug-induced injury, I don’t care what language it’s in, that tells it like it is.
waves and windows 