Many people experiencing this devastating illness know without a doubt from their own experience, especially if they have the wherewithal to do their own research, that these drugs have made them very ill. But convincing their doctors, family and caregivers of the real cause can be very difficult.
It’s important to understand why this drug-induced illness is not yet widely recognized, and why severe neurological symptoms lasting months and years are generally not yet being attributed to drug effects.
Research does reveal the scope of damaging effects of these drugs, but most doctors, even psychiatrists who prescribe them every day, are still unaware of all the implications and related phenomena including tolerance withdrawal and inter-dose withdrawal.
Most believe that benzo withdrawal lasts a period of several weeks at most, with a short taper, like opiate withdrawal. This is NOT the case. Symptoms from benzos and withdrawal often last much longer, and short tapers can have devastating effects.
Psychiatrist Josef Witt-Doerring states that the term BIND (benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction) although accurate, is not used on the drug labels, so few physicians are aware of it. What people are experiencing is a protracted withdrawal lasting many months or several years. But because the term “protracted withdrawal” can be confusing, here is how he describes it:
“It’s a severe neurological reaction to a medication. It’s only recently been recognized. They’ve only recently been putting it on the drug labels. Here are (a few of many of) the symptoms: severe neuropathies, sensory abnormalities, balance problems, ear ringing, anxiety and depression. People don’t really know what the clinical time course is. Only recently recognized, it’s in the labeling for all the benzodiazepines now since 2020. “
Research on benzodiazepine withdrawal was pioneered by Dr. Heather Ashton, and her manual is still the essential reference for protocols for safe discontinuation of these drugs. It was first published in 1999:
BENZODIAZEPINES: HOW THEY WORK
AND HOW TO WITHDRAW (aka The Ashton Manual)
PROTOCOL FOR THE TREATMENT OF BENZODIAZEPINE WITHDRAWAL
Medical research information from a benzodiazepine withdrawal clinic
Professor C Heather Ashton DM, FRCP
Revised August 2002
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See the Resources page here for links to more research.
waves and windows 