Benzos
I thought I would put a page together on benzo information and benzo withdrawal in particular since I have more collected info about this class of drug than the other 4 classes of psychotropic meds I’ve withdrawn from. Basically benzos and now antidepressant drugs are the two classes of drugs for which there is really quite a lot of info on the web regarding withdrawal. It’s still mostly anecdotal and not studied, but it’s been recognized much longer that there are severe problems with withdrawing from these two class of drugs so it’s easier to collect information regarding such.
So here is a small collection of articles and stories that deal with just benzos. Please visit my about page for a larger picture of how to safely withdraw from these drugs where lifestyle changes are talked about and several books are mentioned to help one support body/mind and spirit. Much about withdrawal remains the same in each class of drug. So for more info please to visit the About page.
- Benzo Withdrawal—Heather Ashton Manual Not the final word on benzo withdrawal as some would have you believe, but her tips work for a lot of people. Some people really need to go MORE SLOWLY….and valium backfires for some.
- Water Titration for slow and controlled withdrawal
- Klonopin/Valium crossover explained
- Benzo Land
- The truth about benzos — a post with lots of links to other posts about benzos.
- SSRI and Benzo withdrawal symptoms lists
- Warnings of the dangers of benzodiazepines hit the media
- More media coverage
- Natural sleep or generally soothing supplements
- Return of the benzos
- The truth about benzos
- Mother’s little helper — America’s love affair with benzos
- Wikipedia on benzos
Personal benzo stuff:
- Starting off with a Klonopin taper (later I did switch to Valium which is often, but not always easier—depends on the individual)
- Cross-over story
- Cross-over story in progress
- Withdrawal continues
- Question posed on a benzo board
- Personal Update 12/09
Recovery Stories:
- Cindy’s recovery from long-term benzo dependency
- Jayme’s method of dealing with anxiety
- Recovery stories from all sorts of psych drugs here
Good books on how to deal with anxiety:
- The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner’s Treatment Guide to Using Mindfulness, Acceptance, And Values-Based Behavior Change Strategies — this book is for practitioners and I personally found it more useful than the workbook. It’s got tons of exercises in it on a CD and it explains it to the professional.
