Pharmacist Talks Deprescription, Training, and Benzo Harm

Dr. Jolene Bressi PharmD, PMP completed her degree at St. Joseph’s University in 2003. She has a diverse practice background with over 20 years of experience in community, hospital, industry, and managed care pharmacy practice, working with groups at McNeil Consumer Healthcare, CVS, Rite Aid, Benecard PBF, and Appriss Health. She has worked on controlled substance management programs over the previous decade to ensure best practice utilization for large patient groups.
Learn more at benzoreform.org

[@shan4145]

🙇🏻‍♀️📝📑 thank you both! Love Shanda 💁🏻‍♀️🇨🇦

[@jeanmank742]

I am nearly 68 (female) and have been on benzos since the late 1970s. I have had four forced cold turkeys and rapid tapers over the past 15 years. I suffered seizures and every benzo withdrawal symptom there is. Sheer hell. At this point, I do NOT want to stop. My alcoholic mother put me on dexxies at age four (1964) to make me lose weight. I have been sick all my life. Yes, my whole body. I am also on GI meds and other psych meds. I am so glad you two even exist. Bless you. Where I live, though, is very rural and undereducated. Medical personnel treat everyone like opiate addicts no matter what. I don't take those. Is it wrong of me to stay on 1 mg Klonopin, until the apocolypse?

[@ethancowart6765]

the fda should work on getting or designing a medication that is a partial antagonist of a benzodiazepine / gaba receptor. for people wanting to come off benzos. just like they make Suboxone for people coming off of opiates. its a partial antagonist on the opiate receptor . so its easier to come off of and less side effects and easier to taper. I dont know if something like that would ever be possible . im not a chemist or anything but yea . theoretically makes sense . who wants to help me make one ??

[@brandonjvl1987]

There are partial agonist benzos.... A popular one is called Nordazepam (desmethyldiazepam). It's a metabolite of diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, clorazepate, medazepam, and a few others. It's a very long active metabolite with a half life of up to 200hrs. Hence the reason for why diazepam (valium) is used for withdrawal of alcohol, benzo, and sometimes opiate withdrawal. There are other partial agonist out there as well but nordazepam is the most known. Hope this helps!