There’s really nothing one can say about the withdrawal that can describe it. It feels like you’re going insane, and then a seizure and you wake up in a hospital.
@@xmor3anx My hands were tingly but I don’t recall anything off about my feet. Well, I did have to learn how to walk again after the seizures, but that’s not really a problem with the feet lol.
@@dethkon I have that too. I just started taking supplements, and I had better focus supplements, definitely helping counteract the effect of the benzos.
12 + years Xanax free after 2mg for sleep for 10+ years ✊Xanax is very dangerous without proper care. My Sister died from Xanax seizures.. Keep on keeping on ✊😇
In 2017, I was completely brought to my knees by the onset of really severe anxiety disorder. I was eventually diagnosed with PTSD. I have never been a frequent or heavy user of benzos, but I'm tremendously grateful that they exist. Thanks for making this to reintroduce some nuance. It's too easy for people to forget that mental illness can be, and often is fatal. It's sometimes justified to use higher risk drugs. Being given PRN benzodiazepines was not some kind beginning of an inexorable decline into drug addiction....it made me comfortable enough to keep living.
If you truly knew the hell that drug brings to other human beings, you wouldn't be saying that. There are other ways to treat disorders, than to give out benzos, which are mild muscle relaxers that damage the nervous system. (Heavily!) Benzos are poison. Just because a poison makes you feel better doesn't mean you should take it. I am one who is permanently disabled from benzos. I can hardly walk and I'm 2 years clean.
Literally nothing would happen. The ones I do have are expired. I don't "need"them...that's kind of my point. That you can take these drugs without becoming addicted, and they shouldn't be vilified..because I might not be alive if there hadn't been a way to make existing more tolerable;e when I was extremely SICK.
I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW OMG. Preface, I don't get addicted to benzos. I could become dependent if I let myself, and suffer withdrawal, but not addicted. I don't like the way they make me feel. I have occasional (3-6 weeks apart) issues with convulsions keeping me up at night, and they're bad for like 2-3 hours. The only thing that calms the nerves is alcohol. So I get anxious, give up trying to sleep, and look for alcohol. And I rly don't want to drink a cocktail at 2am!! So I begged like 5 doctors for Klonopin, which I know works very well, but none of them gave me any help. Out of nowhere I got a ton of Klonopin from a dr who actually listened. As of today I haven't taken a single pill from that bottle, but just KNOWING I HAVE THEM gives me peace of mind to keep trying and calm down
I have been on benzodiazapines since my daughter was 18 months(she is now 36 years old). I wish that I had been put on meditation instead instead of medication.Two years ago, I began tapering off Xanax.I didn't realize I was tapering, I just knew that I felt more anxiety when I took it. I was having stroke-high blood pressure events which took me to the emergency room in an ambulance, 30 times in two years. My sodium levels were crashing a lot.This past summer, I had a seizure that the ambulance workers thought was a stroke. My bp was going into the 200's. I honestly can't understand how I have survived for the past two years. I had horrible withdrawal symptoms that felt like MS and so I was tested for that. Yes, numbness, sharp shooting pains(especially in my feet), feelings of depersonalization and derealization, restless legs, extreme nausea, feeling like my eyes are not focusing properly, feeling like I am on a rocking boat, crying spells, rebound panic attacks are only some of the symptoms I have been having for a few years now. I strongly advise that people also check out jenniferswanphd on you tube, because she is a doctor, who is also going off of benzos and understand and explains the hell that it is to do so, much better than I can. The symptoms are horrific and varied from withdrawal.I think that my doctors were irresponsible in allowing me to have these drugs from my twenties into my sixties.We now know that more than 2 weeks on them is dangerous. I have no memory of much of my life or raising my children. Benzos erase your memory and can even cause Alzheimers. I would not ever take another one, even for a horrible panic attack. I listen to Michael Seeley hynosis on you tube, or meditation music and it goes away if I don't add fear into the bodily sensations. Maybe taking one a few times a year could help, but I think we should learn to deal with our anxiety, grief, etc. That is what I am doing now and it is so empowering.
I was going to therapy for meditation and CBT and that's how I ended up on benzos anyway!! And all I had was cortisone withdrawal I shouldn't even have gotten. It's insane. After 5 days use my brain was fried.
They of course did not inform Doctors.s back 20or less years ago ,bad move, very deadly move,not to question big pharma after so many more stilldo not ..I doubt it much now,After CV 19
My lord you have endured so much. It's inhumane what you've gone through. I suffered for 6 months of Xanax cold turkey withdrawal, but I was only on it for two years. I didn't think I would heal, but I did. I felt like I had a demon who was pushing the same intrusive thought into my mind every moment of everyday for so long, it felt like pure insanity and pure terror at that same time, all day. It finally healed after so long, but it left me with hardcore PTSD.
Man, that seems to be what I've been experiencing lately. I'm 37 and have been on xanax XR since I was 18. I take 4mg every day, but lately I'm a wreck, I'm scared, I'm anxious, I'm having panic attacks, I can't think or make decisions. It seems like nobody cares either and I don't have friends or family that talk to me anymore. I feel like the only way out is to kill myself because I'm being so bluntly honest with everyone from the family I do talk to once in awhile, to doctors, to my therapist, to the PA who's prescribing me my xanax (though she wants me off, but wants to do a fast taper) and every day I just break down and ball my eyes out. I see no hope no matter how much I try to tell myself that things will be ok, I try to say everything will be alright but my body and mind doesn't listen. I'm gonna lose my home and have nowhere to go, I can't maintain a job because of the anxiety and depression. I'm in extreme debt and I thought if I opened up to people who are supposed to help that I'd finally get the help and care I need, but nobody wants to listen. I also had open heart surgery when I was 24 and am on blood thinners for the rest of my life, which alot of meds they've wanted to use in the past won't work because it messes with my INR. I don't want to die, but I'm so far from being able to get out of this hole and I've gotta do it alone and I just can't. Every day I continue to move step by step closer to the edge and I'm eventually going to fall unless someone finally decides to actually care. I'm sorry you had to go through what you did for so long and I agree, I wish I'd never been put on xanax, I'd rather have the anxiety and work on better ways of getting through it. Now I've got to worry about dealing with the anxiety and on top of it withdrawal and pain from trying to get off a medication that people say is harder to do then herion and opiates. I can't believe I've come to a place in my life where I feel the only way to cope is to end it all. Never in a million years did I think this is where my life would be.
Why do you think millions of people are on it long term yet you don’t see any positive videos about it. Do you think everyone that takes it long term are all doing bad? Thanks
Exactly Don't take it for a few days. So anyone with all new health issues, especially neuropathy , mast cell diseases, allergies, and so so much more.
Um, don't stop taking the med if it makes your life better???? WTH is this kind of thinking. Are we SUPPOSED to not be on ANY drug that we have to keep taking? See the nonsense of this?
Cold turkey after 30 years of Xanax, it was horrible, couldn't walk for weeks, so many issues, worse time of my life, I finally feel normal after 5 years of being sober.
@kellymann2706 I’m so sorry you suffered for so long. Your comment made me feel not so alone. I wanted to die getting off benzos. I hope to feel “normal” soon. It’s been years.
I was on 6mg over 10 years. He missed a few points, it's dependent on how high the dose is, how long you've been on it, and how you come off it. 6mg cold turkey was insane! Maybe would sleep 1 or 2 hours every 3 days, akathesia still after 6 years and feeling my whole body was on fire.
@@jrman413 I took 1MG of Ativan for 1 week and it stopped working then upped my dose to 1.5 MG for 1 more week and it stopped working... and I was starting to feel very bad before my next dose ...so I started cutting down...The first symptom I had was a complete loss of strength..(i was changing snow tires and suddenly I could barely lift them)..I still had no idea what was wrong.... Then the next day I went outside and it as WAY too bright, I couldn't stand how bright it seemed ( like when your eyes are dilated at the eye doctor). and noises became unbearable, even dropping a pen on the ground would send huge shockwaves through my body.. Then, I basically stopped sleeping..I would get 5-8 hours of nightmare filled toxic sleep PER WEEK...( i would be jolted awake every time I dozed off in pure panic) this lasted for over 2 years and was pure hell. Sever head pressure, all my teeth hurt, vertigo, wavy lines in my vision, my teeth chattered for over 2 years nonstop, SEVERE sensitivity to hot and cold ( I couldn't take a shower because it felt like boiling water and the water hurt my skin), SEVERE anxiety ( I had to have people actually help me move around because I was at times literally frozen in fear) followed by bouts of SEVERE depression... I couldn't even move off the bed....I developed agoraphobia and also monophobia...SEVERE tinnitus.... I had constant flu symptoms, constant muscle spasms and twitching and restless leg syndrome at night, I lost 30 lbs from not eating. I felt like the world was not real..like I was somehow separate from the rest of the world... Of course I lost my 20 year career... I was drenched in sweat every night and had night blindness. I could barely walk to the end of the driveway at times. ( and before this I was in top shape running 10 miles at a time and lifting weights constantly)...I was literally begging God to kill me constantly..... but I just couldn't commit suicide....there were more symptoms but you get the idea. Si I basically took Ativan for about 2 weeks...This was also the first drug I had ever taken besides antibiotics.
@@jasonsenator6144would you have any advice on coming off of 5-10mg of Valium a day? I’ve been using it for about 2-3 years… I’ve been through withdrawals before (clean off opiates after 6 years on suboxone).
It’s hard to hear ppl who don’t know the ins and outs about meditation and medication treatments talk like Joe does. Millions of people listen to his show and take what he says to heart. I appreciate what he’s trying to do by bringing topics to light and he is funny 😆 but I cringe sometimes because psychiatrist’s have to deal with the misinformation that prevent trust from the public. Thank you for clearing up a lot of this interview. Jordan Peterson is a brilliant guy but has a kit of problems. ❤
Prevent trust? How about giving proper informed consent to the drugs you are using. Tell them they can cause chronic akathisia and leave you torture on earth for eternity. Even anhedonia and a host of other crippling neurological symptoms. Not worth the risks! One of me is too many.
I think maybe good doctors like you Syl have a blind spot because they are out there and they are causing harm. Tapering off of Xanax (myself) is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
Fuck psychiatrists. I was severely damaged by being cold turkeyed off a long term benzo prescription. Psychiatrists do real damage to people if they’re not careful. Especially, the ones that cry victim when offered any kind of criticism of their profession.
I fully support Joe and Jordan being so critical and saying these things are dangerous and are handed out dangerously like tic tacs. I honestly think it is safer to just drink if you’re having such anxiety you haven’t slept in days. It is SO easy to just start taking these regularly and become dependent on them because you think that it is safe because the doctor prescribes it to you. These are PILL VERSION OF ALCOHOL except it’s even easier to become dependent on them because you’re a bit more functional. But the withdrawals are EVEN WORSE and can last a year or more! Only in the most extreme cases cases and for short periods of time should these be taken. Be careful!
Just smoke a joint or take an edible if you're concerned about lung health. In terms of risk factor I believe it has the least risk unless you have a dormant mental illness that can be triggered via the psycho active component. Even CBD/CBN are pretty good for anxiety/sleep without the psycho active effects of THC if you are afraid you have a dormant disorder/just don't want to get high.
@@Rubiks.Cube89 you can die from benzo withdrawal. And yeah alcohol withdrawal is absolutely agonizing, but benzo withdrawal can go on for a year or more. Alcohol withdrawal does not.
@@Redsoxman9991 i know them both very well. And yeah you're right I forgot that they are the two you can die from, I don't know why I thought benzos was not one of the two they always talk about. Probably because I'm still recovering from both tbh
Canadian here. First time I went into the doctor for a panic attack, they offered me Ativan. Within 5 minutes. About the time it would take for me to get a tic tac. I managed to say no. Glad.
I’m 33, been on Xanax or Valium for about 2 years. Every time I’ve tried to come off I’ve decided life’s not worth living. I get so depressed mentally. So the positives of Xanax for Me ( like happy mood, sociable, calm, not overthinking, good sleep etc made me stay on them. I’m on between 4-6mg a day now. I went to rehab, tapered off Valium and lasted 30 days clean. The worst 30 days of my life even exercising 1hr everyday , eating healthy. With the withdrawals. I didn’t sleep for about 5 days. Zero sleep. Anxiety through the roof, brain fog. Could barely hold a social Conversation, loss of desire for enjoyable things, impending doom etc. I’m gonna start another taper now and this time get an SSRI and cbd oil ( I normally just go straight onto Valium and taper the vals) and just cut the Xanax. wish me luck!
You can do it I’m 34 bout to be 35 and I’ve been on some sort of benzo for around 10 years. I got up to 4mg daily of Klonopin but have taken all of them. I tapered with Klonopin extremely slowly from 2mg down to 0 in 6 months. I’ve been off for 3 months and deciding whether to continue off or not. I’ve been okay I exercise a lot and work everyday but it can be a struggle. Also I quit drinking over 11 months ago. All that work to get off I don’t want to go back but this Dr won’t prescribe more than 2 mg and my tolerance will get higher than that and then they don’t work the same almost feel more anxious cuz I feel like I need more and can’t take more. Good luck bro you got this!
Great reaction buddy. He's gone into a bit more detail in other interviews about how they did try and taper him down, but that he had an inverse reaction that led to akathisia for a few months. Do you know how common akathisia is? Is that something you could elaborate on in another video? Cheers.
I really appreciate how open you are about benzos and how realistic your approach is too. I have PTSD and I’m so grateful that my psychiatrist is open to them being used as needed. He gave me guidelines for how many are reasonable to use per week (a specified number for good weeks and a slightly higher number for bad weeks), but with the long term goal being that I won’t need them at all. The psychiatrist makes sure I’m still seeing my clinical psychologist every other week, and I mark on my calendar which days I use benzos on to keep track of it (and so my psychiatrist and clinical psychologist can check the amounts too). I feel like other doctors I’ve seen think of benzos as them just making you feel really good etc, but for me it means that I don’t end up in a freeze response for hours at a time. They don’t make me feel good; they keep me from losing literal hours of my day stuck in frozen terror. They keep me functional - for now at least, because one day I won’t need them to be functional 🤞🏻 They’ve honestly made my life so much better, and all it took was a psychiatrist who was willing to give me a chance to prove that I could be trusted to use them responsibly. As a side note: this is all in conjunction with an evolving medication regime outside of just the benzos, but this comment is long enough without going into all of that too 😅 In any case, thank you for making videos about different medications - they’re really interesting and your thoughts and opinions are always refreshing 🤗😇✨
Please be careful. Drugs don't make your life better, and thinking that they do is the slippery slope that creates many an addict. They might help you forget the bad for a while, but the problem with "one day I won't need them to be functional" is that your body will one day show you that you need them even more to be functional, and you won't realize that until you think you don't need them anymore. Please be careful. Your comment is well-meaning, but also a naive mindset which led me down a bad path.
@@scottmatznick3140 I have a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist both monitoring my progress very closely, and have done for a couple years now. I’m very aware of the risks involved and wouldn’t be using these medications without close and consistent medical supervision. I’m under no illusions as to what they do; and I WISH they could make me forget the bad stuff for a while, but they don’t. They just mean that I can leave my house without having panic attacks or going into prolonged freeze responses, both of which will get better over time with trauma therapy from my clinical psychologist (that I see every other week). I appreciate that your comment is well intentioned too, but I assure you I have not entered into a treatment plan with my psychiatrist and clinical psychologist without being fully aware of the risks involved and without knowing what my psychiatrists long term goals are for me medication wise. I’d always recommend everyone have a medical team which they work with and are monitored by closely to avoid any habit forming behaviour.
I’m not sure what the success rate and the complications is for someone who has taken Xanax 2mg for 35 years is. I can tell you that I started having panic attacks at 11 years old and my mom had panic attacks and she feared that I was going through the same thing. My parents took me to a Psychiatrist and I was prescribed Xanax and it was okayed by my pediatrician also. I don’t believe anyone knew just how dangerous this medication was at that time and I was told to take it when I would have a panic attack. I never wanted to take the medication so I would get books and any information (before the internet) I could find to learn about anxiety disorders and how to get them to stop 🛑.That was my goal since day one and I can honestly tell you that I personally knew more about panic attack’s and meditations and what breathing techniques people could do and how to taper off properly and safely than the resident Psychiatrist and medical staff in my area did,most of the terms I explained to them different ways and schedules to properly especially when patients are being tapper off because off,most doctors don’t know how dangerous it is especially for long term patients who have been taking the medication for so long. Five years ago My mother suffered a severe stroke and multiple seizures because her doctor wasn’t comfortable prescribing just that medication to her anymore, and told her good luck finding a psychiatrist to prescribe it,I found her on her bedroom floor with a broken shattered shoulder and broken leg,unconscious since the night before. I can’t imagine the fear and panic she felt she is alive and just a few months ago got her shoulder replaced finally.After the death of my grandparents and brother I decided that I was not going to have Xanax controlling my life anymore and believe me it controlled my life completely. I tapered myself down it was hell that I put myself through for a year but I noticed that I was replacing that extra dose with alcohol to get my anxiety down, so now I’m fighting 2 things now. On this day July 11,2021 I made a plan to give myself 30 days to get off alcohol because I would need the Xanax for those withdrawals and then August 11 2021 was the last day I ever took a Xanax again.The anxiety and withdrawal symptoms don’t ever go away and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel or what I’m supposed to be experiencing because I’ve had Xanax running in my body longer than not having it. It wasn’t hard to get off of it,it is the relearning how to do things that are normally easy every day for everyone like writing,speaking,reading that has been the hardest thing for me. Everyone is different and I truly believe that we know our bodies the best,I personally know what makes me anxious and panic so going to a rehab was something that would not benefit me and would be worse, I was very grateful to find a psychiatrist that would agree to just help me with any issues that might arise and look over my plan and offer help if needed with my detox plan, I think that patients need to have more of a voice in their treatment plans and the medication that they are being prescribed,if doctors are prescribing medication that are chemically changing their brain activity a they should be aware of the risks associated with it and the options for a alternative natural treatment. I hope that this will give anyone out there that thinks it is impossible and the most terrifying thing to get off of Xanax some hope and inspiration ❤
For me, the shocking thing was to realize how how often Xanax is used for long term treatment in the US. I talked to a doctor here in Austria about it a couple of years ago and she said clearly, that in most cases she would put people with Anxiety disorder or regular panic attacks on SSRIs and only prescribe Xanax for 4 -5 weeks max until the SSRIs start kicking in fully because of the high risk of addiction to Xanax compared to SSRIs.
@@dethkon they certainly work, but differently. Instead of an immediate reaction it takes a few weeks for SSRIs to kick in. For that short amount of time only, Benzos should be given because in those weeks, the SSRIs can actually worsen the symptoms. SSRIs can’t be used as recreational drugs, if you meant that by „work“?
@@Jutsch80HD I’m just a frustrated anxiety patient. I find the supposed anxiolytic properties of SSRIs to be terribly ineffective, especially compared to benzodiazepines, which are highly effective (and dependence-forming, obviously). I really wish that modern medicine had a better solution to anxiety disorders, if they’re thinking about getting rid of long-term benzo prescriptions. SSRIs just are not going to cut it for most people.
@@dethkon I’ll look into the research but for me they helped greatly, for you apparently they didn’t help. But a sample of 2 people is worthless. Gonna look into studies
Benzos can be very dangerous but also could be the only thing that controls people’s seizures. When no other medication can. You also try to take the lowest dose and longest half life and slowest onset of action so less “addicting/habit forming”. Though they still can be. Banning them is ludacris as some conditions can only be treated by them such as certain types of seizures.
As a fellow benzo survivor, I'm very sure his experience with them have played a large role in formulating this advice. It's a hell that permanently changes you, even after recovery.
What symptoms do you have? Do you think they are flung to last forever? Has it got any better. I was on kpins for 10 years but I used them 1-2 times a week ( only for big social events). I had social anxiety. I haven’t taken a pill in over 6 months and other then some memory issues(I smoke weed every day that might be a contributing factor) I don’t have what most people describe. I don’t feel crazy withdrawal
@@fonzarellyplay370 It lasted two years, and I was still feeling some anxiety the third. It was the feeling of having a panic attack times 100 at all times of the day and night, straight for a year, and then with windows and waves the second. A lot of doom, dread, seeing things, and s*****l ideation. It's been over for a few years now, but there are twinges once in a while. It's changed how I see the world, and I don't take any little moment of peace or tranquility for granted anymore. Even if life is hard sometimes, at least it isn't benzo hard.
1981 …..in the US …..Jordan is a very stressful person ….he had all the backlash …and I believe his wife was also dealing with some serious health issues ….his daughter as well ….she seems great now …thank God ….I wish only the best for Jordan and his family …he has helped many many people …let’s cut the guy a break
Lost 17 years to Xanax living as a zombie. I honestly missed out on a normal life with my family. My kids missed out on having a real parent. stay away from benzos!
Stay away from shrinks. The other classes of psych drugs create similar dependency, just because the problem with those drugs hasn't been officially acknowledged, doesn't mean there isn't one. Psychiatry is a deadly scam.
@0 years ago I went through a very traumatic time that lasted a year. I was hospitalizwed and put on effexor, loxapine and ativan. I was told I had schizophenia but in later years was diagnosed with depression with psychosis when I get severely depressed. A year ago I came off effexor and loxapine because I developed Tardive Dyskinesia. I stayed on 2 mg of Ativan. The Ativan doesnt work any more and I will come off it as well. I feel better than I have in years. I am happier, smarter, emotionally stable and more active. i dont know why I stayed on those meds so long. Now I am dealing with minor TD in mouth and getting treated by naturopath and accupuncturist.
What is... TD? When you say TD in the mouth, I mean. I've been getting off bendezepines for several months after being on them for 13 years when I was, only 17 when they prescribed me to them. I have struggled with this, I don't even know how to put it into words exactly... Contortion of my mouth. Like my tongue tensing and pulling tightly to the back of my mouth extremely hard.
And I've just not known what you even call it, when going to the doctor. If there's treatment that gives it relief that you have any knowledge of I would really appreciate it If you could pass it along. Tx
she feels awful and would benefit from soft cuddles that don't have to lead anywhere she's anxious bc she can't get anything done and is grieving and embarassed to be ill take the focus off her deficits and know that she needs you never to judge do what she can do with her and make it fun I wish you both the best and hope there is some lil progress
Rogan is not wrong there- many doctors have historically handed it out like candy. I've only ever taken prescribed benzos in my life, and I've been on them for almost 20 years. Now with the new laws in the US, I'm terrified that a new psychiatrist I'll be seeing soon might try to take me off. It's too late for me, I have a heart condition and I don't think I'd live through even a taper given how I badly had reacted to taper attempts in the past. Maybe Australia is different, but in the US they certainly have been as available as tic tacs until Covid.
There is no way to accurately explain Benzo withdrawal to somebody who hasn’t been there. It’s like dying and going into the depths of hell. Nobody should be allowed to take them any longer than a week or two, if that! Im still in a state of what feels like a psychosis from the withdrawal. Severe sensory and tactile distortion. Dissociation to the point of daily amnesia - no sense of time, days, months or year. It’s just semantics but means nothing. You can’t focus on anything, you become completely emotionally detached from the world. Your family and friends become strangers, the world becomes terrifying. Constant sensory overload. Proprioception and interception issues, anhedonia, ME symptoms, severe screaming tinnitus, skin feels like constant sunburn. Loss of indentity, constant flashbacks of things bad things from your life for no reason, even flashbacks of bad dreams whilst awake. And on and on. I’m trying every hour to stay alive. Don’t take them
What you are describing reminds me on how it felt to be a junky, means mixing all the substance you can get including benzos and opiates. You literally become an alien and don’t recognize or remember who you used to be. Other people around you don’t respect you and after a while you look down on yourself too. Our rock bottom level is almost limitless and not always one can come back to normal even if you try your best. But it absolutely possible. But yes I know just the benzo alone is undesirable difficult because as a former junkie I knew I was in trouble, but not always the case with people on medication just benzo. You think you are a normal person until you releases you are not when trying to get off, or come to a point they doesn’t work anymore. Also people on benzo has been tricked by the doctor and never had a addiction problem. But the brain develop tolerance. And becomes dependent. But from a addiction perspective we have problems with both if you know I mean. The good news is when you rise yourself up from that hell you become “ professor “ in health and know the difference between good and bad in a deeper level than ever before. You have studied different forms of energies and view the word from a different angle and perspective. The pain and all the things you have gone through makes you realize who you truly are as you have experience all the contrast from the negative reflection of reality of yourself. The truth is nether good or bad but knowledge is comparing both side to each other. And from that I think balance is the most healthy state of mind. And to find the balance again I think we have to push the body and mind through exercise in different forms to get back to the natural self.
This sounds very VERY similar to my experience tapering off of Klonopin 2.5mg (daily taken for 10 years as prescribed) to 0mg within 3 months. Absolute nightmare.
Have you ever taken benzo's? How can you say they don't cause pain?! I'm withdrawing off benzo's and I'm in agony some days all over (it's not anxiety!!!)
I appreciate your video! Very insightful with a touch of humor to it. I like how you added professional expertise to their conversation without taking anything away from it. I work in foster care in Philadelphia at the moment and I’m trying to learn as much as I can about mental health along side learning about medications and there relationship with people. Thanks again for the video!
Xanax withdrawal is pure hell that plain and simple and unless you’ve gone through it you’ll never know I wish it upon nobody. I still suffer 10 years from the withdrawal.
I will never stop using Xanax, it saved my life. I would off myself without it. I have had CPTSD all my life to the point where I couldn't function at all, even after 27 years of therapy. I never drink so no worry there.
I hope JR was not talking over JP the whole time as it seems from this edit. Its tempting to focus on demonising benzos - whilst losing sight of the terrible situation ppl endure before - if - they get to benzos. Some ppl do not make it... there is good reason for benzos - and its good to be mindful of that as well
I'm 42yr old & have seen or had many different "PCP's" (Primary Care Physicians). About 8 yrs ago, I go see a new Dr., who had just started practicing medicine again (at age 81) after retirement. Anyway, I get to know him very well over the next few years and he finally tells me why Benzos are so "dangerous". He said: _"It's because they work _*_too well_*_ and NOTHING will ever compare to it's effectiveness in treating panic disorder."_ Thus, the patients only want benzos & never want to stop, which is obviously a problem.
Find your Monday medication videos helpful. Appreciate it. I'd be interested in topic on prescription stimulants in general or for performance enhancement purpose.
If you need ideas for more videos, I'd be super grateful for some on Autism. Specifically 'non-verbal'. Thank you so much for all your videos you make Dr Syl. You are thorough with your analysis and I learn so much from the information you share.
I think it’s wonderful that you seem to have a grasp on the potential risk of serious benzo withdrawal. And I’m making the assumption you would always share that information with the clients you prescribe them to. The unfortunate truth is that Jordan and many, many other people, including myself, were not informed of the risks associated with taking benzos. In fact, my doctor said he wouldn’t be worried if I just stopped taking it (this was after several years of daily use). Of course, you always should assess whether the benefits outweigh the risk. And benzos can absolutely be helpful for short durations in specific situations. However, that has not been the experience of many. And the whole taper schedule within the medical community is garbage. Like Jordan, it took me almost 2 years to taper off a low dose of a benzodiazepine. I’ve seen recommendations for tapers lasting a few weeks or months. It’s important that you know that a few weeks or months is not a doable schedule for many people. It can be a very, very long and uncomfortable process…and that’s more normal than you might think!
@@marcellustone The suite of benzodiazapine drugs have been one of the most prescribed group drugs since the 1970s. There is no way a competent psychologist is ignorant of them just because they aren't an MD. I have two friends who are psychologists who say Jordan Peterson was either the dumbest person to ever get a psychology degree or he's lying about drug seeking behavior because it would make him look bad.
INFORMED CONSENT is almost always missing and they’re over prescribed and prescribed for years and even decades when it should never be taken regularly for longer than 2 weeks. This stuff can destroy your brain and result in an anxiety like you cannot imagine and it’s inescapable for months or years. Doctors have ZERO idea. Muscle cramping, twitching, tightness. Heart palpitations. Blood sugar issues. Confusion. Extreme memory loss. Doctors prescribe it for insomnia; muscle cramps etc. Doctors really have no idea how horrific it can be. It’s NOT addiction. Your vocabulary clearly shies your ignorance. Physical dependence is nit addiction. For 50+ years this poison has destroyed lives. It’s nit new information. It creates lifelong customers who are broken and destroyed. Perfect business plan
I took for 5 days and I'm fried. My life is over at 25. And all I wanted was understand what was happening to me and therpay from cortisone that was given for clogged ears. I hate the medical community.
@@xy-qy2yg I’m sorry to hear that. That is very strange, I seem to be the only person in the world that has been on them for over 10 years (I took them once or 2 times a week) I haven’t taken. Pill in over 6 months and feel fine
@@fonzarellyplay370 you are very lucky. You have a strong brain, mine is very sensitive. I cannot handle alcohol and benzos are very potent alcohol basically.
@@xy-qy2yg are you doing better now days? It seems like we both are a very rare case when it comes to a substance. I pick on day out of the week or 2 weeks, I have social anxiety so any event that has the most amount of socialization i need to take my meds, then I take a 1-2 week break. It seems to me that was the best way to go about it so I won’t get addicted to
As crazy as this sounds, smoking cigarettes while withdrawing will help you feel normal. The nicotine competetively agonizes the NMDA receptor, and prevents glutamine (because benzo withdrawal is essentially glutamine excitotoxicity) from binding to the NMDA receptor. Also if you can get a psychiatrist to prescribe it, memantine is an alosteric modulator of the NMDA receptor and will similarly prevent glutamine from binding to NMDA receptor sites.
maybe it's harder these days but back in 2000s I had an 18 year old friend being prescribed xanax claiming anxiety. ofcourse he didn't really need them he was using them to get high. he said it was really easy to get them. needless to say he became a complete ghoul with insane anxiety, paranoia and sickness. ovbs he wasn't taking them responsibility by why did his doc ever think he needed them ? he was fine before, maybe not completely but nothing like what he became after. he was on them for agessss months. not everyone has a responsible doctor and is responsible themselves. maybe he was going to different docs I dunno. but stories like this are all over the place. when I was 17, I went to my gp asking for my contraception pill to be changed because I was feeling a little moody. she asked me about 3 questions (having never met me before) and concluded "I think you might be depressed." then prescribed me antidepressant. I DID NOT ask for them or even indicate that I wanted them. no talk of councilling, other treatments. I wasn't prescribed Xanax but if a doc is willing to throw antidepressants to a 17 year old with no further action ("hey maybe you might want to discuss this with your parents before you make a decision?"), I don't find Joe's statement hard to believe.
You ll find most doctors are incredibly defensive when this is insinuated. Why so many patients are gaslighted by their own doctors. The medical industry is like a cult. If you put across any constructive criticism, 9/10 times, their egos cannot deal with it, realising your industry that has been propped on a pedestal for years, is in fact awfully corrupt. This is not just about benzos or ssri s. This is ALL pharmaceuticals. Look at the damage the covid vaccine has caused and most doctors are still unwilling to take any kind of responsibility that has been caused to their patients, from THEIR decision making and the fact they chose to make money per shot, rather than consider safety for their patients.
It's actually true that doctors giving benzodiazepines to literally all patients right away if they have some unspecific psychiatric symptoms, even my doctors wanted to give it to me and I told her "fuck no!".
Jordan Peterson is 100% correct. I came off 6mg clonazapam after ten years cold turkey. I would have the same exact feelings of my whole body being on fire, would get jolts through my arms and legs. It's pure hell. Torture truly is. I'm just 6 years off and had to go in and get an Ashton Manuel taper because my local doctor wouldn't give me a taper when I was begging for life for one. Don't worry about the medication or whatever your trying to say to defend benzo use is exactly what they told me and I almost truly died. And just like Peterson said death would be much easier but for the love of my family I fight through this he'll. Just because your a doctor doesn't make you know what it's like to have cancer or something and unless your a dog who specializes I'm benzo use disorder you really should do some more research. Even if me and Jordan Peterson are the only two who's life's were destroyed by this drug, it still should be taken extremely seriously! It's far worse than opiate withdrawal by far. It's like if opiate withdrawal lasted two years every day, feels as hard as that first day.
Im addicted to benzos by my own stupid recreational use and I cant even fathom going back to a dose that strong daily was your doctor trying to murder you 6mg a day is insane not saying my use isnt problematic
Why did you come off as you described and expect not to have the symptoms? You could had died. I don't get the thinking process. And then you conclude by blaming the med???? That's a wild train of thought.
Been on benzos for 13 years. Been tapering off for 9 months now and it’s extremely difficult for me to function in society . I’ve been living off family the whole time and tried getting jobs only to have panic attack and not show up the first day. Family is growing impatient with me and I don’t know what to do I feel like I might end up homeless
I’m finally getting off my prescription at Price Roman which was prescribed to me over 30 years ago I’m down to 1 mg / 0 mg. Trying to fix what am I to use the first year was the Rangers I saw Everest specialist in Nashville for something that was unbearable. Typos not gonna fix it over in domino pains, muscle pain joint pains syringes horrendous. Yeah a lot of typos I’m dictating… 0 mg by April 2023… still experiencing withdrawal
When you're left to figure it out all alone and then get severely kindled by general anesthetic from a septorhinoplasty surgery that very nearly took my life and at the time wish it did. The complications of finding people on a diazepam prescription so I could find my tolerance then start tapering. Like trying to land a Boeing 747 without any knowledge and being blind. How the hell I figured it out is nothing short of a miracle
Hi! You said that in some countries there is not enough sun in winter and this increases the depressive state. Tell me, in your opinion, do I need to take melatonin or vitamin D as a preventive measure in winter?
Yea I was prescribed Benzodiazepine when I was disassociating at work. I was to take half when needed. Eventually I just didn't take them... Even though I may have needed them... But didn't want to go back to doctor.
I have been using .25 to .5 milligrams of Xanax or Valium for about a year now on an off, should I would worried about Xanax withdrawl? I have bad anxiety where I get really dizzy and lightheaded and can’t focus. When i take the benzo it calms all this down but now im getting anxiety thinking ill have crazy with drawls if I try to come off,
Have you ever taken benzos for a few weeks straight? Good luck with your books and degrees because you will be hooked. All that literature and logic goes out the window.
I was on them for about 10 years and haven’t taken a pill in over 6 months. I only took them 1-2 a week (only for big social events). I didn’t have any withdraw. I had some memory issues but I do smoke weed every day so maybe that was the reason but I feel fine
One comment: I take issue with the claim that anyone discontinuing Benzodiazepines (via a taper or cold turkey) : “is the hardest thing you will ever do in your life.” First, we need pit compare suffering or challenges and make someone’s suffering the “winning” suffering. With all due respect, so many many people hangs come to mind that I believe ARE worse and harder by far, though again it’s not “useful” to compare suffering. EG: , growing up in a war zone, being forced to be a child soldier, having your child murdered in front of you (or losing a child to any cause), accidentally killing someone while driving a car (and let us specify “not drunk”), killing other humans (soldiers not civilians) in war (because that was the remit, the duty); seeing one’s s fellow soldiers felled and you yours of living and losing a limb (or three), being tortured physically or psychologically or starved as a child (anywhere: in a “first” or “third” world country). It’s a small pint perhaps but it matters to a lot of people not to have their challenges written off as less difficult than benzodiazepine (use, via RX) recovery. ☮.
* we need ‘NOT’; rather than we need “PIT.” Sorry for the typo; and I cannot edit it just now in the original comment. Ditto “HANGS” which is “CHALLENGES.”
Quite curious about your thoughts on conversion disorder . Ive been researching it and came across your channel. Love your work! Salud 💛, from ☀️California, USA
Can someone explain to me how it is that you are a therapist and you have to know how it works and what the consequences are and you get yourself into trouble?
I don’t agree with you. I’ve been on Xanax very short term and on a very low dose and still had withdrawal symptoms. I don’t think it’s good for anyone to take tbh because the rebound anxiety is that much worse and it only masks the problem
Well, but very often people started taking benzo prescribed by doctors, and without any knowledge how dangerous it could be . What's more prescribed not by psychiatrist but just family doctor...what has happened to my wife...and what's the most important people left with dangerous information that you could taper it in 2 weeks...what in fact could be fatal.
I was dumb,a girl I was dating gave me bottles of Ativans. They really helped me for a few months. Now I don't know how to get off. I have epilepsy too
What happens if you don’t need Xanax but use it recreational here and there and mix it with weed? Do I suffer the same withdrawals as others that really need it because of anxiety or having it to use it to sleep?
Personally it depends on how long and how much you take at a time. Do you do it everyday or spaced out between weeks? If you feel different or have reactions when you don’t have it for a day or 3 then no matter what you are feeling with drawls, I would assume if you only take one or 2 every few days you won’t have severe withdrawals, but of course after a month or more of constant use then yes you are at risk. I don’t want to say that “everyone is different” but coming from personal experience I use to do 5-10 a day for 5 years and the withdrawals were the worst thing I could have ever gone through, I think I was on the verge of a fatal withdrawal due to my body giving up and shaking non stop and my eyes not tracking anything, I would look to the right but my eyes would follow 2-3 seconds later, very delayed vision. No memories, depressed, cold sweats, insomnia, crying, and fatigue. If you use them to get high and more than normal then again I would say yes it is possible you are at risk for withdrawal sypmtoms, I don’t know you personally or how much you take and for how long so I can’t say “fatal symptoms.” Marijuana goes hand and hand with Xanax it did for me as well, if anything Marijuana is what helped me get off of the Xanax, it helped me sleep, reduced my shakiness and calmed me down, only downfall is marijuana made me paranoid and induced some forms of anxiety. So it was a double edged sword but it did truly help me in the long run. I hope this helps and if there is anything I can say is just try to stop and lower the intake and use in moderation not recreational because recreational to me means everyday. If you have used Xanax for a whole month everyday then yes you will experience some forms of withdrawals. Keep your head up stay golden!
Dr Syl said it well. These medications are dangerous and also help some people. We all wish to live without medications, have no mental health issues but this is life and we have to live with it.
Psychiatrists may not hand it out like tic tacs but GP’s were here in the states for a long time because that’s how I got it. Xanax caused me to black out and drive a car! I didn’t hurt anyone but the fact that I could have devastated me and I never touched them again. Scary stuff
When I started taking benzos in 2001 they actually handed them out like tic tacs. Literally. Anybody could get them for any reason in the US anyway. Since then it's a lot different.
I was prescribed Xanax in 2005 -fresh off a 6 year OxyContin habit. I’m 43 now and wish I was never prescribed Xanax bc now I’m so many years deep. I want to taper but I’m afraid. I have had 3 major C spine surgeries (plus carpal tunnel on both hands) in the last 7 years so it’s about keeping pain low. As a recovered opiate addict despite chronic pain I can’t take opiates. Bit of a pickle im in here. The fear of protracted benzo WD scares me for my hard earned opiate sobriety….I sincerely appreciate that these convos are happening & the 411 in general is helpful. Ty!
Please do some videos on Bipolar Disorder. People so often think that I must be dangerous or psychotic because I take an antipsychotic (Seroquel) as a mood stabilizer. Can you also address "mixed" episodes? They are poorly understood, at least by many people. Thanks!
Interesting thoughts, charmingly expressed. This is the only time I felt unambiguously sympathetic to Jordan Peterson, what a terrible, terrifying ordeal to go through.
coming to this one after watching the girl who shared her manic episode. in America it is very hard to get help. you have to see the doctor enough times for them to believe that you are a danger to yourself, and instead of referring you to a psychiatrist or therapist, it's "here's some celexa" or two years prior "here's zoloft" they are just throwing darts in the dark. meanwhile, you could have PTSD from an abusive relationship or bipolar disorder that isn't helped by commonly prescribed SSRI's. i was diagnosed with manic depressive disorder at 15, when I was baker acted (florida Highschool). earlier this year, i was diagnosed with Persistant Depressive Disorder. so which one is it? are doctors just going to keep prescribing me different medications until it works, or to find out that it actually doesn't? All i want is to find help so I don't waste another decade.
Joe isn't completely wrong about them being handed out like tic tacs though. I think it should be looked at in context to how they are regulated in different countries. I live in South Africa and here it is incredibly easy to get yourself a benzo prescription. There are truly doctors out there that will prescribe them without a proper medical diagnosis or just because a patients feels they need them. The problem I have with this stuff is I don't think that a General Practitioner / Primary Care Physician should be allowed to prescribe them (here in South Africa and a few other countries they are allowed to). My PCP put me on them after diagnosing me with anxiety after a 5 minute examination. 3 months later I found myself in the emergency room having a heart attack because my symptoms were actually from coronary artery disease. Once again I was prescribed xanax for PTSD after going through a heart attack at only 31 years old. I have now been on them for about 2 years and can feel the dependence really kicking in. There's nothing I would love more than to get off benzos.
Marijuana/cannabis would be a much better alternative to Xanax in my opinion. I have sleep issues. In somnia and night terrors. I use cannabis Indica before bed. I fall asleep and stay asleep.
I have been addicted to Benzodiazepines for 38 years, and in a tapering program supervised by an excellent Psychiatrist. I'm going slowly with the tapering, but am down to 40 % of my regular dosage. My Doctor is being careful as my side effects are "mild" compared to someone stopping too fast. That can kill you, so this is not a DIY project!
Thank you so much for actually educating and informing about benzo use. Spreading Benzodiazepines phobia ain’t the solution as everyone’s mind/need are unique. With everything it’s important to way the pros and cons. Weigh the risks vs benefits. ❤❤❤
I was on Valium for 20 years on a dose of 10-100mg over that period, the last 10 years I was on 30mg per day due to a complete fuck-knuckle of a Psychiatrist who got me so used to the drug that I needed such a high dose of it for it to be effective. It was hell to come off of, I found coming off 200mg of Morphine Cold Turkey a damn site easier than coming off Valium. It took me a good 10 months before I could truly say I felt ‘normal’ - whatever the hell THAT is 🙄 I’m trying to learn what my new ‘Normal’ is not-sedated 😂
What doctor is going to hold your hand through withdrawal and constantly adjust your dose? That doesn't happen. Your insurance covers a 15 minute visit. "Talk to your doctor" is a great solution. It's just not practical. Your authoritative steepling says a lot. Rolling your eyes...Geeze.
Some doctors actually do. It's called a patient-driven taper. For example, a good doctor would convert 1mg of daily-use Xanax to 20mg of Diazepam and then have you reduce the dose by .5mg or less a week, sometimes going slower as the patient reaches 5mg or 10mg.
Xanex has been around since 1981 , and its been known its a bitch to come off .. for over 20 years its amazing that DR P had no clue . I think he's fibbing
I took prescriptions 4mg Clonazepam every night for 38 years , Quit CT .😱I’m in my 7 th year of fibromyalgia, bad akathisia and the rest of the long term bullshit from taking this MG🤬Drug .👊🙏
It is true that they used to hand them out like candy back in the early 20-teens! All you had to do was make up some anxiety BS an a hundred bucks ,an u would recieve a 90 count of 2mil bars
9:10 “If you ever want me to come with you to a GP or a doctor”. In the U.S. most GPs and doctors have no knowledge on benzo tapering. They only know how to prescribe them and take them away (cold turkey). I’m tapering on my own. 95% of doctors (even “sleep specialists” and “benzo informed” doctors) don’t know what the Ashton Manual is. That’s my litmus test. Prescribing benzos without informing patients of the nightmare withdrawal symptoms should be grounds for malpractice.
Kind of ironic that withdrawal can cause seizures yet i am prescribed Klonopin for my epilepsy. Plus they gave my wife Ativan to prevent her from going into status epilepticus. However, it is extremely helpful when my regular anti convulsants arent doing their job for a day or two
Valium at low dose ... is a really helpfull drug . Tolerance will follow with enough use but the upside is the long half life , meaning titration off the drug ,given enough time is really quite manageable. Valium can be very safely used for less than 10 days . That is quite a therapeutic window of time . The same can be said of opiates.. Addiction is in the person not the drug . Medicine in Australia right now has forgotten that ....with devastating results . Hopefully a more mature nuanced attitude regards medicating pain and anxiety may one day be reinstated.
I was way better off on my hydrocodone than I am on this benzo. It’s giving me tremors, seizures, dizziness, weakness, blurred vision, weight, gain, fatigue. I’m not the same person I used to be at at all. Dr. totally miss prescribed. Prescribed on a daily basis and hydrocodone was working for me for years and I much rather be on that at least I can function.
I just want to add that I don’t drink or do drugs at all and I haven’t been tapering. This is just because I haven’t raised my dosage. So just because I’ve been on the same dose for five years I’m starting to have withdrawal symptoms because if I don’t increase my dose, my body feels like it’s tapering.
Iv'e always said barbiturates were even worse than benzodiazepines due to them being lethal at low doses (theraputic index) and work on GABA aswell but fortunately we rarely see these these days, if at all.
Bro .. I'm 37, lived in Australia and long time and can say that they are often given out very easily. My first doctor threw Bromazepam at me regularly for years before I even realised it was a benzo and addictive. This has changed now but when this video was made, we were just coming out of that. In the US it was much worse than here. I witnessed it first hand bud. Obviously he's being hyperbolic about them being as readily available as tictacs BUT they were VERY easy to come by for many years.
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There’s really nothing one can say about the withdrawal that can describe it. It feels like you’re going insane, and then a seizure and you wake up in a hospital.
💯 these 22 year old doctors are a disgrace and should take their ass back to school
I just got off of them, 2 months ago, still getting back into the groove of things.
Did you have numb hands and feet
@@xmor3anx My hands were tingly but I don’t recall anything off about my feet. Well, I did have to learn how to walk again after the seizures, but that’s not really a problem with the feet lol.
@@dethkon I have that too. I just started taking supplements, and I had better focus supplements, definitely helping counteract the effect of the benzos.
12 + years Xanax free after 2mg for sleep for 10+ years ✊Xanax is very dangerous without proper care. My Sister died from Xanax seizures.. Keep on keeping on ✊😇
now you sleep without meds?
love the Dylan quote
In 2017, I was completely brought to my knees by the onset of really severe anxiety disorder. I was eventually diagnosed with PTSD. I have never been a frequent or heavy user of benzos, but I'm tremendously grateful that they exist. Thanks for making this to reintroduce some nuance. It's too easy for people to forget that mental illness can be, and often is fatal. It's sometimes justified to use higher risk drugs.
Being given PRN benzodiazepines was not some kind beginning of an inexorable decline into drug addiction....it made me comfortable enough to keep living.
If you truly knew the hell that drug brings to other human beings, you wouldn't be saying that. There are other ways to treat disorders, than to give out benzos, which are mild muscle relaxers that damage the nervous system. (Heavily!)
Benzos are poison. Just because a poison makes you feel better doesn't mean you should take it.
I am one who is permanently disabled from benzos. I can hardly walk and I'm 2 years clean.
What if u couldn't get them????even if they are giving u a better quality of life??.What if ???needing them yet cant???Then what??
Literally nothing would happen. The ones I do have are expired. I don't "need"them...that's kind of my point. That you can take these drugs without becoming addicted, and they shouldn't be vilified..because I might not be alive if there hadn't been a way to make existing more tolerable;e when I was extremely SICK.
2017 was six years ago dude. I'm not an acute phase of my illness. I have daily medication and most importantly, THERAPY.
I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW OMG.
Preface, I don't get addicted to benzos. I could become dependent if I let myself, and suffer withdrawal, but not addicted. I don't like the way they make me feel.
I have occasional (3-6 weeks apart) issues with convulsions keeping me up at night, and they're bad for like 2-3 hours. The only thing that calms the nerves is alcohol. So I get anxious, give up trying to sleep, and look for alcohol. And I rly don't want to drink a cocktail at 2am!! So I begged like 5 doctors for Klonopin, which I know works very well, but none of them gave me any help.
Out of nowhere I got a ton of Klonopin from a dr who actually listened. As of today I haven't taken a single pill from that bottle, but just KNOWING I HAVE THEM gives me peace of mind to keep trying and calm down
I have been on benzodiazapines since my daughter was 18 months(she is now 36 years old). I wish that I had been put on meditation instead instead of medication.Two years ago, I began tapering off Xanax.I didn't realize I was tapering, I just knew that I felt more anxiety when I took it. I was having stroke-high blood pressure events which took me to the emergency room in an ambulance, 30 times in two years. My sodium levels were crashing a lot.This past summer, I had a seizure that the ambulance workers thought was a stroke. My bp was going into the 200's. I honestly can't understand how I have survived for the past two years. I had horrible withdrawal symptoms that felt like MS and so I was tested for that. Yes, numbness, sharp shooting pains(especially in my feet), feelings of depersonalization and derealization, restless legs, extreme nausea, feeling like my eyes are not focusing properly, feeling like I am on a rocking boat, crying spells, rebound panic attacks are only some of the symptoms I have been having for a few years now. I strongly advise that people also check out jenniferswanphd on you tube, because she is a doctor, who is also going off of benzos and understand and explains the hell that it is to do so, much better than I can. The symptoms are horrific and varied from withdrawal.I think that my doctors were irresponsible in allowing me to have these drugs from my twenties into my sixties.We now know that more than 2 weeks on them is dangerous. I have no memory of much of my life or raising my children. Benzos erase your memory and can even cause Alzheimers. I would not ever take another one, even for a horrible panic attack. I listen to Michael Seeley hynosis on you tube, or meditation music and it goes away if I don't add fear into the bodily sensations. Maybe taking one a few times a year could help, but I think we should learn to deal with our anxiety, grief, etc. That is what I am doing now and it is so empowering.
I was going to therapy for meditation and CBT and that's how I ended up on benzos anyway!! And all I had was cortisone withdrawal I shouldn't even have gotten. It's insane. After 5 days use my brain was fried.
They of course did not inform Doctors.s back 20or less years ago ,bad move, very deadly move,not to question big pharma after so many more stilldo not ..I doubt it much now,After CV 19
Did a doctor taper you off slowly over years or did you do it yourself or how did you get off it and how quick?
My lord you have endured so much. It's inhumane what you've gone through. I suffered for 6 months of Xanax cold turkey withdrawal, but I was only on it for two years. I didn't think I would heal, but I did. I felt like I had a demon who was pushing the same intrusive thought into my mind every moment of everyday for so long, it felt like pure insanity and pure terror at that same time, all day. It finally healed after so long, but it left me with hardcore PTSD.
Man, that seems to be what I've been experiencing lately. I'm 37 and have been on xanax XR since I was 18. I take 4mg every day, but lately I'm a wreck, I'm scared, I'm anxious, I'm having panic attacks, I can't think or make decisions. It seems like nobody cares either and I don't have friends or family that talk to me anymore. I feel like the only way out is to kill myself because I'm being so bluntly honest with everyone from the family I do talk to once in awhile, to doctors, to my therapist, to the PA who's prescribing me my xanax (though she wants me off, but wants to do a fast taper) and every day I just break down and ball my eyes out. I see no hope no matter how much I try to tell myself that things will be ok, I try to say everything will be alright but my body and mind doesn't listen. I'm gonna lose my home and have nowhere to go, I can't maintain a job because of the anxiety and depression. I'm in extreme debt and I thought if I opened up to people who are supposed to help that I'd finally get the help and care I need, but nobody wants to listen. I also had open heart surgery when I was 24 and am on blood thinners for the rest of my life, which alot of meds they've wanted to use in the past won't work because it messes with my INR. I don't want to die, but I'm so far from being able to get out of this hole and I've gotta do it alone and I just can't. Every day I continue to move step by step closer to the edge and I'm eventually going to fall unless someone finally decides to actually care. I'm sorry you had to go through what you did for so long and I agree, I wish I'd never been put on xanax, I'd rather have the anxiety and work on better ways of getting through it. Now I've got to worry about dealing with the anxiety and on top of it withdrawal and pain from trying to get off a medication that people say is harder to do then herion and opiates. I can't believe I've come to a place in my life where I feel the only way to cope is to end it all. Never in a million years did I think this is where my life would be.
For any of you that think your long term benzo use is not a problem, try going without them.
Why do you think millions of people are on it long term yet you don’t see any positive videos about it. Do you think everyone that takes it long term are all doing bad? Thanks
@@fonzarellyplay370well it’s been ruining my memory and making me apathetic. So even without withdrawals, Valium is not helping my mental health
Everybody who does benzos do worse or will do worse, there is no other way@@fonzarellyplay370
Exactly
Don't take it for a few days. So anyone with all new health issues, especially neuropathy , mast cell diseases, allergies, and so so much more.
Um, don't stop taking the med if it makes your life better???? WTH is this kind of thinking. Are we SUPPOSED to not be on ANY drug that we have to keep taking? See the nonsense of this?
Withdrawal from benzo was HELL ON EARTH. You simply cannot describe it.
Cold turkey after 30 years of Xanax, it was horrible, couldn't walk for weeks, so many issues, worse time of my life, I finally feel normal after 5 years of being sober.
@kellymann2706 I’m so sorry you suffered for so long. Your comment made me feel not so alone. I wanted to die getting off benzos. I hope to feel “normal” soon. It’s been years.
It took me about 3 years of literal HELL ON EARTH to finally recover from short term benzo use. The symptoms were horrific and nonstop.
I was on 6mg over 10 years. He missed a few points, it's dependent on how high the dose is, how long you've been on it, and how you come off it.
6mg cold turkey was insane! Maybe would sleep 1 or 2 hours every 3 days, akathesia still after 6 years and feeling my whole body was on fire.
What symptoms did you have? How long was a short term use for you?
@@jrman413 I took 1MG of Ativan for 1 week and it stopped working then upped my dose to 1.5 MG for 1 more week and it stopped working... and I was starting to feel very bad before my next dose ...so I started cutting down...The first symptom I had was a complete loss of strength..(i was changing snow tires and suddenly I could barely lift them)..I still had no idea what was wrong.... Then the next day I went outside and it as WAY too bright, I couldn't stand how bright it seemed ( like when your eyes are dilated at the eye doctor). and noises became unbearable, even dropping a pen on the ground would send huge shockwaves through my body.. Then, I basically stopped sleeping..I would get 5-8 hours of nightmare filled toxic sleep PER WEEK...( i would be jolted awake every time I dozed off in pure panic) this lasted for over 2 years and was pure hell. Sever head pressure, all my teeth hurt, vertigo, wavy lines in my vision, my teeth chattered for over 2 years nonstop, SEVERE sensitivity to hot and cold ( I couldn't take a shower because it felt like boiling water and the water hurt my skin), SEVERE anxiety ( I had to have people actually help me move around because I was at times literally frozen in fear) followed by bouts of SEVERE depression... I couldn't even move off the bed....I developed agoraphobia and also monophobia...SEVERE tinnitus.... I had constant flu symptoms, constant muscle spasms and twitching and restless leg syndrome at night, I lost 30 lbs from not eating. I felt like the world was not real..like I was somehow separate from the rest of the world... Of course I lost my 20 year career... I was drenched in sweat every night and had night blindness. I could barely walk to the end of the driveway at times. ( and before this I was in top shape running 10 miles at a time and lifting weights constantly)...I was literally begging God to kill me constantly..... but I just couldn't commit suicide....there were more symptoms but you get the idea. Si I basically took Ativan for about 2 weeks...This was also the first drug I had ever taken besides antibiotics.
@@jasonsenator6144would you have any advice on coming off of 5-10mg of Valium a day? I’ve been using it for about 2-3 years… I’ve been through withdrawals before (clean off opiates after 6 years on suboxone).
Did u hVe numb hands and feet to
It’s hard to hear ppl who don’t know the ins and outs about meditation and medication treatments talk like Joe does. Millions of people listen to his show and take what he says to heart. I appreciate what he’s trying to do by bringing topics to light and he is funny 😆 but I cringe sometimes because psychiatrist’s have to deal with the misinformation that prevent trust from the public. Thank you for clearing up a lot of this interview. Jordan Peterson is a brilliant guy but has a kit of problems. ❤
Prevent trust? How about giving proper informed consent to the drugs you are using. Tell them they can cause chronic akathisia and leave you torture on earth for eternity. Even anhedonia and a host of other crippling neurological symptoms. Not worth the risks! One of me is too many.
I’m incredibly grateful for Joe bringing attention to how many doctors are irresponsibly Prescribing Benzos in the US.
I think maybe good doctors like you Syl have a blind spot because they are out there and they are causing harm. Tapering off of Xanax (myself) is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
What misinformation lol
Fuck psychiatrists.
I was severely damaged by being cold turkeyed off a long term benzo prescription.
Psychiatrists do real damage to people if they’re not careful. Especially, the ones that cry victim when offered any kind of criticism of their profession.
I fully support Joe and Jordan being so critical and saying these things are dangerous and are handed out dangerously like tic tacs. I honestly think it is safer to just drink if you’re having such anxiety you haven’t slept in days. It is SO easy to just start taking these regularly and become dependent on them because you think that it is safe because the doctor prescribes it to you. These are PILL VERSION OF ALCOHOL except it’s even easier to become dependent on them because you’re a bit more functional. But the withdrawals are EVEN WORSE and can last a year or more!
Only in the most extreme cases cases and for short periods of time should these be taken.
Be careful!
Just smoke a joint or take an edible if you're concerned about lung health. In terms of risk factor I believe it has the least risk unless you have a dormant mental illness that can be triggered via the psycho active component. Even CBD/CBN are pretty good for anxiety/sleep without the psycho active effects of THC if you are afraid you have a dormant disorder/just don't want to get high.
@@Rubiks.Cube89 you can die from benzo withdrawal. And yeah alcohol withdrawal is absolutely agonizing, but benzo withdrawal can go on for a year or more. Alcohol withdrawal does not.
@@Redsoxman9991 i know them both very well. And yeah you're right I forgot that they are the two you can die from, I don't know why I thought benzos was not one of the two they always talk about. Probably because I'm still recovering from both tbh
Coming from a northern country, I can vouch to the seasons having effect on psyche. To some people it can be quite extreme.
Yes it does cause numbing in the hands and a cold numbing sensation
Canadian here. First time I went into the doctor for a panic attack, they offered me Ativan. Within 5 minutes. About the time it would take for me to get a tic tac. I managed to say no. Glad.
I’m 33, been on Xanax or Valium for about 2 years. Every time I’ve tried to come off I’ve decided life’s not worth living. I get so depressed mentally.
So the positives of Xanax for
Me ( like happy mood, sociable, calm, not overthinking, good sleep etc made me stay on them. I’m on between 4-6mg a day now.
I went to rehab, tapered off Valium and lasted 30 days clean. The worst 30 days of my life even exercising 1hr everyday , eating healthy.
With the withdrawals. I didn’t sleep for about 5 days. Zero sleep. Anxiety through the roof, brain fog. Could barely hold a social Conversation, loss of desire for enjoyable things, impending doom etc.
I’m gonna start another taper now and this time get an SSRI and cbd oil ( I normally just go straight onto Valium and taper the vals) and just cut the Xanax. wish me luck!
You can do it I’m 34 bout to be 35 and I’ve been on some sort of benzo for around 10 years. I got up to 4mg daily of Klonopin but have taken all of them. I tapered with Klonopin extremely slowly from 2mg down to 0 in 6 months. I’ve been off for 3 months and deciding whether to continue off or not. I’ve been okay I exercise a lot and work everyday but it can be a struggle. Also I quit drinking over 11 months ago.
All that work to get off I don’t want to go back but this Dr won’t prescribe more than 2 mg and my tolerance will get higher than that and then they don’t work the same almost feel more anxious cuz I feel like I need more and can’t take more.
Good luck bro you got this!
Good luck to both of you.
Great reaction buddy. He's gone into a bit more detail in other interviews about how they did try and taper him down, but that he had an inverse reaction that led to akathisia for a few months. Do you know how common akathisia is? Is that something you could elaborate on in another video? Cheers.
yes akithesia is very common and good idea - I'll do a video specifically about it soon
Akathisia is hell during benzo withdrawal..great topic
@@chrysnnabellucci9631 Are you in benzo wd?
I didn't get it from benzo withdrawal. Got it from opiate withdrawal tho. The benzo withdrawal was alot worse.
I really appreciate how open you are about benzos and how realistic your approach is too.
I have PTSD and I’m so grateful that my psychiatrist is open to them being used as needed. He gave me guidelines for how many are reasonable to use per week (a specified number for good weeks and a slightly higher number for bad weeks), but with the long term goal being that I won’t need them at all.
The psychiatrist makes sure I’m still seeing my clinical psychologist every other week, and I mark on my calendar which days I use benzos on to keep track of it (and so my psychiatrist and clinical psychologist can check the amounts too).
I feel like other doctors I’ve seen think of benzos as them just making you feel really good etc, but for me it means that I don’t end up in a freeze response for hours at a time. They don’t make me feel good; they keep me from losing literal hours of my day stuck in frozen terror. They keep me functional - for now at least, because one day I won’t need them to be functional 🤞🏻
They’ve honestly made my life so much better, and all it took was a psychiatrist who was willing to give me a chance to prove that I could be trusted to use them responsibly.
As a side note: this is all in conjunction with an evolving medication regime outside of just the benzos, but this comment is long enough without going into all of that too 😅
In any case, thank you for making videos about different medications - they’re really interesting and your thoughts and opinions are always refreshing 🤗😇✨
Please be careful. Drugs don't make your life better, and thinking that they do is the slippery slope that creates many an addict. They might help you forget the bad for a while, but the problem with "one day I won't need them to be functional" is that your body will one day show you that you need them even more to be functional, and you won't realize that until you think you don't need them anymore. Please be careful. Your comment is well-meaning, but also a naive mindset which led me down a bad path.
@@scottmatznick3140 I have a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist both monitoring my progress very closely, and have done for a couple years now. I’m very aware of the risks involved and wouldn’t be using these medications without close and consistent medical supervision. I’m under no illusions as to what they do; and I WISH they could make me forget the bad stuff for a while, but they don’t. They just mean that I can leave my house without having panic attacks or going into prolonged freeze responses, both of which will get better over time with trauma therapy from my clinical psychologist (that I see every other week). I appreciate that your comment is well intentioned too, but I assure you I have not entered into a treatment plan with my psychiatrist and clinical psychologist without being fully aware of the risks involved and without knowing what my psychiatrists long term goals are for me medication wise. I’d always recommend everyone have a medical team which they work with and are monitored by closely to avoid any habit forming behaviour.
Take a look at some videos from @BzInfoCoalition... they will make you think twice about taking benzos at all.
I’m not sure what the success rate and the complications is for someone who has taken Xanax 2mg for 35 years is. I can tell you that I started having panic attacks at 11 years old and my mom had panic attacks and she feared that I was going through the same thing. My parents took me to a Psychiatrist and I was prescribed Xanax and it was okayed by my pediatrician also. I don’t believe anyone knew just how dangerous this medication was at that time and I was told to take it when I would have a panic attack. I never wanted to take the medication so I would get books and any information (before the internet) I could find to learn about anxiety disorders and how to get them to stop 🛑.That was my goal since day one and I can honestly tell you that I personally knew more about panic attack’s and meditations and what breathing techniques people could do and how to taper off properly and safely than the resident Psychiatrist and medical staff in my area did,most of the terms I explained to them different ways and schedules to properly especially when patients are being tapper off because off,most doctors don’t know how dangerous it is especially for long term patients who have been taking the medication for so long. Five years ago My mother suffered a severe stroke and multiple seizures because her doctor wasn’t comfortable prescribing just that medication to her anymore, and told her good luck finding a psychiatrist to prescribe it,I found her on her bedroom floor with a broken shattered shoulder and broken leg,unconscious since the night before. I can’t imagine the fear and panic she felt she is alive and just a few months ago got her shoulder replaced finally.After the death of my grandparents and brother I decided that I was not going to have Xanax controlling my life anymore and believe me it controlled my life completely. I tapered myself down it was hell that I put myself through for a year but I noticed that I was replacing that extra dose with alcohol to get my anxiety down, so now I’m fighting 2 things now. On this day July 11,2021 I made a plan to give myself 30 days to get off alcohol because I would need the Xanax for those withdrawals and then August 11 2021 was the last day I ever took a Xanax again.The anxiety and withdrawal symptoms don’t ever go away and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel or what I’m supposed to be experiencing because I’ve had Xanax running in my body longer than not having it. It wasn’t hard to get off of it,it is the relearning how to do things that are normally easy every day for everyone like writing,speaking,reading that has been the hardest thing for me. Everyone is different and I truly believe that we know our bodies the best,I personally know what makes me anxious and panic so going to a rehab was something that would not benefit me and would be worse, I was very grateful to find a psychiatrist that would agree to just help me with any issues that might arise and look over my plan and offer help if needed with my detox plan, I think that patients need to have more of a voice in their treatment plans and the medication that they are being prescribed,if doctors are prescribing medication that are chemically changing their brain activity a they should be aware of the risks associated with it and the options for a alternative natural treatment. I hope that this will give anyone out there that thinks it is impossible and the most terrifying thing to get off of Xanax some hope and inspiration ❤
Wait, so you didn't even taper off of Xanax slowly and for months or even a year or 2, you just stopped cold turkey?
For me, the shocking thing was to realize how how often Xanax is used for long term treatment in the US. I talked to a doctor here in Austria about it a couple of years ago and she said clearly, that in most cases she would put people with Anxiety disorder or regular panic attacks on SSRIs and only prescribe Xanax for 4 -5 weeks max until the SSRIs start kicking in fully because of the high risk of addiction to Xanax compared to SSRIs.
Yeah but SSRIs don’t work. Not like benzos do.
@@dethkon they certainly work, but differently. Instead of an immediate reaction it takes a few weeks for SSRIs to kick in. For that short amount of time only, Benzos should be given because in those weeks, the SSRIs can actually worsen the symptoms. SSRIs can’t be used as recreational drugs, if you meant that by „work“?
@@Jutsch80HD I’m just a frustrated anxiety patient. I find the supposed anxiolytic properties of SSRIs to be terribly ineffective, especially compared to benzodiazepines, which are highly effective (and dependence-forming, obviously).
I really wish that modern medicine had a better solution to anxiety disorders, if they’re thinking about getting rid of long-term benzo prescriptions. SSRIs just are not going to cut it for most people.
@@dethkon I’ll look into the research but for me they helped greatly, for you apparently they didn’t help. But a sample of 2 people is worthless. Gonna look into studies
@@Jutsch80HD Please let me know what you find! I’m not a university student anymore so I don’t have access to journals or studies.
Even with a taper it is life ruining. I don't understand why they put poor alcoholics on benzos, they are insanely more potent than alcohol.
Benzos can be very dangerous but also could be the only thing that controls people’s seizures. When no other medication can. You also try to take the lowest dose and longest half life and slowest onset of action so less “addicting/habit forming”. Though they still can be. Banning them is ludacris as some conditions can only be treated by them such as certain types of seizures.
As a fellow benzo survivor, I'm very sure his experience with them have played a large role in formulating this advice. It's a hell that permanently changes you, even after recovery.
What symptoms do you have? Do you think they are flung to last forever? Has it got any better. I was on kpins for 10 years but I used them 1-2 times a week ( only for big social events). I had social anxiety. I haven’t taken a pill in over 6 months and other then some memory issues(I smoke weed every day that might be a contributing factor) I don’t have what most people describe. I don’t feel crazy withdrawal
@@fonzarellyplay370 It lasted two years, and I was still feeling some anxiety the third. It was the feeling of having a panic attack times 100 at all times of the day and night, straight for a year, and then with windows and waves the second. A lot of doom, dread, seeing things, and s*****l ideation. It's been over for a few years now, but there are twinges once in a while. It's changed how I see the world, and I don't take any little moment of peace or tranquility for granted anymore. Even if life is hard sometimes, at least it isn't benzo hard.
1981 …..in the US …..Jordan is a very stressful person ….he had all the backlash …and I believe his wife was also dealing with some serious health issues ….his daughter as well ….she seems great now …thank God ….I wish only the best for Jordan and his family …he has helped many many people …let’s cut the guy a break
Thank you for this! Been using a long long time for anxiety. Knowing others have been through this is super important. New sub.
Lost 17 years to Xanax living as a zombie. I honestly missed out on a normal life with my family. My kids missed out on having a real parent. stay away from benzos!
How did you quit
Had a dr taper me down slowly. Still not completely off. But my dosage is down.
Stay away from shrinks.
The other classes of psych drugs create similar dependency, just because the problem with those drugs hasn't been officially acknowledged, doesn't mean there isn't one.
Psychiatry is a deadly scam.
Ever think about how "normal" your life, and family, would have been without the meds?
If you need to quit, then taper very very very slowly. The condition(s) they were addressing will most likely return. @@trmp9923
@0 years ago I went through a very traumatic time that lasted a year. I was hospitalizwed and put on effexor, loxapine and ativan. I was told I had schizophenia but in later years was diagnosed with depression with psychosis when I get severely depressed. A year ago I came off effexor and loxapine because I developed Tardive Dyskinesia. I stayed on 2 mg of Ativan. The Ativan doesnt work any more and I will come off it as well. I feel better than I have in years. I am happier, smarter, emotionally stable and more active. i dont know why I stayed on those meds so long. Now I am dealing with minor TD in mouth and getting treated by naturopath and accupuncturist.
What is... TD? When you say TD in the mouth, I mean. I've been getting off bendezepines for several months after being on them for 13 years when I was, only 17 when they prescribed me to them.
I have struggled with this, I don't even know how to put it into words exactly... Contortion of my mouth. Like my tongue tensing and pulling tightly to the back of my mouth extremely hard.
And I've just not known what you even call it, when going to the doctor. If there's treatment that gives it relief that you have any knowledge of I would really appreciate it If you could pass it along.
Tx
Hey Dr. Heads up SSRIs dont work for anxiety or panic attacks.
What do you do to fix debilitating anxiety, hairloss, cfs, and zero libido??
She has been off for 3 years. Nothings better.
she feels awful and would benefit from soft cuddles that don't have to lead anywhere
she's anxious bc she can't get anything done and is grieving and embarassed to be ill
take the focus off her deficits and know that she needs you never to judge
do what she can do with her and make it fun
I wish you both the best and hope there is some lil progress
Rogan is not wrong there- many doctors have historically handed it out like candy. I've only ever taken prescribed benzos in my life, and I've been on them for almost 20 years. Now with the new laws in the US, I'm terrified that a new psychiatrist I'll be seeing soon might try to take me off. It's too late for me, I have a heart condition and I don't think I'd live through even a taper given how I badly had reacted to taper attempts in the past. Maybe Australia is different, but in the US they certainly have been as available as tic tacs until Covid.
Also antidepressants give protracted after acute WD. Now in my 42 month. Almost better after terrible years..
Its tolerance withdrawal. Med becomes parodoxal as well.
There is no way to accurately explain Benzo withdrawal to somebody who hasn’t been there. It’s like dying and going into the depths of hell. Nobody should be allowed to take them any longer than a week or two, if that!
Im still in a state of what feels like a psychosis from the withdrawal. Severe sensory and tactile distortion. Dissociation to the point of daily amnesia - no sense of time, days, months or year. It’s just semantics but means nothing. You can’t focus on anything, you become completely emotionally detached from the world. Your family and friends become strangers, the world becomes terrifying. Constant sensory overload. Proprioception and interception issues, anhedonia, ME symptoms, severe screaming tinnitus, skin feels like constant sunburn. Loss of indentity, constant flashbacks of things bad things from your life for no reason, even flashbacks of bad dreams whilst awake. And on and on.
I’m trying every hour to stay alive. Don’t take them
What you are describing reminds me on how it felt to be a junky, means mixing all the substance you can get including benzos and opiates. You literally become an alien and don’t recognize or remember who you used to be. Other people around you don’t respect you and after a while you look down on yourself too. Our rock bottom level is almost limitless and not always one can come back to normal even if you try your best. But it absolutely possible. But yes I know just the benzo alone is undesirable difficult because as a former junkie I knew I was in trouble, but not always the case with people on medication just benzo. You think you are a normal person until you releases you are not when trying to get off, or come to a point they doesn’t work anymore. Also people on benzo has been tricked by the doctor and never had a addiction problem. But the brain develop tolerance. And becomes dependent. But from a addiction perspective we have problems with both if you know I mean. The good news is when you rise yourself up from that hell you become “ professor “ in health and know the difference between good and bad in a deeper level than ever before. You have studied different forms of energies and view the word from a different angle and perspective. The pain and all the things you have gone through makes you realize who you truly are as you have experience all the contrast from the negative reflection of reality of yourself. The truth is nether good or bad but knowledge is comparing both side to each other. And from that I think balance is the most healthy state of mind. And to find the balance again I think we have to push the body and mind through exercise in different forms to get back to the natural self.
How are you now?
This sounds very VERY similar to my experience tapering off of Klonopin 2.5mg (daily taken for 10 years as prescribed) to 0mg within 3 months. Absolute nightmare.
How long did you taper off?
Have you ever taken benzo's? How can you say they don't cause pain?! I'm withdrawing off benzo's and I'm in agony some days all over (it's not anxiety!!!)
I appreciate your video! Very insightful with a touch of humor to it. I like how you added professional expertise to their conversation without taking anything away from it. I work in foster care in Philadelphia at the moment and I’m trying to learn as much as I can about mental health along side learning about medications and there relationship with people. Thanks again for the video!
Xanax withdrawal is pure hell that plain and simple and unless you’ve gone through it you’ll never know I wish it upon nobody. I still suffer 10 years from the withdrawal.
About 6 years here.
Do you think it’ll be for the rest of your life?
I got to know how do you guys end up talking this stuff longer then 2 weeks?
@@Beyond59 yeah if it’s not meant to be taken long term how are these people on it long term? Makes no sense
@@fonzarellyplay370 ikr
I will never stop using Xanax, it saved my life. I would off myself without it. I have had CPTSD all my life to the point where I couldn't function at all, even after 27 years of therapy. I never drink so no worry there.
I hope JR was not talking over JP the whole time as it seems from this edit. Its tempting to focus on demonising benzos - whilst losing sight of the terrible situation ppl endure before - if - they get to benzos. Some ppl do not make it... there is good reason for benzos - and its good to be mindful of that as well
I'm 42yr old & have seen or had many different "PCP's" (Primary Care Physicians). About 8 yrs ago, I go see a new Dr., who had just started practicing medicine again (at age 81) after retirement. Anyway, I get to know him very well over the next few years and he finally tells me why Benzos are so "dangerous". He said: _"It's because they work _*_too well_*_ and NOTHING will ever compare to it's effectiveness in treating panic disorder."_ Thus, the patients only want benzos & never want to stop, which is obviously a problem.
Find your Monday medication videos helpful. Appreciate it.
I'd be interested in topic on prescription stimulants in general or for performance enhancement purpose.
If you need ideas for more videos, I'd be super grateful for some on Autism. Specifically 'non-verbal'. Thank you so much for all your videos you make Dr Syl. You are thorough with your analysis and I learn so much from the information you share.
It ABSOLUTLY causes Pain in the hands. like pain that is indescribable!
I think it’s wonderful that you seem to have a grasp on the potential risk of serious benzo withdrawal. And I’m making the assumption you would always share that information with the clients you prescribe them to.
The unfortunate truth is that Jordan and many, many other people, including myself, were not informed of the risks associated with taking benzos. In fact, my doctor said he wouldn’t be worried if I just stopped taking it (this was after several years of daily use).
Of course, you always should assess whether the benefits outweigh the risk. And benzos can absolutely be helpful for short durations in specific situations. However, that has not been the experience of many.
And the whole taper schedule within the medical community is garbage. Like Jordan, it took me almost 2 years to taper off a low dose of a benzodiazepine. I’ve seen recommendations for tapers lasting a few weeks or months. It’s important that you know that a few weeks or months is not a doable schedule for many people. It can be a very, very long and uncomfortable process…and that’s more normal than you might think!
Jordan Peterson is a psychologist….he knew the risks.
@@Ameliamaemay1990 I Don't think that he as a psychologist knew the risks. He ain't a psychiatrist therefore not trained in the medical field.
@@marcellustone The suite of benzodiazapine drugs have been one of the most prescribed group drugs since the 1970s. There is no way a competent psychologist is ignorant of them just because they aren't an MD. I have two friends who are psychologists who say Jordan Peterson was either the dumbest person to ever get a psychology degree or he's lying about drug seeking behavior because it would make him look bad.
INFORMED CONSENT is almost always missing and they’re over prescribed and prescribed for years and even decades when it should never be taken regularly for longer than 2 weeks. This stuff can destroy your brain and result in an anxiety like you cannot imagine and it’s inescapable for months or years. Doctors have ZERO idea. Muscle cramping, twitching, tightness. Heart palpitations. Blood sugar issues. Confusion. Extreme memory loss. Doctors prescribe it for insomnia; muscle cramps etc. Doctors really have no idea how horrific it can be. It’s NOT addiction. Your vocabulary clearly shies your ignorance. Physical dependence is nit addiction. For 50+ years this poison has destroyed lives. It’s nit new information. It creates lifelong customers who are broken and destroyed. Perfect business plan
I took for 5 days and I'm fried. My life is over at 25. And all I wanted was understand what was happening to me and therpay from cortisone that was given for clogged ears. I hate the medical community.
@@xy-qy2yg I’m sorry to hear that. That is very strange, I seem to be the only person in the world that has been on them for over 10 years (I took them once or 2 times a week) I haven’t taken. Pill in over 6 months and feel fine
@@fonzarellyplay370 you are very lucky. You have a strong brain, mine is very sensitive. I cannot handle alcohol and benzos are very potent alcohol basically.
@@xy-qy2yg are you doing better now days? It seems like we both are a very rare case when it comes to a substance. I pick on day out of the week or 2 weeks, I have social anxiety so any event that has the most amount of socialization i need to take my meds, then I take a 1-2 week break. It seems to me that was the best way to go about it so I won’t get addicted to
Yes
As crazy as this sounds, smoking cigarettes while withdrawing will help you feel normal. The nicotine competetively agonizes the NMDA receptor, and prevents glutamine (because benzo withdrawal is essentially glutamine excitotoxicity) from binding to the NMDA receptor. Also if you can get a psychiatrist to prescribe it, memantine is an alosteric modulator of the NMDA receptor and will similarly prevent glutamine from binding to NMDA receptor sites.
maybe it's harder these days but back in 2000s I had an 18 year old friend being prescribed xanax claiming anxiety. ofcourse he didn't really need them he was using them to get high. he said it was really easy to get them. needless to say he became a complete ghoul with insane anxiety, paranoia and sickness. ovbs he wasn't taking them responsibility by why did his doc ever think he needed them ? he was fine before, maybe not completely but nothing like what he became after. he was on them for agessss months. not everyone has a responsible doctor and is responsible themselves. maybe he was going to different docs I dunno. but stories like this are all over the place.
when I was 17, I went to my gp asking for my contraception pill to be changed because I was feeling a little moody. she asked me about 3 questions (having never met me before) and concluded "I think you might be depressed." then prescribed me antidepressant. I DID NOT ask for them or even indicate that I wanted them. no talk of councilling, other treatments. I wasn't prescribed Xanax but if a doc is willing to throw antidepressants to a 17 year old with no further action ("hey maybe you might want to discuss this with your parents before you make a decision?"), I don't find Joe's statement hard to believe.
You ll find most doctors are incredibly defensive when this is insinuated. Why so many patients are gaslighted by their own doctors. The medical industry is like a cult. If you put across any constructive criticism, 9/10 times, their egos cannot deal with it, realising your industry that has been propped on a pedestal for years, is in fact awfully corrupt. This is not just about benzos or ssri s. This is ALL pharmaceuticals. Look at the damage the covid vaccine has caused and most doctors are still unwilling to take any kind of responsibility that has been caused to their patients, from THEIR decision making and the fact they chose to make money per shot, rather than consider safety for their patients.
I have have, and it still have that symptom of some numbing of the hands the pain, but not as severe, but it does go numb at times
It's actually true that doctors giving benzodiazepines to literally all patients right away if they have some unspecific psychiatric symptoms, even my doctors wanted to give it to me and I told her "fuck no!".
Joe Rogan is the best. Love him he’s so funny. 🤍love Jordan too.
Jordan Peterson is 100% correct. I came off 6mg clonazapam after ten years cold turkey. I would have the same exact feelings of my whole body being on fire, would get jolts through my arms and legs. It's pure hell. Torture truly is.
I'm just 6 years off and had to go in and get an Ashton Manuel taper because my local doctor wouldn't give me a taper when I was begging for life for one.
Don't worry about the medication or whatever your trying to say to defend benzo use is exactly what they told me and I almost truly died. And just like Peterson said death would be much easier but for the love of my family I fight through this he'll.
Just because your a doctor doesn't make you know what it's like to have cancer or something and unless your a dog who specializes I'm benzo use disorder you really should do some more research.
Even if me and Jordan Peterson are the only two who's life's were destroyed by this drug, it still should be taken extremely seriously! It's far worse than opiate withdrawal by far. It's like if opiate withdrawal lasted two years every day, feels as hard as that first day.
Im addicted to benzos by my own stupid recreational use and I cant even fathom going back to a dose that strong daily was your doctor trying to murder you 6mg a day is insane not saying my use isnt problematic
Why did you come off as you described and expect not to have the symptoms? You could had died. I don't get the thinking process. And then you conclude by blaming the med???? That's a wild train of thought.
@mrme123ee because that's what they did when I couldn't get a taper and checked into a hospital for detox. The hospital took Mr off cold turkey
So, you where actually able to get admitted somewhere and go through a "chemical" detox to speed up the process?
Cant you take Gaba to help withdraw?
Gabapentin? Yes you can
Been on benzos for 13 years. Been tapering off for 9 months now and it’s extremely difficult for me to function in society . I’ve been living off family the whole time and tried getting jobs only to have panic attack and not show up the first day. Family is growing impatient with me and I don’t know what to do I feel like I might end up homeless
Im.in the same boat, i dunno wat tooo do
@@amandayouksee1724 update: started working anyway and decided that if I feel awkward or embarrass myself oh well out of my control
I’m finally getting off my prescription at Price Roman which was prescribed to me over 30 years ago I’m down to 1 mg / 0 mg. Trying to fix what am I to use the first year was the Rangers I saw Everest specialist in Nashville for something that was unbearable. Typos not gonna fix it over in domino pains, muscle pain joint pains syringes horrendous. Yeah a lot of typos I’m dictating… 0 mg by April 2023… still experiencing withdrawal
When you're left to figure it out all alone and then get severely kindled by general anesthetic from a septorhinoplasty surgery that very nearly took my life and at the time wish it did. The complications of finding people on a diazepam prescription so I could find my tolerance then start tapering. Like trying to land a Boeing 747 without any knowledge and being blind. How the hell I figured it out is nothing short of a miracle
Hi! You said that in some countries there is not enough sun in winter and this increases the depressive state. Tell me, in your opinion, do I need to take melatonin or vitamin D as a preventive measure in winter?
Benzos withdrawal is not the same as NA or AA. Get a clue host guy
Yea I was prescribed Benzodiazepine when I was disassociating at work. I was to take half when needed. Eventually I just didn't take them... Even though I may have needed them... But didn't want to go back to doctor.
Im having rebound anxiety tapering off diazepam 2 months, i started to taper because i was having tolerance withdrawal even after 2 months
At what doses of diazepam and how long were you taking it?
Nerve pain. Tingling/burning in the body IS A WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOM! GET THE MAUDSLEY DEPRESCRIBING GUIDELINES AND READ ❤
you live in a perfect world and sound like a robot giving the perfect answer about addiction millions are
I have been using .25 to .5 milligrams of Xanax or Valium for about a year now on an off, should I would worried about Xanax withdrawl? I have bad anxiety where I get really dizzy and lightheaded and can’t focus. When i take the benzo it calms all this down but now im getting anxiety thinking ill have crazy with drawls if I try to come off,
I now got prescribed too, i taking it only 5 times half tab and when i dont i cant sleep racing thoughts anxiety
Do you prefer taking the med or dealing with the issue(s) you were having before taking the med?
Have you ever taken benzos for a few weeks straight? Good luck with your books and degrees because you will be hooked. All that literature and logic goes out the window.
I was on them for about 10 years and haven’t taken a pill in over 6 months. I only took them 1-2 a week (only for big social events). I didn’t have any withdraw. I had some memory issues but I do smoke weed every day so maybe that was the reason but I feel fine
Doctors DO NOT HAND IT OUT LIKE TIC TACS in my experience. Ever.
I think now drs realize about benzos.
One comment: I take issue with the claim that anyone discontinuing Benzodiazepines (via a taper or cold turkey) : “is the hardest thing you will ever do in your life.” First, we need pit compare suffering or challenges and make someone’s suffering the “winning” suffering. With all due respect, so many many people hangs come to mind that I believe ARE worse and harder by far, though again it’s not “useful” to compare suffering. EG: , growing up in a war zone, being forced to be a child soldier, having your child murdered in front of you (or losing a child to any cause), accidentally killing someone while driving a car (and let us specify “not drunk”), killing other humans (soldiers not civilians) in war (because that was the remit, the duty); seeing one’s s fellow soldiers felled and you yours of living and losing a limb (or three), being tortured physically or psychologically or starved as a child (anywhere: in a “first” or “third” world country). It’s a small pint perhaps but it matters to a lot of people not to have their challenges written off as less difficult than benzodiazepine (use, via RX) recovery. ☮.
* we need ‘NOT’; rather than we need “PIT.” Sorry for the typo; and I cannot edit it just now in the original comment. Ditto “HANGS” which is “CHALLENGES.”
Quite curious about your thoughts on conversion disorder . Ive been researching it and came across your channel. Love your work!
Salud 💛, from ☀️California, USA
That was a good one. It would be nice if you can do other talk shows related to mental health.
I’d absolutely love to watch Dr Syl as a guest on other shows! 😱🤩😃
Can someone explain to me how it is that you are a therapist and you have to know how it works and what the consequences are and you get yourself into trouble?
[let me recommend you to where I got my pharma stuff Oxy's, Addy, Xanax and more very refined and reliable also guides newbies]
*On Instagram and telegram as*
*@Chequefibs1__*
Benzos have been around over 50 years. Pretty sure my grandma was hooked on them back in the 70s-80s.
Been on Klonopin for over 15 yrs. Everytime they try and taper I have an acute cardiac issue- heart attack even with lowering by 0.25mg or less
I don’t agree with you. I’ve been on Xanax very short term and on a very low dose and still had withdrawal symptoms. I don’t think it’s good for anyone to take tbh because the rebound anxiety is that much worse and it only masks the problem
Well, but very often people started taking benzo prescribed by doctors, and without any knowledge how dangerous it could be . What's more prescribed not by psychiatrist but just family doctor...what has happened to my wife...and what's the most important people left with dangerous information that you could taper it in 2 weeks...what in fact could be fatal.
I was dumb,a girl I was dating gave me bottles of Ativans. They really helped me for a few months. Now I don't know how to get off. I have epilepsy too
What happens if you don’t need Xanax but use it recreational here and there and mix it with weed? Do I suffer the same withdrawals as others that really need it because of anxiety or having it to use it to sleep?
Personally it depends on how long and how much you take at a time. Do you do it everyday or spaced out between weeks? If you feel different or have reactions when you don’t have it for a day or 3 then no matter what you are feeling with drawls, I would assume if you only take one or 2 every few days you won’t have severe withdrawals, but of course after a month or more of constant use then yes you are at risk. I don’t want to say that “everyone is different” but coming from personal experience I use to do 5-10 a day for 5 years and the withdrawals were the worst thing I could have ever gone through, I think I was on the verge of a fatal withdrawal due to my body giving up and shaking non stop and my eyes not tracking anything, I would look to the right but my eyes would follow 2-3 seconds later, very delayed vision. No memories, depressed, cold sweats, insomnia, crying, and fatigue. If you use them to get high and more than normal then again I would say yes it is possible you are at risk for withdrawal sypmtoms, I don’t know you personally or how much you take and for how long so I can’t say “fatal symptoms.” Marijuana goes hand and hand with Xanax it did for me as well, if anything Marijuana is what helped me get off of the Xanax, it helped me sleep, reduced my shakiness and calmed me down, only downfall is marijuana made me paranoid and induced some forms of anxiety. So it was a double edged sword but it did truly help me in the long run. I hope this helps and if there is anything I can say is just try to stop and lower the intake and use in moderation not recreational because recreational to me means everyday. If you have used Xanax for a whole month everyday then yes you will experience some forms of withdrawals. Keep your head up stay golden!
I have also had the terrible pain in my hands. I found that actively managing my Diabetes reduced the occurrence.
Dr Syl said it well. These medications are dangerous and also help some people. We all wish to live without medications, have no mental health issues but this is life and we have to live with it.
Psychiatrists may not hand it out like tic tacs but GP’s were here in the states for a long time because that’s how I got it. Xanax caused me to black out and drive a car! I didn’t hurt anyone but the fact that I could have devastated me and I never touched them again. Scary stuff
When I started taking benzos in 2001 they actually handed them out like tic tacs. Literally. Anybody could get them for any reason in the US anyway. Since then it's a lot different.
I was prescribed Xanax in 2005 -fresh off a 6 year OxyContin habit. I’m 43 now and wish I was never prescribed Xanax bc now I’m so many years deep. I want to taper but I’m afraid. I have had 3 major C spine surgeries (plus carpal tunnel on both hands) in the last 7 years so it’s about keeping pain low. As a recovered opiate addict despite chronic pain I can’t take opiates. Bit of a pickle im in here. The fear of protracted benzo WD scares me for my hard earned opiate sobriety….I sincerely appreciate that these convos are happening & the 411 in general is helpful. Ty!
Please do some videos on Bipolar Disorder. People so often think that I must be dangerous or psychotic because I take an antipsychotic (Seroquel) as a mood stabilizer. Can you also address "mixed" episodes? They are poorly understood, at least by many people. Thanks!
Interesting thoughts, charmingly expressed. This is the only time I felt unambiguously sympathetic to Jordan Peterson, what a terrible, terrifying ordeal to go through.
coming to this one after watching the girl who shared her manic episode. in America it is very hard to get help. you have to see the doctor enough times for them to believe that you are a danger to yourself, and instead of referring you to a psychiatrist or therapist, it's "here's some celexa" or two years prior "here's zoloft" they are just throwing darts in the dark. meanwhile, you could have PTSD from an abusive relationship or bipolar disorder that isn't helped by commonly prescribed SSRI's. i was diagnosed with manic depressive disorder at 15, when I was baker acted (florida Highschool). earlier this year, i was diagnosed with Persistant Depressive Disorder.
so which one is it? are doctors just going to keep prescribing me different medications until it works, or to find out that it actually doesn't?
All i want is to find help so I don't waste another decade.
Joe isn't completely wrong about them being handed out like tic tacs though. I think it should be looked at in context to how they are regulated in different countries. I live in South Africa and here it is incredibly easy to get yourself a benzo prescription. There are truly doctors out there that will prescribe them without a proper medical diagnosis or just because a patients feels they need them. The problem I have with this stuff is I don't think that a General Practitioner / Primary Care Physician should be allowed to prescribe them (here in South Africa and a few other countries they are allowed to). My PCP put me on them after diagnosing me with anxiety after a 5 minute examination. 3 months later I found myself in the emergency room having a heart attack because my symptoms were actually from coronary artery disease. Once again I was prescribed xanax for PTSD after going through a heart attack at only 31 years old. I have now been on them for about 2 years and can feel the dependence really kicking in. There's nothing I would love more than to get off benzos.
Marijuana/cannabis would be a much better alternative to Xanax in my opinion. I have sleep issues. In somnia and night terrors. I use cannabis Indica before bed. I fall asleep and stay asleep.
“That’s not fair at all” brother man has not been in the hospitals and clinics I’ve seen 💀💀💀
I have been addicted to Benzodiazepines for 38 years, and in a tapering program supervised by an excellent Psychiatrist. I'm going slowly with the tapering, but am down to 40 % of my regular dosage. My Doctor is being careful as my side effects are "mild" compared to someone stopping too fast. That can kill you, so this is not a DIY project!
I've been on 18 years. 4mg of Xanax ER. Do you feel like you're getting all the withdrawal effects that all these people talk about?
I would add that it takes ad little as few days (one single week) to get dependent on benzos and it happened to my dad. It’s extremely dangerous!!!!!
My daughter was kidnapped and raped a few years ago let alone almost dying in a automobile accident. I think ill be on klonopin forever
Thank you so much for actually educating and informing about benzo use. Spreading Benzodiazepines phobia ain’t the solution as everyone’s mind/need are unique. With everything it’s important to way the pros and cons. Weigh the risks vs benefits. ❤❤❤
You speak as if benzos are the only GABAergic option when anxious ..what about natural GABA options that aren't dangerous allosteric CL ion pumps ?
i got benzo belly, was taken off 3mg xanax per day put on klonopin, now what do i do?
I was on Valium for 20 years on a dose of 10-100mg over that period, the last 10 years I was on 30mg per day due to a complete fuck-knuckle of a Psychiatrist who got me so used to the drug that I needed such a high dose of it for it to be effective.
It was hell to come off of, I found coming off 200mg of Morphine Cold Turkey a damn site easier than coming off Valium.
It took me a good 10 months before I could truly say I felt ‘normal’ - whatever the hell THAT is 🙄
I’m trying to learn what my new ‘Normal’ is not-sedated 😂
How long did you taper off of Valium for and how much did you decrease it by each week/month?
What doctor is going to hold your hand through withdrawal and constantly adjust your dose? That doesn't happen. Your insurance covers a 15 minute visit. "Talk to your doctor" is a great solution. It's just not practical. Your authoritative steepling says a lot. Rolling your eyes...Geeze.
Some doctors actually do. It's called a patient-driven taper. For example, a good doctor would convert 1mg of daily-use Xanax to 20mg of Diazepam and then have you reduce the dose by .5mg or less a week, sometimes going slower as the patient reaches 5mg or 10mg.
Xanex has been around since 1981 , and its been known its a bitch to come off .. for over 20 years
its amazing that DR P had no clue . I think he's fibbing
I took prescriptions 4mg Clonazepam every night for 38 years , Quit CT .😱I’m in my 7 th year of fibromyalgia, bad akathisia and the rest of the long term bullshit from taking this MG🤬Drug .👊🙏
It is true that they used to hand them out like candy back in the early 20-teens! All you had to do was make up some anxiety BS an a hundred bucks ,an u would recieve a 90 count of 2mil bars
9:10 “If you ever want me to come with you to a GP or a doctor”. In the U.S. most GPs and doctors have no knowledge on benzo tapering. They only know how to prescribe them and take them away (cold turkey). I’m tapering on my own. 95% of doctors (even “sleep specialists” and “benzo informed” doctors) don’t know what the Ashton Manual is. That’s my litmus test. Prescribing benzos without informing patients of the nightmare withdrawal symptoms should be grounds for malpractice.
Kind of ironic that withdrawal can cause seizures yet i am prescribed Klonopin for my epilepsy. Plus they gave my wife Ativan to prevent her from going into status epilepticus. However, it is extremely helpful when my regular anti convulsants arent doing their job for a day or two
Valium at low dose ... is a really helpfull drug . Tolerance will follow with enough use but the upside is the long half life , meaning titration off the drug ,given enough time is really quite manageable. Valium can be very safely used for less than 10 days . That is quite a therapeutic window of time . The same can be said of opiates..
Addiction is in the person not the drug . Medicine in Australia right now has forgotten that ....with devastating results .
Hopefully a more mature nuanced attitude regards medicating pain and anxiety may one day be reinstated.
I was way better off on my hydrocodone than I am on this benzo. It’s giving me tremors, seizures, dizziness, weakness, blurred vision, weight, gain, fatigue. I’m not the same person I used to be at at all. Dr. totally miss prescribed. Prescribed on a daily basis and hydrocodone was working for me for years and I much rather be on that at least I can function.
I just want to add that I don’t drink or do drugs at all and I haven’t been tapering. This is just because I haven’t raised my dosage. So just because I’ve been on the same dose for five years I’m starting to have withdrawal symptoms because if I don’t increase my dose, my body feels like it’s tapering.
Iv'e always said barbiturates were even worse than benzodiazepines due to them being lethal at low doses (theraputic index) and work on GABA aswell but fortunately we rarely see these these days, if at all.
I cant sleep at all off them right now. Hoping to trust the process but very few hrs of sleep in over a week
And I'm a RN, BSN and can't tell you why I can't sleep. It's not uncommon at all...
Bro .. I'm 37, lived in Australia and long time and can say that they are often given out very easily. My first doctor threw Bromazepam at me regularly for years before I even realised it was a benzo and addictive. This has changed now but when this video was made, we were just coming out of that. In the US it was much worse than here. I witnessed it first hand bud. Obviously he's being hyperbolic about them being as readily available as tictacs BUT they were VERY easy to come by for many years.
I came to the comments to say the same thing. Young doctors act as if the world wasn’t turning 10yrs ago.
My hands and feet are killing me .