Laurie Irelind, an RN specializing in cardiology, was working as a nurse educator at a large teaching hospital before becoming disabled due to the adverse effects of Klonopin taken as prescribed. In 2013, she signed on as administrator for the support group Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Solutions & Recovery (whose membership has reached over 2400 members and is growing daily). Because of her own experience and her work assisting others with a benzodiazepine-associated disability, Laurie decided that it was time to expand her work to increase public awareness of the harm caused by benzodiazepines. In 2016, Laurie joined JC Curle and Jocelyn Pederson in forming Benzodiazepine Information Coalition.
Laurie, your information coalition and article is absolutely excellent and so badly needed, for far too long. I am very aware of the horrible longterm suffering that people go through trying to get off this medication when taken as prescribed by their doctors whom tell them that it is a very safe to take. There is so much loss of life with this illness “benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome”, which starts with their loss of their job. The devastation continues with so many horrific symptoms making them disabled and unable to advocate for themselves. Some live suffering Horrendously for many many months and many years when the medication stops working and they go into what is called tolerance. Doctors will tell you that you need more of the drug, or try to give you other drugs, when what you really need to do is taper off of it. You become 10 times sicker than you were when you first took it. There is a lot of suffering as you taper off and loss of life. People cannot leave their homes, maintain their friendships, or even spend time with their own children and family. It is a sickness that those if you do not know about do not ever want to have to live through. This should not be happening and is completely preventable. Doctors need to begin warning the patient of it’s possible dangers before they prescribed this medication. That is called informed consent it is being prescribed for so many things that it should not be prescribed for. I believe this is for pharmaceutical and Dr. profit.
You and your team are doing Great work to save many lives and helping people that are so sick, in despair for many months and many years get through this horrible process of slowly slowly tapering off.
I know I speak on behalf of all the sick people out there we are truly truly grateful for this new benzodiazepine information collation
Thank you so much !
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