These points have been playing out in online arguments for years from a minority of vocal withdrawal victims. As one of them, I cannot tell you how nauseating it is to be beaten over the head with commercial “anti-stigma campaigns” everywhere one goes today (like Logan airport as you’ve highlighted). When merely speaking to our harrowing experiences we’re told that we’re “pill shaming” by outlets like The Mighty and so many more. https://themighty.com/video/stop-pill-shaming-mental-health-medication/
The link between “anti-stigma” ->”seek treatment”-> “get on drugs” is explicit. Well, there must be something wrong with the commonly held syllogism that our “prolific mental health stigma” is preventing people from seeking “help” since between 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 Americans is taking a psychotropic drug.
The hypocrisy is something else. If you want a lesson is stigmatization try being a vocal psychotropic victim đ Although we abound, we occupy practically zero mainstream space. We have no social or policy recognition (like disability). And whenever and wherever we speak about our experiences, we are invariably met with delegitimizing and unsympathetic “but, buts” as people struggle to uphold their pre- programed schemas. Good times.
I’m not even getting to the decision to publicize my name along with my story and these minority views. I refuse to be ashamed, even if it may mean poverty.
I forgot to mention, there is the below study which examined 66,000 BZ patients in the Massachusetts Partners health care system from 2011-2012. It found that “clinicians prescribed benzodiazepines and high-dose benzodiazepines more frequently to patients at higher risk for benzodiazepine-related adverse events. [ e.g. COPD and substance abusing patients]. Benzodiazepine prescribing was associated with increased healthcare utilization.”
This undercuts Salzman’s point that “he teaches prescribing habits to doctors that this bill aims to correct” (i.e., for cases where long- term use is thought of as “appropriate” for certain populations).
There are so many credible studies speaking to the ill health associated with BZs. Some of my ‘favorite’ names include: “Benzodiazepines revisited- will we ever learn?”: a meta -analysis that looked at 60k references conducted by BZ expert, and all around good guy, M. Lader. “What is the point of guidelines? Benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic use by an elderly population.”: found the 25% of elderly Norwegians were prescribed these drugs in 2012. (They are on The Beers List of meds inappropriate for the elderly, the largest group of consumers). And, “Not again: BZs Once More Under Attack” by Carl Salzman. ..So weird people keep reporting there are problems with these drugs!..
Yes: as others have pointed out, this proposed legislation does not take away anyone’s benzos. What it does, is call for better informed consent/ warning that prescriptions for longer than 4 weeks are harmful. The drug manufacturers already know that. In the case of Ativan, e.g., the small print in the pamphlet says that it should not be taken longer than a few weeks. We want to move the warning to the bottle. As noted in the blog, Upjohn’s own trial shows far worse outcomes for patients on long- term benzos compared to controls. This was not adequately communicated to the public, to say the least. (The link to the study is in the blog). There have even been whistleblower scientists involved in the development on some benzos who said that drug CO.s have deliberately covered up harm. Read some about it here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmhealth/42/4112520.htm
NY & PA have also issued governmental health guidelines that BZs should not be prescribed for longer than a few weeks: https://www.benzoinfo.com/single-post/2016/09/10/Benzodiazepines-are-Contraindicated-in-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder-PTSD?fb_comment_id=1441413735974539_1448974715218441
Well said. Rare & great of your psychiatrist to both learn from you and validate you in the form of an apology on behalf of the field.
Not on their radar. The “ships not seen” metaphor has been aptly applied here by some I believe. It speaks to our numbers, that the running commonality we all virtually share is not being recognized by the profession. It’s so unrecognized not because it is so rare; it’s so unrecognized because there is so much ignorance, and since there is so much ignorance, the incidences are common.
Regarding the question/ subject of ignorance: I also want to add, since it is an important point I feel that got edited, The Chairwoman mentioned that opposing doctors didn’t stay to listen to victim testimony at the 1st hearing and it would be good of them to stay for this one. Neither Salzman nor Silberman took her advice to stay and listen to this hearing either.
Anyone (victims, loved ones of victims), from anywhere (planet Earth) can submit testimony who has been adversely effected by a benzodiazepine.
-Email to [email protected]. with the subject line “H.3594”
-Must! include full name and address, otherwise it is invalid
-Keep in mind for content: the symptoms you were originally prescribed for, what you were prescribed, how long you were on the drug or drugs and the impacts they had on your/your loved oneâs life. (What happened to you, what symptoms etc.). How could this legislation have changed your situation?
Thanks Steve. Head honcho, Dr. Jerry Rosenbuam, who testified at the first hearing co authored a 2005 paper with Dr. Samantha Stewart. In a 2004 paper, Stewart wrote “In an attempt to settle this debate, meta-analyses of peer-reviewed studies were conducted and found that cognitive dysfunction did in fact occur in patients treated long term with benzodiazepines, and although cognitive dysfunction improved after benzodiazepines were withdrawn, patients did not return to levels of functioning that matched benzodiazepine-free controls. Neuroimaging studies have found transient changes in the brain after benzodiazepine administration but no brain abnormalities in patients treated long term with benzodiazepines. Such findings suggest that patients should be advised of potential cognitive effects when treated long term with benzodiazepines, although they should also be informed that the impact of such effects may be insignificant in the daily functioning of most patients.”
Feel free to factor this into your assessment.
In my opinion we have been far too reliant on both a ‘peer’ and ‘education’ angle. Age- old Burstowian question: is it better to reform the system from within or demolish it from without? I’ll probably take some heat for this, but I have some deep issues with too heavy reliance on peer initiatives being some panacea either in reform or renew. (Save them for another piece and time). But one thing I will say in regards to the peer push is that I do think we need traditional “professionals” but we need them on our side. The system is never going to be ‘flat’; human nature is hierarchal– let’s get the ‘authority’ figures thinking correctly and as uncorrupted as possible. Peer efforts are a good ‘tool in the tool box’ (so sorry to use a mental health system cliche there, I’m tired), but stop stealing all the energy and attention.
Policy is a huge missing key. Less energy directed to peer and education angles and more to policy. And yes we live in a sad corporatocracy. The idea is that capitalism is suppose to correct itself right? With the best rising to the top? Well, guess what- that self correcting process is (if it is indeed even doing that) is obviously excruciatingly slow with inconceivable amounts of death and suffering as collateral damage.
We will see if policy can be changed by the little woman/man by this February in the case of ‘The MA. Benzo Bill’. Stay tuned for an upcoming article on it. People have said to me the way to go is education, also just a tool– policy is where it’s at. The psychiatrists testifying against us will never change their minds and they disseminate their “education” at Harvard and Tufts University. Whichever way The Bill goes, I believe it will make a systems statement.
Thanks. I’m pretty much completely physically healed at this point. There’s no doubt the other drugs compounded my situation and were totally detrimental to my physical, mental and psychic well being. But out of them, I believe the benzo was the most grievous culprit. Polypharmacy has an unpredictable, synergistic effect. (That is not to suggest that single drugs can’t also be very detrimental on their own).
I use to believe there was something fundamentally deficient in me which prevented me from reaching a certain level of well being/contentedness also. Turns out it was all the drugs and being ‘a sane person in an insane world’ as they say (which doesn’t acknowledge trauma [or oppression])!
I apologize for the delay. Your comment got lost in the shuffle. Iâm outraged too, as are many, many others. Personally, I have to approach these things in bite sized pieces at times. That said, we need to continue to organize as a community and I believe we will. Iâm so angry and sad about your experience and am honored you decided to share it. Thank you. What an incredible feat. Glad to hear youâve made it to the other side that many others have not.
I really hope you consider submitting testimony. Should you decide to and want any feedback my email is [email protected]
I was honored to have previewed this. Thank you for not violating one of the 1st rules of social justice- speaking for the oppressed without them.. âNothing about us without usâ..
I love how it follows the consciousness raising and self development in the learning process that it takes to become a âpsychiatric survivorâ. Itâs quite the journey and this song captures that well; following our heroine from âlabels and prescription pads to benzbuddies and MIAâ. You have got to be pretty solid in yourself to say 1. all of these esteemed authority figures dressed up in white coats and degrees as well as SYSTEMS (like âBig Pharma and the FDAâ) are all wrong and 2. Iâm hallucinating and want to kill myself, and Iâm the correct one here. â âNow, some people think sheâs crazy / And she doubts her sanity tooâ.. Itâs unfortunate that trauma is what brings many of us to psychiatryâs doorstep. âA simple pill and a label / To soothe her fight or flightâ.By the time we enter the system, we are use to having reality denied (note not âour realityâ; but REALITY). I can also relate to getting no validation from the âauthority figureâ of 12 Step groups you touch upon as well and I know many of my fellow benzo/psych victims can too in varying degrees.
Interesting how the standard mental health paradigm (purports) encouraging self- development, freedom, personhood and all the rest. Itâs true that psychiatry lead me to all of these things, just not how theyâd have it: rather through itsâ rejection! On a good day, I view my immense suffering as psychiatric victim/survivor as an odd, great gift.
A line which particularly cut me to the core was â Itâs a blue so deep itâs almost black / And she doesnât know if sheâll ever make it backâ. From my testimony for the MA. âBenzo Billâ: âThere were many days where every few minutes I would have to tell myself not to commit suicide, both from the uncomfortability of a CNS on fire but also from depressive haywire ruminationâ. And âalso of great concern was my cognitive state, especially because I was unsure of where this was going. Put it this way: at four months off I was attending a psychiatric hospitalization day program and it occurred to me that I was unable to do âthe mathâ involved in trying to calculate crossing the busy intersection near its buildingâ.
âBut if they only knew / What itâs like to be benzo blueâ. So many philosophical questions to keep picked apart from what is happening to peopleâs brains really from psychiatryâs tentacles. Questions about the mind-body connection, the soul, about compassion. What keeps me up at night most are the epistemological points about this distance between different peopleâs experiences which that line draws on. Well done. D. Oakes says we shouldnât shock the shockers (I havenât gotten there yet đ ). From my testimony â..âwhat we go through is beyond the bounds of what is natural, and I find it hard to believe that anyone who has not experienced it would understandâ. That of course leads to the question that If people knew, would they care? Iâd like to think weâd at least round up some more supporters.
Where is the revolution?? Psych victims, (who are able), quite frankly need a fire lit under their butt. Your life has been ruined, or nearly ruined for corporate greed and youâre just going to take it? Mobilize! Weâre no longer âgoing to be unknown to each other, just trying to surviveâ: weâre going to organize goddamnit. Itâs amazing how victims of all sorts often cling dearly to dominating paradigms.
Whereâs the backlash? I think projects like this will help fuel that fire, so thank you, thank you. Thank you for being one the few who has not experienced this themselves who not only âgets itâ, but takes it one step further, cares enough to do something about it. People like yourself have a rough road. Solace should come from knowing you are on the right side of history. As I said, validating, resonating. Great work. Weâre lucky to have you.ï»ż
To expound on “What happens to all the people who get anxiety attacks and panic disorder when âWritten prescriptions for less than a 10-day supply will not be refilled.â — They get a prescription for over 10 days. I myself am not totally clear on the rational behind that point let me say. I have to imagine it is in part aimed at curbing abuse. If people are tapering or taking the drugs as prescribed, then they do not have to worry about running out.
Also, the purpose of the commission is to explore safe tapering guidelines (in large response to people suffering from being taken off too quickly).
You neednât worry about a proposed law concerning better informed consent for benzodiazepines affecting your access to opiates or even benzos.
I wonder about your reaction, or really non reaction, to the section âWhy is this Bill Importantâ. You speak about people suffering in connection to abuse or addiction. As the post mentions, there have been many,many thousands of people who have taken this class of drug as prescribed and suffered dearly. Here is a quick video compilation of people testifying to this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMzaxAo-sxI
Because it may not have happened to you personally, does not mean that it does not happen. See your own example of taking Paxil. People have a right to know the whole truth in order to make truly informed decisions. That is what this Bill aims at. You say that doctors do not try to be politicians. Those forces most certainly do exert influence on public policy. Moreover, those interests cannot beheld responsible for policing themselves; we need a system of checks and balances which represents the most important stakeholder here: the public.
I would also really encourage you to explore the points about originally targeted symptoms.
Thank you BetterLife. I have never heard of ADHD drug patches, they sound like a veritable nightmare.
Upon looking it up I found the ubiquitous “Methylphenidateâs precise *therapeutic action in ADHD is not known*”. You know what: what is happening is those grey areas is a mass disaster. Why are people so comfortable with imprecision involving the brain? I saw similar writing in my Klonopin leaflet. I believe it even said its mechanism of action “dissociates synapses”. Sounds really healthy, especially for PTSD.
You bet. Thank you for caring.
It speaks to a group of people who have consistently put in so much effort and work for a long, long time to make opportunities like that possible.
Thank you Richard!
Grateful for your commitment & assistance in this battle. I am always in aw of those who have not personally experienced this themselves but who care and fight for it and us; for it is certainly the exception.
Thank you Kindredspirit. I’m sorry for both of your experiences.
I will look for that study.
I am horrified by The 21st Century “Cures” Act which was passed in December. Not only because it gives millions for forced outpatient psychiatric drugging (AOT) but because it lessons approval regulations even more. It was marketed and bought, as a streamline for scientific innovation. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (one of only 2 congresspeople who voted against it), called it legalized fraud for giant giveaways for drug companies. Her speech is really something: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1s12VfvS2g
According to Dr. Jerry Avron, 89% of drugs are already approved upon 1st pass.
You’ve quickly become a personal hero, Jennifer.
These points have been playing out in online arguments for years from a minority of vocal withdrawal victims. As one of them, I cannot tell you how nauseating it is to be beaten over the head with commercial “anti-stigma campaigns” everywhere one goes today (like Logan airport as you’ve highlighted). When merely speaking to our harrowing experiences we’re told that we’re “pill shaming” by outlets like The Mighty and so many more. https://themighty.com/video/stop-pill-shaming-mental-health-medication/
The link between “anti-stigma” ->”seek treatment”-> “get on drugs” is explicit. Well, there must be something wrong with the commonly held syllogism that our “prolific mental health stigma” is preventing people from seeking “help” since between 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 Americans is taking a psychotropic drug.
The hypocrisy is something else. If you want a lesson is stigmatization try being a vocal psychotropic victim đ Although we abound, we occupy practically zero mainstream space. We have no social or policy recognition (like disability). And whenever and wherever we speak about our experiences, we are invariably met with delegitimizing and unsympathetic “but, buts” as people struggle to uphold their pre- programed schemas. Good times.
I’m not even getting to the decision to publicize my name along with my story and these minority views. I refuse to be ashamed, even if it may mean poverty.
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SO glad to see this. Let’s celebrate our successes but we can’t let anything slide at any turn.
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Go!
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I forgot to mention, there is the below study which examined 66,000 BZ patients in the Massachusetts Partners health care system from 2011-2012. It found that “clinicians prescribed benzodiazepines and high-dose benzodiazepines more frequently to patients at higher risk for benzodiazepine-related adverse events. [ e.g. COPD and substance abusing patients]. Benzodiazepine prescribing was associated with increased healthcare utilization.”
This undercuts Salzman’s point that “he teaches prescribing habits to doctors that this bill aims to correct” (i.e., for cases where long- term use is thought of as “appropriate” for certain populations).
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11606-016-3740-0
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Thanks for this. I’ll give it some study.
There are so many credible studies speaking to the ill health associated with BZs. Some of my ‘favorite’ names include: “Benzodiazepines revisited- will we ever learn?”: a meta -analysis that looked at 60k references conducted by BZ expert, and all around good guy, M. Lader. “What is the point of guidelines? Benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic use by an elderly population.”: found the 25% of elderly Norwegians were prescribed these drugs in 2012. (They are on The Beers List of meds inappropriate for the elderly, the largest group of consumers). And, “Not again: BZs Once More Under Attack” by Carl Salzman. ..So weird people keep reporting there are problems with these drugs!..
Report comment
Hi Snowy Rhodes,
Yes: as others have pointed out, this proposed legislation does not take away anyone’s benzos. What it does, is call for better informed consent/ warning that prescriptions for longer than 4 weeks are harmful. The drug manufacturers already know that. In the case of Ativan, e.g., the small print in the pamphlet says that it should not be taken longer than a few weeks. We want to move the warning to the bottle. As noted in the blog, Upjohn’s own trial shows far worse outcomes for patients on long- term benzos compared to controls. This was not adequately communicated to the public, to say the least. (The link to the study is in the blog). There have even been whistleblower scientists involved in the development on some benzos who said that drug CO.s have deliberately covered up harm. Read some about it here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmhealth/42/4112520.htm
NY & PA have also issued governmental health guidelines that BZs should not be prescribed for longer than a few weeks: https://www.benzoinfo.com/single-post/2016/09/10/Benzodiazepines-are-Contraindicated-in-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder-PTSD?fb_comment_id=1441413735974539_1448974715218441
Regarding benzos for PTSD, in 2016 the DoD and VA concluded that it is basically adding gasoline to fire (in the long run.) The official policy now is not to prescribe benzodiazepines for PTSD for longer than several weeks. For more on BZs & PTSD, see my article: https://www.benzoinfo.com/single-post/2016/09/10/Benzodiazepines-are-Contraindicated-in-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder-PTSD?fb_comment_id=1441413735974539_1448974715218441
Please do read the article and make note of the ‘insidiousness factor’ mentioned in it.
Thanks for responding,
Sonja
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Well said. Rare & great of your psychiatrist to both learn from you and validate you in the form of an apology on behalf of the field.
Not on their radar. The “ships not seen” metaphor has been aptly applied here by some I believe. It speaks to our numbers, that the running commonality we all virtually share is not being recognized by the profession. It’s so unrecognized not because it is so rare; it’s so unrecognized because there is so much ignorance, and since there is so much ignorance, the incidences are common.
Report comment
Regarding the question/ subject of ignorance: I also want to add, since it is an important point I feel that got edited, The Chairwoman mentioned that opposing doctors didn’t stay to listen to victim testimony at the 1st hearing and it would be good of them to stay for this one. Neither Salzman nor Silberman took her advice to stay and listen to this hearing either.
Report comment
*Still Not Too Late to Submit Testimony!*
Anyone (victims, loved ones of victims), from anywhere (planet Earth) can submit testimony who has been adversely effected by a benzodiazepine.
-Email to [email protected]. with the subject line “H.3594”
-Must! include full name and address, otherwise it is invalid
-Keep in mind for content: the symptoms you were originally prescribed for, what you were prescribed, how long you were on the drug or drugs and the impacts they had on your/your loved oneâs life. (What happened to you, what symptoms etc.). How could this legislation have changed your situation?
Report comment
Thank you Kirsten. Bravery across the board.
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Thanks Steve. Head honcho, Dr. Jerry Rosenbuam, who testified at the first hearing co authored a 2005 paper with Dr. Samantha Stewart. In a 2004 paper, Stewart wrote “In an attempt to settle this debate, meta-analyses of peer-reviewed studies were conducted and found that cognitive dysfunction did in fact occur in patients treated long term with benzodiazepines, and although cognitive dysfunction improved after benzodiazepines were withdrawn, patients did not return to levels of functioning that matched benzodiazepine-free controls. Neuroimaging studies have found transient changes in the brain after benzodiazepine administration but no brain abnormalities in patients treated long term with benzodiazepines. Such findings suggest that patients should be advised of potential cognitive effects when treated long term with benzodiazepines, although they should also be informed that the impact of such effects may be insignificant in the daily functioning of most patients.”
Feel free to factor this into your assessment.
Report comment
In my opinion we have been far too reliant on both a ‘peer’ and ‘education’ angle. Age- old Burstowian question: is it better to reform the system from within or demolish it from without? I’ll probably take some heat for this, but I have some deep issues with too heavy reliance on peer initiatives being some panacea either in reform or renew. (Save them for another piece and time). But one thing I will say in regards to the peer push is that I do think we need traditional “professionals” but we need them on our side. The system is never going to be ‘flat’; human nature is hierarchal– let’s get the ‘authority’ figures thinking correctly and as uncorrupted as possible. Peer efforts are a good ‘tool in the tool box’ (so sorry to use a mental health system cliche there, I’m tired), but stop stealing all the energy and attention.
Policy is a huge missing key. Less energy directed to peer and education angles and more to policy. And yes we live in a sad corporatocracy. The idea is that capitalism is suppose to correct itself right? With the best rising to the top? Well, guess what- that self correcting process is (if it is indeed even doing that) is obviously excruciatingly slow with inconceivable amounts of death and suffering as collateral damage.
We will see if policy can be changed by the little woman/man by this February in the case of ‘The MA. Benzo Bill’. Stay tuned for an upcoming article on it. People have said to me the way to go is education, also just a tool– policy is where it’s at. The psychiatrists testifying against us will never change their minds and they disseminate their “education” at Harvard and Tufts University. Whichever way The Bill goes, I believe it will make a systems statement.
Report comment
By the way, testimony does not have to be long, complicated or taxing. Likely it should be submitted by some time in September, 2017. You can find more about it here: https://www.madinamerica.com/2017/05/bill-h3594-informed-benzodiazepine-use/
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Thanks. I’m pretty much completely physically healed at this point. There’s no doubt the other drugs compounded my situation and were totally detrimental to my physical, mental and psychic well being. But out of them, I believe the benzo was the most grievous culprit. Polypharmacy has an unpredictable, synergistic effect. (That is not to suggest that single drugs can’t also be very detrimental on their own).
I use to believe there was something fundamentally deficient in me which prevented me from reaching a certain level of well being/contentedness also. Turns out it was all the drugs and being ‘a sane person in an insane world’ as they say (which doesn’t acknowledge trauma [or oppression])!
Good luck to you.
Report comment
Sandra,
I apologize for the delay. Your comment got lost in the shuffle. Iâm outraged too, as are many, many others. Personally, I have to approach these things in bite sized pieces at times. That said, we need to continue to organize as a community and I believe we will. Iâm so angry and sad about your experience and am honored you decided to share it. Thank you. What an incredible feat. Glad to hear youâve made it to the other side that many others have not.
I really hope you consider submitting testimony. Should you decide to and want any feedback my email is [email protected]
God bless you too,
Sonja
Report comment
“I should be quite psychiatry becuase is an âoutside issueâ ? F off , I will not.” Truer words never spoken, neither will I.
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Richard,
I was honored to have previewed this. Thank you for not violating one of the 1st rules of social justice- speaking for the oppressed without them.. âNothing about us without usâ..
I love how it follows the consciousness raising and self development in the learning process that it takes to become a âpsychiatric survivorâ. Itâs quite the journey and this song captures that well; following our heroine from âlabels and prescription pads to benzbuddies and MIAâ. You have got to be pretty solid in yourself to say 1. all of these esteemed authority figures dressed up in white coats and degrees as well as SYSTEMS (like âBig Pharma and the FDAâ) are all wrong and 2. Iâm hallucinating and want to kill myself, and Iâm the correct one here. â âNow, some people think sheâs crazy / And she doubts her sanity tooâ.. Itâs unfortunate that trauma is what brings many of us to psychiatryâs doorstep. âA simple pill and a label / To soothe her fight or flightâ.By the time we enter the system, we are use to having reality denied (note not âour realityâ; but REALITY). I can also relate to getting no validation from the âauthority figureâ of 12 Step groups you touch upon as well and I know many of my fellow benzo/psych victims can too in varying degrees.
Interesting how the standard mental health paradigm (purports) encouraging self- development, freedom, personhood and all the rest. Itâs true that psychiatry lead me to all of these things, just not how theyâd have it: rather through itsâ rejection! On a good day, I view my immense suffering as psychiatric victim/survivor as an odd, great gift.
A line which particularly cut me to the core was â Itâs a blue so deep itâs almost black / And she doesnât know if sheâll ever make it backâ. From my testimony for the MA. âBenzo Billâ: âThere were many days where every few minutes I would have to tell myself not to commit suicide, both from the uncomfortability of a CNS on fire but also from depressive haywire ruminationâ. And âalso of great concern was my cognitive state, especially because I was unsure of where this was going. Put it this way: at four months off I was attending a psychiatric hospitalization day program and it occurred to me that I was unable to do âthe mathâ involved in trying to calculate crossing the busy intersection near its buildingâ.
âBut if they only knew / What itâs like to be benzo blueâ. So many philosophical questions to keep picked apart from what is happening to peopleâs brains really from psychiatryâs tentacles. Questions about the mind-body connection, the soul, about compassion. What keeps me up at night most are the epistemological points about this distance between different peopleâs experiences which that line draws on. Well done. D. Oakes says we shouldnât shock the shockers (I havenât gotten there yet đ ). From my testimony â..âwhat we go through is beyond the bounds of what is natural, and I find it hard to believe that anyone who has not experienced it would understandâ. That of course leads to the question that If people knew, would they care? Iâd like to think weâd at least round up some more supporters.
Where is the revolution?? Psych victims, (who are able), quite frankly need a fire lit under their butt. Your life has been ruined, or nearly ruined for corporate greed and youâre just going to take it? Mobilize! Weâre no longer âgoing to be unknown to each other, just trying to surviveâ: weâre going to organize goddamnit. Itâs amazing how victims of all sorts often cling dearly to dominating paradigms.
Whereâs the backlash? I think projects like this will help fuel that fire, so thank you, thank you. Thank you for being one the few who has not experienced this themselves who not only âgets itâ, but takes it one step further, cares enough to do something about it. People like yourself have a rough road. Solace should come from knowing you are on the right side of history. As I said, validating, resonating. Great work. Weâre lucky to have you.ï»ż
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“Ayn Rand, Rand Paul and Paul Ryan walk into a bar. The bartender serves them tainted alcohol because there are no regulations. They die”.
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Hi The Cat,
To expound on “What happens to all the people who get anxiety attacks and panic disorder when âWritten prescriptions for less than a 10-day supply will not be refilled.â — They get a prescription for over 10 days. I myself am not totally clear on the rational behind that point let me say. I have to imagine it is in part aimed at curbing abuse. If people are tapering or taking the drugs as prescribed, then they do not have to worry about running out.
Also, the purpose of the commission is to explore safe tapering guidelines (in large response to people suffering from being taken off too quickly).
I hope you consider sending in your story!
Report comment
Jeff,
You neednât worry about a proposed law concerning better informed consent for benzodiazepines affecting your access to opiates or even benzos.
I wonder about your reaction, or really non reaction, to the section âWhy is this Bill Importantâ. You speak about people suffering in connection to abuse or addiction. As the post mentions, there have been many,many thousands of people who have taken this class of drug as prescribed and suffered dearly. Here is a quick video compilation of people testifying to this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMzaxAo-sxI
Because it may not have happened to you personally, does not mean that it does not happen. See your own example of taking Paxil. People have a right to know the whole truth in order to make truly informed decisions. That is what this Bill aims at. You say that doctors do not try to be politicians. Those forces most certainly do exert influence on public policy. Moreover, those interests cannot beheld responsible for policing themselves; we need a system of checks and balances which represents the most important stakeholder here: the public.
I would also really encourage you to explore the points about originally targeted symptoms.
Thanks for commenting,
Sonja
Report comment
Thank you BetterLife. I have never heard of ADHD drug patches, they sound like a veritable nightmare.
Upon looking it up I found the ubiquitous “Methylphenidateâs precise *therapeutic action in ADHD is not known*”. You know what: what is happening is those grey areas is a mass disaster. Why are people so comfortable with imprecision involving the brain? I saw similar writing in my Klonopin leaflet. I believe it even said its mechanism of action “dissociates synapses”. Sounds really healthy, especially for PTSD.
Well put roller coaster analogy.
Report comment
You bet. Thank you for caring.
It speaks to a group of people who have consistently put in so much effort and work for a long, long time to make opportunities like that possible.
Report comment
Thank you Richard!
Grateful for your commitment & assistance in this battle. I am always in aw of those who have not personally experienced this themselves but who care and fight for it and us; for it is certainly the exception.
Report comment
Thank you Kindredspirit. I’m sorry for both of your experiences.
I will look for that study.
I am horrified by The 21st Century “Cures” Act which was passed in December. Not only because it gives millions for forced outpatient psychiatric drugging (AOT) but because it lessons approval regulations even more. It was marketed and bought, as a streamline for scientific innovation. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (one of only 2 congresspeople who voted against it), called it legalized fraud for giant giveaways for drug companies. Her speech is really something: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1s12VfvS2g
According to Dr. Jerry Avron, 89% of drugs are already approved upon 1st pass.
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