Important updates on this subject can be found at the posts listed at the bottom of the post.
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I’ve recently come across an article by Matt Samet called Social Vacuum. It’s dated March 2013, and was published on Robert Whitaker’s website Mad in America.
Matt had been taking a benzodiazepine for some time, and while on a tapering withdrawal, he experienced some distressing symptoms, including some acute social discomfort. (For a full account of benzo withdrawal – click here.)
He describes the withdrawal symptoms in detail, and also outlines some of the strategies he used to cope with these. I think the article would be helpful for people who are going through these kinds of withdrawals, and also for counselors, etc., who are helping/supporting clients through this.
When benzodiazepines were initially launched in the early 1960’s, the psychiatrists and the manufacturers stated categorically that they were non-addictive. Eventually it became impossible to maintain this fiction, and the addictive potential of these products is now recognized. Some people manage to come off these products, but large numbers of people worldwide continue to use these drugs as an integral part of their daily routine. Benzos are sedatives and are sometimes called minor tranquilizers.
Withdrawal from these drugs is potentially dangerous, incidentally, and medical supervision is a good idea, especially if the dependence is marked. Try to find a physician other than the one who got you hooked on them in the first place. In severe cases, hospitalization is required.
The following drugs are in the benzodiazepine category: Valium; Librium; Xanax; Ativan; and Klonopin. For a more comprehensive list of brand names, see this site on Wikipedia.
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Important updates on this subject can be found at the following subsequent posts:
More on Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Benzodiazepine Withdrawal: A Dilemma