Have you had to buy benzos after being cut off? You are not alone!

We have treated many people who were deserted by their prescriber and resorted to obtaining benzos in other ways because their withdrawal was so bad. Please don't feel alone here, it is possible to find another prescriber who can get you back on track and create a taper plan that works for you. #taperoffsafely #benzodiazepines #benzotaper #psychiatricmedications #mentalhealthjourney #syntheticbenzodiazepines
Learn more about safe drug use: www.dea.gov/st...

[@jana25402410]

Good luck finding that doctor 😂😂😂. Im so happy not to be on benzos anymore. Im so sorry to anyone in this situation.

[@drunkensquirrel7545]

I'm still tapering and I'm afraid of ending up in that scary trap. It's another layer of stress and fear that makes quitting harder than it should be.

[@Mmcermes]

How long did it took you to🎉 recover from SE? I was started on Xanax 3 to 4mg/day xanax 14years ago after a nasty medical diagnosis that almost drove me insane.3years I ⁵⁵⁴⁵⁶ managed to get down to 1.5 max to mgs a day...I'm so disappointed I didn't succeed to get rid of it completely bu"t every time I try to further lower my dose it drives me insane to the point of almost lost my job. I want to stop it as I have developed significant memory loss, bone problems constant fatigue/totally exhaustion even if I get proper sleep Tbh it's like this 14yrs have pas5sed without even noticing and learning new things it's so hard, kinda like time has stopped..

[@jana25402410]

@@Mmcermes im so sorry 😞! But at least you are down to 1.5 a day. I hope one day you are free of it completely. I was once on 10mgs a day of klonipin. Cold turkey off. It was awful. Took 6months to recover. Reading all these stories I realize how lucky I actually am. Hang in there.

[@Default6476]

Yea mfs don't give you .... They only provide when they know you're addicted and keep coming to them just like drug dealers.....if they know you're trying to cut off of the drug they'll stop providing you and tell you to stop coming to their office like they did to me well I was on 3 drugs SNRI Clonazepam and antipsychotic and i had to quit them all at once after 4 year's cold Turkey.... I do not even understand how my last 8 months were...Doctors are bastards I'd rather die than trusting these b*** again

[@Tempo50]

@@jana25402410the lower you go, the harder it is.

[@kimberc813]

This dr. Is truly a good person for his work. I wish he'd been around 15 yrs ago.

[@wristcheck350]

What happened?

[@afol4016]

NOT ANY FAULT OF THE PATIENT. EVER. MANY, LIKE ME, NEVER KNEW WHAT COULD HAPPEN.

[@johnobrien8773]

Even those of us that did know, didn't know.

[@tubester4567]

To be fair, most people know these are addictive drugs when they started. Same with the opiates. There is a shortage of GP's now, doctors are choosing other specialties because GP's are dealing with drug addicts/seekers all day, and many get threatened and abused.

[@drunkensquirrel7545]

@@tubester4567 My GP is the one who wrote my first prescription... this was right AFTER I told him that I didn't want to take anything that was addictive! 😕

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

​@@tubester4567they know there addictive but they domt know they can cause brain damage tho...

[@drunkensquirrel7545]

Unless someone has actually walked at least a mile in our collective shoes, I wish they'd refrain from being judgemental here. We already get enough of that from the medical establishment. Fifteen years ago I was blindsided by a tragedy & the least dangerous choice I had then was kl*nopin. Nobody ever warned me about it. By the time I KNEW, it was too late. Now I'm working hard to taper off. So enough with the schadenfreude already.

[@HeidiBuss-pd8cw]

My new doctor had me taper off Xanax in 4 weeks after using it for 25 years. I was so sick and scared while tapering, I ended up calling 911 and was hospitalized. I thought I was having a heart attack. I didn't know that would happen. I'm still struggling. I was cut off 4 months ago.

[@God-hs4hc]

@@HeidiBuss-pd8cw that's insane, sue for malpractice

[@katyw7248]

God Bless you. I pray you find a doctor who will take proper care of you. ♥️🙏

[@ediebug4757]

I'm going through it too, it's hellacious!!

[@jeffzest8393]

asshole dic should have license revoked. Take him to court for malpractice!

[@karendalsadik7119]

Wow where l live they’d never put you inpatient.

[@pitch-rudy-peter]

I work in a high end CBD store and we get desperate customers who were cut off from their doctors. They say our CBD/THC products help but end up spending so much money…I wish cannabis was covered with insurance😢

[@NJmommykyldyl]

Can I ask what strain is useful?

[@pitch-rudy-peter]

@@NJmommykyldyl we only sell tinctures and gummies so I’m not knowledgeable in strains. The important thing is the blending of different cannabinoids like THC, CBD, CBG, and many others.

[@bellrosehayley]

Well, that’s way easier said than done. I worry all of the time what will happen when my doctor retires, or something happens, or I move etc because in my experience most doctors in my small stupid American town think they can rip them out of you in 5 days in detox and give you your “last” dose 15 minutes before you walk out the door. Just happened to me and thankfully my doctor just put me right back on them to start a true, slow taper

[@Rayray0802]

Thank you thank you thank you for saying this!!🙏 currently tapering & stable but this happened to me for years. I reached tolerance and had to get pills from friends. Glad I’m out of that cycle, but I beat myself up soooo much because of it. Felt tremendous guilt. It added to all the other psychological problems the benzos caused.

[@jeanf8998]

❤

[@user-pd5qz2vt2c]

This is very common, especially with benzos and opiates. A PCP prescribes oxys or Xanax, and then the minute the patient presents to the prescriber as now being physiologically dependent, giving another script could be classified as treating an addiction, which most PCPs are not licensed or qualified to treat. So they cut off medications to avoid potential malpractice and sometimes refer, most often not. And people go to the streets to avoid withdrawal. And now with fentanyl in everything...you complete the ending.

[@1summerflower]

No money to buy them even if available and have literally been laughed at by doctors as she quoted in her notes my statements ( the medicine cured me). Prescribed Antipsychotic that seem to do something to my breathing in my heart. Never had heart problems until being cold turkey off meds. Just a big joke to most , getting judge analyzed when your at your worst and obviously have already been pretty down and through a lot. Makes most people so sick they can’t even think straight and suffer in silence , which many already have most their life.

[@God-hs4hc]

you can sue doctors for not prescribing benzodiazepines if you make your preference known I've already filed and working on a lawsuit right now against a major hospital system for following guidelines not backed by data. We have medical freedoms we have to fight back.

[@quentinleezavala]

@@God-hs4hc OMG; what kind of heart issues? I was cut off as well after 20 years of diazepam. After 4 months of suffer and torture was all I could endure before reinstating a small taper dose. However I think damage was already done. My blood pressure baseline was like: 170/110 (average) and now I've been newly diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm. After reinstating a taper dose I felt so much better but be careful to monitor your tolerance levels, if you have to reinstate

[@lissa756]

No one wants to prescribe benzos

[@johnobrien8773]

Certainly not if you mentioned them. Once they start prescribing them to a patient they're on the hook since they can't just stop prescribing them.

[@katsm-wo9704]

@@johnobrien8773actually they can at least it has happened to me

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

Benzos are one of the most highly prescribed drugs in America. They prescribe them all the time.

[@God-hs4hc]

​@@dustygatrell-ru7tgif you run the numbers 50 million prescriptions divided by 12 that's actually a pretty low amount of prescriptions.

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

@@God-hs4hc why would you divide it by 12?

[@ministryofpeacekmk]

That's what happened to me, my doctor retired, and I could not find another doctor in time, and ended up going off cold turkey, ended up in the hospital for 5 days. And like Dr Josef said, you DO NOT want to do it this way...you don't. I could have stopped the hell that I was going through instantly, had I found a doctor, went back on Xanax, and done it correctly by micro tapering. I wasn't even having any problems where I had to come off due to tolerance, it was all because my doctor retired, and left me high and dry with just a piece of paper with the names and numbers of some psychiatrists in the area, all of which were not accepting new patients at the time. I often wonder what happened to all of his other patients. He hadn't even told me of his retirement until the last minute, which shows me greed on his part...he didn't want to lose any of his patience until he was ready to retire, so he didn't even tell anybody! 🫤 Hang in there everybody, it gets better!! 🙏🏼✝️♥️

[@bianchaesson1441]

Your wise advice is deeply appreciated!!

[@stephaniebondy3416]

You just made my conscience so much more clear. Bless your heart. It was a nightmare.❤

[@afol4016]

YOU CAN END UP DEAD!!! THEY KNOW THAT! THEY ALL KNOW THAT! TRUST ME. REPORT THEM.

[@jeffreywegener8841]

They know that & don’t care . We all know this . A specialist I grovelled to awhile back made a joke about it . True .

[@suerichardson8990]

I didn’t even know there was a thing as Mexican Xanax! Is that laced with fentanyl? I’d be terrified to buy Xanax on the black market. I guess desperate people do desperate things.

[@drunkensquirrel7545]

Absolutely correct! 💯

[@squidleyskidley]

Yes, they are often laced with fentanyl

[@staceyklj]

Yes, it's insanely dangerous

[@Rocketman0407]

No he said people go down to Mexico to get Xanax. The Xanax in Mexico is exactly the same as the US if you go to a reputable pharmacy.

[@suerichardson8990]

@@Rocketman0407 But how do you get prescriptions in Mexico?

[@ABB56.]

I was doing this. I found a doctor who basically told me he couldn’t do a slow taper for me but that I should save up as much of my rx as possible and have a big stash after several months to taper myself- which I’m still doing a year later. I thought it was weird but boy was it helpful.

[@jameswatson5501]

Tapering does not always work and I say this from personal experience. I was so badly “kindled” that I could not taper even the smallest amount. What saved me and permanently stopped my protracted withdrawals was infusions of NAD with amino acids.

[@pf100andahalf]

I couldn't cut any amount either so I figured out to cut 6% of the last dose so that each dose was less of a cut if that makes sense and I cut every 2 to 4 weeks or longer. Yes I was in hell for 5 years but I finally got through it but I could never go through that again. No way

[@jeanf8998]

Please use an antihistamine while tapering

[@pf100andahalf]

@@jeanf8998 An antihistamine? Why? I tapered and have been off benzos for 5 years and any time I took antihistamines they made me feel dried out and terrible.

[@Jimmy-Legs]

Me three.

[@Flojo9229]

@@jeanf8998hi, currently proposing to begin …the dreaded taper - which antihistamine do you recommend & in what dosage ratio to benzo?

[@Cluless02]

I was given an Rx for Klonopin 3mg /day. But I'd run out early and go down to MX to get another Rx. But the tabs are 2mg ea. and I'd forget and take them like they were 1mg, lose track of it. I figure it was at about 6~8mg /day. Then I took Nembutal and became unconscious, ended up in hospital 4 days. Following week I started a 30-day rapid-detox, completed it and never looked back. I still had ½ bottle, left in the meds cabinet, never even tempted to go back on it. That was 8yrs ago, still a freaking nightmare. Did it to myself the way I wrecked everything in life. Many times I've wished I had succeeded with ending it. Yet here I am. At 66 I'm only hoping my time is coming up soon. Benzos are Soul-Crushers . . . . . .

[@theprotagonist8755]

Um i know your trying to help. But no shit that would work of doctor's would do their job correctly and help clean up this mess they created

[@afol4016]

IATROGENIC HARM. MEDICAL MALPRACTICE. THEY KNOW.

[@drunkensquirrel7545]

Truth.

[@psychedelicartistry]

Yup. I did this in order to taper off. Luckily I had a reliable source. And now I tapered off with little to no withdrawals. I like you, man. You're a real one. Refreshing to see a doctor that actually knows what they are talking about. Luckily, my doctor is pretty cool, but people strongly underestimate how many stupid doctors and psychiatrists are out there these days. It's like 90%+. Truly a sad state of affairs. They go off of what the 'research' says rather than personal experience, and I've heard stories of doctors and medical professionals straight up laughing in people's faces when they try to tell them they're still withdrawing after two weeks.

[@jeffzest8393]

Source?

[@psychedelicartistry]

@@jeffzest8393 I was able to get them off the street w/o any bullshit fent in them.

[@victorial8764]

I’m so glad you’re telling people about this and helping people not be ashamed. I never had to do this yet, but if they did it to me, I would be a mess and I know that and I’m not even on that much. I really want to be a patient here waiting for my fiancé to get a job it’s been a while it’s been hard but I’ll see if I have my extra income again. I’m gonna see if I can go because you are the best of the best doc and so is your wife

[@edwinramos4211]

Thanks Dr., Are there more drs like you with knowledge & compassion for people living without peace of mind leading to doubt oneself ?

[@stephaniebondy3416]

You just made my conscience so much more clear. Bless your heart. It was a nightmare.❤ I did not know it was a common occurrence.

[@ediebug4757]

I wish you were closer to new England Dr Josef!! 💯

[@RavenG]

What??!! All doctors are stopping prescribing and those who take new patients are scared and do not want to prescribe benzos, especially to a new patient.

[@danielledoyle7133]

I began my tapper without telling my doc i just kept getting the monthly script and began only taking half of my daily dose which was Temazapam 30 mg ..i took only 15 each night Then over the course of a yr i got down to 5mg then bought capsules and made mirco doses .then i began my nights with no Temazapm. Its been 2 yrs 7 months clean

[@annaliseworley5774]

Yes.. right now

[@alanshaw6161]

I think this guy doesn’t know they all share information and if you get cut off from one doctor one time you’re done

[@austinmoorefield6542]

Dude, cash only psychiatrists don't give a flying fuck and will prescribe whatever. Source: been cut off by numerous docs

[@alanshaw6161]

@@austinmoorefield6542 good to know!

[@rhiannaloft3158]

Off the street yes it’s a disaster

[@lilafeldman8630]

This sounds awful. My mom took a prn ativan to help her sleep sometimes. Said it helped her relax, helped her joint pain, too. I think alot of her pain is psychosomatic. But she wasn't heavily dependent on it. Then, her NP retired, and the new one wouldn't give it to her, bc she saw no real need for it. Too bad, seemed like it was really helping her.

[@kevk741]

I’m asking you personally to please accept your mother’s pain. I have horrific nerve pain from starting, starting, and changing medications and had no idea it was coming from the brain. Not psychosomatic. Situational, maybe. There is sometimes morphing and even moving around the body. Find Adam Maeir Clayton on KZbin and watch his videos. He was likely a PANS/PANDAS case from childhood but he was unknowingly making it worse trying to treat. He thought he had Psychosomatic pain disorder b/c of how crazy it looks. It is coming from the brain, just not the way you think. I’m so sorry she is suffering. I had no idea how many medications cause akathisia. I roughed myself up neurologically trying to treat symptoms. I even thought they were helping. That’s the spellbinding nature of them. They mask symptoms but also aggravate and worsen you neurologically. I thought any med harm was temporary. I had no idea they’d allow such brain damage at prescribed dosage ranges. You don’t even know the extent of the damage until you remove. You can even get tardive symptoms that erupt months after stopping.

[@lilafeldman8630]

@@kevk741 thank you. I'm sorry for your experience. I know that maybe I should try to be more understanding. She struggled for many years with nondescript aches and pains that don't have an obvious cause. except arthritis. But sometimes she goes to the doctor asking for pain medication or a better treatment and they just tell her they can't find anything wrong with her. Thankfully she is avoided most controlled substances and narcotics. She doesn't want to go that route.

[@kevk741]

@@lilafeldman8630 in case it helps, I had brain MRIs and all sort of testing and it showed nothing. It still blows my mind because you’d swear it would show something drastic and yet shows nothing. I’ve come a long way myself trusting people now when they say something is wrong. I’m sure your mom is telling the truth. I can barely make sense of my own symptoms but I can promise you they are real. Don’t fear “addiction” etc. I fear long, synthetic half lives the most. That means fearing antidepressants for nerve pain more than opiates. They both cause akathisia though. I wish I’d understood that.

[@nikkib473]

Yes weare aware of this but what we need help with is knowing where to find these Drs! I been trying for 4 years! I am treated as a drug seeker. Told to go to detox. I had a seizure in detox!

[@karendalsadik7119]

No doctor will help and we expose ourselves to more and more danger because of their carelessness. I’ve lost everything because of being cut off of my pain meds and all psych meds right after a head on collision due to a blow out tire. I used to be a psych provider and the board supported me being on my meds.

[@user-im8xw6xh1l]

It's medical malpractice to just cut a patient off of a drug like a benzo. If you have a seizure....or end up hurt/harmed they COULD have their license taken away.

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

Sadly it happens to pepple all the time an nothing happens to the doctors.

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

@@user-rw1983 that's not enough after what was done to me an Many others. Literal brain damage. An extreme burden isnt enough. Mote like prison for years.

[@darinferreira4448]

Im not going to risk trying to taper my 85 yr old mother off the lorazepam shes been on for 23 yrs, cuz her doctor retired. The risks are way too high of withdrawel injury. Shes doing great while taking them. Its a shame we have the burden of chasing down these drugs.

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

At that age shes deffently better off on them. Godbless.

[@jeffzest8393]

Where getting them?

[@Nick-gq2iy]

If people can afford them, Angie Peacock & Laura Delano both psy.chiatric survivors, one is an MSW & they will help you communicate with prescribers & therapist & family. Best to all of you/us! 🌹

[@ceninant]

It is the only thing that worked for my anxiety disorder. Not increasing dosage over the years. Just need a doctor that understands its sensory issues not neurotypical.

[@austinmoorefield6542]

MAKE ALL DRUGS OTC

[@God-hs4hc]

@@austinmoorefield6542 psychiatrists and general practitioners would be out of business in a week. Healthcare is up to 20% of the economy according to what I've read. They will never do that.

[@missbamboo76]

Cannot find those doctors in Florida

[@akalucinda8821]

So scary 😢

[@TheAjmos]

Street benzos could have fentanyl in them.......

[@austinmoorefield6542]

So could street tacos, just gotta know the chef..

[@TheAjmos]

​@@austinmoorefield6542 Iv never heard of a taco fentanyl death, but i hear about street drugs that are laced with fen killing people all the time. I think ill take my chances with the tacos instead.

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

If you look at the imprint then you'll if its legit or not.

[@hime5767]

What is gradual taper ??? What is the best way.

[@xy-qy2yg]

No but I went to another doctor to prescribe me and then another one and another one just to taper als Safe as possible. To have a stash and Not sorry About Supplemente.

[@afol4016]

FILE A FORMAL, SERIOUS COMPLAINT WITH THE STATE BOARD OF MEDICINE. TRUST ME, THEY A L L KNOW. ALL OF THEM. THEN GO TO THE DEA. SERIOUSLY. FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THEM, TOO.

[@kathypetersen2447]

Horrible 😢

[@user-im8xw6xh1l]

DOES this doctor exist?! 😮😮😂😢 AS if it's that simple. It's NOT. My doctor of 14 years stopped taking my insurance. I've been looking for another one to prescribe me the Klonopin I've been on FOR THIRTY YEARS. I've been to six. Not one will give it to me. So I have to go online or I'll die. Do you have a better answer?!

[@jeffzest8393]

You can find doctors who will taper you off by switching to Valium.

[@garysimone4977]

Very easy to get

[@jeffzest8393]

Not at all….explain. You will not because you spew bullshit.

[@ediebug4757]

Unfortunately it's not that easy to find a Dr who'll give them to you...if it were ww wouldn't be having a problem lol

[@garysimone4977]

Its easy very easy to buy. But pls get off !!!

[@jeffzest8393]

No

[@garysimone4977]

What ??? Why no​@@jeffzest8393

[@garysimone4977]

Why no m to what ​@@jeffzest8393

[@rainbeau9752]

That’s great. Not happening. I feel awful. fu

[@HelpStepBroImStuck]

Smoke heavy indica. Like really heavy indica. And do your best to avoid taking that next dose. You’re always one dose away from relapsing/being sober