6.5 Benzodiazepines: How to Withdraw Effectively from Benzo's using the Ashton Manual

-Here, we start off with a discussion about why the question of whether someone with long-term benzo use and abrupt discontinuation experiences symptoms of benzo withdrawal or if those represent rebound symptoms of the original anxiety or panic.  If you're on a benzo (or any other powerful neurotransmitter-altering substance, for that matter) for long enough, YOU WILL HAVE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS when you try to stop it (same as alcohol).  You cannot reestablish a baseline for their original condition until they've effectively withdrawn from the benzo.  We use British psychiatrist Heather Ashton's, The Ashton Manual, published in 1999 and widely available online via a simple google search, to review how to effectively withdraw from benzo's, including what symptoms to expect, and how to manage them from both a patient perspective and a provider perspective.  If you know someone struggling with benzo addiction who has struggled to try to discontinue them in the past, I highly encourage you to check out her manual, as well as look online for benzo withdrawal clinics in your area or available via telehealth.  Listen throughout January 2024 with episode releases every Tuesday and Friday morning on the topic of Benzo's.  Feel free to email us with comments, questions, suggestions at [email protected] and check out our website at https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ for additional links and resources.  ENJOY! Thanks for listening.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @Renegadepsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website. Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate.  This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.