Benzodiazepine Awareness with Geraldine Burns

In this episode I have a very frank interview with Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring. Dr. Witt-Doerring is a psychiatrist and former FDA medical officer/pharmaceutical physician who now treats patients with drug injuries. If you're interested in what he has to say you can find out more about him over on his website WittDoerringpsychiatry.com or YouTube channel at Witt-Doerring Psychiartry. He is the type of psychiatrist I wish we all had run into.  I hope someday, every psychiatrist runs their practice the way he and his wife do with full knowledge, kindness and true caring for helping a person to heal.

This was one episode I wanted to do for a while, but due to computer problems back in September of 2021 and then both of our lives getting hectic, I’m just now getting back to doing this unbelievable story which I feel will give so many hope of a full recovery.When I interviewed Teryn in Episode 22 she talked about the other woman she met in the benzo groups who was as sick as her.  Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Austin who is that person.  Like Teryn she had become so physically ill her first husband had to stay home to take care of her.  Benzo illness can lead to so many tragedies and triumphs. Her marriage ended in divorce.  Austin is now happily remarried with five children, four of which she had after she recovered and has become a Registered Nurse.At the end of the podcast I make announcement about my new job.  You can find me at cohealme.com.

It's been six months since we did our last podcast, so in this episode I'll talk about how the past year has gone for me, we check in with Lisa on her very slow symptom guided taper.  We talk to Mellie who is fully recovered now, and we talk with Jim Thompson who we have been following with his Benzo taper now completed and his journey off of his antidepressant. Finally, I'll give some great updates with others that have we have interviewed in the past that you will want to hear. I hope you all enjoy the episode. 

This is an episode I’m doing by myself addressing medical professionals to be more informed and cautious when prescribing. I list reasons people were put on benzos from a survey years back. I list books and websites for them to educate themselves and I ask them to take responsibility for their lack of knowledge and harm they have caused.

Melissa Bond is a narrative journalist and poet. In the years of her dependence on benzodiazepines, Melissa blogged and became a regular contributor for Mad in America.   ABC World News Tonight interviewed her for a piece in January 2014. Melissa is a respected writer on the perils of over-prescribing benzodiazepines and has been featured on PBS Story in the Public Square, Radio West, the podcasts Risk!, IGNTD, and Psychology Unplugged. The Salt Lake Tribune and the New York Post have both done features on Bond's book Blood Orange Night, her memoir about becoming dependent upon and the withdrawal process coming off of benzodiazepines. Blood Orange Night was published by Simon & Schuster in June 2022. Learn more at MelissaABond.com

Jennifer DeGuillio is a wife, mother of four and a health coach, who specializes in ketogenic living, nutrition, health and wellness. She has coached hundreds of women, who have successfully sustained a healthy lifestyle. Jennifer loves sharing knowledge and helping others. She is a passionate person who will go the extra mile and over-deliver.When an Iatrogenic illness to benzodiazepines took her by surprise, she used this same healthy lifestyle and positive attitude to approach her taper.  She is proof, not everyone has to suffer when tapering a benzodiazepine.https://linktr.ee/JenniferDeguilio 

Beth is a wife, mother and a Registered Nurse who is going to school to be a nurse practitioner and will be studying Functional Medicine once she gets her NP.  She also has her degree in Psychology.  She will tell you her amazing story from being one of the most debilitated survivors of psychiatric drugs in the benzo communities that many thought she would never heal.  But she did heal! Her story will encourage anyone who is sick and feels they can’t get better. Never give up the hope of recovering.  Don’t forget to stay tuned after the podcast for our post show conversation.

Jennifer Swantkowski has her masters in social work from the University of Houston, a post-graduate fellowship in End of Life Care, and a PhD in Clinical Social Work from Smith College in Northampton, MA.  She has worked as a family therapist at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, MA and was an adjunct professor at Boston College.  She then returned to Houston, Texas  where she served as an individual and family therapist at. The Menninger Clinic, was an instructor for individuals conducting their post-graduate Fellowships at Menninger and was also an adjunct professor at the University of Houston. For the last ten years, Jennifer has been in private practice working with adults providing individual and couples counseling.  In her practice, she focused mainly on professionals dealing with issues such as anxiety, addiction and relationship struggles;  as well as young adults who were failing to launch in their lives.  Unfortunately, due to a neuro-toxic reaction to an antibiotic and subsequent struggle to come off  the benzodiazepine prescribed for that injury, Jennifer stepped away from her clinical practice in 2020.  During this time away, she has focused on healing as well as heavily researching medication injury and benzodiazepine withdrawal.  She has written a book called The Waiting Room: My Journey of Recovery from Medication Injury and Benzodiazepine Withdrawal that will be out in early July of this summer.  She is currently working on a second book and creating YouTube videos on her channel ( jenniferswanphd) where she  discusses various issues related to benzodiazepine withdrawal as well as a separate series called Therapy from the Sidelines where she discusses a wide array of psychological topics.   She is passionate about being a part of advocacy and awareness efforts and serves as a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition. 

In our 2021 Recap Show we catch up with the same four we followed last year.  Hear how Jim Thompson, Mellie, Lisa and Ken are doing one year later.  I’ll also update you on a few others just so you can see the progression of healing and how life goes on after benzos.  I’ll also update on myself and what transpired at our November 8th hearing at the Massachusetts State House regarding our benzo bill.

In this bonus episode I had Marjorie Carmen and Sonja Styblo, both benzo survivors, over for dinner and decided to record a quick conversation.

In this episode I’m going to talk about setbacks and what substances I’ve seen cause problems and stress and how we shouldn’t be afraid of them because it may never happen.    LINK:http://curable.com/ 

Mark Stoll has been a psychotherapist and coach for over two decades integrating mindfulness centered approaches and traditional cognitive therapies into a way of life that that helps people free themselves from the prison of their minds so they can engage life and connect to matters most. No one has benefitted more from these skills than him when the hell of benzo withdrawal hit last year. After multiple attempts to get off Klonopin, he was finally successful in September 2020 but then got to experience firsthand that it’s not about controlling our inner experiences but how we relate to our thoughts, feelings and sensations and what meaning we assign to these internal experiences that truly determine our level of peace and happiness. He has found it important to interpret the suffering he went through as having made him a better, more compassionate person. He lives with his wife and two teenage boys in Columbia SC and knows that it was his family that kept him going despite whatever symptoms he experienced and now one year off, considers himself mostly healed and looking forward to the rest of the healing coming when it comes.

In this episode I interview Attorney Michael Mosher who has 30 years of experience. Mr. Mosher has an extensive background in pharmacokinetics, the adverse reactions of various drugs as well as the proper administration of each psychotropic drug including anxiolytics (eg. Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin), hypnotics (Halcion, Dalmane, Restoril), stimulants (eg. Ritalin, dexedrine, Adderall), anticonvulsants (eg. Tegretol, Depakote, Neurontin), antidepressants (eg. all the SSRIs, Effexor and the tricyclic antidepressants), and neuroleptics, (eg. Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquil, Abilify). Mr. Mosher has also settled numerous cases against doctors and drug companies involving illnesses and damage due to addiction/dependence via the use of Xanax, Klonopin and other benzodiazepines as well as injuries resulting from SSRIs.

In today’s episode we catch up with Jim Thompson to see how his taper is going and how his group is doing during Covid. We also get an update from Lisa who is working with Dr. Gary Kracoff, check in with Ken to see how he is doing since he was prescribed a benzo during Covid, and Melli who we talked to when she was benzo free day one. Then I’ll read updates on a few others past guests of the show.

Kim was a married, working full time and the mother of one child at the time she was prescribed a benzodiazepine for neck pain. Within a short time she developed symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal and actually became very disabled to the point she had to return to her parents to be cared for. Listen to her story of suffering and recovery. She eventually goes back to work and has two more children. Recovery is possible!

Today we are doing our 30th show and I am so pleased to bring this interview withPhil Eichinger who was on Ativan and other medications for 30 years. He is not only TOTALLY recovered, but says he is healthier than ever. If you ever thought your body couldn’t heal, or you were on too long and you can’t get better, this is the story of hope you need to listen to.

Last December I did a Surviving the Holidays Podcast and said what I did to get through each year till I was well. Try to listen to that one before this one. But this year being more stressful with Covid-19, I thought I would bring you some things I’m thankful for and some suggestions for this time of year.

Lisa is a MA resident who was working full-time as a software consultant and entrepreneur. She was prescribed a benzo to get a medical procedure along with Vicodin to endure the procedure. You will hear how she became deathly ill while trying to taper and worked with Dr. Gary Kracoff who turned her health around so she can now successfully finish her taper.In no way are we saying the only way to get better is to work with a functional medicine doctor and take supplements. Some people do very well without taking anything. Then there are some people like Lisa who have actual injuries from the medication.

Dr. Gary Kracoff is a registered pharmacist with a doctorate in naturopathic medicine who provides in-depth consultative services at Johnson Compounding & Wellness in Massachusetts.Gary’s guiding philosophy is to treat the person as a whole, not to chase symptoms. He focuses on finding the “why” to what is happening physically and mentally, and works with individuals to restore balance in the body.Gary frequently lectures at pharmacy, medical, and health-oriented conferences. He is an educator at the Academy of Integrative Medicine, conducting two-day seminars for health care professionals twice a year. Gary also serves on the faculty of the Center for Education and Development of Clinical Homeopathy.We delve into benzodiazepines and different tapering styles, inert ingredients, antibiotic setbacks, treating the whole body, homeopathy, etc. WEBSITE:naturalcompounder.com

Steven Wright, MD, is a residency-trained family physician with 38 years of experience. Although no longer providing direct medical care to patients he remains active in addiction medicine (board certified) now for 33 years and medical pain management for 17 years. He has a particular interest in benzodiazepines, having developed, run, and presented at The International Benzodiazepine Symposium in 2017 in Bend, OR. He is the medical consultant for the Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices (www.benzoreform.org)and is involved in a variety of related projects. He presents across the country (virtually now!) and is editor and author/co-author of two chapters of a book on benzodiazepines now available called The Benzodiazepine Crisis: The Ramifications of an Overused Drug Class.