What I really find astonishing is that you are truly one of the only KZread channels who still regularly posts relevant content and tips on withdrawals from medications. The way you present it is pleasant to listen to and re-assuring, it lets me and allot of other people know that they are not in this alone, that there are actually people with knowledge on the subject that know you WILL heal eventually, when I listen to you I am listening to hope, to faith. I truly am grateful for what you do. If I hadn't found your channel I wouldn't be down from 3mg of klonopin a day to 0.75 right now. We can all get through this, remember. Greetings from the Netherlands.

@valeriefromoregon

6 ай бұрын

I was on .25 of klonopin for the last two years now watching his videos I’m down to .125 daily. Trying to jump off but it’s not happening yet .. it’s a bit hard as I’ve been on a low dose klonopin since 1995.

I am just so glad that my benzodiazepine brain damaged years in hell are over..... Praise GOD!!!

@CarolinaBuenad

6 ай бұрын

How many years you use? If I can ask and how long is your healing?

@Q1776Q

6 ай бұрын

@@CarolinaBuenad Me...2 weeks of 1MG of Ativan per day ...as soon as I started cutting down ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE....I tapered for about 2.5 years..I started feeling better about 4 or 5 months after my taper ended...now at about 5 years later I am 100% healed.

@terence3769

6 ай бұрын

I'm so fucking happy for you! It is so terrible, I'm still in it after a relapse, tapered myself down from 3mg of klonopin for a year to 0.75 right now, was off of them for 8 months then became a little bitch again so started taking them not because I needed them but because I started missing the effect. I'm definitely both dependent and addicted to them. Whenever shit goes wrong in my life my head will make an excuse to go back even after the withdrawals are over.

@terence3769

6 ай бұрын

@CarolineBuenad Yeah curious about that aswell!

@user-sy1xm2eu5m

6 ай бұрын

Amen sister 🙏🏼

We should also focus on all possible coping strategies ...like CBT,mindfulness and self compassion,acceptance...Even if u go very slowly there are always some symptoms..Distractions ..remain connected to people if possible really helpful..sometimes there is also fear of symptoms even you are tapering on right way..Journey is long so enjoy life whenever u get good moments

@xy-qy2yg

6 ай бұрын

I was put on this because I sought out CBT and self hypnosis :(

Boy, Dr. Josef, you hit it out of the ballpark with this video! I don't know how many hours I have spent watching KZread videos in an attempt to determine how to taper. This one, together with your: The BEST Tapering Speed...(to AVOID Withdrawal) should be required viewing for everybody considering tapering AND their care provider. Thank you for your most valuable service!

As an “unconventional” physician I have many patients who come to me to get off medications so I find this extremely helpful. Sure isn’t available on mainstream medical literature. I celebrate the tattle-tale letters from insurance companies telling me my patients aren’t filling their prescriptions. 💪🏻

@TiredEmpath

2 ай бұрын

Insurance companies do that?

@drironmom6815

2 ай бұрын

@@TiredEmpath yes! They send letters saying “your patient John Doe, DOB … has not filled their prescription for (brand) antidepressant since (date)” I guess they are hoping I will scold them and make them take their antidepressants, or statin, or whatever

@TiredEmpath

2 ай бұрын

@@drironmom6815 Thank you for the reply. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

My daughter did a "cold turkey" off her psych meds after a very harrowing 4 month hospitalization. It has been 4 weeks since she took them, and she's been pacing constantly, has lost her appetite (and a lot of weight), and had enormous difficulty getting any sleep. I am trying to support her decision, she is unwilling to taper gradually, but most of all I DON'T want her to be re-hospitalized. I hope we can find a practitioner who can help us, we have excellent health insurance, but the system is set up to force medications according to bogus DSM diagnoses, and my daughter has been injured by decades of this pattern of treatment, and has lost all trust of physicians at thispoint. Thank you for your very helpful and enlightening videos, it fuels the hope of restoration of health in the end.

@Marie-ts8rp

6 ай бұрын

Try a CBD oil w out added THC. Under .03% THC

@kennethpastore5178

5 ай бұрын

Have you talked to an outpatient 0:48 😮 only doctor there are several great doctors available in NYC See what you can find by googling as they not only talk to you but will send you the needed medication every month I love just staying a home tapering easily without much stress at all😊

@grummelameise

5 ай бұрын

thats what is to be expected. is she still in misery?

@kathleenpimentel9218

5 ай бұрын

Don't give up. You are her lifeline. Remember, this road is narrow. Patience and prayer.

I was taken cold turkey Ativan after being on it 10 plus years. It was pure heal and my Dr refused to help me. It has been just over a year and I am still suffering and isolating. Trying to get off a benzo but brain zaps and returned depression is unbearable.

@christinemclatchie

6 ай бұрын

That’s just horrible! I can’t believe that our own Drs can’t or won’t assist with this shocking thing that is a life altering experience… I sincerely pray to God that you find the help you need 🙏 I know I’m going to need help, and my first point of contact will be Jesus. He set me free in an instant from alcohol addiction, whilst I was at a NYE party. I cried out to Him in the toilet, being blind drunk, and the next morning when I went home, I was able to tip hundreds and hundreds of $ of spirits down the sink. I did not touch a drink for over 20 or so years, but when I did have one at my 50th surprise birthday party, I didn’t need it… I am a non drinker and don’t like alcohol or it’s effects. May the Lord free you from these chains that bind you, and may you know the peace that only He can bring 🙏

@TiredEmpath

2 ай бұрын

I am so sorry you’re going through this. I had brain zaps with Cymbalta self taper. Doctor wouldn’t help me at all. Twelve years later I still have weekly zaps but nothing like every 15-20 seconds when I was tapering. Now looking into a diazepam taper, afraid to start. 10mg/day since 2000!

Thank you so much for your help and guidance 😊

Can you do a video on intrusive thoughts? It’s been one of the scariest and toughest symptoms I’ve had from the start of my taper

I simply love your work Dr. Josef

tip for quitting medication: lower your dose by a tiny amount each week - if you are reaching the low and, dont quit yet, but create intervalls: one day, you take your meds, the next day, you pause. after a time, you elongate the pauses, until you are comfortable not taking it at all. if withdrawal becomes unbearable, you take a little dose, but stay the course. i tried two times to quit cold turkey, i couldnt do it.

@TiredEmpath

2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I will always watch your channel and thank you for helpful information.

Thank you Dr. Josef!

Thank you so much for sharing this information,dr Joseph. 🙏

Very informative. Thanks

That’s great advice. Are you able to do same lecture about Antipsychotic medication tapering. Thank you for your help

@Only1Megs

4 ай бұрын

That would be awesome 🎉

Thank goodness for you. I have to go now but I'm coming back to watch. Sounds like there's hope.

I always get close to being off of them. But Klonopin helps me so much. Even with my coping skills. Sometimes life is just too hard without the extra help. I'm currently only 0.625 a day. Antidepressants just made my anxiety worse with side effects as well. I'll always try to taper. It's just difficult when Benzos truly help me. I never abuse them or take more than I need. Unless I'm having a Terrible day where coping skills won't work

@beannamated

6 ай бұрын

Is it possible that you get #akathisia from the antidepressants, especially serotonergic ones? SSRIs ARE awful drugs and - I believe - will be shown to be worse than benzos in many ways in the future. My beliefs about these drugs are evolving over the decades. I used to sell an anticonvulsant used in psychiatry and had no idea of any of this back then. Exhausting all non pharmacologic methods first is most important. Getting thorough testing for vitamins and minerals as well as functional medicine testing for hormones and all things endocrine should be done before starting drugs OR tapering because they affect the endocrine system dramatically (especially adrenals). I'm no longer convinced that tapering to 0 should be the goal for everyone. It's the changes that often cause problems. You're on a very low dose, IMO, so don't beat yourself up. I feel like I sensed some self judgment in your comment. I didn't mean to be intrusive. ❤

@beabeauty

6 ай бұрын

I understand it’s difficult. I’m on No Benzo now ( I already suffered through that withdrawal yrs ago but just trying to get off Effexor is very tough. I hope and pray someday I won’t need it just to keep going. Because I have had anhedonia for 1-2 yrs now.

@christinemclatchie

6 ай бұрын

@@beabeauty Can I ask what that condition is? I must come off Lexapro (as well as Benzo’s and Suboxone) and it all sounds just terrible. But I must do this, as my brain just doesn’t function like it should.

I was on klonopin 4 days and couldn’t go off without withdrawal symptoms. I’m still on it since 1995. Currently on .125 mg .

@christinemclatchie

6 ай бұрын

That’s just shocking!! I hate what Big Pharma has gotten away with!

@KoalaBeer.

5 ай бұрын

Omg that’s a long time ..ask this doc

thank you 🙏

Thanks for all this info and support. I just wish someone would explain what protracted means. xo

Last November I cold Turkey off an 8 mg a day Klonopin addiction. Went into detox on day 9 into the withdrawal because I could not sleep at all or eat. There they gave me some meds that supposedly would help but they were like placebos. I also could not sleep or eat 3 days into the detox center and I had taste derealization and loss of balance. When I got some of the acute symptoms went away but I did have insomnia for a couple of more weeks but now I sleep like a baby. Still have some anxiety though. Good video Dr. Josef.

@strider1237

6 ай бұрын

Can I ask how long were you on the 8mg Klonopin? I was on 4mg Lorazepam for 8 years and was switched to 2mg Klonopin. I'm currently tapering and am down to 1.25mg and am having a lot of trouble with sleeping and depression. I may be staying at my current dose too long but each reduction just sucks the life out of me.

@markpalavosvrahotes5575

6 ай бұрын

@@strider1237 Nearly a decade. Too damn long.

@mooseloose123moose3

6 ай бұрын

@@markpalavosvrahotes5575what did you do too get over those symptoms? Did you do anything or eat anything or just power through it?

@renzsalazar9488

2 ай бұрын

You just have insomnia for couple weeks? Do you take any other sleep medication?

@markpalavosvrahotes5575

2 ай бұрын

@@renzsalazar9488 Trazadone.

@dr josef can you add time stamps in the description for the 5 things?

I was on 0.5mg klonopin for about 4 months, came off way too fast due to terrible medical advice. Developed appalling tinnitus. Reinstated at 0.5mg, tinnitus went way down, and then tapered off at what I thought was a reasonably slow pace (Ashton method), tinnitus gradually came back but was manageable. Down to 0.18mg in November, crashed really hard for a couple of weeks. Thought I'd stabilised in mid-December, 4 weeks after the last cut but since then my tinnitus has progressively got much worse to the point it's really difficult to manage. Was wondering if I should updose but I understand from your videos that it seems the damage is already done so the only thing I can do is hold for a while and then continue to taper off gradually? (and by the way, thanks so much for these videos, they're so informative)

@KoalaBeer.

5 ай бұрын

2yrs I jumped off cold turkey that dose , been 2yrs now swapped to Valium. You’ll be ok wasnt fun but glad rid of it 😮. P.s don’t jump though I had too

Incredible resources & help . I don’t want to sound overly critical but apart from a minimum conversion with my unreliable GP no other health providers are interested in Sydney. If you know - tell me . I’ve tried . But 2.5 mg Diaz & ⬇️ Hint meditation & music , exercise helps .

How to know the difference between disease returning and withdrawal symptoms?

Gives hope that some doctors look deeper into understanding the cons of med and how important close monitoring is. I wish he could.be my psyciatrist. Im hurting so much and lost trust in doctors. After 30 yeats of struggling. Doctors still dont gave me stable or on something consistant. Help!

Help. I’m stuck at 60mg Duluxotine. I was at 120 and tapered from that to 90 and then from 90 to 60. The drug itself gives me extraparamydal symptoms and I’ve been stuck on it for 3 years. No one would help me taper. Now with extra symptoms that come up I’m scared to drop from 60 right to 30! But given its form I don’t know any other way. I’m so so sick and so scared to do it alone and everyone seems to think nothing of me dropping that much. But full body paralysis and seizures aren’t fun to knowingly walk into.

last 10 to 20 per taper really difficult..

Is Tegretol included in any of these categories of meds you are speaking about?

Wait I don’t get it, so if I was tapering benzos, and was feeling potential withdrawals and was to go back up a dose for the benzo withdrawal but didn’t notice any difference in my symptoms or my symptoms worsened, then that could mean I have a withdrawal injury/ brain damage instead of regular withdrawal? Is that right?

@beannamated

6 ай бұрын

Good question.

@bluestrings8829

Ай бұрын

Yes, removing the drug at that point is the best option. You've most likely taken that drug too long at that point. Drugs stop working after so long.

It took me 18 months to tapper down from opiates.

Could you please tell me why I'm so so tired and weak. I first noticed my hands were to weak to lift a pan. Then later on doing my taper my whole body is weak and I'm so tired all the time.

@Snowflake1374

6 ай бұрын

Same.

I dropped my mirtazapine slowly got down to 3.75mg. Really bad withdrawal kicked in and i panicked. I stupidly bumped it back up to 7.5mg which is where Id started and my anxiety got worse. I havent been able to get on a plane since. Im hoping when i get off I can heal. It's hell people, dont do it. Kindling is real please listen to this guys advice.

Can you talk about Mitochondrial damage? Thank you!

@tatie7604

5 ай бұрын

Could we talk about healing from all this? It is so depressing to not have hope of healing.

@grummelameise

5 ай бұрын

yeah, thats absolutely real. took me four years to feel fit again. its incredible damaging, but you dont see or feel it, you just get worse and worse. its partly because ssri induce insuline resistance.

I am Currently taking Klonopin 1 mg along with multiple antidepressants my medicines for depression is not effective can I take wellbutrin i also want to taper Benzodiazipines is there any issues to taper Benzodiazipines while using wellbutrin

Thank you for all of your posts. What are your thoughts on tapering Clozapine/Clozaril? Is it the same approach as you would do an anti-depressant?

@kata6966

4 ай бұрын

We are currently on 65mg and no other drugs.

for 5mg of escitalopram i was told to just stop it. or i could try every other day, then every 3 days. will it still cause problems ive been on for three yrs for heart transplant

which medication i shall remove first, risperidone or lorazepam?

I know Kratom is NOT nearly as serious as Benzos......but is there a protocol for tapering off from kratom?

I am getting ready to taper off opms golds ( very strong kratom that mimics opiates) if anyone out there has any experience or advice. I quit the actual opiates relatively easy while quitting these pills cause severe restless legs and insomnia. TIA

My very question is how do you deal with severe withdrawal

@grummelameise

5 ай бұрын

you dont. youll be in bed with a warming bottle and a vomit bin. smart thing is to avoid withdrawal by reducing you dose gradually by tiny amounts. also, have other type of drugs ready, but not from the same family you are already taking. do this sparingly. alcohol is bad with this. a herb arnold shwarzenegger promotes will help a bit.

What is a protracted withdrawal injury? Does that go away?

@KoalaBeer.

5 ай бұрын

I hope after years

@grummelameise

5 ай бұрын

well, its hard to say. one thing i am sure about, is that ssri gave me insuline resistance (along with the lifestyle i had... ). then there is the thing with organ damage. search for: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) Inhibit Insulin Secretion and Action in Pancreatic β Cells* thats why most people get fat. I did as well. took me 4 years to feel fit again. disclaimer: your question is about withdrawal damage - i dont think there is damage in that. its just horrible. but that is my own experience.

Wait - if someone gets interdose withdrawal, switching to Valium is a good idea? But Valium is also a benzo. Is it less subject to interdose withdrawal?

@grummelameise

5 ай бұрын

no.

Ended up with tremors

@grummelameise

5 ай бұрын

try what i suggested, it will take a long time, but it also works.

Can you experience inter dose withdrawal from wellbutrin XL? I feel awful each morning before I take it. I'm currently figuring out how to taper but i'm kinda confused because i think this enteric coated tab only comes in 150 mg. Will i need to cut the pill? I want to taper 10% every 30 days(over about 9 months) Waiting to hear back from my prescriber.

Do you do brain scans or endocrine testing before starting tapers? These drugs excavate the adrenals and deplete so many nutrients, it seems logical to get the body as strong as possible prior to embarking on a taper.

I found this video incredibly helpful. I think I need to stall on my clonazepam and start working on the Lamictal.

I watched your video but I don't live in any of the states that where you can help me by phone I don't know what to do there's no psychiatrist in the area that I live in my doctor is completely unhelpful I have a practice of doctors that keep coming and going they allowed me to stay on this I can't get off by myself

Can I space out 1mg of risperidone twice a day. ?

@lindasulistya9937

2 ай бұрын

do you try to taper risperidone?

😭😭🙏

If only your program didn’t cost 55 fucking thousand dollars!

So if i have used diazepam 5mg for over 2 weeks i can become dependent?

@KoalaBeer.

5 ай бұрын

No

@opeyemiyusuf8965

5 ай бұрын

Yes

@ZaimBegic-qb6rk

5 ай бұрын

@@opeyemiyusuf8965 ive been taken it for 6 plus years but not everyday sometimes i didnt touch it for a year or so. I took it at 22 years old not prescribed. But lately these couple months i been on it not every single day but maybe 2-3 times a week. I dont know but symtoms but i feel more anxious and sleep issues lately and my brain is weird

@ZaimBegic-qb6rk

5 ай бұрын

@@opeyemiyusuf8965 Ive been on 4 different ssri on lexapro i quit cold turkey after 6months. Ive tried 3 different adhd medication sometimes i take (concerta) im just lost and my mental is shit:(

I was prescribed Xanax 1mg by the Dr for 7 days due to panic attacks and anxiety, , i took o, 5mg for 5 days then I took 0, 25mg for 2 days then I stopped. I decide to stop it since I know how dangerous are they are, but yoo, the insomnia I got was so severe,, but now I am on day 7,,i wont take that medication anymore,,

Nicotine 🤬 vapes . After I knocked them on the head the v taper is more focused.

@annie711000

6 ай бұрын

Is it good to get rid of the vapes?

@annie711000

6 ай бұрын

Meaning while tapering

@strider1237

6 ай бұрын

I currently am vaping... Is your benzo taper easier being off nicotine?

@colettejaques2559

4 ай бұрын

​@@strider1237no

Dr. - you need to explore ketamine as a potential aid for protracted withdrawal. Have you looked into this at all? It supposedly helps regrow the CNS could be beneficial for PAWS

@hey956

6 ай бұрын

holy shit, i did not know that! What about ketamine wd?

@Ignacio_Kingsley

6 ай бұрын

@@hey956 ketamine has been approved for treating depression and other mental health issues. It doesn’t have a withdrawal.

I used 5 days and I got severe severe brain damage so the 2 weeks stuff is bullshit.

@beannamated

6 ай бұрын

I know someone who took Zoloft for less than a week and the damage was severe and lasted years. I agree that everyone is VERY different. I wish we knew why.

@xy-qy2yg

6 ай бұрын

@@beannamated but they did heal??

@xy-qy2yg

6 ай бұрын

I know I would have healed the cortisone damage in a matter of weeks/months, I could feel it, but my family never gave me a chance because they were impatient

@xy-qy2yg

6 ай бұрын

Stupid CBT therapy center.

@colettejaques2559

4 ай бұрын

Not brain damage in 2 weeks of taking it