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

Renegade Psych

-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 You cannot reestablish a baseline for their original condition until they’ve effectively withdrawn from the benzo.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 [e-mail] and check out our website at https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/ for additional links and resources. ENJOY!

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