Dr. Colin Bradley is a physician, professor, and a 2017 Fulbright Scholar. He has studied the opioid and benzodiazepine crises in both the U.S. and Ireland; and was appointed as an advisor to the Irish government on benzodiazepines. In Part II of our conversation, Dr. Bradley shares insights on tapering protocols and timing, discusses the ‘pill for every ill’ culture, and explores methods of easing the burden of withdrawal through counseling and tool development. His messages

Dr. Colin Bradley is a physician, professor, and a 2017 Fulbright Scholar. He has studied the opioid and benzodiazepine crises in both the U.S. and Ireland; and was appointed as an advisor to the Irish government on benzodiazepines. In Part I of our conversation, we compare the benzo situation in Ireland and the U.S., explore the effects of limitations and litigation on prescribing, investigate street use in urban populations, and share our concern for prescribed use among th

What is the best method for reducing symptoms in benzo withdrawal? Why do we cling to a need for control? Is a slow taper still the way to go? These questions along with three quintessential benzo stories create a fully loaded show. In today’s episode, D returns to the podcast after a 2 ½ month hiatus. He discusses some of the key questions of withdrawal, shares a few stories of struggle and success, and closes out with the moment of peace. Video ID: BFP068 Watch the Podcast

Hello friends… it’s been a while. I’ve had a few people ask about the Benzo Free Blog recently. Most of them were wondering if it will return. I must admit, I’ve had similar questions myself. While the podcast has been going strong and gaining listeners each month, the blog appears to be mostly…well…dead. The fact is, the rumors of the death of our blog are a bit premature. Yes, it has been over two months since I posted a new article. And yes, that is a very long time in Int

OPINION The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) approved a new drug in March 2019 to treat postpartum depression. The drug’s name is brexanolone, and it is marketed as Zulressso by Sage Therapeutics. On June 17, 2019. the DEA placed brexanolone on Schedule IV of the Controlled Substances Act, the same schedule as benzodiazepines. The reasons for this action included the risk of extreme sedation and sudden loss of consciousness, which can be lethal in some cases. Simila

Steven Wright, M.D. is a leading expert in benzodiazepines and serves on the board of the Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices. That, along with his 31 years of addiction medical experience, makes this a conversation you won’t want to miss. In Part I of our discussion, we examine the mechanisms of benzodiazepines, look at the doctor/patient relationship, examine prescribing practices, and explore withdrawal anxiety, GABA, and the peripheral nervous system. Video ID: BFP

OPINION When the FDA released its latest warning on Z-drugs, I quickly wrote up a blog post on the subject and even published it. But, before I posted it on Facebook, I re-read it as I often do, and something concerned me. I immediately removed the post and decided to re-write it in a different context. Here’s the recent announcement from the FDA on Z-drugs. I’ll follow with my opinion. New FDA Boxed Warning for Z-drugs On April 30th, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrati

As part of our Caregiver Week at Benzo Free, we have added a new page to our website titled “For the Caregiver.” This new page combines 10 Tips for the Caregiver with other resources to help you in this journey. And this is only the beginning, as we uncover more resources and develop more tools to help you out, we will add them to this page and even expand it into an entire section if needed. Some of these tips were discussed in our podcast episode this week, “Conversation wi

I realize that celebrating the International Day of Happiness may be the furthest thing from your mind if you are dealing with benzo dependence and withdrawal, but I don’t think it should be. Finding something to be happy about just might be the little thing which can lift your spirits, at least for a day. In my research, in addition to benzos, anxiety, depression, mental health, and other similar topics, I also spent a lot of time investigating happiness and trying to learn