Start of my benzo Journey off of Benzos - 22 Apr 2022

Elijah's Benzo Journey2022-04-23

Benzo#Benzodiazepines#Benzo taper#ashton manual#heather ashton#withdrawal#benzo withdrawal#diazepam (drug)#tapering#benzobuddies#benzo support#medical#hope and support#faith#antidepressants#zoloft (drug)#sertraline (drug)#ambien (drug)#zolpidem (drug)#depression#fear#family and friends#valium#tolerance#tolerance withdrawal

393 views|2 years ago

💫 Short Summary

Elijah shares his 11-year struggle with benzodiazepines, including valium and ambien, and the ensuing withdrawal symptoms. He documents his journey to taper off the drugs on his YouTube channel to educate and support others going through similar experiences.

✨ Highlights

📊 Transcript

00:00 hey everyone my name is elijah i wanted

00:02 to create this channel

00:04 to document um my journey off of

00:07 benzodiazepines

00:09 i've been on

00:11 benzos for 11 years

00:13 started out

00:14 on valium five milligrams for insomnia

00:18 and then got put on zoloft

00:21 100 milligrams for anxiety

00:25 uh my sleep i've essentially worked up

00:27 to

00:28 15 milligrams of volume for sleep and

00:31 that really wasn't helping so much all

00:33 the time

00:36 so my doctor

00:37 started giving me

00:40 ambien

00:43 a couple years ago

00:45 um and i figured okay i don't need the

00:47 volume anymore so i started taking the

00:49 ambient because it was working great for

00:51 sleep

00:52 well i started to build a tolerance to

00:54 ambien

00:56 and i got up to about 30 to 40

00:58 milligrams a night

01:01 because i would have to redose

01:04 and

01:06 in the fall of

01:09 2021

01:12 started feeling this stress which i now

01:15 know or

01:16 or were introduced withdrawals or

01:19 withdrawal symptoms

01:21 um

01:24 from there things spiraled out of

01:25 control i

01:27 didn't know what i was doing i stopped

01:28 my zoloft cold turkey

01:30 the valium was essentially cold turkeyed

01:32 and the only thing keeping me afloat was

01:35 the ambien at night time where i would

01:38 become completely normal

01:41 um

01:42 but i fell into this deep deep hole

01:46 that i couldn't get out of

01:49 um and i didn't know what was going on i

01:51 finally had my wife admit me to

01:54 a psychiatric behavioral health hospital

01:57 for 10 days to get me stabilized

02:01 there they reintroduced my zoloft

02:04 and they put me on klonopin and

02:06 gabapentin

02:08 uh

02:10 i stabilized a little bit got released

02:14 and

02:15 soon to realize klonopin wasn't doing

02:17 anything for me

02:19 nothing whatsoever

02:23[Music]

02:25 and that was last november

02:28 of 2021 so this past february i crossed

02:32 back over to valium and i'm currently at

02:34 20 milligrams of valium

02:37 and i can't describe the hell

02:40 but that whole scenario was like

02:45 something i would never wish on anybody

02:49 but here we are today today is april

02:53 22nd

02:54 2022.

02:56 and in july i'm gonna start a taper off

02:59 my 20 milligrams of value

03:01 um i have to stay functional

03:07 so

03:08 i created this channel to essentially

03:09 document my journey

03:12 so people can be educated

03:14 as well with what works and what doesn't

03:16 work um i have to go very slow

03:19 because i'm essentially the breadwinner

03:21 of my family and

03:24 yeah i'm gonna

03:26 i know it's gonna be a rough ride

03:29 um

03:30 but

03:32 i just need to make this

03:34 video to uh

03:37 have an outlet

03:39 not just for myself but for others out

03:41 there that are

03:43 going through the same thing

03:45 so

03:46 i will be posting frequent updates

03:49 throughout my journey

03:51 and any input

03:54 would be appreciated or any tips

03:58 um on doing a taper

04:02 hence i've been on them 11 years so

04:05 it's going to be a very slow micro taper

04:08 symptom-based

04:10 so if anybody has any advice that's gone

04:13 through it please comment

04:16 in the video below

04:17 um it would really mean a lot

04:20 so

04:22 i'll post another video update

04:24 soon

04:26 on my progress because right now i'm

04:27 still stabilizing

04:29 on my uh

04:31 valium dose

04:33 it's up and down i have waves and

04:35 windows is what they call them so

04:37 i'll keep you all posted talk to you

04:39 later

04:40 peace

💫 FAQs about This YouTube Video

1. How long has the person been taking benzodiazepines?

The person has been taking benzodiazepines for 11 years, starting with Valium for insomnia and Zoloft for anxiety.

2. What were the withdrawal symptoms experienced by the person?

The person experienced withdrawal symptoms when they stopped taking Zoloft and Valium, leading to a deep hole and the need for stabilization in a psychiatric behavioral health hospital.

3. What is the person's plan for tapering off Valium?

The person plans to start a slow taper off their 20mg of Valium, seeking to stay functional and document their journey for others going through the same experience.

4. How does the person describe their experience with benzodiazepine withdrawal?

The person describes their benzodiazepine withdrawal experience as something they would never wish on anybody, emphasizing the need for a slow taper and seeking input and tips from others who have gone through it.

5. What support is the person seeking from viewers of their journey?

The person is seeking input and tips for tapering off benzodiazepines, as well as sharing frequent updates to educate and support others going through similar experiences.

🎥 Related Videos