What country ?

[[ma...]]

I cannot understand why drs are not informed about this all over the world this is happening. I took this stuff for 4 weeks and 2 days and my dr said just quit, you have not been on long term, and you cut your doses...She was just clueless! ! I'm in the USA, this is ridiculous! !

[[fo...]]

USA...northeast

[[Si...]]

Atlanta, Georgia

USA

[[Be...]]

I love England.  Went for a vacation, uh, holiday, there in July, 1981.  My boyfriend went over to try to qualify for the British Open which was in Sandwich, England that year.  We stayed in Dover--the white cliffs of Dover, Brighton and had some famous rock candy, and then went to London and Pickadilly Circus.  Stayed at B and B's all the time.  He did some betting at the betting parlors, which were everywhere as I remember.  The dollar was about double over there then, so we got good deals on stuff.  I love the show on PBS, Doc Martin, set in England, I believe.

[[La...]]

Use to be from, oh yeah, still am....Michigan

[[La...]]

Hey Worldwide BBs! Just chiming in here on thisisnofun's use of the word "addiction". That word implies certain behaviour that doesn't apply to many of us. I think "physiological dependence" is more accurate for what happens when you take a prescribed medication "as directed" and end up with bad withdrawal symptoms when stopping it.

 

Anyway, getting back to the point.....it's a worldwide issue since the drugs can have the similar effects on people around the world. Here in Canada, there's an ongoing study that is using saliva/DNA testing to identify genetic variants that may affect how individuals respond to -- and get side effects from -- psychiatric medication. It's called "pharmacogenetics". I believe the current focus is antidepressants and antipsychotics, but wouldn't it be great if such testing could be done for benzodiazepines, and in so doing, avoid the problems that many of us have suffered? PREVENTION!

 

Here are a couple of links:

 

http://www.camh.ca/en/research/research_areas/clinical_translational_labs/Pages/Pharmacogenetics-Program.aspx

 

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/newsroom/news_releases_media_advisories_and_backgrounders/current_year/Pages/In-a-Canadian-first,-family-practice-offers-genetic-testing-with-CAMH-to-predict-which-psychiatric-meds-work-best-.aspx

 

Okay, BBs, just wanted to share that! It's great to hear where everyone is from. We're in good company, I guess, but I'm SO sorry to hear how many people are in the same situation. I would have liked to meet you all under better circumstances!

 

Best wishes to all from Canada!

 

 

 

[[Ch...]]

I love England.  Went for a vacation, uh, holiday, there in July, 1981.  My boyfriend went over to try to qualify for the British Open which was in Sandwich, England that year.  We stayed in Dover--the white cliffs of Dover, Brighton and had some famous rock candy, and then went to London and Pickadilly Circus.  Stayed at B and B's all the time.  He did some betting at the betting parlors, which were everywhere as I remember.  The dollar was about double over there then, so we got good deals on stuff.  I love the show on PBS, Doc Martin, set in England, I believe.

 

This reminds me of a poem I loved when I was a young teenager. It was a very long narrative poem by Alice Duer Miller called The White Cliffs.

 

My mom had a record of the actress Lynn Fontanne reading it. I listened to it over and over again and memorized it word for word. For Christmas 1968 when I was 15 mom gave me the book for Christmas.

 

I hadn't thought of it for years until now. I can still remember the poem, not quite word for word (it's been some years, I'm 61 now) but pretty close!

 

http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/alice_duer_miller/poems/19942

 

How is it I can still access, with a fair degree of accuracy, something that was tucked into my memory 46 years ago yet I'm hard pressed to recall what I had for supper last night and often leave the store upset and rattled because I've forgotten my PIN number?

 

That was a nice memory, Christmas 1968. The following year I met my child psychiatrist and my whole world changed.

 

I live in western Canada.

 

Chin

 

 

 

 

[[th...]]

Bulgaria 

[[pa...]]

WASHINGTON, D.C.

[[Th...]]

Hey Worldwide BBs! Just chiming in here on thisisnofun's use of the word "addiction". That word implies certain behaviour that doesn't apply to many of us. I think "physiological dependence" is more accurate for what happens when you take a prescribed medication "as directed" and end up with bad withdrawal symptoms when stopping it.

 

Anyway, getting back to the point.....it's a worldwide issue since the drugs can have the similar effects on people around the world. Here in Canada, there's an ongoing study that is using saliva/DNA testing to identify genetic variants that may affect how individuals respond to -- and get side effects from -- psychiatric medication. It's called "pharmacogenetics". I believe the current focus is antidepressants and antipsychotics, but wouldn't it be great if such testing could be done for benzodiazepines, and in so doing, avoid the problems that many of us have suffered? PREVENTION!

 

Here are a couple of links:

 

http://www.camh.ca/en/research/research_areas/clinical_translational_labs/Pages/Pharmacogenetics-Program.aspx

 

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/newsroom/news_releases_media_advisories_and_backgrounders/current_year/Pages/In-a-Canadian-first,-family-practice-offers-genetic-testing-with-CAMH-to-predict-which-psychiatric-meds-work-best-.aspx

 

Okay, BBs, just wanted to share that! It's great to hear where everyone is from. We're in good company, I guess, but I'm SO sorry to hear how many people are in the same situation. I would have liked to meet you all under better circumstances!

 

Best wishes to all from Canada!

 

Sorry if you felt that was a poor choice of words.  I guess i am very comfortable with that word, since i am in recovery from alcoholism, and i am training to become a counselor for alcohol and substance abuse.  Physical dependency is still referred to mostly as "addiction".  There is a movement towards discontinuing "addiction", and renaming the disease "substance-use-disorder", because of the unfortunate stigma "addiction" carries.  People don't think of it as a disease, and associate criminality with it.

 

 

[[La...]]

No problem! And thanks for the explanation. Some of us were prescribed the medication and took it as directed; others took it for other reasons and in other ways. The withdrawal can be bad for both groups. I'd prefer not be lumped in there, though.

 

Thank you, and best wishes,

Lapis2

[[Be...]]

Lapis2,  I agree 100% about genetic testing needing to be done for those considering benzo and other drug or even alcohol usage.

 

Chinook, I think I remember reading that poem myself and other ones also about the white cliffs of Dover.   

[[ro...]]

    USA....the beautiful state of Colorado!!!!!

[[Be...]]

Is Denver really a mile high above sea level? 

[[ro...]]

Yes Beck..Denver is one mile above sea level. I live in Colorado Spring..we are higher than Denver at 6,000 feet above sea level. Cripple Creak a town about an hour from here, there are a few casinos and cute stores is 10,000 feet above sea level.

They have oxygen in the casinos for the people that are not used to the altitude.

If you want to know more about Colorado goggle it. You'll like it.

      R

[[Be...]]

rockrimmon, that's interesting about Colorado and the thin air there.

[[ro...]]

  Maybe the altitude and the thin air is good for w/drs

[[Be...]]

I guess the thin air is working for you, rockrimmon?  I thought it would be the opposite with those with breathing problems. 

[[Ro...]]

From Venezuela, Caribbean sea.

[[Si...]]

Hungary.

 

I was shocked to learn that Klonopin has a huge black market here, it's the most popular prison drug, and those who obtain it legally have an average of 20 prescriptions for either 30-pill or 100-pill boxes per year I guess it explains a lot.

[[...]]

hello,

I'm half lithuanian, half russian,,,,born by the Baltic see,,,,,city Klaipeda....

lived in Geneva from 2001 september till 2013 may 19.....

 

Now I'm living in Manila, Philippines..

 

 

 

[Guest [Ke...]]

Cornwall, UK the land of Doc Martin, Poldark, The Onedin Line, Wycliffe and many, many other TV and film locations. It's beautiful, rugged and full of myths and legends. Sadly I will soon have to move back to the more civilised South of the country.  :'(

[[go...]]

Canada

 

[[Th...]]

Nyc, USA

[[Be...]]

Beth, that's neat you live in Cornwall, UK.  Are the home doorways all that small in height like in the Doc Martin series?  Doc Martin always has to stoop down to get through the doorways.