Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring talks about psychiatrist Dr. Peter Breggin, one of the pioneers in the area of psychiatric drug withdrawal

[[La...]]

Dr. Witt-Doerring also reviews his top three picks of Dr. Breggins many books.

 

 

[[Ed...]]

This guy provides a lot of great information online for free

 

However, it’s all designed to funnel people into his tapering program where he sells you absolution from your benzo addiction for 10K-30k dollars

 

its an expert sales pitch that sounds perfect while obfuscating the price until the last minute and then trying to justify it 

 

“as much as a few months in an inpatient rehab”

 

For telehealth? Really? Where your operating costs are 1/10th of the cost of an inpatient rehab center? 
 

He and his wife have found the perfect market niche - people suffering horrifically from benzos and few doctors willing to prescribe them the Ashton method 

 

And they’re looking to get rich off of it - and I’m sure they will.

[[Co...]]

Hello @[Ed...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

Yes, I am aware of the cost his program. I agree, eye-watering numbers. The full program is even more expensive than you suggested - around $45,000 (US)!

[[Co...]]

@[Ed...] It seems that your information is probably more correct. My figures are from about three months ago; Witt-Doerring has, apparently, updated his pricing structure very recently more in line with what you have suggested. Still, for most people, it remains a lot of money.

And unless things have changed in past three months, neither does his practice accept insurance.

[[La...]]

Ouch. Eye-watering, for sure.

[[Md...]]

I’ve been with Witt-Doering for the last several months, and couldn’t be happier, especially after the nightmare I went through with my former doctors.

Here’s what I’ve gotten out of being a patient of Dr Josef…

1. I was having incredibly painful interdose withdrawals from Xanax. It felt like my brains were being ripped out and my brain was just turning off. It was pure hell.  My current GP at the time not only gaslit me and said they were separate psychological issues, but she also cut my dose in half, and completely cut me off as a patient, then told me to go to detox.

By then, i had educated myself about benzos, and knew that detox centers are terrible places for people to go to get off benzos. I knew I had to find a psychiatrist who was benzo smart, and found Dr Josef Witt-Doering. 

Within just a few weeks he and his wife slowly and safely crossed me over to Valium, which completely eliminated the interdose withdrawals. 

2. Dr Josef actually listens, believes you, is ridiculously flexible when it comes to tapering and goes at YOUR pace, even though the default starting point is a 5% to 10% reduction every 2-4 weeks. They take into consideration age, dosage, and how long you’ve been on the medication when it comes to formulating a custom tapering plan. Most doctors and detox centers do not operate this way. 

3. Dr Josef is FAST at not only responding to any questions, but also works out any kinks you may have with pharmacies/pharmacists. 

The pharmacy i was getting my benzos from had a backorder issue, and i was running low. Dr Josef actually called me from his direct number while he was on vacation over the weekend, and did everything he could in his power to resolve the issue, which we eventually did. But honestly, what Dr actually cares enough to call you while they’re on vacation to resolve an issue like that? 

Also, I was personally having sedating issues with liquid Valium, and since Dr Josef truly believes in a self led and flexible taper, I requested a half pill/half liquid taper. The problem i ran into is that a lot of pharmacies are in a state of hysteria due to the opioid epidemic, and absolutely hate giving benzos out in two different forms, but we eventually found a pharmacy that was just fine with it. And I’ll add that Dr Josef called several pharmacies trying to sort out these issues. For once I felt like i had a doctor who was a patient advocate. 

4. So far, the tapering process has been easy. We do a daily micro taper, and I rarely notice any withdrawal symptoms. Tbh, I more notice the common side effects from the Valium than any kind of withdrawals.

5. I feel like he’s in a league of his own when it comes to his understanding of benzos and tapering. Most doctors I’ve spoken to are usually clueless, and don’t know what the hell they’re doing when it comes to tapering, and most have never even heard of the Ashton Method. Dr Josef, on the other hand is a previous FDA employee, and has heard and seen it all when it comes to benzos, and is a completely open book about his FDA experience. 

6. Price. I don’t know anything about this 45K program they’re offering, so I can’t speak on that, but that’s definitely not the program I signed up for, but even if i had to pay 45K from start to finish, it would be completely worth it. Seriously, good luck trying to find a doctor who actually possesses the same kind of knowledge and experience when it comes to tapering people off benzos. I’m not saying they don’t exist, but i am saying they have been impossible to find in my experience. Also, you can just Google Dr Josef’s reviews and see that they are all 5 stars. 

Btw, for anyone complaining about the price, Dr Josef actually told me that he’d be willing to show my GP how to properly taper me off benzos, so that I wouldn’t even need his services, but i honestly feel too comfortable in his hands to even do that. 

Bottom line is that I’ve had nothing but a positive experience with his services, and he’s doing a damn fine job raising awareness about pharmaceuticals on his YouTube channel. I can’t say he’s using it as a “funnel” to get people to sign up for a 45K program, because he actually rarely even mentions the program. Maybe if he was constantly promoting it in every video, but that’s just not the case. Most of his videos are YouTube shorts and interviews with people who have been injured by doctors and pharmaceuticals, and not ads or promos for a 45K program. I don’t even think he ever asks people to subscribe to his channel, if I remember right. 

Finally, i gladly would have paid 45K just to eliminate those debilitating interdose withdrawals. That’s how hellish they were, and local doctors did not know how to help. 

It’s tough to put a price on the quality of service and the amount of help Dr Josef has given me. It’s something I’ve yet to experience from any other doctor. 

As far as insurance goes, it’s a private practice, so no he does not accept insurance. There can be a ridiculous amount of issues with insurance companies when you are operating a private healthcare business, so I honestly cannot blame him for not accepting insurance. It’s just one less thing he has to deal with, and i think it allows him more time to focus on the quality of service he can offer his patients.

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by [Md...]

[[La...]]

Great to hear your first-person account, Mdfox1, and to know that you're well-supported as you go through the process of getting off benzos. I've been off them for years and certainly didn't have access to support of any kind at the time that I went through it all.

 

[[Li...]]

Thank you for sharing your experience with Dr. Witt-Doerring, @[Md...].  His overall responsiveness and efforts to ensure you have the dosage forms you need to taper are impressive. 

Might I make a clarification for future readers of this thread?  

Dr. Witt-Doerring is NOT charging 45K for his program (this amount was reported by a member here and —  to my knowledge — was never verified). What has been verified is that Witt-Doerring began making changes in his practice and pricing model in the fall of this year and will likely continue to do so. To learn about the current iteration of his taper clinic, I encourage interested readers to visit his website.

[[Md...]]

2 hours ago, [[L...] said:

Great to hear your first-person account, Mdfox1, and to know that you're well-supported as you go through the process of getting off benzos. I've been off them for years and certainly didn't have access to support of any kind at the time that I went through it all.

I’m sorry to hear that you never had any support. It seems like a lot of us don’t have support, whether that’s due to the lack of education from doctors, or even the lack of support from friends and family who don’t know much about this drug. This was happening to me as well, and I foresaw that this was going to be a major problem if i didn’t find the right doctor with the background and expertise who could properly help me. 

So again, I’m sorry that you didn’t get the support you needed, and had to go through all of that by yourself. I hope you’re doing better these days, despite the lack of support and guidance that everyone needs during this process.

[[Md...]]

1 hour ago, [[L...] said:

Thank you for sharing your experience with Dr. Witt-Doerring, @[Md...].  His overall responsiveness and efforts to ensure you have the dosage forms you need to taper are impressive. 

Might I make a clarification for future readers of this thread?  

Dr. Witt-Doerring is NOT charging 45K for his program (this amount was reported by a member here and —  to my knowledge — was never verified). What has been verified is that Witt-Doerring began making changes in his practice and pricing model in the fall of this year and will likely continue to do so. To learn about the current iteration of his taper clinic, I encourage interested readers to visit his website.

Of course! I just felt compelled to share my personal experience with Dr Josef, and the high quality of care he’s provided. 

Btw, thank you for clarifying their new pricing model. I knew it changed shortly after i had signed up with them, but they never raised the prices for me when that happened, so i was basically “locked in” to the pricing i signed up for. 

I will say that when I first signed up with them that they told me the total price will vary depending on how long and how often I will need their services, because there were no flat rates, and each telehealth session came with a fee. 

I personally have only needed to meet with them once every 1 to 3 months, though I can imagine they might have patients who need weekly assistance, and that would add up quite fast, especially now that their rates have gone up (or if they are charging a pricier flat rate now), so maybe this is where some of the confusion might be coming from. Hard to tell. 

Edited December 24, 2023 by [Md...]

[[Mb...]]

I will say I always kept him as a final call if I couldn't take it anymore. Kind of like a life preserver, there if you need it but hoping you never do. Finally realized I had to call him and wanted to explain what happened to get some insight as how my symptoms started aren't commonly found. See if his extensive background with the FDA and working for pharmaceutical companies could answer some questions. I was more then happy to pay any price. But was told by the front desk that he could not speak with me as I was from Canada, I basically then begged respectfully and she said she'd ask him directly. Few anxious days later got the email saying he read my words of desperation and said no. Not a great experience at all and did not feel like we mattered at all to him. Now his YouTube videos don't bring the same sense of calm or help. I started questioning his motives.

I will say when this first happened I reached out to Dr B over the phone for a high cost for an hour. It didn't matter to him where I lived he took the time and listened to every word i had to say. So you can't say Witt wasn't able to he chose not to.

[[Md...]]

1 hour ago, [[M...] said:

I will say I always kept him as a final call if I couldn't take it anymore. Kind of like a life preserver, there if you need it but hoping you never do. Finally realized I had to call him and wanted to explain what happened to get some insight as how my symptoms started aren't commonly found. See if his extensive background with the FDA and working for pharmaceutical companies could answer some questions. I was more then happy to pay any price. But was told by the front desk that he could not speak with me as I was from Canada, I basically then begged respectfully and she said she'd ask him directly. Few anxious days later got the email saying he read my words of desperation and said no. Not a great experience at all and did not feel like we mattered at all to him. Now his YouTube videos don't bring the same sense of calm or help. I started questioning his motives.

I will say when this first happened I reached out to Dr B over the phone for a high cost for an hour. It didn't matter to him where I lived he took the time and listened to every word i had to say. So you can't say Witt wasn't able to he chose not to.

Sorry to hear that’s how things played out.

I’m not sure when you reached out to him, but I will say that Dr Josef has been spread ridiculously thin lately.

His wife, who I first started working with, is currently not working with any patients due to a severe family accident that occurred a few months back (which I won’t get into), so that has inevitably impacted some things.

Unfortunately, they also only practice in a handful of states, so between that and the limited amount of time Dr Josef has for his current patients that could be why he refused to answer your questions.

It sucks, because he has a lot of basic unanswered questions on his YouTube channel, which has gained a lot of traction, but i think the reality is that he really is only one person, and could literally spend all day just answering questions from people, which would ultimately take time away from his current patients, so it’s a bit of a double edged sword, if that makes sense.

Regardless, i can completely understand how you feel and how frustrating that probably was for you. 

Btw, I’m not here to defend Dr Josef or anything. I’m just trying to see things from both perspectives. I’ve also been turned down by doctors and it never feels very good, regardless of any reasons or motives for them making those kinds of decisions.

Were you able to get any help or have your questions answered by another professional since then? 

Edited December 24, 2023 by [Md...]

[[Mb...]]

I can totally appreciate it. That's why when it hit me like a ton of bricks I did my best to understand and leave it at that... as devastating as it was. I was more then willing to pay whatever he charged for just an hour even half hour to say this is how my "WD" started have you seen this before. I guess as time passes I'm giving up hope each second that this is what I initially thought it was. Even as hard as it was to accept it in the beginning I somehow was so incredibly hopeful but as miles stones pass and days melt away and I find myself in a windowless almost acute like state going on 375 days if he could of said yes I've seen this keep going or no honestly I haven't you might need medication to stabilize I was ready to try. In all my hours and hours of searching on here and SA I've found one single person with my story. Luckily they have healed or are well on their way, however some things aren't the same and this worries me. I understand fully everyone's journey is different, but as time passes and I'm not seeing any true signs of healing I can't help but start to think maybe it is something else. Whether we like it or not we've all come across stories of people that maybe never even touch a benzo and had the same symptoms or life-haulting situation happen and then got on a certain type of medication and got their life back, they swear by it as a life savour. And maybe the same fait awaits them but maybe not just like here we've seen people on 10 mg of who knows what for 40 years and they get off and after a few months they're feeling great. Sure they might have a sense of Survivor bias that isn't really found on places like benzo Buddies because we can have blinders on regarding what's happened and for a lot of people it was a simple as benzo damage but when you can see signs and you get Windows then you can rest easy knowing it's just a matter of time and a bit of hard work. I find myself asking myself daily if out of pure stubbornness I'm forcing myself to live with a new illness. When I spoke with Dr B it was so early into this that there wasn't enough time to see if I just start healing like we've read on here so many times. It was new it was fresh. I took 2 pills over 2 days and I woke up one day and life as I knew it changed. I woke up into my nightmare. I was sure that even if not fully well I'd be having my much much better days by now like I've read many times. Even on SA adverse reactions to ssri share similarities to withdrawals but like they've stated on their main post about them continue to get better and typically lasts about a year. They say a gradual path to recovery, there has been nothing gradual about this. So if I look there for the injury then what I'm experiencing doesn't line up, look here and sure it lines up in ways but there are many if not majority that have a much easier go. Then there's places with people that absolutely abused them and weirdly enough I have to dig to find someone talking about the journey like we do here. Now that it's much later into this from relatively very low dose of benzos and just two pills of an SSRI the suffering doesn't seem relatable with what im seeing people heal have. I'm really scared I'm hurting myself by not getting help. I tried the tough it out, and as many know it's no joke, but acute for over a year?

 

Last thing I'll say is although I stated that I understand how busy he must be with the clients he's trying to help his videos get nowhere the amount of views is Dr B's do. And I can only assume that Dr B would be getting just as many calls, I also told Dr. Witt I understand fully but he can't prescribe or even treat me but all I wanted to was to explain how it fell apart and see if he's seen it before. I think I'm at the point I can't take it anymore and I want help but I'm not willing to put my life in the hands of doctors that won't even acknowledge that it could be from medication, finding someone like him incredibly rare and I guess that's why it hit so hard. I knew something was good on the benzos but was nothing like this and this started after going to a doctor and asking for help that didn't understand what could happen.

Im glad you got in and I hope your healing is going well and your not bed bound and suffering too much! Good luck with your journey.

Edited December 24, 2023 by [Mb...]

[[Md...]]

On 24/12/2023 at 12:37, [[M...] said:

I can totally appreciate it. That's why when it hit me like a ton of bricks I did my best to understand and leave it at that... as devastating as it was. I was more then willing to pay whatever he charged for just an hour even half hour to say this is how my "WD" started have you seen this before. I guess as time passes I'm giving up hope each second that this is what I initially thought it was. Even as hard as it was to accept it in the beginning I somehow was so incredibly hopeful but as miles stones pass and days melt away and I find myself in a windowless almost acute like state going on 375 days if he could of said yes I've seen this keep going or no honestly I haven't you might need medication to stabilize I was ready to try. In all my hours and hours of searching on here and SA I've found one single person with my story. Luckily they have healed or are well on their way, however some things aren't the same and this worries me. I understand fully everyone's journey is different, but as time passes and I'm not seeing any true signs of healing I can't help but start to think maybe it is something else. Whether we like it or not we've all come across stories of people that maybe never even touch a benzo and had the same symptoms or life-haulting situation happen and then got on a certain type of medication and got their life back, they swear by it as a life savour. And maybe the same fait awaits them but maybe not just like here we've seen people on 10 mg of who knows what for 40 years and they get off and after a few months they're feeling great. Sure they might have a sense of Survivor bias that isn't really found on places like benzo Buddies because we can have blinders on regarding what's happened and for a lot of people it was a simple as benzo damage but when you can see signs and you get Windows then you can rest easy knowing it's just a matter of time and a bit of hard work. I find myself asking myself daily if out of pure stubbornness I'm forcing myself to live with a new illness. When I spoke with Dr B it was so early into this that there wasn't enough time to see if I just start healing like we've read on here so many times. It was new it was fresh. I took 2 pills over 2 days and I woke up one day and life as I knew it changed. I woke up into my nightmare. I was sure that even if not fully well I'd be having my much much better days by now like I've read many times. Even on SA adverse reactions to ssri share similarities to withdrawals but like they've stated on their main post about them continue to get better and typically lasts about a year. They say a gradual path to recovery, there has been nothing gradual about this. So if I look there for the injury then what I'm experiencing doesn't line up, look here and sure it lines up in ways but there are many if not majority that have a much easier go. Then there's places with people that absolutely abused them and weirdly enough I have to dig to find someone talking about the journey like we do here. Now that it's much later into this from relatively very low dose of benzos and just two pills of an SSRI the suffering doesn't seem relatable with what im seeing people heal have. I'm really scared I'm hurting myself by not getting help. I tried the tough it out, and as many know it's no joke, but acute for over a year?

Last thing I'll say is although I stated that I understand how busy he must be with the clients he's trying to help his videos get nowhere the amount of views is Dr B's do. And I can only assume that Dr B would be getting just as many calls, I also told Dr. Witt I understand fully but he can't prescribe or even treat me but all I wanted to was to explain how it fell apart and see if he's seen it before. I think I'm at the point I can't take it anymore and I want help but I'm not willing to put my life in the hands of doctors that won't even acknowledge that it could be from medication, finding someone like him incredibly rare and I guess that's why it hit so hard. I knew something was good on the benzos but was nothing like this and this started after going to a doctor and asking for help that didn't understand what could happen.

Im glad you got in and I hope your healing is going well and your not bed bound and suffering too much! Good luck with your journey.

I’m familiar with Dr B, and have watched a few of his videos. He definitely seems to know what he’s talking about most of the time, and definitely has a much bigger following than Dr Josef, for sure, so i can see why it doesn’t seem to make sense as to why Dr B had time for you, but Dr Josef did not. 

That being said, I don’t know how Dr B operates his business or if he has additional help that allows him to be able to offer more of his time to people who aren’t his current patients.

Does Dr B have an outpatient program where he accepts out of country patients? Or have you tried calling him again to possibly try and get some more help or insight?

My heart goes out to you, it really does, and I hope you can find the help that you deserve.

And thank you for the kind words. I have been doing fine with the tapering process so far (aside from the sedating affects of Valium, which can be debilitating at times), but I’m far more concerned about the pain from a rare condition i have coming back full throttle than any benzo withdrawal symptom, tbh (it’s the reason i got on benzos to begin with, actually). I probably won’t know for sure until later down the road. 

Either way, i wish you the very best of luck in your healing journey.

Hang in there, my friend. 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by [Md...]

[[Md...]]

@[Mb...] Btw, i just wanted to share this video, as i think it’s pretty positive and hopeful. This guy’s personal benzo story is pretty horrifying if you’re not familiar with it, but also pretty hopeful. He also offers benzo coaching at a very reasonable price.

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by [Md...]

[[Nu...]]

I have no vested interest here, but do have a few words from my perspective having read his literature, seen his videos, and spoken with a patient or two. Dr. W is spread thin, no doubt. His service is expensive, no doubt. I can't weigh in on the cost/benefit of it all -- that's not for me to decide. Much of this is relative to the person.

What I can say is that Dr. W is one of the few that cares. Yes, he's found a niche, and I don't know anything about his motives, but it means a lot that he's willing to listen, be empathetic, and try to help as best he can. In today's healthcare landscape regarding benzos, that alone is a life-saver...

[[Li...]]

I binge watch all of his YouTube video's from Tasmania Australia.  I wish we had a Dr like that here but sadly there is no one 💔

[[Li...]]

On 17/12/2023 at 01:44, [[E...] said:

This guy provides a lot of great information online for free

However, it’s all designed to funnel people into his tapering program where he sells you absolution from your benzo addiction for 10K-30k dollars

its an expert sales pitch that sounds perfect while obfuscating the price until the last minute and then trying to justify it 

“as much as a few months in an inpatient rehab”

For telehealth? Really? Where your operating costs are 1/10th of the cost of an inpatient rehab center? 
 

He and his wife have found the perfect market niche - people suffering horrifically from benzos and few doctors willing to prescribe them the Ashton method 

And they’re looking to get rich off of it - and I’m sure they will.

@[Ed...]  I've also found it a bit tough to see people who have suffered like us through this journey, go on to offer assistance via phone calls etc. but are charging nearly $200 AUD an hour and an "emergency call" nearly double that.  I think that's really sad.  I hope to be able to help people when this is over, free of charge ❤️

[[Mb...]]

On 25/12/2023 at 15:40, [[M...] said:

@[Mb...] Btw, i just wanted to share this video, as i think it’s pretty positive and hopeful. This guy’s personal benzo story is pretty horrifying if you’re not familiar with it, but also pretty hopeful. He also offers benzo coaching at a very reasonable price.

I am very familiar with his story. Thanks for sending it on over so I could rewatch.

I think in the new year I'm going to start by calling 3 coaches I've wanted to chat with and then maybe go from there.

[[Md...]]

On 29/12/2023 at 12:05, [[M...] said:

I am very familiar with his story. Thanks for sending it on over so I could rewatch.

I think in the new year I'm going to start by calling 3 coaches I've wanted to chat with and then maybe go from there.

There’s some great coaches out there, thankfully. I sincerely wish you the best of luck with your healing journey. 👍

[[Ca...]]

Did you try Dr Patricia Halligan from South Carolina?