What Doctors Don’t Say About Benzodiazepines

Are you ready to win the battle against your benzodiazepines?

I’m going to share with you the two most important things you need if you’re in the process of or planning on tapering off your benzodiazepines.

If you’ve finally hit your threshold in a circular loop of panic and anxiety, side effects from your benzodiazepines and more panic and anxiety. Your doctor keeps recommending adding on more and more medications or upping the dosages. You’re taking a handful of pills just to get through the day and the side effects are terrible, then this blog is for you.

What’s the worst thing that’s happening to you?

For me, when I got caught in a cycle of medications to suppress the anxiety, and then more medications to manage the side effects, I felt like my brain wouldn’t work, I was still anxious and on top of that I was now addicted to taking all these chemicals that weren’t actually healing my mind and body.

The worst part is that for millions of people around the world, once you’re stuck on a benzodiazpine, it’s almost impossible to get off. The taper is horrible and the side effects can be extreme to unmanageable.

Here’s two of the most effective strategies that work in three powerful ways.

These tools will:

A) Begin to restore GABA receptors that have been damaged by benzo use
B) Provide micro doses of GABA support to bridge the withdrawal gap in the taper
C) To ease the side effects and relieve anxiety, and quickly, so you can get back to living your life.

• #1: We need to heal your brain.
  • If the GABA receptors in your brain are damaged, you are going to deal with chronic anxiety, insomnia, and even panic attacks. You’re going to need more and more of the benzodiazepine and you will experience more side effects like depression, brain fog, lack of motivation and debilitating fatigue.

The good news is that there are solutions that have been shown in the clinical research that WORKS.

One of my favorite examples of this was a client I worked with who had been taking klonopin for panic attacks, for over six years. She had tried to taper off of her benzodiazepines dozens of times but every time she tried to reduce the dosage she experienced small seizure-like episodes, severe insomnia, and her blood pressure would spike. We started her on a brain healing herb at a very low dose and she immediately noticed that her overall anxiety was slightly lessened, and over a period of six weeks she was able to increase to a therapeutic dose, the benefits of this plant accumulated and it became one of the pivotal tools she used to get off her benzo, and get her life back.

She is now the author of her own story; she is writing the life she has always dreamed of. 

The #1 most researched substance on healing brain tissue post medication use, especially and including benzodiazepine use is Avena Sativa. This plant is called a trophorestorative and it literally heals the brain tissue. Avena Sativa is safe to use long term, you can use it WITH your benzodiazepine medications, and it also reduces anxiety. Before starting this plant, talk with your doctor, because everybody’s body is different!

That being said, typically, my clients start slowly and work their way up. For example, you might ask your doctor about starting with a liquid extract of Avena Sativa and taking ½ of a squeeze one time to see how you do. If you like this herb, (which most people do!) work your way up until you are taking 3 big squeezes in a small amount of juice or water up to five times per day.

Herbs work by healing the brain and healing the body, so be patient with yourself. Typically you will see the most benefit from an herb AFTER six weeks of regular use. Be patient with yourself and your body. Your brain can and will heal. For example, if you fall off your bicycle and scratch your knee, your body will heal that scratch, your body is designed to heal itself. And there are things you can do to make that process work faster and better.

• #2: Build a GABA Bridge.
  • I am going to teach you how to support GABA levels while you are withdrawing. The dosage jumps in benzodiazepines are sometimes so big that it makes tapering nearly impossible. People have come up with strategies to try to ease this process; like compounding the dosage so it is smaller and changing from quick acting benzodiazepines to longer acting benzodiazepines, but sometimes this doesn’t even work.

This was the case with another client I worked with who was a powerful leader in the personal development world. She was a wounded healer herself and dealt with pretty severe insomnia. What I admired about this individual was that she was an avid researcher and she had been doing everything “right” for all intents and purposes. She was eating an antiinflammatory diet, she got plenty of exercise, she meditated daily, she had done testing and work regarding gut health, and she was working with an acupuncturist, health coach, naturopath and a psychiatrist. But despite her best efforts, she was unable to taper down any further on her benzodiazepine.

One of her missing pieces was the GABA Bridge.

What is more jarring to the nervous system?

The change in lighting when you come out of a dark theater into the broad daylight,

or the slow rising of the sun in the morning?

Obviously the latter. Right?

We have to create an environment in the brain where the reduction of the GABA is essentially unnoticeable. This will give your neurotransmitters time to adapt to the changing levels and prevent you from horrible benzodiazepine withdrawal.

I have created a GABA Bridge in my recipe: Happy Sleepy Powder (HSP). Happy Sleepy Powder is a combination of amino acids that aid your body in manufacturing it’s OWN GABA, they reduce inflammation, heal the brain, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety.

Typically, when starting someone on Happy Sleepy Powder, I like to add one amino acid at a time, in low dosages and working your way up depending on how you feel.

Here is the strategy our beautiful entrepreneur used:

• Inositol: 100 mg, increased daily until she was taking 12 grams.
• Theanine: 100 mg, increased daily until she was taking 6 grams up to 4 times per day.
• Glycine: 100 mg, increased daily until she was taking 500 mg up to 4 times per day.
• Taurine: 500 mg, increased daily until she was taking 1.5 grams up to 4 times per day.
• Phosphatidylserine: 100 mg in the morning, if caused brain opening and creativity stick with 100 mg-200 mg in the am, if caused relaxation, take 100 mg three times per day.

Order your Happy Sleepy Powder here!

There is something huge that we haven’t talked about yet. That is the importance of healing the root cause of your symptoms. I could give you recommendations for hundreds of amazing herbs and supplements and remedies for helping you get off of  benzodiazepines… but what if we actually helped you to be free from anxiety to begin with?

Sure we can help you get off your benzo medications…

But I have to ask: What would your life be like if you were free from anxiety?

How would that impact your relationships? 

How would that affect your career? 

I know we can help you with the basics of benzo tapering, but my soul is on fire for this stuff and I’d like to propose we take it a thousand steps further.

What if we 10x’d this whole thing and actually rewrite your story? What if we went beyond the formula and you actually healed?

What would your life look like?

Know that when you’re ready to have a fully functional toolkit for kicking anxiety and panic attacks to the curb for good. I’m your gal. If you’re ready to take my flavor of alleviating anxiety for a test drive I’ve got a gift for you:

Anxiety Freedom 1 Week Challenge. I hereby challenge you to come play with me for a week to get a jump on anxiety and panic attacks for good. You deserve to put these well meaning players back in their place and be the start you are.

You can grab the free workbook and start the challenge by going to my website when you can download it for free.  

And don’t think I’ll let you take that wild ride alone.  I’ll be there for you with daily tips and tricks to rock this challenge like only you can. Together – we got this. Grab the free workbook and let’s get started.

Here’s to your next chapter,

Dr. Nicole Cain, ND, MA