Anxiety. Xanax. Recently these medications have been making headlines. The lead singer of sound garden, chris cornell, died overnewt. He did have a prescription to add van. One of the hardest things to detox from is ben zoes. Its shocking. Youre clutching the walls. We wanted to take a closer look at what people are saying about these drugs. I was shaking, sweating, and thinking crazy thoughts. What we uncover Second Degree is a growing community that believes these doctor prescribed drugs are holding them hostage. This is the prescription jesus. Trapped in a virtual prison of the mind. Is there any room for error in this at all . None. To me, its a life or death mistake. Even if you dont take them, you probably know someone who does. Do you remember how out of control your body was . I remember riding in the ambulance. For years, america has been struggling with an opioid epidemic. Could benzos be the next big killer . Are you tense, anxious, worried . Benzodie yaz peens hit the scene in the 60s and became part of culture. When valium was popped like candy by troubled housewives and men alike valium works promptly to relieve anxiety and apprehension. Side affects other than drou ziness are rarely encountered. Think you know pain. Ive never known pain like this ever. And it never stops. This is what thousands of people are saying about benzos today. I cant sleep. Ive been agore phobic. The tremors never stop. Stop using benzos. Help me. There are thousands of these videos of people in desperate situation just trying to show the world what theyre going through while on benzos or in withdrawal. I cant function. These videos are hard to watch. And i was a productive member of society. But could they reveal something we all should know about this fdaapproved class of medication people have been taking for decades . Tom and Debbie Wagner had zero concerns when their then 35yearold son jonathan was first prescribed klonopin in march of 2016. Can you give us a sense of what jonathan was like . Jonathan was very loving, caring person. He loved being out with his friends. Super social. Oh, yeah. Very social. Very. Very caring about people. Did he ever deal with any emotional issues . Was he ever depressed about anything . When his marriage failed, he was depressed. Of course he got depressed. But it was normal depression. Right. We all have ups and downs, but by early 2016, jonathan was enjoying a new lease on life. Several years removed from a divorce, he was saving money to help launch a family dream, their own food truck. So, jonathan moved in here. He was saving money, and he was so excited. Jonathan worked as a floor manager at a casino, trying to save money and still have a little time for a few rounds of golf with his buddies. In february 2016, he was offered a night shift. So, jonathan took a 5 00 at night till 3 30 in the morning shift. When jonathan couldnt fall asleep when he got home at 4 00 in the morning, he went to the doctor, and thats when they put him on klonopin. They put him on klonopin. Jonathan took one bill every day as prescribed for seven months straight, and it worked until he decided he could get to sleep on his own. He decided that he didnt want to take a pill the rest of his life to go to sleep. So, he quit taking it. Just cold turkey, didnt consult the doctor, just stopped taking it. Yes. Then what happened . It came on mild. He was like, i dont know why im depressed. Then one week he started getting real anxious. He start saying his heart was racing. He thought maybe he was just having anxiety. So, he went back to the doctor, and the doctor gave him xanax. Another benzo. He didnt like taking pills on principle. After a month, he stopped taking xanax, also cold turkey. All of a sudden he cant function. Cant sleep. Cant eat. Shaking. Crying. At that point, were you thinking that it could be the medication that hes on or youre just thinking hes lost it . We had no idea. We had no idea. Were like jonathan, whats wrong . Their sons transformation left the wagners stunned. Just a few months before, jonathans life was full of promise. This is who jonathan was right before it all started. I mean, he just looks like a normal guy having a good time. And i have the video of jonathan after. I took the video cause when you are better youll come back and not being depressed and not having to struggle every day is truly a gift. Its truly all that matters. What do you do . Where do we go from this point . Desperate for answers, debbie accompanied her son back to his doctors office. Im in there with jonathan, and the doctor looks at us and hes sitting in this little round stool, and he turns around to us and says theres nothing i can do for you. Youre in xanax withdrawals. At point jonathan and me, were speechless. Im like what are you saying . Im like what do with e do . And he gave us a card to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist put jonathan on valium, also a benzo. Jonathan. I cant deal with it. I cant deal with it and as the months dragged on, jonathan was prescribed more medication. Tell me what is wrong. But nothing seemed to help. In fact, his symptoms became more alarming. At one point, debbie called me and i left work because jonathan wrote a note. It was a suicide note. He said get the guns out of the house. I went in your closet and i was looking at your gun. How often was he having feelings of suicide . He had just said it keeps crossing his mind. And he didnt know why. Jonathan was admitted to the hospital on suicide watch. It was during this time that he was taken off all his benzomedication and prescribed an antipsychotic. After a few days, he was discharged. A month later on may 4, 2017, he told his mother he was going around the corner for some snacks. Ten minutes later he wasnt home. I called him. Where are you jonathan . Im on my way home, im on my way home. We know how he went to the local gun shop up here and bought a gun. And friday there was a text that had come. He said that he loved us and to know that he was going to a better place. And i called and nobody answered. He shot himself. It was about six months from the time jonathan abruptly stopped taking klonopin and began the downward spiral that led to his death. His parents have tried to move on, but they cant bear to touch his room. This is the way it was left. This is how its left. Nobodys been in here. The trouble is coming in here to clean up, it has a psychological thing that youre kind of cleaning him out, i guess. Is that a bible on his bed . He read the bible every day. Every day. At one point, he asked me about suicide and whether it was a forgivable sin. And according to the bible, theres only one unforgivable sin and thats blasphemy of the holy ghost. And thats not blasphemy of the holy ghost. That was the hardest question i had to answer in my life because i didnt want to lie to him. I newby saying no i kind of gave him a little bit of license to do something. But i couldnt let him go to his death thinking he was a sinner because he wasnt. That was the hardest part for me because i couldnt lie to him. I had to tell him the truth. Theres no denying that jonathan took his own life. But could this tragedy have been avoided . And can anyone be held accountable . They had given him so much medication. We didnt know where to stop. What to take, what not to take. Turn around look at me there is someone look at me right now, dennys free delivery in the daytime. Free delivery at nighttime. Free delivery here, and free delivery there. Get free delivery on all your favorites. See you at dennys. Com. paul Wireless Network claims americas most reliable network. The nations largest and most reliable network. The best network is even better . Best, fastest, best. Enough. Sprints doing things differently. Theyre offering a new 100 total satisfaction guarantee. I mean i think Sprints Network and savings are great, but dont just take my word for it. Try it out and decide for yourself. Switch to sprint and get both an unlimited plan and one of the newest phones included for just 35 a month. For people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay. Com. Even after you clean, odors are still trapped in your fabrics. Febreze fabric eliminates those odors. And try Febreze Unstopables with twice the freshscent power. Tackle tough odors with irresistible freshness. La la la la la the roomba i7 with cleanng base automatic dirt disposal and allergenlock™ bags that trap 99 of allergens, so they dont escape back into the air. If its not from irobot, its not a roomba™ be right back. With moderate to severe Crohns Disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. Is she alright . I hope so. So i talked to my doctor about humira. I learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of Crohns Disease after trying other medications. And the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Be there for you, and them. Ask your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, remission is possible. Between 1996 and 2013, the number of adults filling a benzodiazepine prescription increased from 8 to nearly 14 million. I want to know more about these drugs. How risky are they . And how are we supposed to know . Ill go ahead and show you where these are kept. Mohammed works in a familyowned drugstore in the suburbs of chicago. We always hand them these leaflets. Each prescription comes with a manufactures leaflet instructs patients on what theyre about to gulp down. Avoid drinking alcohol, driving, tasks and actions that call for you to be alert. Like most people ive casually glanced through this kind of sheet. Tell your doctor if you have itchy, shortness of breath, weight gain. These side effects sound so benign. By this point i probably would have tossed the insert. But if you keep reading, there is scary stuff further down. Low mood, depression, thoughts of killing yourself, emotional ups and downs, thinking that is not normal, anxiety, or lack of interest in life. A lot of the patients that are taking these medications for such simple things like sleep, anxiety, but little do they know once they start taking it, they could ultimately become suicidal. Once a patient becomes physically dependent on these medications, as soon as they stop that consistent dosing that they are taking, they can experience severe withdrawal symptoms such as tremors and even seizure which can be fatal. Do you get the sense that people read them . Thats completely on the patient. I can only emphasize the importance of reading them and understanding what could happen with these medications. So, the Drug Companies do provide warnings. And if you do online to the fda website, theres even more data from dosage size to potential side effects, an almost dizzying amount of information. When jonathan got the material that the pharmacists give, most people dont read through that. Do you think if he had or if someone had no, i think that paperwork is written very softly. You know, it says that it can create suicidal thoughts. Its kind of washed over as far as im concerned. They just said oh you might get some bad thoughts, basically. People, when they get their drugs, theyre suffering. No matter what you go in for, so they just want to get that drug inside the body. Tom raises a good point. How many of us take the time to really weigh the risks when were feeling at our worst . Isnt that where doctors are supposed to come in . I dont believe his doctor knew. How can you give out a drug that changes your brain and especially give it out for sleep but never ever tell you what this is doing . I would love to tell his doctor this is what you took from me. Because of your ignorance. The wagners are adamant that jonathans nightmare started with that first prescription for klonopin. But by the time he took his own life, he had been in and out of medical care for months and prescribed a cocktail of drugs ranging from benzos and antidepressants to antipsychotics. This is medical records, prescriptions. This is a prescription that we ended up. So, he so, over the course of seven or eight months, he was on all this stuff. Yes. All of this. Plus more. Diazepam which is valium. Klonopin. At one time, i think he was taking seven, eight different pills a day. With so many prescriptions that could have contributed to jonathans state of mind, as much as you might want to, can you really hold one drug or any one doctor accountable . Did you talk to lawyers about taking on this case . Yes. Yeah, we called a lot of lawyers, a lot of them. Heres one list of lawyers that we had contacted. The wagners scoured the yellow pages in search of legal help. I want to speak to one of the lawyers who consulted on jonathans case. Hello . Hi. Allen barrenholets is a lawyer specializing in personal injury law. I think jonathans case was i thought there was something seriously wrong. But the reality was that if the decedent was not survived by a spouse or by children, the damages on the wrongful death were capped at 300,000. And to finance a medical malpractice case, the cost could be tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire experts to have the files reviewed. It really wasnt a question of can we prove our case. Sadly, it was a question of the analytics involved. So, its kind of your hands are tied. Your hands are tied and your heart sinks to know they think there was wrong but theres nothing we will ever be able to do. My producers and i reached out to jonathans doctor and the Hospital System he works for. They expressed condolences to the Wagner Family but declined to comment. While i i cant talk with them, there is an expert on the forefront of this phenomenon. Doctor say stanford psychologist and has been prescribing medications like these for 25 years. What is the proper way to administer or prescribe benzos . Benzodiazepines are a great tool short term for anxiety and insomnia. When i say short term, i mean a couple of weeks. They shouldnt be used daily for more than two weeks. When we take a benzodiazepine, it increases the calming neurotransmitter in our brain and allows us to relax. The reason we dont want to use them more than that period of time is because the brain and the body adapts. And then the body becomes physiologically dependent on them. Jonathan wagners doctor continued to prescribe klonopin for seven months. Major medical institutes like Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins warn against taking benzodiazepines for more than six weeks. What happens when you stay on them longer . Could they be exacerbating the problem . Yes, yes. Absolutely. They absolutely will make anxiety worse over time. What were seeing is more and more emergency room visits and more and more people dying. Theres been a seven fold increase in deaths in the past 15 years. Thats horrific. So, i think we have a very serious silent benzodiazepine epidemic on our hands. Jonathan isnt the only one whos been harmed by benzos. Theres an entire community thats been affected by these drugs. I felt like my mind had snapped, that i had just gone crazy. This is a rare meet up in the suburbs of chicago. They come from all walks of life. But one thing unites them. They or their friends and family were all prescribed a benzo and for a multitude of reasons. The reason i was put on xanax was for excessive sweating. My doctors put me on klonopin for hot flashes. I had mild anxiety and occasionally trouble sleeping. Few studies are made on how many people are harmed by benzos. But the manufacturers of klonopin state that one out of 500 patients may have suicidal thought os thoughts or actions. What kinds of things were you going through when the symptoms were the worst . Theres not a day that goes by that i dont have a suicidal thought. But i tried to fight it. I would just think i have to walk out in traffic and just i just need to kill myself. As they continue to share, Something Else emerges. Trying to get off the drug can be another kind of nightmare. I felt so alone, and isolated. This feeling of absolute terror. You lose all your friends. I want to kill myself. Drugged. Damaged. Suicide. Suicide. It was like a water fall of symptoms. I was vibrating on the inside. I couldnt walk because it felt like the floor was moving. I felt like i needed to run away from my own body. What do you do if the ed many cation youre taking makes you feel bad but trying to get off makes you feel even worse . It was like pure torture. And nothing i did could stop it. [ typing ] behr presents tough as walls. Thats some great paint. Thats some great paint. Behr, ranked 1 in Customer Satisfaction with interior paints. Right now get incredible savings on behr marquee interior. Exclusively at the home depot. You dont need to go anywhere dad, this is your home. The best home to be in is your own. Home instead offers personalized Inhome Services for your loved ones. Home instead senior care. To us, its personal. Home instead senior care. Theyre americas bpursuing lifechanging cures. In a country that fosters innovation here, they find breakthroughs. Like a way to fight cancer by arming a patients own tcells. Because its not just about the next breakthrough. Its all the ones after that. [woman] with my shark, i deep clean messes like this, this, and even this. But i dont have to clean this, because the selfcleaning brush roll removes hair while i clean. [announcer] shark, the vacuum that deep cleans now cleans itself. Somand with the xfinityreen is stream app,reen. Which is free with your service, you can take a spin through on demand shows or stream live tv. Download your dvrd shows and movies on the fly. Even record from right where you are. Keep what you watch with you. Download the Xfinity Stream app today. Because Xfinity Stream tv week is here. Watch shows like south park and the walking dead now through october 13th. Benzodiazepines can be taken to treat insomnia, seizures, and stress. But their most popular use is for relieving anxiety. Anxiety disorders affect some 40 million adults in the u. S. Its what caused chrissy, a young mother of two, to seek help several years ago. Have you always had issues with anxiety . No. I had normal human worries. I really didnt ever experience true anxiety until after my daughter was born. She would continually stop breathing just at random times, so we spent the first few months of her life in and out of hospitals. And she eventually got better. But i didnt. For two years, chrissy experienced chronic anxiety. It eventually became too much and she made an appointment with her psychiatrist. He told me about klonopin. I can remember asking are there any weird side effects and he said no, it was a perfectly safe drug to take. How did it feel the first time you took it . I noticed right away it took away my anxiety. Finally relieved, chrissy was able to focus on raising her two children. But after two years on klonopin, she started to notice a change. The anxiety started to come back. And it was stronger than what i had experienced before going on it. I remembered going to the appointment and saying, you know, whats going on . And i was told, well that sounds like your bodys intolerance. Youre probably going to need to take a higher dose. But chrissy didnt want to take more. She wanted to get off the drugs. She was advised to cut her dose by quarters over a fourweek span which lines up with what ive seen from manufacturers pamphlets. But a few weeks after her last pill, chrissys life came crashes down. One minute i was me and the next i felt like i was in a living nightmare. My ears were ringing. The inside of my body started to vibrate. It was like a motor was running on the inside of me. Thoughts started to come into my head. Completely separate from me. It was thoughts of wanting to die. And i didnt want to die. It was telling me to go in the kitchen and get a knife, that it would take away my suffering. And its a very compelling thought. Its almost like oh, that makes sense. Okay, thatll take away my suffering. But at the same time, i knew no dont do that your kids need you. It was crazy. The battle. It was. And i can see how someone could lose that battle. Frightened, she went online looking for answers. I started to look up my symptoms and everything i was experiencing was due to the klonopin, coming off the klonopin. Every single symptom i was feeling. It was an alarm bell moment. And it reminds me of jonathan wagner. Like chrissy, jonathans downward spiral didnt begin until after he stopped taking klonopin. In his case, cold turkey, something even the manufacturers advise against. What happens to your brain when you suddenly stop a benzo that youve been taking for an exend theed peri extended period of time. If we stop all of a sudden, its like an excited neurotransmitter thunderstorm going on in our brain. Its a very uncomfortable feeling, wrestlessness, motor ticks, and people even seize. Some people even get suicidal. Chrissy didnt stop taking klonopin suddenly. But she did experience these kinds of withdrawal symptoms. Maybe four weeks was too fast. In desperation, she turned to another doctor. He told her going back on a benzo would return her to normal. In lieu of klonopin, he prescribed her valium. I took the first dose of it. And within an hour everything was gone. I was back to me. The shaking had stopped, my vision was back, the ears stopped ringing. It was like i had just woken up from a twoweeklong nightmare. Chrissy was now faced with a choice, stay on the medication indefinitely or try to find her own way out. On the internet, she ekt cannco with others like her, people who wanted off benzos and were desperate enough to try anything. I have a scale. I have syringes, and i dose four times a day. Is there any room for error in this at all . None. No. Im not hungry youre having one more bite no one more bite kraft. For the win win. Think you need to pay prestige prices for better skin results . Try Olay Regenerist. The rich, hydrating cream is formulated with vitamin b3 and peptides to plump skin cells, brighten, and visibly smooth wrinkles. In fact, just 1 jar has the hydrating power of 5 jars of the prestige cream. For visible results without prestige prices, try Olay Regenerist with a money back guarantee. And complete your routine with the olay eye collection. Brand power. Helping you buy better. You have fastacting power over pain, so the whole world looks different. The unbeatable strength and speed of advil liquigels. What pain . [ referee whistle sounds ] sport dr[ cheering ]s when you need the fuel to be your nephews number one fan. Holiday inn express. Were there. So you can be too. But its not really something yoyou want to buy. Its not sexy. Oh delicious. Or delicious. Or fun. But since you need both car and home insurance, why not bundle them with esurance and save up to 10 . Which you can spend on things you really want to buy, like ah well i dont know what youd wanna buy cause im just a guy on your tv. Esurance. Its surprisingly painless. Its softer than ever. Charmin ultra soft is softer than ever so its harder to resist. Okay, this is getting a little weird enjoy the go with charmin what are you doing back there, junior . Since were obviously lost, im rescheduling my Xfinity Customer Service appointment. Ah, relax. I got this. Which gps are you using anyway . A Little Something called instinct. Been using it for years. Yeah, thats what im afraid of. He knows exactly where were going. My whole body is a compass. Oh boy. The my account app makes todays Xfinity Customer Service simple, easy, awesome. Not my thing. After several years on klonopin, chrissy tried to quit but was plagued by extreme withdrawal symptoms. They only stopped when she was put on valium, another benzo. Feeling let down by the medical community, chrissy turned to the internet for help. When you were going online, were there doctors involved or were these just people who were suffering from benzo withdrawal . No, there are no doctors on here. They were all experiencing the same things that i had just experienced. They started sending me all this information on how to do this liquid microtaper where you just take 1 100 of a milligram out a day. Its a way of easing your body off of the drug. I remember a guy from australia that i had met online called me from australia. And hes like, okay, heres what youve got to do. And i listened to this guy because he had been there. Its crazy, crazy. Someone youve never met before. Yeah, im on the phone with a guy from australia like okay. Putting your health in the hands of a stranger seemed risky to me, but the doctors hasnt worked. Chrissy felt she had nowhere else to turn. How often do you do this . Ive done this every night. Ive gotten good at it now. But in the beginning getting it figured out was overwhelming. It dealt with doing a lot of math i couldnt grasp at the time. I have four jars set up because i dose four times a day. And i have a scale. I have si ryme yringes so i cane accurately. This looks Like High School chemistry, portioning out the correct amount of medication over four daily doses while cutting back. 001 of a milligram each day. This seems like such a daunting process. This way of tapering has helped me lose my symptoms. How do you track your taper . I keep a record in this notebook i started here july 30th of 2017. I see youve written hold a number of times on some of these pages. What does that mean . My symptoms were escalating. And to feel, i just would not make a cut in my dose that day. Is there any room for error in this at all . None, no. Really to me, its a life or death mistake. I just dont want to go back to that place again. Its been 13 months since chrissy began her tapering journey. Along with her new online family, those closest to home have been a strong form of support. These are pretty powerful images. I love my mom. Youll get better soon, i know it. I love you. Ive just kind of made it a little shrine, especially in the beginning when i was feeling so hopeless. If it all goes well, chrissy has about six months to go before her body is free from this drug. While her doctor is supportive and prescribes the value yum iu needs to slowly quit, this way of microtapering is not an industry standard. Whats incomprehensible to me is youre following a regimen that is not doctor sanctioned. No. Thats just its just unbelievable. It saved my life by doing it this way. The people who have helped me, they have saved me. Last month there were four people who took their own lives. I could have easily ended up one of those names that i see in my groups every month. I cant wait to be free of this, to have my life back. I feel like im chained to this medicine. Any anxiety its okay. Im sorry. Its my dose, to take my dose. Okay. To hear people in person talk about going through withdrawals, so many of their symptoms are so similar. And as i was listening to all these people, i just couldnt help but think about my own father. He went through a period going without sleep for days. His body was jerking profusely all the time. He was crying all the time. And he was prescribed klonopin. And i just have to wonder if it had anything to do with benzodiazepines. S someone walking behind you turn around look at me there is someone look at me paul Wireless Network claims americas most reliable network. The nations largest and most reliable network. The best network is even better . Best, fastest, best. Enough. Sprints doing things differently. Theyre offering a new 100 total satisfaction guarantee. I mean i think Sprints Network and savings are great, but dont just take my word for it. Try it out and decide for yourself. Switch to sprint and get both an unlimited plan and one of the newest phones included for just 35 a month. For people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay. Com. We know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. Even a ernie lost rubber duckie . burke you mean this one . ernie rubber duckie cookie what about a broken cookie jar . burke again, cookie . cookie yeah. Me bad. grover yoooooow oh what about monsters having accidents . I am okay by the way burke depends. Did you cause the accident, grover . grover cause an accident . Maybe. bert how do you know all this stuff . burke just comes with experience. all muppets yup. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum [woman] with my shark, i deep clean messes like this, this, and even this. But i dont have to clean this, because the selfcleaning brush roll removes hair while i clean. [announcer] shark, the vacuum that deep cleans now cleans itself. Behr presents tough as walls. Thats some great paint. Thats some great paint. Behr, ranked 1 in Customer Satisfaction with interior paints. Right now get incredible savings on behr marquee interior. Exclusively at the home depot. My dbut now, i take used tometamucil every day. Sh it traps and removes the waste that weighs me down, so i feel lighter. Try metamucil, and begin to feel what lighter feels like. Only roomba i7 uses two multisurface rubber brushes. And picks up more pet hair than other robot vacuums. And the filter captures 99 of dog and cat allergens. If its not from irobot, its not a roomba™. The best of pressure cooking and air frying now in one pot, and with tendercrisp technology, you can cook foods that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The ninja foodi Pressure Cooker, the Pressure Cooker that crisps. Can you draw a picture for grandpa . Im going to draw a picture of you. Okay. You want me to smile . My dad doug ling is 82 years old. Hes a pretty great grandpa, if a bit rough around the edges. Now the beard. And the scrawny beard. He forgets things from time to time, but considering his age, hes in pretty decent age. Here it is. Whoa that must be grandpa. But back in late 2016, his health took a sudden turn for the worse. So, during this period, we collected a number of videos of my dad. When he was awake, he was just crying all the time. He refused to go outside. And he would just be hallucinating. When he would try to sleep, his body just couldnt stop jerking. And so he wouldnt be able to sleep. And this just would go on for days and days. And so when i hear all these people talk about what they were experiencing when they were going through withdrawals, it just it sounds so similar to what my dad went through. To satisfy my own curiosity, i decided to see if i could find any reference to benzos in my dads medical record. I see on august 23rd, he was admitted to the er. After a couple of days they prescribed to him klonopin for 30 days. But after five days, his doctor reduced it to half of one tablet, so. 5 milligrams of it. And then in february, it says the reason hes there is for delirium. I wonder if this delirium could i wonder if this could have had something to do with a Senior Citizen being on klonopin. The doctor from the kaiser permanent Hospital System was the one who helped my father get back on his feet. What did you think was going on with him . Do you think that what he was experiencing was a result of the benzodiazapenes . The first visit when you brought him in was really a mystery. He had been on benzodiazapenes. Wasnt clear how many he had been taking but if you think of a persons equilibrium as a pond and you take a medication and drop it into that pond there is a ripple effect. Those ripples can be happening long after a medicine has been introduced or removed. It may not always be obvious to the patient or physician so it is a risk. Studies have shown an increased risk of Adverse Reactions when prescribing benzos for the elderly. Do you think he is sensitive to that class of medication . Yeah. There are definitely patients who have even a paradoxical response. Even though the medicines are supposed to be calming some people get very agitated on them. The fact that your dad was older, was on different medications, any small thing can have an impact on the overall whole. So is it possible . Sure its possible there was some impact on him but i dont think honestly well ever know the answer to the question. I think it is a very important question to bring up because as with the opioid crisis, benzodiazapenes may be the next thing we deal with. You can come to school with jet and me. This is my father now. Hes clearly in a much better place, and thankfully, doesnt recall much of what happened. So, daddy, do you remember when the paramedics came . I think they came like three or four times . I remember riding in the ambulance and i thought it was a they were taking me to the morgue. That is about all i remember. Honestly, dad, we really thought you we planned funerals for you a couple times. Yes. Because your body was so out of control and no one could explain what was going on with you. Maybe its good that i dont remember any of that. I know. That time. Yeah. You look good, dad. I always look good, my dear. So i guess well never know whether benzos were behind what my dad experienced but even his doctor said we cant completely rule out they may have played a role in it. Im just grateful he is doing well now because so many people are not so lucky. Nce verizon innovative learning, students have hardware, connectivity, and quality curriculum. The jobs of tomorrow will involve technology. Now students are truly hopeful for what they may achieve. Even after you clean, odors are still trapped in your fabrics. Febreze fabric eliminates those odors. And try Febreze Unstopables with twice the freshscent power. Tackle tough odors with irresistible freshness. La la la la la [ ty ing ]. Doesnt mean you got to spend a lot because dennys brought back the super slam™. With eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage and buttermilk or pumpkin pancakes. All for just 5. 99. The 5. 99 super slam™ is back see you at dennys think you need to pay prestige prices for better skin results . Try Olay Regenerist. The rich, hydrating cream is formulated with vitamin b3 and peptides to plump skin cells, brighten, and visibly smooth wrinkles. In fact, just 1 jar has the hydrating power of 5 jars of the prestige cream. For visible results without prestige prices, try Olay Regenerist with a money back guarantee. And complete your routine with the olay eye collection. Brand power. Helping you buy better. Here, hello starts with hi mple. How can i help . A data plan for everyone. Everyone . Everyone. Lets send to everyone [ camera clicking ] wifi up there . Ahhh. Sure, why not . Howd he get out . a camera might figure it out. That was easy glad i could help. At xfinity, were here to make life simple. Easy. Awesome. So come ask, shop, discover at your xfinity store today. The stories ive heard from people whose lives were devastated by benzos are heart breaking. Im left thinking, theres so much we still dont know. But there does seem to be one strong takeaway. There are a lot of people who are watching this right now who have been on benzos for years. What do you tell them . The first thing i would say is, do not stop your benzodiazapene abruptly. That would be a very serious mistake. You would put yourself at risk for life threatening withdrawal. Also be aware that you are going to be in the role much of the time educating your prescriber because most doctors dont recognize how hard they can be to get off. Thats the thing. Why isnt there more of an outcry . It is enraging and terrible and we do need to change our practice. Its bad doctoring. But i dont think it is bad doctors. We receive hardly any education in medical school about them. There is no education at all about how to get patients off of benzodiazapenes once theyve already been started on them. This is a swedish study. Just came out. I found it very alarming. It shows the increase in benzodiazapene prescribing in young adults. Dr. Lemke is now focused on raising awareness and teaching the next generation of doctors about the unintended consequences of benzo use. Why do they want to get off . Often, because it is not working anymore. What happens is this problem of tolerance that develops over time, needing more and more to get the same effect. Should general practitioners be able to prescribe benzodiazapenes . Yes. I mean, we dont want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Its not that we want to eliminate benzodiazapenes all together. Its an important tool. But there needs to be much more awareness on the part of prescribers and consumers about the risks. In our research we contacted the companies who make the drugs mentioned in our program. They say the benefits of benzos out weigh the risks. But stress that doctors should keep patients informed and follow the prescribing guidelines. A sentiment echoed by the american medical association. Doctors, you need to know how to help these patients get off of these drugs if they want to or if they need to. And consumers are patients. We need to read the warnings that come along with the drugs that are prescribed to us. I have never done so before, but if ive learned anything from this experience, it is that i need to be more diligent and vigilant about reading those warnings. Because the consequences can be dire. Xxx. You can imagine the feelings this would evoke if we didnt have to censor it for tv. Now imagine how youd feel if you saw this at 10 years old before anyone had taught you anything about sex. Every kid who has access to a computer or smartphone has access to porn. Im just going to type in the word porn here and see what just comes up. Yeah. Sexually explicit material has