Podcast

BENZO HELL-WAVES AND WINDOWS
In this final episode, I talk with Brenda Duijn, a molecular cell biologist, who shares her story about the 'Benzo hell' she had to go through alone to get off lorazepam. On her doctor's advice, Brenda initially took oxazepam for a few months to manage the withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants. Later, the oxazepam was switched to lorazepam. Meanwhile, Brenda became increasingly ill, but no one recognized the side effects or later the withdrawal symptoms. In this podcast, she shares how she ultimately managed to quit benzos on her own.

Episode 15

THINK BEFORE YOU START!
In this penultimate episode of the podcast series The Power of Benzos, I talk with Hans Kloosterman, life coach and trauma relationship therapist. Hans is the author of the book From Snob to Monk, in which he inspires people to search for their own life path. That last part became difficult for him personally, due to a single benzo prescription from the doctor. Hans suffered greatly from side effects, and when he wanted to stop using them, it turned out to be an extremely tough, difficult, and painful process for him as well. In this podcast episode, he shares his story of how he came into contact with benzos and talks about the ordeal he had to go through to finally get rid of them.

Episode 14

Different people – different tapering processes
Are the problems caused by prolonged use of benzodiazepines only the patients’ responsibility? With Pauline Dinkelberg from the Association for Tapering Medication, I discuss both the power and the powerlessness of benzos. Pauline believes that users and their prescribers are in the same boat. How do we taper off? How do we find a solution together? I talk with her about this in episode 14 of my podcast series 'The Power of the Benzo'.

Episode 13

Fewer Benzodiazepines - more advice
In this episode, my guests Altine Bakker and Klaas Jan Bolt explain how, with 'benzomoe', they want to raise awareness among benzodiazepine and other sleeping pill users. With 'benzoslim', they aim to prevent the serious risks and harmful effects of benzos. Using the 'benzomoe' box, Altine tries to start a conversation with her clients about sleep medication in a fun and playful way, without having to point fingers. Klaas Jan explains how more and more lifestyle pharmacists want to dispense fewer medications over the counter. In this way, they stand up for the core of their profession: providing better care to their clients! We discuss not only the negative sides of benzos but also the positive aspects, provided they are prescribed and used correctly. So, consciously and wisely! This means prescribing for a short period and only in crisis situations. Tapering off benzos remains a black box for many users due to the unpredictable withdrawal symptoms that come and go and vary for everyone. But Klaas Jan also has a solution for that!

Episode 12

The body becomes a pinball machine!
My guest in episode 12 of the podcast series: The Power of the Benzo's is Igor van Laere, social physician, founder of the Dutch Street Doctors Group, and addiction care doctor at Spoor6, high-level addiction support. Listen now to the twelfth episode!

Episode 11

No withdrawal is harder than from benzos
My guest in episode 11 of the podcast series: The Power of the Benzos is Timo Eichholtz. He wrote the book ‘The Story Behind My Blue Eyes’. In this podcast episode, Timo explains how various benzodiazepines maintained his addiction to alcohol and drugs. At the same time, due to the severe withdrawal symptoms (including seriously disturbed sleep and anxious feelings), they were also the hardest ‘drugs’ for him to quit.

Episode 10

No free ride!
“No free ride, no medication without side effects,” says Remke van Staveren, author of the book ‘Minder Slikken’. In other words, we never take psychopharmaceuticals without consequences. Pills do not solve problems, have many side effects, and can be very harmful in the long term.

Episode 9

Benzos as a Remedy for Powerlessness
My guest in this episode is Noa van Hagen. Noa is a social entrepreneur in youth care and education. In this podcast, Noa shares her experiences with benzos within youth and addiction care, which have had a significant impact on her as a person. She talks about the often paradoxical effect that benzos had not only on her, but also on other children and young people within youth mental health care. Instead of becoming calm, the children and young people became anxious and agitated. Noa describes how she has seen children and young people bang their heads and foam at the mouth when the medication—a cocktail of benzos and other psychopharmaceuticals—started to wear off before the next dosing time. Based on her own experiences, it has become Noa’s mission to improve youth care. In recent years, Noa has been very active and has founded several initiatives, including Steunpunt Avalon, where children and young people struggling with life can find support.

Episode 8

Connection is the opposite of addiction
In this podcast, Erik Paling, addiction physician at Brijder and specialist in addiction care, shares his perspective on addiction and highlights the power of benzos from his work as an addiction doctor. He says that 'off-label' prescribing happens very often. His story clearly shows how easily a pill can be prescribed, while cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep problems is often not reimbursed.

Episode 7

Where do we stand regarding benzodiazepine use in the Netherlands and how is the flumazenil experiment, as an antidote, progressing?
In this podcast, Erik Paling, addiction physician at Brijder and specialist in addiction care, shares his vision on addiction and highlights the power of benzos from his work as an addiction doctor. He says that 'off-label' prescribing happens very frequently. His story clearly shows how easily a pill is prescribed and how cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep problems is often not reimbursed.

Episode 6

20 diagnoses and 47 medications later...
Ewout Kattouw, an expert by experience and author of the book 'Who is actually crazy here', barely survived psychiatry and wrote a book about it: Who is actually crazy? His experience drove him to set up a foundation called PILL. In this podcast, Ewout shares his story and we not only highlight the power of benzos, but with his story we dive even deeper into the often hidden suffering that arises in psychiatry.

Episode 5

The power of Benzos through the eyes of Arnt Schellekens
In this episode, Arnt Schellekens, professor of addiction and psychiatry, nuances the purely undesirable properties of Benzodiazepines. In his view, they can certainly pose a problem, but he also finds them effective at times. For example, in alcohol withdrawal. He also shares his wish to improve the collaboration between addiction care and psychiatry, as he believes this is urgently needed to better serve patients.

Episode 4

Benzodiazepines are available everywhere, but how do you get off them?
Lydia van der Weide, freelance journalist, copywriter, and expert by experience, regularly took benzodiazepines from the age of 22, and only stopped 27 years later. She explains how, when necessary, she went to great lengths to obtain benzos. As she gradually brought balance to her life, she realized that benzos no longer had a place in it. But finding help to quit is not easy.

Episode 3

Engaging in dialogue with the established order is not so simple. With Dick Bijl
Epidemiologist and author of the book The Pill Problem, explains why, in his view, it is so difficult to break the power of benzodiazepines. He talks about the process of approving medicines for the market, who assesses their safety, and how that process went with benzodiazepines.

Episode 2

Out of the frying pan into the fire. With Geert van der Laak
Expert by experience Geert van der Laak is proud of how he can now help people with addictions as a coach. After all, he knows what he’s talking about. But to get there, he had to travel a long and difficult road. In this second episode, Geert shares how he occasionally smoked a joint at age 12, was already addicted by 15, and at 19 sought help to quit both smoking weed and drinking. To support that withdrawal process, he was prescribed various medications, including two benzodiazepines. Geert explains how he went from bad to worse.

Episode 1

Addicted or made medically dependent? With Elisabeth Krijtenburg
In this first podcast, I talk with Elisabeth Krijtenburg, The Tapering Coach, who explains to me the difference between addiction and medical dependence.
Years ago, Elisabeth herself was harmed by a benzo. She experienced no support during the tapering process, which inspired her to take on this task. Since 2018, Elisabeth has been supporting people in tapering off all kinds of medication, and in this podcast she shares why she thinks benzos have such power.