Benzodiazepine Information Coalition

Benzodiazepine Information Coalition is one of the most reliable sources for public not only in the US but also for global citizens to know the iatrogenic injury related prescribed BZDs. I am a Japanese national who resides in Japan. The vital information they keep conveying has truth in any country. The founder, directors, staff members know why these indispensable information and suggestions are needed to reform the current prolonged BZDs related treatments. Because they have firsthand experiences of the protracted withdrawal syndrome. The empirical studies are difficult and scarce. Their advocacy is neutral and rational, which is essential for charity. BIC excels to serve public needs and should be highly rated as a GREAT nonprofit organization.

The Benzodiazepine Information Coalition has done more for us, the benzodiazepine-injured community since their inception than anyone or any organization has done here in North America, ever. (I am in Canada.) Just recently, BIC worked with Lisa Ling and her production company to produce a documentary for This Is Life, The Benzo Crisis, aired on CNN. I believe thousands if not tens or hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved thanks to the truth finally being out in the mainstream media. I have kept my eye on this documentary online and it continues to get a thousand to a few thousand views daily. Many who suffer from damage from benzos did not know why they are so sick until they connected with The Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, through their work. They are to be highly commended for their dedication and passion, especially since many of these good people behind the scenes are still struggling, sick and recovering themselves. Thank you BIC!!!

Help and information about Benzodiazepines which is hard to find. My child was hurt by taking Benzo drugs given to him by a dr, and this non profit helps to spread the word

Benzo info Coalition is doing an outstanding job at providing information to benzo withdrawal sufferers and advocating for this highly underserved community.
I am suffering from Protracted benzo Withdrawals. Took my last Klonopin in July of 2012. 6 yrs later, I am still experiencing debilitating symptoms. Without the Coalition, I would have few resources for gaining current and accurate information on this condition.
Hat’s off to thie hard-working Coalition. With advocates working as hard as this team does, perhaps someday others will not have to suffer this iatrogenic illness.

This is a wonderful organization working so hard to share the truth about benzodiazepines, instructing public and medical professionals about safe proscribing, and long term harm and disability caused by taking them as prescribed. You don't have to be abusing medications to be terribly harmed by them. BIC is giving the public the information that your doctor won't tell you because most of them don't even realize the harm they are causing. A much needed and incredibly hard working group.

The Benzo Information coalition provides invaluable information for people suffering from benzodiazepine withdrawal. Without them, there would be little, viable information available. Doctors and other health professionals remain ill informed. As long as this remains typical, not-for-profit organizations need to be supported.

Excellent site with lots of great info.This was the first site I joined after benzo withdrawl.It has been a great source of info.

This organization provides invaluable information and resources for individuals whose lives have been impacted by doctor prescribed benzodiazepines. I wish this organization had been in existence when I was searching for help because any of the doctors I encountered offered nothing except more drugs and dangerous advice and my entire life was ruined because of it.

In 2002 I was prescribed a benzodiazepine when my blood pressure rose to a dangerously high level due to the stressors of caring for my husband who was paralyzed after falling off a roof. The dose I was prescribed pretty much insured I would become physically dependent within a few weeks, as well as extremely anxiety ridden - something the doctor attributed to trauma instead of the drug. This drug was responsible for not only making me an anxiety ridden mess, it changed my personality, decision making ability and caused me to become VERY suicidal. After 8 years I finally found a place that helped me get off the drug with a rapid detox but it took me another 3 years for my body to fully recover.

During the eight horror filled years I was on this drug I searched endlessly for answers but found very few. I believe if this organization had been in existence, my years of suffering would have been much shorter and I would have gotten help sooner. I am grateful for all the work the founders of this organization have put in to provide such a wonderful resource for people!

Finding the link here to FDA Medwatch site made this the first time I felt I had found a way to bring some offical attention to this horrible recovery process that my wife has been suffering through for over a year. Before that all my attempts to reach out to the medical profession had fell on deaf ears or was dealt with by the ostrich method. My frustration in not understanding for 15 years that the drug that was supposed to be the cure for her anxiety was in fact the curse my wife suffered through and caused all the changes I believed were caused by her pain meds is in need of an outlet to correct that injustice. Any group that helps bring awareness to the public, hope to the victims, change and education to medical professionals whom sorely lack an understanding of what suffering they cause is one I will fully support. My goal is to get the word out about the FDA Mediwatch reporting site. The one I filled out with my wife will be lost alone but hundreds of thousands of people have been affected in someway by this over the years and if they all use their voice a difference can be made.

Benzodiazepine Information Coalition (BIC) has led the way in gathering and providing information about the dangers of benzos and how to taper off of them, along with so many other resources (for patients and their families, doctors and the general public). Thank you, BIC, for your dedication to this life saving cause!

Emotional support groups are important for those of us in benzodiazepine withdrawal, and I am in one, but Benzodiazepine Information Coalition offers strictly fact based information that I would otherwise not have access to.
Seeking out accurate information about benzodiazepines is often a difficult and confusing and usually, ultimately futile effort. BIC does some of the research for me and I appreciate that.

Benzodiazepine Information Coalition has a long-overdue and much-needed mission. As the only nonprofit organization representing and advocating for the largely-underground community of prescribed benzodiazepine-dependent sufferers, they provide an invaluable service to the world through information, awareness, and education around this iatrogenic medical disaster where it is grossly lacking. I fully support this nonprofit and believe they are doing great work.

Love this nonprofit and the information they provide. The people have more information than any medical providers. Keep it going!!

Benzodiazepine Information Coalition has helped me understand what I'm going through by consistently resarching and presenting facts. This organization helps thousands of us who are suffering from this class of medications. As well as being the voice for the thousands of us who are too ill to fight for ourselves. Superb organziation.

Great group trying to bring awareness to problems with benzodiazepines. As a family member With a loved one who has been damaged by benzo's I am very happy to see a group trying to bring this to the forefront. They have lots of interesting articles and information about this under recognized problem.

I discovered the Benzodiazepine Coalition while reading a self written obituary by a woman who suffered more in her final months from the withdrawals of a Benzodiazepine than from Ovarian Cancer. My 89 yr old father was prescribed Xanax more than 10 years ago. I strongly believe his quality of life has been destroyed because of this drug. At his age, I know he will never be able to tolerate withdrawing
from this medication

Benzodiazepine Information Coalition is a much needed organization helping to raise awareness of the dangers of these drugs - even taken in low doses and exactly as prescribed. Dr's seem to be unaware and unwilling to learn about the damage these drugs can and do cause when taken long term (more than 2 - 4 weeks) - diagnosing side effects and withdrawal as new or underlying issues. Considering that these drugs are handed out like tic tacs and promised "safe and benign in low doses" - education is needed. If you don't believe me - just do a google search for "benzodiazepine withdrawal" and what you will find is compliant patients who took low doses and exactly as prescribed - going through hell trying to free themselves with little to no support from their Dr's. They are the only organization devoted only to benzodiazepines. They are neither anti-drug nor anti psychiatry . They are for educating physicians and patients on the many issues that can arise from this particular class of drug. And they are doing a bang up job!

BIC is doing the groundbreaking work necessary to accomplish real change in how these meds are prescribed and how patients are cared for while on and getting off them. The leadership is relevant, solid, experienced, and individually outstanding and trusted in their fields. I have already seen great progress and important movement in the set goals which will change and save many lives.

Always truthful and informative. As a benzo survivor, this site is a godsend to the benzo community. It is my sincerest hope that medical professionals will utilize this site for information on benzodiazepines that they did not get in medical school so that prescribing practices can be more in line with what these drugs can and cannot do over the course of time. Benzo Information Coalition has life-saving information for anyone who may be prescribed a benzo by their doctor for any reason.

I am a physician, director at BIC, and benzo withdrawal sufferer. We are the only nonprofit in the US that is dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of benzodiazepines. I became involved with this organization because I believe the general public and medical community needs better education about benzos such as Ativan, Xanax, Klonipin, and Valium. We are doing great work with a number of projects in the works and have the potential to help save countless patients from harm.

Provided information that has changed my life forever , for the better. Thank you!

Their information is good and needed. I have had some personal experience with some of
these drugs and I wouldn't advise people on there long term use'

They are the only people taking this issue seriously.

If it wasn't for Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, I would still be at the Doctor's office, trying to figure out what is going on with me. This site is extremely important for those who had the misfortune of Doctor's giving out this medication like candy, and for those who need information before getting on these highly potent drugs. The information provided by people who have been through withdrawals is so important to us that are experiencing something never imaginable.

This is a horrible place to be-having severe symptoms that started after beginning benzodiazepine (in my case for insomnia). I was on increasing doses for years and kept needing more to get the little bit of sleep I could. Then I tried to go off. Advice from doctors was to just cut dose in half each day. I went nuts. I started seeing things on the road that were not there-swerving on the highway and had to quit driving. I cried and had panic attacks constantly. (I never knew what that felt like before starting clonapin). Finally I asked the doctor to order the med in a compound. The compound pharmacist talked to me about SLOWLY reducing the dose-extremely slow and tiny cuts at a time, possible with compounded med. I have been off completely for 2 years and still have what I call flash backs. Sometime I am so afraid to drive that I just stay home. I since have found out that these drugs should not be taken more than 2 weeks. I remember constantly asking if I was addicted to the drug, but the sleep doctors said no, only if you took doses all day would there be dependency problems, but just taking at night to sleep I was not. How wrong they were. Every time I go to a doc in the box, when they read clonapin, they ask me about other drug abuse and if I am getting it on the street. Suddenly I am the criminal, not the doctors who wrote this prescription for over 10 years. The only supportive person in the system was the pharmacist. I went back to thank him when I had completed the taper and he told me I was the first person he had ever met who had managed to get off it. Then he said, good luck staying off. I am grateful to have found the benzodiazepine information Coalition. At least some people know this is real. I am lucky that I am older and could retire and not try this at work, though I think this is a disability and not an early retirement. My hope now is that I do not have too much brain damage and will not end up senile due to this abuse of my brain for so many years.

This organization works diligently to educate physicians and legislative bodies of the dangers of prescribing benzodiazepines. They work towards regulating dosing and put a name to the agony of withdrawal that many have endured. As a parent of a benzo sufferer I know the ravages this medication can cause and I strongly support Benzodiazepine Information Coalition 's work.

Information and online support from BIC helped my wife and I understand the problems my wife was facing. BIC filled a gap which the medical community has otherwise failed to address. We are very grateful for their much needed work.

This organization is crucial in informing the public of the dangers of benzos

My story is too large, to complicated and too traumatic to go into detail here and now. I will simply state that the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition is the one organisation that gives me the hope that I will find the answers to the appalling suffering and injustice I have been subjected to, at the hands of the U.K. Health Authorities with respect to the devastating consequences of longterm prescription of Benzodiazepines.

I lost 21 years and counting to a benzodiazepine, always taken as directed, and wish a outstanding organization like BIC had existed before I accepted taking this life destroying drug.

This organization exists to educate the public about the dangers of, benzodiazepines, a class of drugs that has the capacity to completely devastate the lives of people who take it, even those who take it exactly as prescribed by a physician. Because the severe, disabling iatrogenic harm caused by this medication is generally unacknowledged by the pharmaceutical industry and medical community, the work this organization does is vital to the purpose of giving victims (like me) a voice, in addition to the hope of saving others from living through the horrors I've experienced as a result of simply taking a medication prescribed by my doctor. I am immensely thankful for the tireless volunteer efforts put into developing and running this organization. I salute each and every one of you who have worked and continue to work so hard to advocate for people like me!

This nonprofit is much needed serving an all too often ignored and marginalized community. Their understanding of benzodiazepine associated disabilities is unparalleled.

Thank you Janice and Peter for all of your support.

This non-profit organization is providing much needed awareness to the horrific subject of benzodiazapine withdrawal syndrome. The Admins are very knowledgeable and advocate for thousands of people who are suffering in silence. I applaud them and their dedication. Thank you.

This organization will save lifes. They have an amazing board of very educated people, some that are dealing with the effects of benzodiazepines themselves. I'm proud to know some of them and proud of the changes they will make in the pharmaceutical industry where this class of medication is involved.