Benzotired

January 28th, 2026 In this episode: I catch up with benzo survivor, artist and filmmaker Emma Hames UK. Emma is featured on episode 12 where she shared her brief story about being severely harmed by benzodiazepines. She also featured in episode 37 as we talked about working whilst being harmed. As I relistened to episode 12 I felt the importance to go more in depth into her journey concerning her symptoms and recovery and I reached out. In episode 12 she speaks about the journey, which includes contracting a virus affecting her lung capacity, leading to a benzodiazepine prescription. In this episode, we pick up where Emma had abruptly stopped her benzodiazepine. Additionally we talk about her recovery process from the last recording almost three years ago until now, the effect of COVID on the benzoinjury, her documentary in the making: TOXSICK and more. Find TOXSICK @: https://www.toxsick.org/ (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:07) Cold turkey and symptoms (00:10:45) Year 3 and 4 after (00:15:50) Slowly getting better and diagnosis, (00:17:55) Sleep and COVID (00:24:00) "The Oasis" (00:31:02) Rebuilding a life, processing trauma and creativity (00:44:17) Developments since 2023, TOXSICK, other documentaries (00:51:25) Challenges making the documentary (00:56:35) Putting passion in your project, saving others, advocacy (01:02:45) Getting feedback from our bodies & impact (01:05:40) Truth, western society and new take on life

November 21nd, 2025 In this episode: Along with my occasional co-host Emma Saunders I talk to dr. Mark Horowitz and Melanie Davis about the National Psychiatric Drug Describing Clinic in the United Kingdom. Melanie Davis is featured on Benzotired episode nine about her local support group called REST. Dr. Mark Horowitz is featured on Benzotired episode thirty-six about his book: “The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines”. We discuss how professor Heather Ashton was an inspiration for the clinic, conditions to receive help from the clinic, alternatives to the clinic for people abroad, Mark’s book “The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines” and much more. Find more information about the Psychiatric Drug Deprescribing Clinic @ https://psychdeprescribing.org/ Find Mark at Outro Health in the United States @ https://www.outro.com/ Find the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines @ Amazon and other booksellers. Find the documentary TOXIC @ https://www.toxsick.org/ Find Emma Saunders @ https://thepsychmedsanctuary.com/

November 12th, 2025 In this episode: I talk to Tiffany Camilleri from Malta. She works in marketing and is a mental health advocate. Tiffany got prescribed benzodiazepines and other psych meds at the young age of 14. From the beginning Tiffany started to wonder if some of her issues were caused by the medications that she was taking, but every time she went to see a psychiatrist, she was gaslit. Finding the Ashton Manual and visiting some forums led her to decide to want to taper her benzodiazepines. In a long journey, including a lot of seizures, Tiffany has decided to long hold on 6 milligrams of Diazepam (also known as Valium). Find Tiffany @: https://www.instagram.com/tiffany_camko/

September 19th, 2025 In this episode: I have a conversation with Emma Saunders about brand changes. I have personal experiencing facing a brand change with Diazepam (Valium) and Emma has personal experience with a brand change of Mirtazepine (Remeron). We discuss studies, talk about our experiences and discuss possible ways to handle brand changes and some other personal stories. Inner Compass article: https://www.theinnercompass.org/help-hub/understanding-and-moderating-risks-variable-drug-levels-different-versions-same-0 Find Emma at: https://thepsychmedsanctuary.com/ Find my new website at: https://naftal.jimdosite.com/

Augustn 6th, 2025 In this episode: I speak with Laurie from Canada. When Laurie wanted to come off her antidepressants after 20 years, she got into severe withdrawal in which she went to a hospital seeking aid. There, she was polydrugged and prescribed Lorazepam (also known as Ativan). After receiving shock therapy, she left whilst still taking prescription drugs. After a cold turkey event, she discovered the Ashton Manual and reinstated her benzodiazepine. After a 8 month taper, she still suffered for three years. Now many years off, she considers herself almost fully healed.

July 25th, 2025 In this episode: I speak with Danielle de Vries and Tommy Boyce, who created the play “KORE.” The play is about Sam who freefalls into prescription drug dependence, being prescribed Zopiclone and Lorazepam (also known as Ativan). The play is a tragicomedy loosely based on Persephone in the Underworld. We talk about how the play came about and how it is for Danielle, not having experienced benzo harm firsthand, to play a character in the trenches of benzo withdrawal. I ask Tommy how it was directing the play and much more… Kore plays on August 19th and 20th 2025 at the Cockpit Theatre in London, UK. Find more about Danielle @ https://danielledevries.com/ TICKETS: https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/kore Want to support the play? Check out the KORE Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/koretheplay/

July 11th, 2025 In this episode: I speak with Sydney Hunnell. Sydney is originally from Colorado, but moved to North Carolina. Sydney was prescribed Xanax (Alprazolam) at the age of 20 for panic attacks. Over the course of months her dose escalated to a staggering 8 milligrams. Eventually Sydney was taken off her Xanax abruptly at a detox facility where she stayed for one week. Sydney still has symptoms 5 years later, but has significantly recovered since and has a part-time job. Sydney followed the peer support program at the Colorado Consortium and offers coaching next to her daytime job. You can contact Sydney at: sydneyhunnel2@gmail.com or at her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneyhunnell/

June 23rd, 2025 In this episode: I speak with Crystal Grier from Ontario, Canada. Crystal is a mother of six, an artist and a passionate advocate for intentional living. Crystal homeschooled her kids before her life took a sharp turn after life-altering events. Immediately after being prescribed antidepressants Crystal suffered severe adverse effects. This led Crystal to a chain of events where she was prescribed Klonopin, also known as Clonazapam, initially getting relief. After weeks she wanted to come off her benzodiazepine, leading into a year long taper. She is now two years benzofree. You can find Crystal on her Instagram page: brazenbenzobabes For a first, Crystal joins Benzotired via telephone ☎️, which causes a slight lag. We had some minor technical issues, but we've managed to make a good recording!

May 30th, 2025 In this episode: I speak with Ryan Hebert from California, U.S.A. Ryan is two years psych med free after being misprescribed benzodiazepines for 12 years, spanning most of her adult working life. She was on Ativan (generic: Lorazepam), before being switched to Klonopin (generic: Clonazepam). It took Ryan three attempts and three years to fully taper, much of it during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, she became extremely ill and was diagnosed with a mitochondrial metabolic disorder, linked to the combined stress of withdrawal and multiple COVID infections. Ryan speaks about a farm-based recovery program post-benzodiazepine in North Carolina, evacuating due to hurricane Helena to Santa Barbara to be closer to family and friends. Today Ryan is focussing on rebuilding her life and raising awareness about the harm of benzodiazepines. Ryan starts off with words of gratitute for her family and ends with a short self-produced song. She also wanted to share this quote: "You don't get to check out of the human experience for over a decade without severe consequences -- emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. Coming back online after that long is not just a process, it's a reckoning." In Spring 2027, Ryan plans to walk the Camino de Santiago with other survivors as a symbol of healing and hope. If you want to join and/or connect, you can e-mail ryan at: ryanrenehebert@gmail.com and her Instagram: elcaminoforacause.

May 7th, 2025 In this episode: I talk to Emma Saunders from the UK, a regular guest of Benzotired about setbacks. We talk about setbacks she and I have had, others have had or may have. We talk about alcohol, supplements, food and much more. Find Emma at: the The Psych Med Sanctuary Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepsychmedsanctuary/ (00:00) Intro (01:45) Emma's worst setback (04:15) Naftal' worst setback (07:59) Paid jobs with symptoms (13:25) Alcohol (15:42) Magnesium (17:03) Stress and pressure (19:30) Excercise (21:00) Chemicals, food and drinks (25:02) Coffee (28:42) Supplements (30:20) Medical gaslighting (32:52) Liquid taper and changing brands (38:47) Navigating through setbacks (40:35) Vitamin B6 & polydrugged (42:45) Medical procedures, drugs and outro

May 7th, 2025 In this episode: I catch up with Emma Saunders from the UK. Emma has featured on many episodes of Benzotired. She was prescribed Lorazepam (Ativan) for tinnitus and ended up being polydrugged. In this episode she shares her successfully tapering Quatiapine and Lorazepam and she shares her current state of affairs. Currently Emma is tapering Mirtazepine (Remeron). Find Emma at: https://thepsychmedsanctuary.com/

February 22nd, 2025 In this episode: I talk to my friend Jenny, from New York, U.S.A. She is featured on episode #2 and #16. On episode #2, she was still tapering and she shares her benzo story, aswell as her horrible experience in a detox facility. On episode #16 (recorded around June 2023), she had been off benzodiazepines, but still dealing with symptoms,, known as Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND). In this episode, we catch up with Jenny again. She has been benzofree for two years now. We talk about the benzo community, menopause, waves and windows, rebuilding a life and much more. Benzotired news: Months ago I decided on deleting my website due to various reasons. I'll use the show notes of the last episode to share news as of now on. It may be a while before I record and publish an episode. Mainly this is because I'm so busy working, but also because of my pending liability case I don't feel comfortable to share too many personal details. However I do intend to come back in the future! You can use Spotify to leave a comment about an episode. I'd love your feedback! Appreciate Benzotired? Rate the show and if you are able and willing, donate! https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/naftalbenisty Y'all got this! You can get better. You will get better... and most of all: YOU WILL SLEEP AGAIN. F*CK BENZOS!

February 20th, 2025 In this episode: I talk to Malissa Pistillo about our experiences and knowledge about insomnia. We discuss Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi), things that help us sleep and more. Check out episode #43 for Malissa's benzo story and more information about her. As discussed in this episode: "The Insomnia Diaries" by Miranda Levi (episode #13) The Matt Walker Podcast (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:33) Malissa's insomnia (00:06:45) Naftal' insomnia (00:10:45) Benzos effect on sleep (00:12:00) CBTi (00:21:02) Malissa's learnings on insomnia (00:26:10) Timezone changes, winding down, chronotypes and education (00:37:45) Rebound REM sleep (00:46:17) What helps Malissa sleep (00:53:10) What helps Naftal sleep (00:56:00) Naps (00:58:00) Switching bedrooms & coffee (01:01:00) Work, hope & outro

December 20th, 2024 In this episode: Barbara Connolly, PhD is the Senior Admin of the Benzo Warrior Community. She is a retired professor of political science, she has lived experience with complicated withdrawal from both benzodiazepines and antidepressants, and truly understands living with complex chronic illness and pain, particularly Ehlers-Danlos and mast cell activation syndromes. Barb was herself badly injured in 2017 by a rapid taper off Klonopin after 22 years of prescribed use for muscle spasms, and didn't realize until much later that the resulting cascade of symptoms and disability was due to benzodiazepines. Because of that experience, it became important to her that others going through withdrawal from benzodiazepines get far better information and support. She has run Benzo Warrior Community for nearly four years with a terrific team of peers all of whom haved lived experience, and has helped thousands navigate their journeys through benzodiazepine recovery. BWC has about 4,500 active members in English-speaking countries all over the world, and features Zoom support meetings for members and caregivers alike. Barb hosts a speaker series for BWC about all things benzodiazepines, withdrawal, BIND, and recovery, featuring doctors, coaches, pharmacists, and survivors. She excels at connecting people with the resources needed to consult effectively with doctors, marshal support from family and friends, cope with difficult symptoms, and figure out all the logistics of tapering as well as managing food sensitivities. A member of the Benzo Action Work Group, Barb is one of the trainers for the benzodiazepine peer training and is interested in research on health care policy and benzodiazepines. She enjoys hiking, ballet, and politics and is grateful to be much-recovered and able to wander again in the great outdoors. Contact Barb about coaching services at this email: Barbara.Connolly.31@gmail.com Join Benzo Warrior Community here: benzowarrior.com To listen to the presentations from the speaker series, subscribe to the Benzo Warrior Community youtube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xdLrxubxjcAtB5eVyHCzw Discussion after the presentations is not recorded in order to protect privacy of attendees, so If you are interested in participating in the speaker series and the Q&A after, please join BWC.

November 26th, 2024 In this episode: I talk to Rikka Allen from Finland. She was harmed by Cymbalta (generic: Duloxetine) and Oxazepam (also known as Serax). Rikka shares her journey as she is currently tapering her benzodiazepine using water. We also discuss directly tapering, finding English information and national issues surrounding benzodiazepines.

November 19th, 2024 In this episode: I speak with Malissa Pistello. She is a benzo and a psych drug advocate with a background being in Cloud Computing & Cyber Security. She has personal experience with protracted injuries caused by SSRIs, SNRIs and benzodiazepines, which has shaped her mission as she continues to navigate the ongoing challenges of Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfuntion (BIND). Malissa manages the TikTok and YouTube channel TheFaceofMALPractice, where she shares vulnerable videos of her journey and provides education in the hope of spreading awareness. She is currently authoring a book that talks through her experience with psych drugs, how they nearly killed her and her journey to healing her true self.

November 15th, 2024 In this episode: I speak with P.A. Nicole Lamberson about Flumazenil. She also serves as the Medical Director of the non-profit organization Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, BIC for short. Her personal story is featuted on episode #28 of Benzotired. Nicole and I discuss what we know about Flumazenil using published papers and news articles. Additionally, Nicole shares her personal lived experience with Flumazenil. If you have personal experience with Flumazenil? Please share your experience through the Spotify comments. BIC has been an advocate for benzodiazepine awareness for over seven years. Among countless other things, BIC helped to get the FDA update the black boxed warning in 2020. If you can, please support BUC in their advocacy and donate through the website: benzoinfo.com/donate/ Links discussed in the episode: Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flumazenil Malcolm Lader study: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1993-18748-001 George O'Neil on Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/is-this-a-groundbreaking-cure-for-opiates-and-benzos-addicts-10190635.html George O'Neil on Scroll: https://scroll.in/article/714862/blocking-the-high-the-unorthodox-doctor-who-thinks-he-can-cure-addiction

November 3rd, 2024 In this episode: Domagoj from Croatia shares his benzo story. He was prescribed Xanax XR (Alprazolam extended release) for severe panic attacks in 2016. In this episode we talk about his taper, an updose that went sideways, insert pamphlets, national stigmas and more. He is has been tapering Xanax directly as of March 2024.

May 17th, 2024 In this episode: I speak with Nicole Lamberson, a Physician Assistant (P.A.) about benzo lingo: explaining and discussing language we use in the Benzo harmed community. Nicole is the Medical Director of the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition (BIC) and is incredibly engaged in the Benzo harmed community. Recently she featured on the French-Canadian journalism program Enquête "Prescription Nightmare". Nicole featured on episode #29 of Benzotired where she shares her personal story. Find Nicole's bio at Benzodiazepine Information Coalition: https://www.benzoinfo.com/nicole-lamberson/ Coaching by Nicole: https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages?provider_id=47721 📧: nlambersoncoaching@gmail.com @37:50 I ment to say PROppenent (sorry, English second language) (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:23) Physical dependence / addiction (00:15:27) Withdrawal & tolerance (00:19:03) Holding & adverse effects (00:21:24) Cold turkey / abruptly stopping (00:24:30) Akathisia / agitation (00:27:08) Updosing & reinstatement (00:35:00) (Long) holding (00:41:42) Paradoxical reactions (00:44:05) Kindling (00:47:07) Equivalencies (00:51:13) DPDR (00:54:58) Benzo belly / muscle tension (00:57:50) Benzo brain / cognition / memory (00:59:06) Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND) (01:02:11) Neuro emotion (01:06:03) Waves & windows (01:07:50) Gaslighting (01:09:25) Levels of BIND / functionality (01:15:57) Symptom free (01:17:03) Generics & brand names (01:22:30) Explaining prescribers, debate and outro

May 13th, 2024 This episode is dedicated to Fronçois Chapet*🇨🇦 ✝️ In this episode: I team up with my friend Emma Saunders to discuss tinnitus. Emma and I got prescribed Benzodiazepines to deal with our tinnitus. In episode #3 of Benzotired we touch on our tinnitus briefly. Emma got tinnitus from Covid-19 and I got tinnitus from Lyme and/or the Doxycycline treatment. In this episode we discuss tinnitus in general. How can people cope? How did Emma and I cope with it? Where can people go? We also connect tinnitus with the (mis)prescribing of Benzodiazepines and it's subsequent withdrawal. Find general information on tinnitus @ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus *Fronçois Chapet was featured on the French-Canadian journalism program by Enquête 🇫🇷: https://youtu.be/cJcNIEH0rPc?si=EUs5DaF2oYNuidwQ 🇺🇸: https://youtu.be/ZBi33wQUfVI?si=cH96-YhBd7RA8Jeu Find the resources Emma mentioned: Julian Cowan Hill for tinnitus @ https://juliancowanhill.co.uk/ 🇬🇧 & Joey Remeyni @ https://www.seekingbalance.com.au/ 🇦🇺 For coaching considering Benzodiazepines, polypharmacy, tinnitus and more, check out Emma Saunders @ www.beatingthebenzo.com