My PAWS Journal

I’ve done a lot of deep research on the topic of flumazenil for Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) / Benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND). And by a lot of research, I mean probably more than anyone would consider reasonable. 

At some point, it started to feel like a waste to keep all that research locked away in my head (and in many, many saved bookmarks on my browser), especially after spending so much time digging through countless sources. From the most dry scientific litterature to the most unhinged Reddit post, I feel like I went through it all, so I am figuring that I might as well collate the whole thing put it to use here and share what I’ve found.

Why focus on the positive ? One thing that stands out pretty quickly is how rarely you hear about positive outcomes when researching about flumazenil for benzodiazepine withdrawal. Most of what circulates, especially online, tends to lean heavily toward the worst case scenarios, specially in forums, where I think people, (understandebly) spend more time than on Pubmed (where the repports are way more positive)…. Forums often amplify difficult experiences, which makes sense in a way, people who are struggling are more likely to speak up. But it also creates a pretty skewed picture where fear and pessimism dominate the conversation, when maybe it shouldn’t.

Interestingly, the deeper I looked, the more encouraging things started to appear. That shift is what pushed me to seriously consider flumazenil for my rather uncooperative PAWS.

I’m going to put together a series of blog posts focused on the positive stories I’ve come across, whether that’s in the scientific literature, the news, Reddit, BenzoBuddies or for other ailments.

I also really hope to add to that over time with stories I can collect directly from people who are willing to share their experience.