Benzobuddies.org Success Story #1 – Benzo Free: Flumazenil Works
Posted March 10, 2012 • Author: Elizabeth • Benzobuddies
Note: This story is about using flumazenil for discontinuation of high doses of benzodiazepines, not PAWS (Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome)
The Story: Elizabeth appears to be a Dutch patient who underwent a structured 9-day flumazenil protocol under medical supervision. She reports being treated within a specialist addiction setting, reportedly involving clinicians associated with Novadic Kentron (Dr. Erik Paling) and NISPA (Prof. Corné de Jong).
From her account, she was previously on a high dose of benzodiazepines (17 diazepam per day) and was able to discontinue use rapidly following the flumazenil protocol.
She describes the experience as difficult but manageable, reporting 2 panic attacks during the process.
At this stage, she reports sustained abstinence and early functional recovery following the treatment.
She also references multiple scientific papers discussing the potential role of flumazenil in benzodiazepine dependence and withdrawal, suggesting that her treatment was informed by emerging clinical literature at the time.
March 10, 2012
It is my second month since I stopped and I am doing great.
My Take: She definitely caught a lot of heat for sharing her experience. Many people on the forum argued that flumazenil doesn’t work for benzodiazepine withdrawal or that it is dangerous and that it’s well documented that it caused deaths. From what I can tell, there are no credible reports of deaths from controlled use in withdrawal protocols.
Benzodiazepine overdoses themselves can be fatal, and flumazenil is sometimes used as an antidote in those cases, but it does not always work and timing is critical. Some doctors prefer to avoid flumazenil in emergency settings because it can trigger withdrawal symptoms in overdose patients. That caution is specific to overdose situations and doesn’t directly apply to structured protocols like the one discussed here.
A lot of the confusion online seems to come from mixing up flumazenil use for high-dose detox with its effects on post-acute withdrawal symptoms. These are very different contexts, and understanding that difference is key to making sense of these stories.
Again, I do not want to judge the discussion too harshly. This was 2012, and we have come a long way since then. There is now more research, more clinical experience, and much more awareness around benzodiazepine dependence and withdrawal. Go read my post about this kind of confusion: here
October 25, 2012
Its been 10 months since I did my treatment, 10 months free of benzos!!!!
For a long time I had kept my last benzo pills and prescriptions in my cabinet, I have thrown them away for I know that I will never need them or go back to them!!!!!!!!
I wish I could say I am a 100% back to the old me, but that is not true. What I can say is that I am about 70% myself which is pretty good considering from where I came. I came from a very deep dark place.
I am now working on my diet, making sure that I really give my body all the nutrients it needs to heal the last part.
I am endlessly thankful to Doctor George O’Neil for the work he does and the kindness with which he shares his knowledge.
October 29, 2012
To clarify, with the flumazenil treatment I was able to stop in one go from 17 diazepam. Which I would have never ever been able to do on my own. So I am no longer benzo dependent, this is a miracle, alleluia!!!!
Now on the matter of my health, I am not yet the 100% I wished I was. I would rate myself at a 70 %. I function well as long as I am not too ambitious about what I want to do. That is I get easily tired. My sleep is slightly fragmented and I have a bit of tinnitus.
So the term cured is relative to how you look at it. If cured is off benzo and relatively okay then I am cured. If cured is back to the old 100% then I am not cured.
We wish Elizabeth the best and a full recovery !
