This week, we have a special episode to join in with the events being held for World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day. World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day seeks to raise global awareness of iatrogenic benzodiazepine dependence, the dangers of its adverse effects and the associated withdrawal syndrome, which can last for years. To give some context around the issues with Benzodiazepines, we have three interviews in this episode. Firstly we talk to Professor Malcolm Lader who is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry from Kings College London and is globally recognised as an expert on Benzodiazepines. Following that we talk with Jocelyn Pedersen. Jocelyn is a US based campaigner who shares her own experiences with Benzodiazepines and talks also about her views of the medical response to the issues of dependance and iatrogenic harm. Finally, we talk to Barry Haslam. Barry is a veteran UK campaigner who shares his experiences and also what we should be doing to help those dependant or damaged from use of these medications. Barry has been instrumental in raising awareness and taking action for last 30 years and is well known in political and medical circles. Interview 1, Professor Malcolm Lader In this interview we discuss: ▪Professor Lader’s training in medicine and how he specialised in psychopharmacology and psychiatry ▪That he went on to become involved in research, particularly around tranquilliser dependance and adverse effects ▪How Benzodiazepines were created in the 1950s, replacing Barbiturates because they were generally safer in overdose ▪That the first Benzodiazepine created was Librium (Chlordiazepoxide) soon followed by Valium (Diazepam) ▪That for a time, Valium was the most widely prescribed drug on the planet ▪That the advantages are that Benzodiazepines are relatively safe in overdose but they can result in dependance (likely a 1 in three chance) at therapeutic doses ▪That by 1975, Professor Lader’s Addiction Research Unit at the Maudsley hospital in London were becoming increasingly concerned by the number of people who were being referred to them for specialist help ▪How this led to Professor Lader’s famous quote on a BBC Radio 4 interview that it was “easier to withdraw people from Heroin than from Benzodiazepines” ▪That Opioid withdrawal caused an acute, very unpleasant withdrawal experience but Benzodiazepines caused a protracted withdrawal that was actually more difficult for many people to deal with ▪How they were left with patients who had successfully withdrawn from Opioids like Heroin but were still having trouble with the Benzodiazepines like Ativan ▪How the British Medical Association have only recently become engaged in the issues of dependance and withdrawal to give advice to their members (General Practitioners) ▪That the regulators don’t have sufficient influence to get doctors to prescribe Benzodiazepines in a more responsible way ▪That much of the long term use of psychiatric medications comes down to lack of monitoring of patients by doctors ▪That there have been cases where long term prescribing of Benzodiazepines has been seen to be negligent on the doctors part and that this has led to some out of court settlements ▪That the treatment of dependance is not simple or straight forward so it is much better to educate GPs upfront to intervene before people have the chance to become dependant ▪How we are now repeating some of the same mistakes made with Benzodiazepine prescribing with Opioid analgesics and antidepressants too ▪That the increase in prescribing of psychiatric drugs is partly down to greater recognition of mental health difficulties but also that we do not have enough people trained in non pharmacological interventions ▪That Pharmacists can play a pivotal role in monitoring, advising and supporting patients ▪How Professor Lader became involved in the educational resource the Lader-Ashton organisation ▪That Professor Lader welcomes this second Benzodiazepine Awareness Day because knowledge and ed