Nicole Lamberson is a physician assistant, taper coach, and patient advocate based in Virginia. After personally navigating a complex and protracted withdrawal from benzodiazepines and psychotropic polypharmacy, Nicole has dedicated her career to supporting others through the often misunderstood world of psychiatric drug withdrawal. She’s the Medical Director of the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, a founding member of the Benzodiazepine Action Work Group of the Colorado Consortium, and an associate at the International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal. Nicole is also a core contributor to The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and serves on the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s patient panel, advising on FDA tapering guidelines. Through her work with The Withdrawal Project, the Medicating Normal PBS documentary, and as a taper coach at Taper Clinic, Nicole continues to educate, advocate, and empower patients and clinicians alike in the responsible deprescribing of psychiatric medications and benzodiazepines.
Ways To Follow and Connect with Nicole:
Nicole's Blog Articles through BIC | Nicole’s Coaching Platform
We Discuss:
01:35 — Nicole’s Journey into Benzodiazepine Tapering
14:24 — Understanding Benzodiazepines and Misconceptions About Their Use
17:07 — Understanding The Difference Between Dependence vs. Addiction
19:15 — The Tapering Process: Principles and Guidelines
22:55 — Microtapering: A Gentle Approach
25:22 — Interdose Withdrawal: Causes and Solutions
28:58 — Crash and Stabilize: Managing Withdrawal Symptoms
37:39 — Navigating Tapering in the Elderly
40:25 — Empowering Patients in Their Tapering Journey
44:35 — Resources for Tapering Support
48:24 — Self-Care Practices During Withdrawal
52:10 — The Importance of Awareness in Medication Safety
Key Insight and Quote:
“I was so horrified at what these drugs were capable of. And the stuff I was on wasn't helping. I was in severe withdrawal, so I just made the decision, I don't want to be on any of this stuff anymore. I need to know who I am beneath all of this chemical stew, you know? And so I stopped taking everything on my own. I just quit.
About four months into my withdrawal, it was so severe that I couldn't cope anymore. I mean, it was just intolerable suffering. And so I was lucky to find a psychiatrist who, she didn't know about Benzo withdrawal, but she was willing to believe me.”
— Nicole Lamberson
Resources and Selected Links From The Episode:
* Benzodiazepine Information Coalition
* The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines
* Inner Compass Initiative
* Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction: Long-term consequences of benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction: A survey.
* Online Support Groups for Benzodiazepine Tapering
* Benzo Buddies
* Benzo Warrior Facebook Group
* American Society of Addiction Medicine: ASAM Benzodiazepine Tapering Guidelines
* Organizations and Clinics Supporting Psychiatric Medication Tapering
* Outro Health
* Taper Clinic
* What is Interdose Withdrawal?
Connect with Shawn:
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Website: drshawngill.com
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Substack: shawngill.substack.com
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