There are many people who have been affected by Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs and they have gone unnoticed for far too long, generations and decades now. Patients are not getting the proper education and are not given the information that is needed of all of the risks and harm that these drugs are capable of creating. Withdrawal syndromes and protracted withdrawal syndromes are never talked about and this has led to a relentless cycle of never-ending Doctor visits, ER visits, poly-drugging of the community, consumer safety issues, tragedies from suicide because of the uninformed patient suffering, who has also been misinformed from their provider/prescriber of potential risks and harm to the consumer. The invalidity of what these drugs are factually capable of doing to a person’s life have put patients in unforeseeable and unrecognizable circumstances. This is a public health and safety concern as the community continues to suffer substantially from preventable economic hardships.
We NEED “DETAILED” INFORMED CONSENT” PRIOR to ever being handed a prescription drug from any licensed professional, which means more education for them on both side effects, adverse events and consumer injury and potential harm, and what is most needed during this crisis is correct and proper training for removal of these drugs. Licensed Professional/Prescribers are not trained to reduce, slowly taper, by patient tolerated schedules nor are they educated on how to deprescribe patients from these controlled drugs. No consumer should ever be abruptly withdrawn from these drugs. The professionals have long “practiced” on their patients and they have not been properly informed or educated on how adverse effects mimic other disorders. Licensed professionals are causing and inflicting unnecessary harm to their patients and the community as a whole.
We are asking that proper informed consent, as well as patient education and counseling be made at the doctor/licensed professional office level and/or hospital level of the patient interaction and prescribing so that Proper Informed Consent for EVERY patient is made. We need to put an end to preventable suicides, preventable professional inflicted disabilities, preventable professional inflicted permanent disabilities, preventable misdiagnosis of chronic mental illness, unnecessary risks which may lead to death from lack of proper taper schedules and not being properly withdrawn from the drug. The proper prescribing medication guidelines need to remain of the maximum 2-4 week period on the drug.
We thank you for enforcing the New Jersey Informed Consent Law.
2013 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 26 - HEALTH AND VITAL STATISTICS
Section 26:14-4 - Informed consent defined; use.
Universal Citation: NJ Rev Stat § 26:14-4 (2013)

Support sites, education and resources:
ASHTON MANUAL INDEX PAGE

BENZODIAZEPINES: HOW THEY WORK
AND HOW TO WITHDRAW
(aka The Ashton Manual)
https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm
The problem with Benzos
http://www.benzosupport.org/the_problem_with_benzos.htm
Links
http://www.benzosupport.org/links.htm