When Dr Volz questioned her, it became apparent that her difficulties had begun about two years before, shortly after her husband died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Despite having enough money and a close relationship with her son, who lived in the same town and visited her twice a week, Greta complained of sadness and hopelessness but, she hastened to add, ‘only when I am alone’. Dr Volz tried to explain to her that her symptoms might be due to depression, but she vehemently objected to such an explanation. When he suggested that she might benefit from a drug such as Prozac, she refused to take any synthetic antidepressants, insisting ‘that’s all chemical stuff.’ After two further visits with Dr Volz, he suggested that she might try St John’s Wort. To his astonishment, she immediately agreed to take this because ‘herbs are not dangerous.’

Dr Volz started Greta on St John’s Wort at a dosage of 900 mg per day. He noticed no improvement until she had been on the herbal remedy for six weeks, and it took another 10 weeks before Greta’s symptoms were reduced to a significant degree. Greta remains convinced that the improvement she has enjoyed on St John’s Wort has nothing to do with relief from depression but rather to ‘non-specific’ effects of the herb. Dr Volz feels no need to challenge this belief. She is no longer depressed and her mood has been stable without any adverse effects whatsoever – reward enough for a caring doctor.

*32\75\2*

Sharing the ‘basket’ experience at the end of the session is helpful in two ways. Fellow feeling in the group is cemented by the realization that we all have similar hurts and insecurities, and also the person who is unwilling to relinquish the past hurts can use the group as a ‘sounding board’ to reflect his or her own thoughts in order to discover why there should be reluctance to let go. Often there is laughter during this sharing time. One man amused a group by saying, ‘It was a struggle, but I got my mother-in-law in the basket this week.’

If you are a private person and do not want to share your feelings it is still a useful exercise.

Be patient with yourself if you suffered a bereavement or other sad experience whilst you were on tranquillizers. You may have to work through those feelings again as you withdraw, even if you feel rationally that the experience is in the past.

*62\49\8*

Frequency, burning, and incontinence are reported. Again, investigations usually prove negative. Treatment for infection is ineffective. If your doctor confirms there is no infection, drink plenty of water and be patient. Young and old, men and women, sometimes have slight (and temporary) urinary incontinence during withdrawal.

Influenza-like Symptoms

If you experience headaches, sore throat, stuffy nose, burning skin, it may be that you are cutting down too quickly. Some people recognize that they have had these symptoms for years. The influenza they experienced several times a year was when they ran out of pills, or forgot to take them on holiday. Many people remember a flu-like illness when their pills were stopped on admission to hospital for routine surgery. The symptoms always disappeared when they resumed taking their pills.

*46\49\8*

The following diet is an example of an eating plan that helps to keep the blood sugar stable. It is only a guide and not something to become over-anxious about. Many have found it greatly reduces the craving for sugar, or the desire for odd foods.

*25\49\8*

2. Better if you have a stressful job or domestic life.

3. Better for long-term users if hospitalization is not possible.

4. Gives time to adjust to deep emotional problems (if they exist).

5. General health can be improved at the same time, and therefore make withdrawal easier.

6. May be the best way for the person who has always been severely anxious.

7. Reduces risk of going back on pills.

SLOW WITHDRAWAL TABLES

These are only a guide. Where they show unequal dosage work out which part of the day you need the higher dose. Unless you are accustomed to only one dose per day, divide the daily dose as evenly as possible. By doing this you will avoid sudden drops of the level of the drug in the blood.

*9\49\8*