Medical Fundraiser for Jane Hanson

CAN YOU HELP???

Imagine you’ve been taking a medication for six years – assured by your prescriber that it is safe – only to discover that it actually causes brain damage and a hellish withdrawal syndrome that can take years to recover from…

This has been the experience of our dear friend, voice teacher and conductor, Jane Hanson, as she has been caught in the maelstrom of severe Benzodiazepine Withdrawal for almost two years now. Her full story can be read below.

An effort to raise funds to support her through a year or two of recovery has been somewhat successful and Jane could not be more grateful, but a recent string of unexpected home and health bills have eaten up all of Jane’s financial resources and she is in desperate need of funds immediately.

We are reaching the one year mark for this fundraiser and unfortunately the need is as great as it was when we began, though there is hope because Jane has been able to continue tapering off this medication and now experiences short windows of relief from a few of the most debilitating symptoms. These are few and far between but it is hopefully a sign of some recovery. Jane still hopes and prays that by continuing down this path she will be restored to a place of healing and better health so she can return to earning and providing for herself, which is her greatest desire.

Laura Jenkins,

On behalf of the Friends of Jane

P.S. Jane has written a letter below for those interested in the medical details.

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Dear Friends,

For those of you who are interested in the gory details: buckle up and make yourselves comfortable, folks. Long post:

In 2016, I was prescribed Clonazepam – more commonly known as Klonopin – for acute anxiety brought on by severe (undiagnosed) anemia. Clonazepam belongs to a class of drugs called Benzodiazepines (benzos, for short), which includes drugs like Ativan, Valium, and Xanax, etc. The medication gave me some immediate relief. Phew.

Fast forward: in 2017, I experienced Fluoroquinolone (FQ) Toxicity, which caused a cascade of horrible physical and psychological symptoms and, unbeknownst to me, put me into Benzodiazepine withdrawal. Thanks to financial help from my wonderful community, I was able to seek treatment for the FQ Toxicity in 2018 and 2019. By 2020, much of my FQ symptoms had abated (I still have some residual damage), and I began to build a new business (janehansonvoice.com).

Fast forward. In January of 2021, a personal trauma triggered a PTSD relapse, and things fell apart. I had to close my new business and keep going as best I could, all the while suffering strange, worsening symptoms – bouts of panic, muscle aches, intermittent hypertension, ongoing anxiety, depressive troughs, insomnia, nausea, malaise – that my doctors and I attributed to PTSD. I searched desperately for a trauma therapist – a monumental task that would ultimately necessitate calling 72 clinicians over 16 months – I finally secured a therapist just recently.

Fast forward again: In 2022, my symptoms became more severe. I started to develop phobias - very un-Jane-like! Teaching became difficult, then impossible, and I was forced to stop all teaching in early March. I had to stop driving in April. I’ve had many doctor’s appointments and lab tests to try to pinpoint the cause of my symptoms. Labs revealed an iron deficiency and a possible Epstein Barr virus reactivation – good info, but not enough to explain my symptoms.

I finally found the answer in The Ashton Manual, which was authored by the late Dr. C. Heather Ashton, psychopharmacologist, and is regarded as the authoritative resource on Benzodiazepine use and withdrawal. It turns out that, despite being assured by my prescriber that Clonazepam is safe for long-term use, it is in fact only safe for up to four weeks, after which it causes dependency and a potentially horrific, protracted withdrawal syndrome; Plus, it loses its effectiveness after just a few months. I have been on this drug for six YEARS – I am now in Benzodiazepine Tolerance Withdrawal. Basically, as with many drugs, you need more and more of a benzo in order to achieve the original desired effect; even though I am still taking the medication as prescribed, it isn’t quelling my anxiety, and is in fact causing side effects and withdrawal symptoms.

So, what to do? Thankfully, my medical team is in agreement about the diagnosis, and my neurologist at Mass General Brigham is supervising my care. I am relieved to have his expertise at this time, especially since benzo withdrawal symptoms are virtually identical to MS symptoms… and I already have MS.

Because the medical community is largely unaware of the ins and outs of benzo withdrawal, I joined some online Benzodiazepine forums to learn about the experiences of others who have already tapered off or are currently tapering a benzo. One of the forums has 80,000 members! Every member’s goal is to get off the drug ASAP, but it is not simple nor easy. Benzodiazepines cause a chemical injury to the GABA receptors in the brain (the calming system), and it takes time for that damage to heal. Symptoms of benzo withdrawal can be dangerous (akathisia, seizures, death), while others are merely Hellish (crippling anxiety, insomnia, depersonalization, derealization, hallucinations, depression, infections, sensory distortions and delusions, confusion, cognitive decline, suicidal ideation, and, and, and…). Some people can taper off in a few months; for others, it can take years; for a small number of people, the withdrawal syndrome never abates. Many have lost their careers, their relationships, their homes… The fact that I have been on this drug for six years does not work in my favor. It is very upsetting and depressing to be in this situation. But I am far from alone – there are hundreds of thousands of people in the same predicament as I am. A recent documentary, “As Prescribed”, sheds light on the benzodiazepine crisis. I count myself as fortunate to have discovered the cause of my strange symptoms and suffering. Friends, I implore you: don’t take a benzo for more than a few days. These drugs are so dangerous; taking a benzo is like playing Russian roulette.

After much investigation and advice from my neurologist, my peers, and a benzo “coach”, I now have a tapering schedule: it will likely take a minimum of 14 months for me to safely titrate off Clonazepam – more than a year of painful and distressing withdrawal symptoms… and no income. So…

Though I hate to say it, I need help. I’ve been an anxious, bedridden, unhygienic mess since March; I have not been able to adequately (by my standards) thank the many people who have already donated so generously to my GoFundMe. You – my community – are helping to see me through a rotten, costly, traumatic process; your support brings me so much solace. Though the GoFundMe has kept my face above the waterline thus far, I have had to rely a lot on credit cards. I have applied for all the assistance programs I am eligible for (Yay, food stamps!), but I still have a minimum of $2,500 in uninsured medical expenses each month that I have no way of paying. I am desperately afraid I will lose my home on top of everything I am going through. If you can help, please do.

Much Love & Many Thanks,

Jane