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What happens when a medical professional becomes the victim of the very medications they once prescribed? Nicole Lamberson, physician assistant and medical director for the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, takes us through her harrowing journey from stressed PA student to polypharmacy casualty to powerful advocate for medication safety.

Nicole's story begins with work-related anxiety during PA school that led to a prescription for Xanax. What followed was a five-year nightmare of escalating medications – six psychiatric drugs simultaneously, including multiple benzodiazepines, stimulants, and antipsychotics. As her health deteriorated, Nicole found herself unable to function, agoraphobic, and eventually suicidal. When she attempted to discontinue these medications, she encountered a medical system utterly unprepared to help patients safely taper off psychiatric drugs.

The podcast explores the profound gaps in medical education around deprescribing, with Nicole revealing that her professional training included "absolutely zero" instruction on safely discontinuing medications. This knowledge vacuum creates dangerous situations where withdrawal symptoms are misdiagnosed as worsening mental illness or drug-seeking behavior. Even when patients report severe adverse effects, they're often dismissed as "outliers" or told their experiences are "rare."

Through her recovery journey, Nicole became a vital voice in medication safety. She now contributes to deprescribing guidelines, works with the Withdrawal Project, distributes the documentary "Medicating Normal," and coaches individuals through psychiatric medication discontinuation. Her work balances scientific rigor with deep compassion born from lived experience.

This eye-opening conversation challenges listeners to question the narratives around psychiatric medications, advocate for themselves in medical settings, and recognize that healing is possible even after severe medication harm. Whether you're a healthcare professional, someone taking psychiatric medications, or supporting a loved one through withdrawal, Nicole's wisdom offers crucial insights for navigating this complex terrain.

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