Can Ketamine Help with Benzodiazepine Dependence?
Can ketamine help benzodiazepine withdrawal? In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Melissa Bond and Dr. Amy de la Garza about benzodiazepine dependence, prolonged withdrawal, and why recovery often requires more support than conventional care provides. Explore extended show notes and resources here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episo... Melissa shares her lived experience of becoming dependent on prescribed benzodiazepines and the destabilizing reality of trying to come off them. Dr. de la Garza brings a clinical lens to the conversation, explaining how benzodiazepines affect the nervous system, why dependency is often misunderstood, and how low-dose ketamine is being explored as a potential tool in more complex withdrawal cases. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN How benzodiazepine dependence can develop through prescribed use Why benzodiazepine withdrawal can be prolonged and destabilizing The difference between dependency and addiction in benzo recovery How benzodiazepines affect the nervous system over time Where conventional anxiety and addiction care often falls short Why low-dose ketamine is being explored in benzo withdrawal support CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 2:54 The Hidden Crisis of Benzodiazepine Dependence 6:47 Melissa's Story: How It All Started 11:43 The Medical System's Broken Approach 17:29 Life in the Throes of Benzo Dependence 25:04 Dependency vs. Addiction: Critical Differences 28:29 BIND: Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction 36:42 Melissa's Withdrawal Attempts 43:11 The Ketamine Solution: A Breakthrough Discovery 48:25 How Microdosing Ketamine Works for Benzo Withdrawal 51:24 Melissa's Experience with Ketamine Treatment 57:49 The Future of Psychedelic Medicine & Recovery Melissa Bond is a narrative journalist and poet whose memoir Blood Orange Night chronicles her experience with benzodiazepine dependency. Her work has appeared on PBS, The New York Times Podcast, RadioWest, and TEDx. Dr. Amy de la Garza is a board-certified physician in Family and Addiction Medicine, a certified Functional Medicine practitioner, and co-founder of Nosis Health. Her work integrates functional, lifestyle, and emerging therapies, including ketamine-assisted treatment, to support recovery. EPISODE LINKS Melissa Bond’s Website: https://www.melissaabond.com Melissa’s memoir, Blood Orange Night: https://www.melissaabond.com/blood-or... Dr. Amy de la Garza’s Website: https://dramydelagarza.com/ Nosis.health: https://www.nosis.health/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join our weekly newsletter covering the most important updates in the psychedelic space. Get new podcast episodes, upcoming events, exclusive discounts, and curated spotlights on retreats and providers, all in one place: 👉 https://thethirdwave.co/newsletter/?r... Our flagship Certification Program at The Psychedelic Coaching Institute: https://edu.psychedeliccoaching.insti... Mushroom Grow Kit & Course: https://thethirdwave.co/sp/mushroom-g... Third Wave's directory of trusted practitioners, retreats & clinics: https://thethirdwave.co/directory/?re... Third Wave on Social: 🖤 Instagram: / thirdwaveishere 🖤 Facebook: / thirdwaveishere 🖤 Twitter: / thirdwaveishere 🖤 LinkedIn: / third-wave-psychedelics Disclaimer: The content shared by Third Wave is intended for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only. We aim to provide evidence-based, harm-reduction-oriented content to support informed public discourse. We do not provide medical advice, legal advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and content here is not an endorsement of or an encouragement to use any substance. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions regarding your mental or physical health. Third Wave’s content may discuss functional mushrooms, entheogens, or other emerging therapies, however, nothing posted on this account is intended as an attempt to buy, sell, trade, donate, gift, or ask for entheogens or any other substance. This account does not advocate for illegal activity.
