Alexis Ritvo MD, MPH is a board-certified psychiatrist at the University of Colorado School Medicine, co-founder of the Benzodiazepine Action Work Group, and lead author on the research study that introduced BIND. Join us for this illuminating conversation. * Part 1 of this discussion was released on our sister podcast, ”Benzo Free.” See our show notes for a link to that episode. CHAPTERS 0:00:00  introduction 0:03:08  Dr. Ritvo’s Bio 0:04:53  welcome back 0:04:59  complications of long covid 0:09:18  what are your thoughts on antidepressants? 0:13:57  prescribing ADs for benzo withdrawal 0:15:38  what about insomnia? 0:21:56  how to deal with morning cortisol rush 0:24:59  murphy says hi 0:25:43  are there any safe medications? 0:29:04  what do you recommend that aren’t meds? 0:31:44  what about supplements? 0:38:55  do other medications hinder benzo withdrawal? 0:42:20  what is antidepressant tolerance? 0:45:23  do we fully heal from benzos? 0:48:02  how do you know when to hold during taper? 0:49:33  healing and hope 0:52:27  what are your thoughts on taper coaching? 0:53:34  closing advice 0:54:59  thank you to our guest 0:55:23  thank you and closing notes ALEXIS RITVO, MD, MPH Alexis Ritvo MD, MPH is a board-certified addiction psychiatrist. She is the Program Director for the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine where she is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry. She earned her Medical Degree and a Master’s in Public Health in Health Policy from Emory University in 2012.  She completed her general psychiatry residency and addiction psychiatry fellowship at CU before joining faculty in 2017. Since then, she has been a supervising attending of general psychiatry residents in the CU Medicine Outpatient Psychiatry clinic where she directs a co-occurring disorder subspeciality clinic. Her growing interest in the safe prescribing and deprescribing of prescription benzodiazepines led her to co-found the Benzodiazepine Action Work Group with the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse in late 2020. RECODING INFO — RECORDED: Monday, January 13, 2025 — LOCATION: Colorado PODCAST SITELINKS — PODCAST WEBSITE: https://www.unevenpodcast.com  — EASING ANXIETY: https://www.easinganxiety.com — YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@easinganx  — X (TWITTER): https://twitter.com/@easinganx PODCAST SUMMARY Welcome to “uneven,” a podcast about life, anxiety, and being human. In such a chaotic world, how do we better our lives and the lives of those around us? Maybe, just maybe, we might find a few solutions together. Join veteran podcaster D E Foster as he explores the intimate struggles so many of us experience — often in silence. I hope you’ll join us. PODCAST DISCLAIMER The uneven podcast is for general information purposes only and should never be considered medical, psychological, or any other form of health advice. Health-related information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems or to prescribe any medical devices, psychological treatments, or other remedies. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it. Please visit our website for our complete disclaimer at https://easinganxiety.com/disclaimer. SUICIDE PREVENTION If you, or anyone you know, is having suicidal thoughts, please seek help immediately. Resources can be found on our website at: https://www.easinganxiety.com/resources#suicide. PODCAST MUSIC All music provided / licensed through Storyblocks (https://www.storyblocks.com) uneven theme music — TITLE: From the Earth — ARTIST: Humans Win — PUBLISHER: Lance Conrad (BMI) PODCAST PRODUCTION The Uneven Podcast is part of the Easing Anxiety network (https://easinganxiety.com) and is a production of Denim Mountain Press (https://denimmountainpress.com).