WHO IS PROFESSOR HEATHER ASHTON?
Professor C Heather Ashton, DM, FRCP, is a British psychopharmacologist (an expert on psychiatric drugs) who ran a benzodiazepine withdrawal clinic in Newcastle, England between 1982 and 1994. During that time she helped over 300 patients to withdraw from their benzodiazepines with a high rate of success. Her DM degree is an Oxford University Doctorate in Medicine. One of her papers is an observation of the outcome of her first 50 cases. In that study, only three patients relapsed, and the others made it through with varying long term outcomes – mostly positive. Professor Ashton is undoubtedly one of the world’s foremost authorities on benzodiazepine addiction and recovery. Professor Ashton almost always switches her patients to Valium (see above) unless, of course, Valium is their drug of dependency. She also recommends a very slow taper. She has written a manual for benzodiazepine sufferers. It is available for online at: www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm. This manual is an excellent
