Benzodiazepine Tapering & Deprescribing
in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Concierge telemedicine for benzodiazepine tapering, psychiatric medication deprescribing, and dependence treatment throughout Florida.
Mark Leeds, D.O. is an osteopathic physician who specializes in benzodiazepine tapering, psychiatric medication deprescribing, and the treatment of opioid and alcohol dependence. Through a concierge telemedicine model, Dr. Leeds works directly with Fort Lauderdale patients on a weekly basis, providing the kind of sustained, individualized attention that traditional office-based practices rarely offer. Because all appointments are conducted via secure video, patients in Fort Lauderdale have access to specialized tapering expertise without the need to commute across Broward County. This model is especially well-suited to patients who are physically uncomfortable during a taper and benefit from the stability of their own home environment.
Living in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale sits along the southeastern coast of Florida, serving as the county seat of Broward County. Known for its extensive canal system, the city has grown well beyond its spring-break reputation into a diverse metropolitan area with a strong arts district, a thriving downtown core, and a population that values both coastal living and urban convenience.
The healthcare landscape in Fort Lauderdale is dense, yet patients seeking specialized benzodiazepine tapering often find that most local providers lack experience with long-term, individualized taper protocols. Many physicians in the area are willing to prescribe benzodiazepines but far fewer are equipped to help patients discontinue them safely. Dr. Leeds fills that gap for Fort Lauderdale residents, bringing focused tapering expertise directly to them through telemedicine.
Whether a patient lives near Las Olas Boulevard, in the neighborhoods west of I-95, or along the beach, the concierge telemedicine format removes geographic barriers and provides consistent, weekly access to a physician who understands the pharmacology of safe benzodiazepine discontinuation.
Medication Tapering & Deprescribing Programs
Treatment Programs for Fort Lauderdale Patients
The core of Dr. Leeds’ practice is benzodiazepine tapering. Many Fort Lauderdale patients come to Dr. Leeds after being prescribed benzodiazepines for years — sometimes decades — by physicians who did not have a plan for discontinuation. Dr. Leeds designs individualized taper schedules that respect the pharmacology of these medications, using approaches grounded in the Ashton Manual and hyperbolic tapering principles to reduce the risk of severe withdrawal.
Beyond benzodiazepines, Dr. Leeds also helps patients taper from psychiatric medications that may no longer be serving them, including SSRIs, SNRIs, gabapentinoids, and atypical antipsychotics. This process, known as psychiatric deprescribing, requires the same careful, gradual approach that benzodiazepine tapering demands. Many patients in Fort Lauderdale are on multiple psychiatric medications and benefit from a physician who can evaluate the entire medication picture and create a rational plan for simplification.
OUR STORY
ABOUT Mark Leeds, D.O.,
About Mark Leeds, D.O.
Dr. Mark Leeds is an osteopathic physician who has dedicated his practice to helping patients safely taper from benzodiazepines and other medications that cause physical dependence. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition (BIC), a nonprofit organization committed to raising awareness about the risks of benzodiazepine dependence and the challenges of withdrawal.
Dr. Leeds is also the host of The Rehab podcast, where he discusses topics related to dependence, withdrawal, and recovery with patients, researchers, and clinicians. His concierge telemedicine model allows him to provide weekly appointments, 24/7 text access, and direct physician care to patients across Florida — including those in Fort Lauderdale — without the overhead and impersonal nature of a traditional medical office.
SERVICES AT GLANCE
OUR SERVICES
Here are some of the services provided by Mark Leeds, D.O. via concierge telemedicine throughout Florida.
Alcohol Treatment and the Sinclair Method
For Fort Lauderdale patients dealing with alcohol dependence, Dr. Leeds offers treatment using naltrexone and the Sinclair Method. The Sinclair Method involves taking naltrexone approximately one hour before drinking, which blocks the endorphin reinforcement that alcohol provides. Over time, this process — called pharmacological extinction — gradually reduces the craving and compulsion to drink without requiring immediate abstinence.
This approach is particularly effective for patients who have struggled with traditional abstinence-based programs. Dr. Leeds monitors progress through weekly telemedicine appointments and adjusts the treatment plan as needed. For patients who prefer full abstinence, naltrexone can also be used daily as a craving-reduction tool alongside other supports.
Benzodiazepine Tapering: The Pharmacology of Safe Discontinuation
Understanding why benzodiazepine tapering must be done gradually starts with understanding how these medications work at the molecular level. Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor complex, enhancing the effect of the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. With prolonged use, the brain compensates by downregulating these receptors — reducing their number and sensitivity. This is the basis of physical dependence, and it is important to understand that physical dependence is not addiction. A patient who has become physically dependent on a benzodiazepine prescribed by their doctor is experiencing a normal neurological adaptation, not a moral failing.
When the medication is reduced too quickly, the brain’s compensatory state is suddenly unmasked, producing withdrawal symptoms that can range from anxiety and insomnia to more severe neurological effects. This is why receptor occupancy matters in taper design. At higher doses, a small absolute reduction may occupy only a modest percentage of receptors. But at lower doses, the same absolute reduction can represent a dramatic change in receptor occupancy. This is the principle behind hyperbolic tapering — making progressively smaller cuts as the dose decreases to maintain a proportionate rate of change at the receptor level.
Many Fort Lauderdale patients have experienced failed tapers — often because a previous physician applied a linear reduction schedule that ignored these pharmacological realities. Dr. Leeds designs each taper around the drug’s specific receptor binding profile, half-life, and the patient’s individual response. For short-acting benzodiazepines like alprazolam, a crossover to a longer-acting agent such as diazepam may be recommended. Diazepam’s longer half-life produces more stable plasma levels, reducing the interdose withdrawal fluctuations that make short-acting benzodiazepines particularly difficult to taper.
Some patients develop a condition known as Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction (BIND), in which withdrawal symptoms persist for months or even years after discontinuation. BIND is believed to result from prolonged disruption of GABA receptor function and related neuroadaptive changes. Dr. Leeds takes BIND seriously and incorporates awareness of this condition into every taper plan, adjusting the pace of reductions to minimize the risk of protracted symptoms and tolerance withdrawal — a state where a patient experiences withdrawal symptoms despite still taking the medication, because the current dose is no longer sufficient to maintain receptor equilibrium.
Services & Approach to Medication Tapering
Benzodiazepine Tapering
Dr. Leeds specializes in safe, medically supervised benzodiazepine tapering using the Ashton Manual crossover protocol, hyperbolic tapering, and compound pharmacy formulations. Learn more about tapering services.
Psychiatric Deprescribing
Safe tapering of SSRIs, SNRIs, gabapentinoids, and antipsychotics using the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and individualized hyperbolic dose reduction. Learn more.
Opioid Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment using buprenorphine (Suboxone, ZubSolv) with individualized dosing strategies for maintenance or gradual tapering. Learn more.
Alcohol Treatment
The Sinclair Method using naltrexone gradually reduces cravings through pharmacological extinction. Does not require abstinence to begin. Learn more.
Concierge Telemedicine for Fort Lauderdale
Dr. Leeds operates on a concierge telemedicine model that provides Fort Lauderdale patients with a level of access and attention that is uncommon in modern medicine. Each patient receives weekly video appointments, 24/7 text access to Dr. Leeds for urgent questions, and the assurance that they are always communicating directly with their physician — not a nurse, assistant, or call center.
This model exists because benzodiazepine tapering and psychiatric deprescribing demand close monitoring and frequent adjustments. A monthly 15-minute appointment is simply not sufficient for a patient in the middle of a complex taper. The concierge format ensures that Dr. Leeds can respond to emerging symptoms, adjust doses promptly, and provide the reassurance that patients need during what is often an anxious and uncertain process.
Subutex Treatment
Dr. Leeds prescribes Subutex (buprenorphine) for Fort Lauderdale patients managing opioid dependence. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist that reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings without producing the euphoria associated with full agonist opioids. Subutex contains only buprenorphine without naloxone, which may be appropriate for certain patients based on their clinical profile.
Through weekly telemedicine appointments, Dr. Leeds monitors each patient’s response and adjusts dosing as needed, providing the consistent oversight that medication-assisted treatment requires.
Subutex Treatment
Dr. Leeds prescribes Subutex (buprenorphine) for Fort Lauderdale patients managing opioid dependence. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist that reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings without producing the euphoria associated with full agonist opioids. Subutex contains only buprenorphine without naloxone, which may be appropriate for certain patients based on their clinical profile.
Through weekly telemedicine appointments, Dr. Leeds monitors each patient’s response and adjusts dosing as needed, providing the consistent oversight that medication-assisted treatment requires.
Fort Lauderdale patients ready to begin a safe, individualized benzodiazepine taper or explore treatment options can contact Dr. Leeds to schedule an initial consultation.
Outpatient Telemedicine as an Alternative to Inpatient Rehab
Many Fort Lauderdale patients are told that inpatient rehabilitation is the only path forward. While residential treatment is appropriate for some situations, it is not necessary — or even advisable — for every patient. Benzodiazepine tapering, in particular, is a long-term process that cannot be completed during a 30-day stay. Rapid detox protocols used in many inpatient facilities can be dangerous and often lead to severe withdrawal and relapse.
Dr. Leeds’ outpatient telemedicine model allows patients to taper safely over the course of months, in their own homes, while maintaining their work, family, and daily routines. This approach is not only safer for benzodiazepine discontinuation — it is more sustainable and far less disruptive to a patient’s life.
Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
Dr. Leeds offers low dose naltrexone (LDN) as part of a comprehensive treatment approach for select Fort Lauderdale patients. LDN is prescribed at doses significantly lower than those used for opioid or alcohol dependence and has shown promise in modulating immune function and reducing certain types of chronic pain and inflammation. It is obtained through a compound pharmacy and may be considered as an adjunct for patients dealing with pain-related conditions alongside their primary treatment.
Low Dose Naltrexone: Uses, Side-effects & Treatment in Fort Lauderdale
Low Dose Naltrexone is not usually used to treat addiction, but it is related in the sense that naltrexone is mainly thought of as an addiction treatment drug. Naltrexone is usually prescribed in the range of 25mg to 100mg, with 50mg daily being the most commonly used dosage for opioid or alcohol addiction treatment.
Yet, naltrexone can be effective for treating pain syndromes due to autoimmune disorders and other conditions, when it is prescribed at very low dosages. Low dose naltrexone, or LDN, is usually prescribed in the range of 0.5mg to 6mg.
For more information on LDN and how it may help you, please call Dr. Leeds.
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Opioid Dependence and Withdrawal
Opioid dependence develops through the same basic mechanism as benzodiazepine dependence — neuroadaptation to the chronic presence of a drug. The brain adjusts its endorphin production and receptor sensitivity, and when the drug is reduced or stopped, withdrawal symptoms emerge. These can include severe discomfort, anxiety, insomnia, and gastrointestinal distress.
Dr. Leeds treats opioid dependence in Fort Lauderdale patients using buprenorphine-based medications, combined with the same individualized, closely monitored approach that defines his tapering practice. The goal is stabilization first, followed by a thoughtful long-term plan that respects each patient’s readiness and pace.
Oxycodone Dependence
Oxycodone is one of the most commonly prescribed opioids and one of the most common sources of physical dependence. Fort Lauderdale patients who have been taking oxycodone — whether as prescribed or otherwise — can develop significant physical dependence that makes discontinuation without medical support extremely difficult.
Dr. Leeds uses buprenorphine to help patients transition off oxycodone safely, managing withdrawal symptoms while providing the weekly monitoring and support that this process requires.
Oxycodone Withdrawal and Detox in Fort Lauderdale
What are some solutions for Fort Lauderdale residents who are physically dependent on oxycodone and they want to stop taking it? There are several medical options available to them.
Some people who take oxycodone take it as prescribed by a doctor for chronic pain. If a patient is oxycodone dependent, and they are trying to stop taking oxycodone, their doctor may prescribe a medication approved to help with the withdrawal symptoms.
As described above, Lucemyra is one such medication. An alternate medication, clonidine, that is related to Lucemyra may be used off-label for treating opioid withdrawal symptoms.
For patients who are addicted to oxycodone, getting the little blue pills from street dealers, their withdrawal can be treated with medications such as buprenorphine or methadone. These medication assisted treatment drugs are far safer than the fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills on the streets.
Additionally, buprenorphine is excellent for long-term detox treatment. Patients can overcome opioid withdrawal and opioid addiction symptoms, such as opioid cravings, and they can resume normal functioning in life, giving their brain a chance to heal and improve over time.
Call Now For The Best in Addiction Recovery & Rehabilitation Services in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Concierge Telemedicine vs. VIP Rehab
Fort Lauderdale is home to numerous luxury and so-called VIP rehabilitation centers that charge tens of thousands of dollars per month. While these facilities offer comfortable environments, the medical protocols for benzodiazepine tapering are often no different — and sometimes worse — than standard rapid detox. A comfortable room does not make an unsafe taper safe.
Dr. Leeds’ concierge model provides what VIP rehab cannot: sustained, long-term, pharmacologically sound tapering under the direct care of a single physician who specializes in this work. Patients remain in their own homes, maintain their privacy, and receive a level of medical attention that no facility — regardless of price — can match on a per-patient basis.
Mindfulness and Wellness During Tapering
Benzodiazepine tapering is not only a pharmacological process — it also places significant demands on a patient’s emotional and psychological resilience. Dr. Leeds encourages Fort Lauderdale patients to incorporate mindfulness practices, gentle physical activity, and stress-reduction techniques as supportive tools during their taper. These practices do not replace proper medical management, but they can help patients tolerate the discomfort of withdrawal and maintain a sense of agency throughout the process.
Mindfulness Meditation for Addiction Recovery
Mindfulness, and mindful meditation can make all the difference in helping with addiction recovery. All too often, we fall into old habits, finding it difficult to make positive changes in our lives.
Being mindful of the present moment, how we are feeling, and what we are thinking, can help us to use our objective awareness to learn more about ourselves and what makes us tick. Change is always possible.
If you live in Florida, and you are thinking about improving your mindfulness and learning about meditation, why not join a meditation group? Or, as an alternative, join a yoga class.
Since we live in a subtropical region with beautiful beaches, you may find some excellent yoga classes that meet out on the beach in the early morning. Sunrise on the east coast, at the beach, is incredibly beautiful.
It is very much worth it to wake up early to attend a morning meditation or yoga class on the beach. Of course, it is not practical for everyone to make it out to the beach in the morning for such classes.
Going to a meditation center is also helpful, working with a local guru who can help you and your classmates to focus on breathing, is an excellent idea. While you may be skeptical of mindfulness helping you to improve your life, I recommend giving it a chance first.
In fact, there are mindfulness exercises that you can practice right now, right where you are. You can stop what you are doing, close your eyes, and focus on a particular sound in your environment.
Listen to the sound for a minute, considering all aspects of the sound, including variations in pitch, rhythm, timbre, and anything else that catches your interest. Allow thoughts and feelings to come along, but stay focused on your sound.
Taking breaks throughout the day to meditate for a few minutes is important. By doing so, you can reconnect with your existence in the world and enjoy the simple, relaxing state of just breathing and focusing your awareness.
Sometimes life can seem to be overwhelming, but, if you have your health, and you have food and a place to live, things are not all that bad. Consider keeping a daily gratitude list of things you are grateful for in life. This is a proven technique for supporting addiction recovery success.
If you would like to work with a doctor who would be happy to discuss mindfulness and meditation, along with proven and effective medical therapies, please call Dr. Leeds today. Addiction can be quite a challenge to overcome, but it is possible.
The best way to get started is to ask for help. Our program has helped many people to recover from addictions to opioids and alcohol, as well as dependence on benzodiazepines. Whatever the addiction you are facing, please call today to see how we may be able to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best treatment for opioid use disorder?
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), or opioid addiction, can be treated with a variety of methods. Experts agree that the best treatments with the highest long-term success rate, make use of medications that help to reduce opioid withdrawal sickness and opioid cravings. Buprenorphine is the gold standard in this class.
How long should a person stay on Suboxone?
Suboxone treatment works best when continued for an extended period of time. This type of treatment is known as maintenance. Suboxone maintenance relies on the unique properties of buprenorphine, the main ingredient in Suboxone. Over the course of one year of treatment, the brain has time to adequately heal.
What medication works best for Alcohol Use Disorder?
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), or alcoholism, is best treated with medication-assisted treatment, using an opioid blocking drug, such as naltrexone. The Sinclair Method is one way to implement naltrexone treatment for alcohol addiction or gray area drinking. It works by taking a naltrexone tablet one hour before having a drink.
How can someone quit benzodiazepines safely?
Benzodiazepines are sedatives that doctors prescribe for anxiety disorders. While they may be effective short-term, patients who take benzos long-term find it difficult to stop taking them. In many cases, the best course of action is to gradually taper, meaning to reduce the dosage slowly over time.