Shawn Barnes, MD

Part of our Provider Spotlight series: short interviews with prescribers who support slow, patient-led benzodiazepine tapers. Answers are the provider's own, lightly edited for formatting, and approved by the provider before publication.

Shawn Barnes, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist and the founder of a solo telehealth practice serving California, practicing what he calls integrative psychiatry emphasizing wellness over medications. Helping people safely and comfortably taper off benzodiazepines is a core focus of his work.

How do most patients find your practice, and where in their taper are they when they arrive?

"People find me through other patients, therapists, primary care doctors, or online tapering communities."

What does a taper look like in your practice, say for someone on 1 mg of clonazepam?

"There is no one-size-fits-all protocol for tapering. Each tapering plan is individualized, depending on the patient's goals, values, and priorities. I believe that the tapering process is always patient-led. My job is to help advise on how to make things safe and comfortable, not to enforce a rigid tapering protocol."

Your practice emphasizes wellness over medications. How does that shape a taper?

"'Wellness' is an overused term, but still a valuable one. To me, a taper is not just about dosage steps. It's also about the patient's quality of life and how to improve it. In addition to making dosage steps, we talk about sleep quality, social connection, diet, lifestyle choices, etc."

How do you set the pace?

"There is no one-size-fits-all approach to tapering. Some patients come to me with a priority of getting off a med as quickly as safety would allow. Others come to me wanting to prioritize comfort and are fine with going much slower, as long as the taper doesn't interfere with their daily life. Each tapering plan is adjusted to the priorities of the individual patient."

What's your view on protracted withdrawal, and how do you support patients through it?

"Protracted withdrawal can usually be treated successfully with a variety of holistic approaches, such as lifestyle modification, diet, therapy/coaching, and supplemental approaches."

What would you say to someone whose prescriber wants them off in four weeks?

"I would ask that person what their priorities are. Do they prioritize getting off as quickly as possible and are willing to accept the discomfort that may bring? Do they not want to risk any disruption to their life? Again, it all depends on what the individual patient wants."

Anything you wish every patient knew before starting a taper?

"I would stress that there is no one 'right way' to taper. Each person is different in biology, personality, and priorities. You deserve the opportunity to work with someone who will listen to you and take all these into account, rather than simply enforcing an algorithmic protocol."

Dr. Barnes also appears in the prescribers we have vetted section of our doctor-finding guide. If you're preparing for a first appointment with any prescriber, bring a written schedule from the taper calculator and the five vetting questions from the doctor guide.

Disclosure: Provider Spotlights are free. TaperOffBenzos never accepts referral fees or per-patient payments from any provider. This spotlight is education, not a referral or an endorsement of outcomes. Answers are the provider's own, lightly edited for formatting, and approved by the provider before publication. Are you a prescriber who supports slow, patient-led tapers? Introduce yourself.