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Misc Are benzos and opiates more addictive compared to other drugs?

GetMeOutOfThisCRAP said:
If I recall about two years ago gabapentin was pretty much given out for the most mild symptoms and now people have a whole plethora if issues from gaba/lyrica. I'm pretty surprised they did not do enough testing before greatly distributing a substance with a serious withdrawal and not care about any of the consequences. Probably because of $. Now gabapentin is pretty hard to get a doctor to prescribe you.. In some places it might be easier to get morphine tablets over gabapentin. I have been wondering for some time now if I'd like to be on it for mild anxiety but then after all the posts dictating what a hell it is to get off the drug I've been thinking to just not. It's just every day I've taken low dose gaba it's been the best day.
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I am prescribed gabapentin, at first it was 90 300 mg capsules per month (900 mg a day) now it's 30 600 mg tablets. I can't even remember exactly how much I get because I don't really take it lol. I usually just sell it. This time I think I sold myself short - I was out of everything and desperate and gave my brother 27 600 mg pills for $10 to get some kratom. How much would you pay for that much?

I find it crazy how much people like gabapentin.. It really never did much of anything for me recreationally. I'm going to start taking it though, I really do have a legitimate need for it.
 
Gabapentin is an amazing enhancer.. as in I love stimulants with gabapentin, opioids, kratom, weed... everything ! I remember one time I wastefully kept stacking my friend's leftover gabapentin (she hated it and gave me her script lol), and it was almost like a clean version of being drunk. No anxiety whatsoever, but not dysfunctional or a zombie like on benzodiazepines. I'd define the effects of gabapentinoids as a stimulant benzo.. although some people say it slows their cognitive abilities and makes them sleepy. I don't know why this occurs or if anyone can share something similar, but food on benzos/gabapentin tastes incredible! I always end up going on a binge eating rampage when I'm on either kind of drug. Luckily I'm not fat so I can afford to do so. Man I kind of actually miss benzos and gabapentin now that I'm thinking about it. Someone zan me up help a homeboy up jk ;)Anxiety is so shitty to deal with though. I understand people being dependent on anxiety-killing drugs. The problem with them though is that the rebound anxiety is devastatingly horrible. I've only experienced it from relying on ativan for an opiate withdrawal episode and having random panic attacks here and there which I don't experience in any other kind of scenario. Of course anxiety tends to hit most people in waves, and even people who struggle with anxiety hardcore have good days without benzos where they don't experience it. However, I feel like relying on xanax/klonopin never ends well for anyone unless they have an extraordinary doctor that tapers them down effortlessly. I noticed that socializing on the regular does alleviate social anxiety. ironic right?
 
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Tbh I found gabapentin almost completely useless. I used to be scripted 900mg a day after drug treatment for anxiety and withdrawal from other shit and I almost never touched them. I tried to get buzzed off them once by taking around 3g (staggered doses of 600mg) and it was just uncomfortable and dizzy. It was nice to have with heroin though, but even then if I had H I usually had benzos too.

Now that I think about it, they didn't really help me with anxiety either like they were supposed to. I always felt weird and jittery on them.
 
devilsgospel said:
Tbh I found gabapentin almost completely useless. I used to be scripted 900mg a day after drug treatment for anxiety and withdrawal from other shit and I almost never touched them. I tried to get buzzed off them once by taking around 3g (staggered doses of 600mg) and it was just uncomfortable and dizzy. It was nice to have with heroin though, but even then if I had H I usually had benzos too.

Now that I think about it, they didn't really help me with anxiety either like they were supposed to. I always felt weird and jittery on them.
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Huh interesting! Maybe because of benzo tolerance it's too weak for you? Gabapentin is either liked or hated--no in between. People get weird side effects from it at times.
 
nznity said:
gabapentin is one of the best drugs out there
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On it's own? Wish I could try lyrica. It seems like taking a whole bunch at once is ineffective. People say to stack it or something. I definitely took way too much over the course of 13 hours. It basically made me care-free, a tiny bit euphoric, and had a great mood elevation. By itself it is addicting but nothing like opiates or stimulants imo. I was surprised to find out that it's highly wanted on the streets nowadays lol. But who am I to say what's good or not when everyone has different brain chemistry that is affected by certain substances more than others. Then again, I've never had any issues with benzo dependency or a mental thrill from benzos and gabapentinoids are somewhat benzo-like in my opinion.
 
GetMeOutOfThisCRAP said:
Huh interesting! Maybe because of benzo tolerance it's too weak for you? Gabapentin is either liked or hated--no in between. People get weird side effects from it at times.
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That could definitely be the case, I got them prescribed coming off a long, high dose benzo habit. It was weird though, like I only got the less-than-pleasurable effects and none of the fun ones people talk about at the same dose. It's like my brain picked a bunch of effects randomly from all the available ones and they all ended up being the shittier ones.

I think I was also just getting off of naltrexone though, that fucked up my pleasure centers for a while. That could've had something to do with it, but I don't know for sure.
 
I would trade this any day with a heroin or fentanyl withdraw. Fentanyl withdraw is the only one that could possibly be worse or equal to that of benzo withdraw but its over quick and your too weak to hurt yourself, hopefully.

How many of you have actually had a confirmed benzodiazepine withdraw? I ask because I have recently and it took 4 months of hospitalization with 2 doctors working with me as I was in delirium. I also had a bad seizure which had it not been in the hospital would have been fatal.

My benzo withdraw experience:

As I already said I had reached full delirium thinking all kind of crazy things. There were 2 doctors working on my case as I had a severe seizure which could have cost me my life had it not been in the hospital.

I was in withdrawl for a very long time. The thing is I was withdrawing from both methadone and benzos. I went with the methadone from 180mg to 60mg in one fucking go, no taper or nothing this after having missed 2 days due to being in delirium from withdrawl from lack of benzos.

By the end of 4 months, I was still experiencing trouble with electric shocks/zaps which happen every time I relax fully. These can originate in the chest, lower end of torso, heart area even (very troubling and painful), etc. These shocks are as if I got zapped with an electric wand or stick. They are very brief but occur just way too often and at very quick intervals, much if not identical to the hiccups, except full body spasm close to jumping in air (when I am close to sleeping, this is what they feel like I am jumping in the air).

I haven't gotten any breaks with the zaps in terms of frequency or strength, until I began using a benzodiazepine, xanax, after all that time, still though it worked and I mean full relief. Once they started I would swallow one if I hadn't already taken one by then, miraculously it worked. Another thing was the methadone was giving me an increase in zaps in both frequency and strength (some are hard enough to throw me off the bed).
 
I dont think they're neccesarily any more mentally addictive than our other drug friends, but the withdrawal is way worse. The physical addiction is therefore worse.
 
The way I see it is the more a drug can do for you directly correlates with how addictive it is, to you. Opioids and benzos just happen to do a ton for almost any human being, so they're way up there. That's my simple answer.
 
Not addressing anyone specific but I'm seeing a lot of conflation of addiction and dependence.

Addiction is psychological, it is a pattern of behaviours that forms over time as a person feels like they require a drug to be happy and function etc.

Dependence is physical, and just means the body has become used to having a drug in its system and will cause withdrawals if it no longer gets that drug.

Addiction is therefore a lot more complex than dependence, and what drug is most addictive depends heavily on personality. I know a lot of people who don't like opiates because "they just make me sick." But to me opiates are pure bliss.

Dependence is a lot more simple to quantify and is separate from addiction, although addicted individuals are often dependent on their drug of choice, they are separate concepts. You can be dependent on a drug but not addicted - for example if you are scripted an SSRI you will be dependent on it and require a taper if you stop using it, but you are unlikely to be addicted to it. You can also be addicted to a drug without being physically dependent - for example someone who smokes weed every day.

The worst drugs for physical dependence are alcohol and benzos in that order. Actually I'd put pregabalin in that list too, above benzos personally.

Addiction really just depends entirely on individual personality and body chemistry.
 
I would just say that the most addictive thing varies from person to person - It's the one that you enjoy the most but doesn't instantly make you watch out.

For me that was weed for a long time.

I did a 3month daily 2-8mg buprenorphine binge before and stopped it to a wall - no WD just slight sadness as I felt subutex was the best antidepressant I have ever had that didn't fuck me up too much.

I'd be worried about alcohol in my case but hangovers are the hidden blessing in that stuff.
 
Crackedout420 said:
Yes agreed with @Wilson Wilson addiction is in the mind. Dependence is in the physical withdrawal. Which is much much worse. Worst is benzos and alcohol then opiates.
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I'd say the addiction is worse personally. Withdrawal, especially opiate withdrawal, feels horrible but is ultimately a short-term inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. Addiction on the other hand can stick with you for life, certainly way after the withdrawals are over. So many people who kicked habits many years ago but still get cravings. This is why relapsing is so common and why Suboxone exists. Once addiction takes hold you often need to maintain somehow. Not because of a physical need but a psychological one. You just don't feel "normal" without the drug anymore.

Opiates are really the most insidious for this type of thing.
 
Wilson Wilson said:
I'd say the addiction is worse personally. Withdrawal, especially opiate withdrawal, feels horrible but is ultimately a short-term inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. Addiction on the other hand can stick with you for life, certainly way after the withdrawals are over. So many people who kicked habits many years ago but still get cravings. This is why relapsing is so common and why Suboxone exists. Once addiction takes hold you often need to maintain somehow. Not because of a physical need but a psychological one. You just don't feel "normal" without the drug anymore.

Opiates are really the most insidious for this type of thing.
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I worded that wrong I meant to say the physical withdrawal from benzos and booze is much much worse. Not that physical dependence was worse than addiction. Definetly not. I agree 110% that addiction is the worst part that sticks around forever.
 
Crackedout420 said:
I worded that wrong I meant to say the physical withdrawal from benzos and booze is much much worse. Not that physical dependence was worse than addiction. Definetly not. I agree 110% that addiction is the worst part that sticks around forever.
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Oh I get you. Yes I agree.
 
Wilson Wilson said:
I'd say the addiction is worse personally. Withdrawal, especially opiate withdrawal, feels horrible but is ultimately a short-term inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. Addiction on the other hand can stick with you for life, certainly way after the withdrawals are over. So many people who kicked habits many years ago but still get cravings. This is why relapsing is so common and why Suboxone exists. Once addiction takes hold you often need to maintain somehow. Not because of a physical need but a psychological one. You just don't feel "normal" without the drug anymore.

Opiates are really the most insidious for this type of thing.
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I agree wholeheartedly. I haven't touched any sort of opioid or benzo in over half a year, but I think about using them every single day. Every time I feel happy, sad, stressed, relaxed, anything. It's like a parasite that you cannot get rid of.
 
I've gone through a world of turmoil, chaos, abuse, sadness, anger, lost friendships, hirt myself mentally and physically all from uppers. I've had good even great and amazing experiences due to my love of stims. But I've also been to a world of deep hurt. All drugs are addictive in my opinion. They all bring good and bad experiences to the user. Addiction is not fun. To me it's like another voice in my head telling me to use. Whenever it feels like speaking to me no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Be careful with all categories of drugs.
 
Crackedout420 said:
I've gone through a world of turmoil, chaos, abuse, sadness, anger, lost friendships, hirt myself mentally and physically all from uppers. I've had good even great and amazing experiences due to my love of stims. But I've also been to a world of deep hurt. All drugs are addictive in my opinion. They all bring good and bad experiences to the user. Addiction is not fun. To me it's like another voice in my head telling me to use. Whenever it feels like speaking to me no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Be careful with all categories of drugs.
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I feel like my inner voice fractured into 2 different people, like the old school devil/angel on the shoulder.
 
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