You cannot stop barb withdrawl with benzos, remember that, though you may minimize the risk of seizures however!
This is one of the reasons why one can have a massive benzo tolerance and still die taking too much barbiturates alone even if they haven't taken their benzo dose.
Effects are best if taken once or twice a week, any more and the dose will need increasing to get the same sedation/hynotic effect. I initially found myself sleeping on 50mg-75mg at first, by the end of my supply I could handle 250mg-300mg without problems or worries.
As far as withdrawl I haven't experienced any symptoms other than maybe a bit psychological addiction, I say you can use 3-4 times a week or 7/7 if tolerence isn't an issue, for up to 2 months and a bit in my case and without any physical withdrawls. Benzos, weed or alcohol help with the psychological issues that can include irritability though nothing major like hallucinations or seizures.
My experience is mainly with amobarbital (can still get 25mg pharmaceutical pills from Eastern Europe) having brought back 250 pills @ 25mg each, Highest dose was 300mg & lowest was 25mg also tried snorting & plugging but found it worthless, snorting burned too much after the initial bump but felt 2x-3x as strong, could never get past half 25mg pill. Usual dose for me was 100mg-200mg
A bit experience with phenobarbital & benzobarbital (prodrug for phenobarbital at 70% conversion), both with similar results IMO the pehnobarbital is more sedating. From the same Eastern European country I got some 100mg phenobarbs and taking 2 pills 200mg with the alcohol consumed throughout the day gave for some scary nights when I would go to sleep at 11pm after watching tv smoking a bit of hash and drinking a few glasses of beer, and also having taken my less than normal benzo dose during the day, I wouldn't get up from my bed to piss or nothing until I would wake up which would be at 5-6pm, still tried having missed tons of calls. Next day/morning, after a beer or two and a sandwich waking up (a lot of alcohol this is Eastern Europe as I was doing it there quite a bit) with a hash/tobacco joint would potentiate the hell out of the beer & hash.
Butabital never had on its own only in Fiorinal (I believe) basically a mixture of codeine & butabital + tylenol or aspirin along with caffeine, I found it was better than codeine but couldn't put my finger on it didn't know what to look for except that I felt slightly 'drunk' in my thought process with the codeine.
Amobarbital also wasn't on its own but mixed with propanolol, ergot & atropine, this is to discourage injection but I can say and so can friends who've tried it that one can take up to 200mg easy without the antichlornigernic (sp?) effects manifesting since it's much lower affinity for the histamine receptors than gravol or benadryl which make you hallucinate much easier/more effectively at lower (much) doses. The ergot(amine) is to tighten the blood vessels and the propanolol is of course for blood pressure & anxiety. The recommended dose is 1-2 pills at a time and no more than 4 pills/day (100mg amobarbital) as they are given for relaxation & for sleep, my mom for example sleeps like a baby with 1 pill if she takes 2 (50mg) shes out like a light unable to get up for the washroom, etc.
I should have mixed barbs together, regret not mixing phenobarbital with amobarbital but there's plenty of time left ahead, they won't be going anywhere anytime soon and still haven't been replaced by the benzos which although are the most comonly prescribed, still haven't been able to fill the shoes of a nation still recovering from strong barb use, not long hexobarbital was common as was Doriden which I have MISSED out on esp. as I love my codeine.
p.s. Alcohol *strongly* potentiates the effects of barbs. I would drink 1 or 2 tall boys with my dose of 50mg-100mg amobarb and feel like I had 2x the amount, also unlike benzos your memory isn't affected. Phenobarbital can be very dangerous due to the long duration, I had a very uncomfortable 10+ hr plane ride and took 2mg clonazepam, 1.5mg xanax, 9mg bromazepam, 90mg codeine, 100mg phenobarbital and 2-3 beers (regular size). The stuardesses (sp?) said I didn't move at all, missing the meal & complimentary drink I was looking forward to
waking up as the plane landed on the airport (prob due to people starting to speak) lucky to have had a stewardess (sp?) cover me up with a blanket as I slept for 9hrs+ straight in an uncomfortable airplane chair. The only downer I like as much as amobarbital is Soma though I haven't tried meprobamate I immagine its like codeine to morphine, codeine which is very quick acting, relatively stimulating and not too sedating even at high doses thus also hard to nod out on as opposed to morphine which is weaker (orally), much longer onset to peak almost double the onset of codeine, though much more sedating, not as stimulating both physically and mentally you can't let your immagination run too wild as you will be cought in a nod but VERY DIFFERENT from one another codeine vs morphine like soma v.s meprobamate (i assume).