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Did I get bit by the benzo devil? Am I too late?

T

Track89

Greenlighter
Joined
Nov 19, 2015
Messages
13
I've done as much searching and research as I could on benzo withdrawal symptoms, doses and lengths of WD. But couldn't come across anything specific to my situation. All your knowledge is greatly appreciated.

Long story short:
-started taking 2 to 4 mg of Xanax daily for recreational use a month ago.

I realize how serious benzo withdrawal's can be and want to Stop now before its to late.

-If I go cold turkey now do you think I will experience any serious symptoms?
 
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Do you need to go cold turkey? If you can still access pills then at least taper your dose over a week or two if you've only used for 4 weeks. You'll likely be ok without it but to be kind to yourself just a small taper will make life easier, that's my recommendation.
 
It would be better to do a taper just to be on the safe side. Try cutting your dose down to 0.5mg for a week then down to 0.25 for a week. Chances are you would be okay to quit cold turkey, but it isn't worth the risk. After only a month of use you should have very minimal discomfort, but I can't stress enough how good it is that you caught this early!

I was taking 20+mg of xanax and other benzos daily for a few years and went through the most miserable couple months of my life getting sober. It was absolute fucking hell, and I was going through heroin withdrawals on top of it to make things worse. I would gladly go through heroin withdrawals multiple times instead of going through benzo withdrawals again. Calling it the benzo devil is quite accurate. This is not to shit on benzos and using them responsibly - as they certainly have their benefits, but just not for me.
 
You guys really know yur shit. All that crap info on other sites had me worried. Me being an addict/in recovery know well enough how crazy and quickly benzo use can escalate.
Idk why to today I was like"shit I've been taking at least 2-4mg a day for a month WTF did I get myself into again!"

SKR- I do have acces to get some for a taper. Was worried att of this post the supply was OUT!

Project Will- Damn I wouldn't be able to handle a 20mg-a-day-for yrs-withdrawal. My hat off to you sr.

Plan: Take as little as needed(.5-1) for first few days. Then continue the taper..

Thank you both for the info and relief.
 
Ahhh shit I couldn't get more Zbars.. Poor whittle me.

I've heard Kava and valerian root may help any WD symptoms. We'll see..
 
Wait 1 week @ 3mg, then 1 week @ 2.5mg, then 1 week @ 2mg... if you can't reduce in one week, try with 2 weeks. sorry for my english.

I tappered down 6mg of Alprazolam and now i'm taking only 0.75mg Clonazepam a day... 1 year and months of tapper anyway.

oh, i read you can't have more bars. please try looking a doctor and be sincere with him. maybe impresses you. maybe not. maybe gives you an neuroleptic and the cold turkey can be a little better.
 
out of curiosity, what type feeling do u get w/ benzos to actually take it as a recreational drug?? I've never been a benzo fan but have been addicted before but have taken them recently and I truly get NOTHING FROM THEM! yes, they make me sleep at night, and if I take .5 during the day I may be a BIT more calm/chill, but there is no "good" feeling. I use to abuse them w/ dope years back but gave up and just cannot find a reason to use anymore.
 
Thanks for the info, health insurance just ran out tho.

I have about 150mg of Trazodone somewhere lmao
 
Same as you I also mixed with H last year. Would take less H to get to nodz-ville.

But I'm Somewhat uptight and anxious and taking benzos(around 1mg) even after not using for a while just makes me "normal". I'm less anxious, just way more easy going etc.. But my tolerance builds fast and I take way more than needed(addict in meh). Plus I'm bored as fuck at work all day(stand around work zones and setup cones) so it helps the time fly.

I honestly fried my brain from a lot of back-to-back ecstasy back in the day which left me pretty naive to most meds(takes more than the average person for me to feel anything)
 
Lol thought so..

Here's my Benzo-OTC-WD-helper-list so far:

- Norflex (OTC muscle relaxer)
- Benadryl
- valerian root
- Kava
- Melatonin
- gotu kola
-kratom(more for opiates but may help anxiety)

If anyone else has any clues on what may help I'm all ears.
 
sound like me. in my early 20's, around 00-04 I did all ecstasy/meth/k, the party drugs. in 04 I switched to OC 80's and abused those. in 07 I went to 30's and abused those and in 08 I started shooting dope all the time.

now my brain is fried and I am completely gonzo, ha. benzos just dont do it for me; I am already gone enough and dont need them.
 
I'm laughing at yur DOCs and your progression..
Mines almost identical to yours(snorted the H tho, I'm a pussy with needles..dosent make a difference to me tho) idk how y'all done busted them veins up tho I threw up last time I gave blood.

But Zbars and Suboxone taste like candy to me.. Yup were fried
 
Track I recently posted a thread asking about Kava and similar herbal GABA stimulating drugs and the general consensus was to stay away from them while in benzo taper/WD to let your system achieve homeostasis.

I was also on benzos for about 4/5 weeks (at about half your dose) and tapered down rapidly over the last week. I've had minimal discomfort but I've done benzo wd before twice before so i'm probably just comparing this time to those other two truly horrible times.

It's fucking great you've caught it now, you don't want to know the hell of bz wd.
 
infectedmushroom said:
Track I recently posted a thread asking about Kava and similar herbal GABA stimulating drugs and the general consensus was to stay away from them while in benzo taper/WD to let your system achieve homeostasis.

I was also on benzos for about 4/5 weeks (at about half your dose) and tapered down rapidly over the last week. I've had minimal discomfort but I've done benzo wd before twice before so i'm probably just comparing this time to those other two truly horrible times.

It's fucking great you've caught it now, you don't want to know the hell of bz wd.
Click to expand...

Just figured out how to quote(derrr..been a while since I've been on a forum)

AWSOME! Good to know, yeah as of now tomm will be day 1 cold turkey unless I can find a taper supply.

Thanx, this shouldn't be to bad compared to what you guys have been thru from serious doses and months/years of use.

Ps: what's "homeostasis". So that means no valerian root also?
 
4 weeks on a short acting benzo like xanax, 2-4mg a day is probably enough to establish a physical habit with some real withdrawals. I would really try to get more to taper for a week or two. Cold turkey benzo cessation if you have caught a dependence is though to damage the gaba-a receptors by down-regulating i believe. If you don't taper, you will likely have worse and longer lasting withdrawals. Just a short taper over a week or two should be helpful.
 
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c4oz said:
Wait 1 week @ 3mg, then 1 week @ 2.5mg, then 1 week @ 2mg... if you can't reduce in one week, try with 2 weeks.
Click to expand...

This seems quite excessive and if anything will create a bigger problem for you. Since you only used for a month, doing a 6 week taper is not needed. Your short time using means you should be able to jump off quickly.

The best thing to do would be to go to your doctor and explain your situation. I can understand if you don't feel comfortable doing this but if you do it is definitely the best choice.

Next best option would be to use Valium to do a quick taper.

If you don't go to the doc and can't get valium, then if I was you (and I've been in that situation before) I would take the trazodone, benadryl and melatonin to sleep. Trazodone affects everyone differently - it doesn't do anything for me but it helps a lot of people quite a bit and it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Maybe start with 100mg trazodone, 50mg benadryl and 5-10mg melatonin. Melatonin is very mild, but having had sleep trouble my whole life I've just started using it recently and found it extremely helpful.

Also, if you can get your hands on seroquel, ambien, clonidine or phenobarbital they would help a lot of used correctly.

If (or more like, when) you start feeling depression while going through withdrawals try and exercise and eat plenty of food. Sleeping might be hard but with help of some of the above medicine you can hopefully get some sleep - and be sure to sleep as much as you possibly can. Exercise and eating will help with this too.

Some people find smoking weed helpful but it just game me anxiety during withdrawals.

Drinking alcohol might ease some symptoms but you should really try to stay away from alcohol as it will make withdrawals longer and worse plus it will put a toll on your body and mind, which needs time to heal.

Kratom will also help make you comfortable and ease some of the anxiety but don't go crazy with it.

Good luck!
 
If you don't have insurance just go to a walk in clinic. They will just send you a bill. Explain to them that you are trying to quit xanax and need a taper of valium or klonopin. Failing this, I would go to a detox center. They will provide a taper for you.

This is no joke. You were only on a short amount of time, but the dose you were taking was pretty high. If you start getting brain zaps, or start losing time that is a good indicator of being in seizure range. Go to the hospital if this happens. I have had seizures from benzo withdrawal before. It is no bueno.

good luck, keep us posted.
 
If it gets that bad I may try the walk-in.

Detox center- can't take off work for the week. The Zbars already caused me to sleep in late 2 days in a row. Can't miss anymore days until that blows over.

-12hrs since my last 1mg was taken. No serious WD symptoms yet. Sleep tonight's def going to be a bitch.
Keep yuh posted.

Thanks again
 
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