Benzos Have to get off Xanax/Ativan - Need Advice

[Scottc]

I had a crisis in Feb with off the charts anxiety and panic attacks and got perscribed xanax and predictably my tolerance skyrocketed as the crisis continued. I’m up to 6 xanax or so a day. And months ago when I was at 3 per day my doc cut me off and gave me klonopin instead which really doesn’t work for me (makes me tired and depressed), but they all seem to be insistent on it instead of xanax and ativan. The crisis has been ongoing but finally coming to an end. I’ve been meditating like crazy (up to 2 hours per day - highly, highly recommend for anxiety) and feeing better with much lower anxiety so ready to start a taper.

I was getting side effects from the xanax like weakness and general malaise so I switched to Ativan which didn’t have the same side effects but doesn’t exactly make you chipper either and because it’s not as strong I had to take more and ended up running out and then switching back to xanax, which surprisingly you can do even at the dose I was at.

The question is I need a doctor to help with a taper but not sure which to taper off of. My record shows subscriptions of xanax so they won’t be suspicious of that. But not Ativan and I’m thinking a doctor won’t start me on the high dose I need to start a taper without continuing an existing prescription. The xanax tends to mess with my sleep more so prefer the ativan. Will a doctor help taper if he knows you haven’t been obtaining it through a prescription/pharmacy? I’m at over 10 mg/day when I was on Ativan (before I ran out and had to switch back to xanax). I started a taper for a couple days but probably cut too much initially and had side effects so need to restart. I’m only two days into switching to xanax so could switch back to Ativan for taper.

I also worried about getting reported or some other legal repercussion.

 

[Juniper Bruhmomentius]

They atleast should help you with the tapering, if I were you I would ask the doctor. You have eaten benzos only for like 8 months though so you shouldnt be that scared of the tapering.

Diazepam would be the best benzo for taper.

You can stop eating them! I think you can do fairly fast taper, if you are fine to get a lot of the anxiety back.

 

[Coffeeshroom]

I agree diazepam should be the drug to use to tapper and in between you can still use xanax or ativan at lower dosages till you cut them out c9mpletely and only tapering of the diazepam.

Or maybe try librium with clonodine and gabapenrin but only a weekor two to help fight the tolerance for that too

 

[Sketch 8420]

Hi I was recently put on Ativan for severe anxiety and panic disorder. It worked well I'm in Australia so Xanax is pritty much impossible to get. Anyways they told me that Ativan after 4-6-8 weeks litera

 

[Sketch 8420]

Literally Ativan stops working and I'd just be addicted having to up my dose. It's a short acting one so my drs said to get you off we will prescribe valium. It lasts twice as long and will be easier to kick then Ativan. So my advice is go to Val's. You dont get a kick out of them but if it's for actual anxiety they will help. I'm down to 4×5mg a day some days just two. I'm feeling ok. Also meditation ( I know it sounds fucked) it does help, breathing excersizes to. I think Ativan lasts 8 hours half life and Val's have 20+hr half life. You won't even feel em except a little tired. But I'm currently down to like I said somedays 2 ×5mg Val's from 10mg Ativan per day...I'm doing well so I hope that helps it'll be your sleeping that will be a struggle for a few days going from Xanax/Ativan to Val's but your strong, easily do able!! Also I'm no dr but I'm currently in a facility to deal with my panic disorder(crippling anxiety) try facing or getting to the root of why you suffer it. Why you medicate and it can bring you down a few notches just knowing those thing's. The minds strong. I got medication alone is always temporary and will never solve anxiety if it's constant. Drs explained it's great in conjunction with other strategies like I've said above. They said it like this: it's push and pull. You must push and get out of your comfort zone and the medication can be used to pull you through. Ok enough rambling... I just know exactly what your going Through ATM, kinda! But yeah valium I'd suggest and explain everything to your dr and if he sees that you want to get down on a medication or drugs(from the streets or not) he should help you out. My 2cents, good luck

 

[Scottc]

Thanks, yeah agreed. Meditation has been really helpful. The meds were really for the crisis party, now just how to get off them!

 

[Keif' Richards]

I think it's definitely a great thing that you're trying to rid yourself of the dependence. I've met a couple of older folks in my travels that have spent decades on Benzodiazepines and a lot of them are essentially crazy. These drugs do not have a positive effect when used outside of dosage guidelines. I mean 1.5 months but a lot of folks can maintain at a lower dose for longer. Either way, I think that both are a net negative for the person involved.

Have you already told your prescriber that this drug does not work nearly as well for you? There appears to be a major shift in the works in regard to Benzodiazepine prescriptions. I rarely run into someone prescribed Alprazolam (Xanax). Clonazepam (Klonopin) is a different story. Everyone is being switched to Clonazepam I assume due to its longer duration. You can become totally dependent upon any of them regardless of how much they're enjoyed.

I'm unclear as to how much of your usage is outside of your doc's orders. I think at this point, it would be best to throw in the towel, throw yourself before your prescriber and admit the truth. You were in a tight spot and required some medication, now you are taking the reigns and deciding to get off. Am I understanding correctly that you've been on them for about 9 months?

 

[Scottc]

I’ve been through a run of psychiatrists. The original prescriber was my GP, then a psychiatrist that insisted on Gabapentin which made me feel like I was tripping. Then another psychiatrist who moved me to Klonopin, but abruptly cut me off of Xanax after I’d been on for two months with no taper or other plan. And then another psychiatrist who also wouldn’t taper me and prescribed klonopin. The Klonopin seems to have little effect and makes me depressed. I told me it wasn’t working and had side effects and he just ignored me and said it should work great. It also is another benzo that I’d have to taper off of so it doesn’t solve the problem. I’ve increased my dosage of xanax because of tolerance (outside of doctors orders) and had to the obtain additional meds through other means. The opinion in the med community is that klonopin is a safer longer lasting equivalent that covers for withdrawal if someone is on xanax or ativan. I can attest that it definitely does not cover all withdrawal symptoms. When I was taking just klonopin to wean off I would get acute ws symptoms of xanax and later ativan. The problem is it’s starting to look like doctor shopping now (even though only two psychiatrists prescribed xanax) and no one wants to restart a prescription for xanax and a higher dose. I have another appt with a new psychiatrist who office said they taper and use can use valium but we’ll see.

 

[Lizzy1Fair]

They atleast should help you with the tapering, if I were you I would ask the doctor. You have eaten benzos only for like 8 months though so you shouldnt be that scared of the tapering.

Diazepam would be the best benzo for taper.

You can stop eating them! I think you can do fairly fast taper, if you are fine to get a lot of the anxiety back.

A lot of doctors don't even know how to taper people properly. My doctor wasn't willing to help me when i asked for help. I was physically addicted and asked her for help with tapering completely off all benzos. I was done.. had enough. She told me to go to rehab which makes no sense for getting off benzos for good. Ya can't go to rehab for 6 months anyway and plus I was motivated and able to do it. This pisses me off when i think about it?. Anywayzzzz.. They will all require a slow taper in order to do it safely. Whether it's xanax, ativan, valium, klonopin, you have to go slow.

 

[Sketch 8420]

Man valium is where it's at! It's mild but will get you where you need to go. It'll sneak up on you and bam your asleep( wake up! Noooo!!!! I wasted my high! Grr) but it's the lesser of the benzos and it'll carry you through a day with less strong benzo. So your tapering anyway. Benzos man... Not long 1-1'1/2 months is perfect. You'll notice but you'll survive and a couple sneaky 5mg Val's here and there for the hectic days. No big deal. But yeah fuck being hooked on them. I don't think it's as bad as opiates personally but it lasts and Longo's for a good while. A month is good for each benzo. They really do just stop working. And you'll be higher off benzos the more legit anxiety you get. But I must say. Bupe and valium, ooohhh man your glisten, cruise and loving life. I know methadone and handfull of Val's hits that sweet spot. But go down on Val's or benzos. You'll thank me when you have a night out and your shitdicked again from a lower dose. Just be safe homie. Pm me for any Q's I'm happy to explain shit different. I'm on 65mg I'm waiting to kick in after a month of 5-10mg a day. Bro I'll be chillen lol. But do it research Nd safety man.

 

[Lizzy1Fair]

I’ve been through a run of psychiatrists. The original prescriber was my GP, then a psychiatrist that insisted on Gabapentin which made me feel like I was tripping. Then another psychiatrist who moved me to Klonopin, but abruptly cut me off of Xanax after I’d been on for two months with no taper or other plan. And then another psychiatrist who also wouldn’t taper me and prescribed klonopin. The Klonopin seems to have little effect and makes me depressed. I told me it wasn’t working and had side effects and he just ignored me and said it should work great. It also is another benzo that I’d have to taper off of so it doesn’t solve the problem. I’ve increased my dosage of xanax because of tolerance (outside of doctors orders) and had to the obtain additional meds through other means. The opinion in the med community is that klonopin is a safer longer lasting equivalent that covers for withdrawal if someone is on xanax or ativan. I can attest that it definitely does not cover all withdrawal symptoms. When I was taking just klonopin to wean off I would get acute ws symptoms of xanax and later ativan. The problem is it’s starting to look like doctor shopping now (even though only two psychiatrists prescribed xanax) and no one wants to restart a prescription for xanax and a higher dose. I have another appt with a new psychiatrist who office said they taper and use can use valium but we’ll see.

Man... You've been through it with the doctors, so have I and it seems like the majority of the people that interact on this platform have been through hell and back because the doctors can't treat their patients the way they would like to because of the DEA watching their every move. I think most doctors are always going to be limited with what they are able to prescribe to people. A lot of these drugs require adjusting the dose (up not down in the majority of cases). The paranoid doctor is always going to want to push our dose back down or feel like they are unable to prescribe more because of the fear of having their liscense revoked or suspended. the whole point of me saying this is that I don't think we should start this stuff unless we have another source. I can't even tell you how many hours I've spent worrying about not having my needs met and having to suffer X amt of time until I can fill my script. Its not right. We have to get creative and help each other when we can and when it's necessary.

 

[Snowy_Hell]

Phew! That's tough one. It took me a month in an unsuccessful rehab to lower my dose from 3mg down to one, and then it took me another few months tapering it off while being stoned on weed senseless to deal with rampant anxiety. Slight psychosis of personally designed quasi-religion about Grace-in-the-Void helped a lot with some psy-ambient music aside. Good luck, (wo)man.

 

[Snowy_Hell]

Man... You've been through it with the doctors, so have I and it seems like the majority of the people that interact on this platform have been through hell and back because the doctors can't treat their patients the way they would like to because of the DEA watching their every move. I think most doctors are always going to be limited with what they are able to prescribe to people. A lot of these drugs require adjusting the dose (up not down in the majority of cases). The paranoid doctor is always going to want to push our dose back down or feel like they are unable to prescribe more because of the fear of having their liscense revoked or suspended. the whole point of me saying this is that I don't think we should start this stuff unless we have another source. I can't even tell you how many hours I've spent worrying about not having my needs met and having to suffer X amt of time until I can fill my script. Its not right. We have to get creative and help each other when we can and when it's necessary.

Good point, but there's no way any illegal lab will bother synthetising this behemoth https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Alprazolam_structure.svg
However, Russian racetams seem to do wonders. I've tried their Aniracetam supplemented with unavoidable choline and I felt great. The downside is that it is quite expensive and lasts only for a short while. Tons of weed help a lot, though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniracetam

 

[Scottc]

Man... You've been through it with the doctors, so have I and it seems like the majority of the people that interact on this platform have been through hell and back because the doctors can't treat their patients the way they would like to because of the DEA watching their every move. I think most doctors are always going to be limited with what they are able to prescribe to people. A lot of these drugs require adjusting the dose (up not down in the majority of cases). The paranoid doctor is always going to want to push our dose back down or feel like they are unable to prescribe more because of the fear of having their liscense revoked or suspended. the whole point of me saying this is that I don't think we should start this stuff unless we have another source. I can't even tell you how many hours I've spent worrying about not having my needs met and having to suffer X amt of time until I can fill my script. Its not right. We have to get creative and help each other when we can and when it's necessary.

Agreed. I stress all the time about running out of meds. I was terrified of switching from xanax to ativan but it was actually fine. I’m not excited to play doctor in tapering with valium as that seems easy to fuck up. It’s unbelievable to me the response I’ve gotten from doctors. Two refused to taper me off xanax and just said to stop taking it and ws weren’t a big deal.

 

[Scottc]

Man valium is where it's at! It's mild but will get you where you need to go. It'll sneak up on you and bam your asleep( wake up! Noooo!!!! I wasted my high! Grr) but it's the lesser of the benzos and it'll carry you through a day with less strong benzo. So your tapering anyway. Benzos man... Not long 1-1'1/2 months is perfect. You'll notice but you'll survive and a couple sneaky 5mg Val's here and there for the hectic days. No big deal. But yeah fuck being hooked on them. I don't think it's as bad as opiates personally but it lasts and Longo's for a good while. A month is good for each benzo. They really do just stop working. And you'll be higher off benzos the more legit anxiety you get. But I must say. Bupe and valium, ooohhh man your glisten, cruise and loving life. I know methadone and handfull of Val's hits that sweet spot. But go down on Val's or benzos. You'll thank me when you have a night out and your shitdicked again from a lower dose. Just be safe homie. Pm me for any Q's I'm happy to explain shit different. I'm on 65mg I'm waiting to kick in after a month of 5-10mg a day. Bro I'll be chillen lol. But do it research Nd safety man.

Thanks, man. Might PM you as I may have to do my own taper.

 

[Lizzy1Fair]

Good point, but there's no way any illegal lab will bother synthetising this behemoth https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Alprazolam_structure.svg
However, Russian racetams seem to do wonders. I've tried their Aniracetam supplemented with unavoidable choline and I felt great. The downside is that it is quite expensive and lasts only for a short while. Tons of weed help a lot, though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniracetam

Good thinking, Snowy! I JUST took the choline. ... However.. these are American. Choline helps with dopamine production and I desperately need more. I am pretty sure that it's depleted.

 

[Lizzy1Fair]

i attached the picture of the Aniracetam and my citicoline but not sure it loaded. Also I add the pro chemical that when it's metabolized it is Modafinil. Have you tried different nootropic stacks? Which one do you like if you do.. @Snowy_Hell

 

[Lizzy1Fair]

Agreed. I stress all the time about running out of meds. I was terrified of switching from xanax to ativan but it was actually fine. I’m not excited to play doctor in tapering with valium as that seems easy to fuck up. It’s unbelievable to me the response I’ve gotten from doctors. Two refused to taper me off xanax and just said to stop taking it and ws weren’t a big deal.

That's so terrible!! They have no idea the responsibility that comes with having a legal drug pad and i'm so sorry they refused you. Trust me, I know how that feels and the stress that comes with it. I had a dr tell me I have ptsd related to the negative shit that has surrounded me pertaining to failed treatments and stress about drugs/meds. Whatever.. I have had to pretty much doctor myself my whole life.. well after mom died, I had to take care of myself. I hope you learn how to do that

 

[Nicomorphinist]

I have been looking at the site benzobuddies.org and it is huge and has information for all manner of aspects of this.

Is anyone aware of sites out there of the same type and calibre with the focus on, for example, gabapentinoids, opioids, carisoprodol & meprobamate, barbiturates, C-Jam, and so forth?

 

[Lucy20]

Everyone is different, i went from 2 years of 4mg clonazepam to 1.5mg in a few weeks with no real symptoms. I have never abused or gotten high from benzos though.
See your doctor and taper with valium, 9 months is enough to get addicted but still a short time.
Just try to not over think it and exercise