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Benzos Long term, high dose daily benzo users now clean?

I guess my question would be... what is the approximate timeline for a long term, high dose benzo recovery. For example... we recently had a one month long heroin binge (our first brush with H) and it went something like this:

Usage time and quantity: one month, 1 gram per day Black Tar Heroin
Heavy physical withdrawals: 5 days from last use
Extended psychological withdrawals: 2 weeks from last use
Total and complete recovery time: 2 weeks
Overall level of hell: first week = 5/10, second week 2/10


So with someone like my girlfriend or OP what would the timeline look like? Something like this? (note: this is AFTER her one year taper, which I'm assuming won't be TOO bad, although I may be wrong about that)

Usage time and quantity: 5-10 years, 3+ mg xanax per day
Heavy physical withdrawals: one month from last use
Extended psychological withdrawals: six months from last use
Total and complete recovery time: one year from last use (plus one year taper beforehand)
Overall level of hell: one year taper= 3/10, first month clean = 8/10, next 5 months 5/10, last 6 months 3/10

Does that seem about right? I'm just wondering what the timeline on this is going to look like...

Or am I wrong about the taper? Is the one year taper also going to be hellish or does the shitty part start when the taper is over?

I've been under the impression that the taper won't be that bad, but it's the following year with absolutely no benzo's that will be hellish...

Thanks again.
DeadElvis
 
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I think your time tables are pretty accurate. I don't think, however, that the year long taper won't be too bad. It's going to suck, and your girl needs to be very head strong about it, and ready for it. It will be very, very difficult.
 
What do you think is going to be the worst part? The year long taper or the first year afterwards?
 
As hard as it is, just keep cutting back on doses of diazepam. Im still abusing, but trying to make the transition to responsible use and then to abstinence. Quit opiates, this is next on the list.

I count out 45 30mg diazepams and put them in a separate bottle. I havge my fun with my other scripts (Xanax, Klonopin, occasionally buy some etizolam) and I find that, even though my tolerance is through the roof (I took 200mg of diazepam and 24 mg of klonopin, mixedd it in some glycerin, and shot it up my ass last night, which is not my normal route, but it does give you a rush) that 30 mg of diazepam a day will stave off any wds. I also axed my xanax script so first step taken. Good luck!
 
DeadElvis666 said:
What do you think is going to be the worst part? The year long taper or the first year afterwards?
Click to expand...

As speedball said, when it's down to the last 2 weeks or so of tapering will suck, but the worst part in my opinion will obviously be when the benzos are completely stopped. Say the first 2 weeks or so after stopping will be the worst (it was for me). I don't know the reasons why or the mechanisms, but benzo withdrawal is so much harder than opiate withdrawal. I don't say that to scare you, just to prepare you. The duration of it is just brutal and will absolutely wear you down if you aren't prepared. Keep in mind, I came off 80mg a DAY of xanax. People think I am bullshitting and I wish I was. I feel like I actually permanently damaged my brain from doing this. I think if you go into it with a strong, confident mindset, it will really help. If you are just winging it, it's going to be a lot harder.

Good luck.
 
What I don't understand is why people start taking benzos every day.i have anxiety but still don't take my klonopin every day..I just deal with my anxiety on other days..I know of several people that have taken benzos over many years and it still helps them tremendously but they never made the mistake of raising their dosage or chasing a high
 
belfort said:
What I don't understand is why people start taking benzos every day.i have anxiety but still don't take my klonopin every day..I just deal with my anxiety on other days..I know of several people that have taken benzos over many years and it still helps them tremendously but they never made the mistake of raising their dosage or chasing a high
Click to expand...

Some people get prescribed benzos eith instructions to take them daily. That was my situation when I was on them. It wasn't until many years later I realized how bad this was. Didn't know anything about benzos when I first got the script. There are many other reasons why people take them everyday as well.
 
Exactly! :eek: I have no idea what life is after my benzo use. It's quite the task trying to unmask my true characteristics vs. the "upgraded".
 
I feel you

Erikmen said:
It´s an exception. I say that because benzos change the way you think about you and about the others. It lifts your self esteem chemically.
How can you go back to that, without being on benzos. How can you connect the dots you could only do with benzos without it??
I´m trying to be very short but in essence, benzos make you a different person and you adapt to this new person. After going through withdraw you still have to deal with the other person you became. And that´s no piece of cake at all..
Click to expand...

I totally understand what you are implying!! This is something I struggle with daily. In a sick and twisted way I can say there is a small part of me who will always miss who I was once. Womp womp
Btw I accidentally left a reply on pg 3. For you. Sorry! My first time on here.
 
Was on like 4mg ativan per day for six months. Kicked it. Recently took some Kava, now am irritable and can't sleep. Best to take as little as is physically and mentally safe and never look back.
 
I was addicted to benzos for six years.

Took them as prescribed but also like candies.

Most of the time i took lorazepam, alprazolam or diazepam.
But also flunitrazepam, triazolam and other benzos sometimes.

I had periods where i didnt take any and also had a few fullblown withdrawals.

In 2009 i tapered diazepam and am almost benzo free since then.

Took lorazepam only a few times since 2009 and i dont need em anymore and feel way better without them.

So it is possible.
 
I got 8 solid years of zo abuse, atm i got seresta 50, vial o prazepam Boxes of xannies, beer, lyrica 200z, Valium blues, Clotiazepam and shitty zi=olpdem, also got a heavy opiate dependcy an stims too, i'm eff*d
 
Try being on benzo's 20 years ..

Been tapering for 4.5 years... down to 2.8mg Valium equivalent.

Scared doesn't even begin to describe how I feel getting lower.
 
You know how you know for yourself basically "Hey that's a drug i really never could be that hooked on" and then there's others where you're like "oh yea i could do this forever" ?
Well benzos like valium and xanax (right category right?) never had that 'lets go party or do whatever" feeling for me. They basically took me on dreamy planet rides and solar scapes to edm and such.
Did I miss the plane on them? Did the wrong kind? Always wondered about it.
 
out of most drug classes the only one that will likely cause death from trying to go cold turkey as opposed to alcohol, cocaine, barbituates etc. took a long time and was not fun though so so slow.
 
and have been for a long time. Im also on 40mg methadone and 900mggabapentin i have horrible akathisia and inner torrment and terror brain flips that arecalmost like psychotic episodes and burning asll over body i have photophobiaand hyperacuses flashing lights. Im having massive withdrawal sumptoms its like im in cold turkey detox but im on benzos taking more makes me sleepy and feel sicker its like ive kindled myself so bad from all the attempted detoxes but reinstated cuz i couldnt handle the symptoms i cant lay down i feel like im dying massive episodes where i feel like i need to run down the street screaming for help the akathisia and depression is so so bad when i started tsking the ativan again after i couldnt handle the withdrawal symptoms all the symptoms came back worse so im worse than i was actually 6 months off the med. Drs dont believe me cuz how can you be in withdrawl if your on meds?

I dont know how to get off i know others have been in this position and managed to get better i have neurological damage cuz this. I try to taper tiny amounts and my body cannot tolerate it. Some days i feel severely overmedicated and i cant stayawake and then i go insane and its like i lose it and keep ggetting worse for weeeks till i take a extra pill.

What med should i try to come off first i know they are all affecting each other the methadone mak me feel better forva couple hours then feel worse i tried stopping the gabapentin and had so much neuropathy and photophobia and intense terror akathisia i went back on it but things are so bsd even just holding thst i gotta do something detox is way too much they dont understand whats happening i do but they saybitsvin my head that benzo wd does last thstblong or have those symptoms. I cant taper small amounts trying to taper the methadone caused sever depression assnd psin snd further exposure of my benzo symptoms csn people please help ne through this ideas i belong to snother forum and its one sided at times this isa bunch of really smsrt people here i need my mind back through this i know it not ganna be easy but i gotta getvstsble somehow im the worst onne on other support sight still on meds suffering greater than the cold tturkey survivors
 
How or what do you do ad far as a taper if u are completely unstable on benzos my withdrawal symptoms are worse than when i cold turkeyed and im on a stsble dose of ativan whats going on did they turn on me its mental tormen but everything in my body is going erong too. I honestly believe and feel like im dying i want to detox but ive tried and tapering slowly just increases the torment. Id be possitive this was from some disease if at first the benzos didnt make me feel better but now if i upmy dose it doesnt help i want to get off the mmethadone first but by benzo wd symptoms are unbearable. Its scary i litterally livein hell
 
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