Benzos NAC and benzodiazepeines

[BourbonMac]

I was on Valium for awhile this year, and ended up back on it albeit at a lower dose because I've been an out of control anxious wreck. An overnight stay at a hospital last month is what led my doctor to put me back on it.

Tinnitus is the main source of my stress. I had it before surgery on my sinuses and it went away 100% after. But 2 months later, it came back, and by September it was out of control and still is, though I have random good days sometimes. Yesterday was one, today is not.

So I looked into a supplement called NAC that apparently can help, meanwhile taking an antiviral my GP prescribed called Valtrex (it's literally for herpes... but it's broad spectrum I guess). I'm 90% sure this won't do anything but I'm desperate to try anything. I would eat dog shit every day if it meant the tinnitus would go away. It's some of the most disturbing, hissing, electrical noise you could ever imagine. There's a reason people with it this bad end up committing suicide.

Anyway... I didn't know about an associatation with NAC and benzos. I saw this thread:

This person seemed to have blunted effects, and the past few days of taking NAC, I didn't seem to feel my Valium at all (however some nights that was simply true naturally, it wouldn't always work quite as well). But I don't know if this is a coincidence or not. I didn't take NAC this morning just to see if it'd work tonight. I can't say the NAC really helped but, Saturday and Sunday my ears behaved pretty well, and today they've been awful. I took the first dose Friday night before even thinking to look for an interaction. I guess they might compete for glutamine or some shit, Idk. If anyone else has experience with NAC or might know more about this I'm all for it. Some people suggested it potentiates benzos because it can cause drowsiness. It's more stimulating for me, but I take 600mg and not beyond that. I know this stuff is good for tapering, but I'm not trying to get off the Valium until there's some answer to my ears. Otherwise I just wig out and start punching holes in my walls, breathing things, threatening to jump out in front of a semi... not a nice scene. It's been a really difficult few months, a far cry from how well I'd been doing from May through early August

One thing I did notice at least when I took it in the morning is that it gave me a surprising mood boost, and potentiated kratom, a lot.

 

[xtcgrrrl]

NAC is good for a lot of things, including potentiating kratom. I couldn’t take it, personally, because it caused nausea even at low doses. But I’ve heard good things from those who tolerate it well.

Never heard about it helping with tinnitus, though. I’m a lifelong tinnitus sufferer, but then again, I’m deaf. I heard another person who also has progressive hearing loss describe tinnitus as the “sound of your nerve cells in the cochlea dying.” Could be true, idk. Mine isn’t like you describe yours, though. Mostly it’s a high-pitched whine; quite irritating but nothing to commit suicide over. The worst bit is when I think there’s a police siren somewhere about and…nope! Just my tinnitus.

Deafness IS NOT quiet, though, lol. It’s quite noisy in my head with all these not-real sounds

 

[BourbonMac]

Mine is also a high pitched whine mostly but added with the frequency of 100 CRT tvs. It's maddening. I finally had pure 100% silence and then this comes out of nowhere. Tinnitus before my sinus surgery was mild in comparison.

No hearing loss was detected when I saw an audiologist, though. That's when I lost it and had to be hospitalized. Really I probably should be now, but the mental health system is very bad, and it would only make things worse for me. I need to make money, and you're treated like a prisoner on suicide watch, even worse really.

 

[BourbonMac]

Huh... I took 2 benedryl an hourish ago and my ears got very quiet. There's a faint ring coming back in my right ear though. Even when I had total silence, when I'd lay back in bead with pillows against my wall, it would often trigger tinnitus, though it'd go away within minutes of getting up, then I'd do a sinus flush and it would be gone.

It would seem some allergic component is going on, but then postures can make it worse, so there could be multiple factors. I am sublingualling a Valium atm which causes me to grind my teeth at times which might be why it's come back some. I have a strange faint ring in my left ear suddenly, different than usual. So this could all be sinus/allergy related and neck/jaw related. So many factors. I might as well quit the antiviral because I'm like 90% sure it isn't viral. I mean Valtrex is for fucking herpes. I know it's technically broad spectrum but like... viruses heal on their own, infections don't. But given I'm days into it, stopping it might cause some problem idk. If there's no virus it shouldn't, but the stuff doesn't cause me any side effects.

It's a medrol dose pack that's up next. I'm scared of this one, Prednisone REALLY fucks me up emotionally. Some days I might feel good, other days I'm pissed at everything. Wish I had some shrooms to microdose because that would help more than Valium I think. At least the dose pack is much less than I was on after my surgery, 40mg for 5 days, then 20, then 10 (my ENT actually fucked up and meant to put 30 in there, so I had to take another course after... but less). Music and basically everything in general sounds lower pitched when I'm on steroids too, it's annoying. I'm gonna have to download songs, go into sony vegas and adjust the pitch. I have a transpose app that can do it too but the sound gets a bit scratchy.

 

[xtcgrrrl]

TMJ and tinnitus can be linked. I have TMJ as well

 

[BourbonMac]

I don't have TMJ, but I've grinded my teeth on and off over the years. When it exacerbated my sinus headaches, I stopped doing it for months. I rarely ever do it now, but if my jaw is all clenched sublingualing something, I tend to do it.

I don't think it had to do with the tinnitus coming back in general though.
It does seem NAC dampens the effect of basically all drugs, so it looks like I'm not gonna be sticking with it. I had a faint hope it would help my tinnitus, but I don't think it will. Actually, I feel sudden anhedonia this afternoon after taking it. I've seen threads of people getting it from higher doses, but this is unmistakable. Unfortunate because at first it seemed to be making me feel pretty good, seems like a gamble. I know when I took it the other night, even THC wasn't getting me as high. I've seen many threads about it dampening psychedelics and stimulants, and will completely kill any effect from MDMA.

So, I guess that's out of the picture now. I'm about to do a prednisone taper pack and absolutely need Valium or else I'll probably go on an insane rampage, because that's how this stuff makes me, and it's essential to be on an anti-anxiety med while taking it. Some people are fortunate and don't get mood swings from prednisone or even find it euphoric. It's a nightmare for me.

 

[BourbonMac]

Yeah oh my God, this is HORRIBLE. My emotions have NEVER felt this blunted. I don't want to do anything, and even if I were to get high or something, I wouldn't, as I noticed the other night. FUCK this stuff, seriously. It's only good for tylenol overdoses by saving peoples livers. I tried having a conversation with my mother earlier and she thought I was all drugged out because I feel so blunted. Literally the deflated girl from that anti-weed commercial.

 

[xtcgrrrl]

Yeah, well, you’d absolutely hate Topamax (topiramate) then

NAC has been good for people who want to curb cravings, in fact that’s one of the reasons I bought it initially I believe

 

[BourbonMac]

I did take Topamax for a very brief period years ago, but it didn't cause anhedonia that I noticed and if it did it was nowhere near this bad. If anything, it makes me crave things more to alleviate such a terrible feeling.

 

[lolis my thesis]

Shoot I have tinnitus too; the ringing is absolutely maddening. Also have severe tmj. Hmm, makes me grateful that mine is sporadic, not the tmj but the tinnitus. Feel for you all; what a shitty way to not enjoy a bit of peace and quiet.

 

[BourbonMac]

Yeah, and the only thing that really keeps me sane and not wanting to kill myself is cannabis, which worsens the tinnitus :/ I don't know if it caused it because some nights I'll have more than usual and the next day is quiet, I haven't been able to find a pattern. I just know it spikes when I'm high, but I'm too relaxed to care. It's a fucked up situation, because I am addicted to THC but it's an addiction I've always maintained was better for my mental health, because it is. It's kept me alive for a 6 year period of being suicidal. If I feel that way and get high, it's cut with a knife, gone. Complete peace. But I only do it at night because I feel it can impact my functioning during the day.

I quit for about 6 months from December to May because I'd often get worsened sinus headaches but I think it was mostly placebo to be honest. I always had those headaches, but then I was too paranoid to make them worse, and they would get really bad. Had to wait 5 months to get the surgery going through hoops, using flonase and nasal flushes which did absolutely nothing. I was also put on so many antibiotics that I physically could not eat anymore without getting severe heartburn or a feeling like I was choking on food. This 5 month period without THC was the most lazy and uncreative period of my life. It straight up ruined my quality of life not having it anymore, and I ended up on Valium in the first place because I felt I could no longer use THC.

Maybe smoke was bad, but I didn't even consider dab pens and such, which are primarily what I use now because I honestly don't like smoking it at all. Maybe flower would spike my tinnitus less idk. I wouldn't think so. I don't even know why it does spike it, because sometimes I'd still get tinnitus briefly after my surgery and getting high wouldn't worsen it, and would in fact improve any that might have been lingering.

 

[BourbonMac]

Benedryl did help again tonight. Not quite as much as yesterday, but yesterday wasn't that bad and I hadn't taken this NAC shit. Either way this is a profound improvement compared to what I had all day.

This was the worst tinnitus spike I've ever had and it lasted the entire day. Given NAC raises histamine in the body, it probably made things worse, and then it just killed the Sudafed that normally helps with my tinnitus too. Why it didn't worsen it for the first 2 days I took it I have no idea. It seemed to lift my mood and not cause any bad side effects, and it seemed like it potentiated kratom. However, when I took some earlier, feeling great, the NAC kicked in and killed all the euphoria from the kratom. So it seems it's not really a potentiator. Maybe if NAC gives you euphoria, it did mildly for me at first but Jesus fucking Christ man, it killed me today. My soul was literally sucked out of my body.

It got a bit worse after not long though. After I showed I pushed in my left ear and couldn't hear anything, now I can. My right ear got pretty quiet minus some static but the posture I'm in and probably the sublingualing locking my jaw worsened it a bit more. It's clear this has something to do with my sinuses. Sudafed helps, benedryl helps, something is up.

Update: spike is back :/ out of nowhere. I literally knocked on wood and it spiked. The universe truly hates me. Probably a good amount of the benedryl left my system since I took it around 11 and it's 4am here now.

 

[lolis my thesis]

I guess sinus problems are not a direct cause; but what causes the darned noise. Sometimes mine goes away; but maybe I am just not thinking about it as it isn't always obtrusive.
I am thinking about TCH too, I use CBG which is derived from hemp, it gives me a body buzz and doesn't seem to hurt with daily functioning. Im not stoned but medicated from the cannabis plant. Or its hemp derived from CBD but it works like CBD never did. Just something to think about trying if it helps; it just helps me deal with daily pain. THC sends me for a loop unless I have a tolerance; like a full anxiety attack with the first stone, none thereafter. But I just end up on the couch for a year. But I bought a nice skunky sweet bud yesterday, and dissoved it in alcohol, then but the RSO, after the alcohol had evavorated, into my bottle of CBG. Ill try it drop by drop to see if if helps what various things ail me. Mood, tinnitis, neck pain....

 

[BourbonMac]

Last night was odd, it spiked again after a few hours, I got high, and it didn't spike any more. I would say it actually improved a little.
THC definitely used to make me very paranoid without a tolerance, it doesn't anymore. For the first year I smoked it didn't, but I knew people who got paranoid and I had no idea how that was possible, then in November 2012, in my first semester of college, one day I had my first panic attack. The stuff might have been laced, I couldn't really say. My friend and I took 3 hits the day before and were so fucked up beyond belief and could not move or even speak, and this was with a heavy tolerance. The guy we bought from was... shady to say the least.

I think smoking a lot of K2 in late spring that year when it was big is a part of what gave me panic attacks from weed. It felt like the high wasn't the same after K2. It wasn't exactly K2 either but sister versions like "space cadet," "mad hatter," "blueberry ipod" (what the fuck kind of name is that??). I'm so glad they banned all that JWH shit.

But yeah it's been a long time since I had a panic attack from it. After my 6 month T-break, I just dived straight in and would get myself so high I'd be practically unable to hold a functional conversation. One day at the beach I actually forgot half of the entire day because I was just doing 80% thc carts back to back to back to back. I've never gotten so high that I blacked out, literally, at least without alcohol involved. I guess it did get excessive, and could be a reason why I've developed tinnitus, but then I'd think it would've happened right away.

The turning point was the beginning of August. I did use my carts excessively at my brothers bachelor party while on molly, which was my first time ever taking it. I thought maybe the molly did it, but I don't think so. It was mild tinnitus. If I'd stopped the THC right there maybe things would've got better, but I sure didn't. I went to the Cape a few days later and brought all my carts, getting stoned to oblivion, did shrooms. I mean genuinely from May to early August I was in very high spirits. Not suicidal, just positive and looking forward. I only had some annoying lingering headaches from after surgery that seemed to stick around for a bit longer than they were expected to. My tinnitus had already improved a lot on its own by May, I had the surgery later that month. Rocky recovery but resulted in being able to hear complete silence. Sometimes it'd spike after I took a nap or something but within 2 minutes it'd go back down. This is still a problem, laying down makes it worse, so it's like, Idk if my neck is a part of it... I did have chronic neck stiffness in July until I got a temperpedic, mainly because after surgery I had to use several pillows, like 3. I for some reason didn't stop doing this, probably because I'd eat so damn much before bed that I didn't want acid reflux or something. I still do this, but I don't have that problem so long as I sleep on my left side. I prefer to anyway, because sleeping on my right makes my right ear spike worse.

I smoked DMT for a month straight from mid June to mid July as well (this actually would DESTROY those headaches if I had them, even well after it wore off). I told a friend of mine I wanted to make it a psychedelic summer, to which he didn't really because he's been afraid of tripping. I think ever since I did that, and shrooms multiple times, I kind of start tripping a little every time I get high, like I'll get rippling visions and sometimes pretty intense CEVs that are like a low dose of DMT.

Looking back it was really pointless. Now I just take a rip or two and call it, but I don't really understand, there's no pattern. Some nights I'd have more than usual and the next day would be quiet. This happened consistently for like 5 different nights. 2 nights ago I tried the same thing and it may be part of why yesterday was so bad. Today isn't great either but nowhere near as bad. The NAC shit I think must have made it worse.

I was supposed to start my Prednisone pack today, but now I'm considering just taking Sudafed to see if it helps this time because it usually does. It stopped helping after I'd taken it daily for awhile but then I stopped doing this for a little while because my tinnitus seemed like it was improving. Today is a shitty, depressing rainy day, and Prednisone is very much a gamble with my mood. If it were to say, not help at all, I'd probably freak the fuck out because, well, steroids. Tomorrow is a nice upper 50s sunny Autumn day, I think things need to be aligned just right.

 

[lolis my thesis]

Man the first time I got too stoned if was probably laced; shaky, oily weed, and blowing out huge purple tinged "Dragon Bubbles" was a singular experience at 13 years old. Probably just shake with hash oil, from a skeefy classmate of my older sisters. Needless to say, my red eyes got my thirteen year old self in trouble with the parents, as I was stoned well into that night and flushed that stash to make my parents happy. Weed just started hitting me differently at around 30 years old. Didn't know what the heck. Then I learned to keep stoned if I wanted predictablile effects, Ive greyed out many a time making me fearful of choking down any thc. But I sure as hell will again, just with a healthy dose of hesitance. Cannabis has been a life saver, also made me a burnout for a good period of time. If I don't have a job, I cant smoke as I won't get one. I heard cannabis lowers blood sugar, makes sense to me as munchies strike every time and It feels like a blood sugar crash when I have a bad effect. Just a theory tho.

 

[Endopharm]

NAC is a wonderful supplement but mainly for non drug users.

When I drank heavily, the next day NAC will kill a hangover QUICK.

Also, you'll rarely get sick with using NAC daily.

I use it often for bronchitis and its lessened my symptoms by 75 or so %.

I also used it while on clonazepam and I still got the same anxiolytic effect, but didnt feel any sedation/heavy feeling, which I was fine with because I'd rather not feel "high" most of the time.

I've successfully treated clients with tinnitus by using high dose fish oil in about 60% of cases.

180mg epa/120mg dha per softgel, take 3-4 softegels with each meal up to 10-12 per day.

For women it was more 6-8 softegels per day.

Of course, talk to a dr about this especially if on blood thinners.

 

[BourbonMac]

No blood thinners. Fish oil, huh? Maybe I'll give it a try, but it sounds like it has bad effects on the G.I for many people.
Benedryl didn't seem to help as much tonight. Today wasn't super severe but it was stable. 2 days ago it helped so much it was ridiculous. I did take tablets I've had lying around for like a year vs. fresh gelcaps I recently bought, so maybe less potent, or the tablets just take longer to kick in. Took them an hour 20 ago or something. I'm sure I grew a quick tolerance to taking 2 of them, and I took 3 last night just because that whole day was so bad.

Apparently NAC can cause cancer to survive in the body more, so definitely don't take it in that case.
When I drank, and maybe if I ever drink again (doubtful) I could try NAC. I know when I took L-theanine at bedtime while drunk, sometimes my hangover didn't exist.

In any case, Prednisone reduces histamine in the body a lot, so if it helps with my tinnitus then I'll know something is going on with histamine in my body.

 

[Endopharm]

You might see some GI effects with fish oil but it's fairly rare and goes away after 7-10 generally.

You'll also notice alot more urination the first 7-10 days. Then you should also start to notice better brain function, a better/calmer mood and less inflammatory.

NAC/increased glutathione(GSH)has a weird report with cancers. It's been used successfully lots to cure cancers but I'd prefer undenatured whey protein isolate in this case rather than NAC.

I hope you find some relief man, no pun intended but this sounds like a horrible thing to go through.

 

[BourbonMac]

Yeah it is really fucked up... Benedryl isn't working anymore, it cut my tinnitus down so much previous days. All day it's been terrible and I started the Prednisone which unfortunately doesn't seem to have helped and maybe made it worse even though it's not ototoxic. Right now I'm having the most hellish mood swings, restless legs, pain in legs, and genuine thoughts of suicide. I'll blast my brain with an excessive dose of DMT before I decide on that but... it's not looking good for me.

It's only day 1 with the steroids but they are supposed to work right away. When I had my sinus issues they sure did. Good fucking god my legs though... like this is really fucked.