Opiate WD vs. Benzo WD

[Intrinsic man]

I have never experienced either, but having done some research, opiate withdrawal seems to be pretty bad. Severe anxiety and subsequent depression coupled with horrible physical symptoms that include vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches and the infamous restless leg syndrome, among others. There is no eating, there is no sleeping, there is no functionality; or so I've been told.

I know less about Benzodiazepine withdrawal, mainly because the likely-hood of me experiencing them is significantly less. They are a worthless recreational drug. However there are those who seem to disagree, and to their account, the withdrawal is the worst experience known to man. Other than the fact that you can have potential seizures, what makes benzo withdrawal so much worse than others? I can't tell you how many times I read this; "I would rather experience 1,000 opiate withdrawals than have to face 1 benzo withdrawal". Hyperbole aside, is this an accurate statement?

I know this is a highly subjective question, but I am very curious! I also know there are many BL's out there who have experienced both, so I'm sure I'll get some good feedback.

Thanks in advance!

 

[madog11]

From what i've heard benzo withdrawal is so very much worse than opiate withdrawal. Not very scientific but i'm sure someone will have one of those for you too!

 

[laCster]

benzo withdrawal can be fatal, while opiate wd is also excruciating, it has never caused someone to die.

 

[nsauce]

I have been a regular benzo user/abuser since 1991 and have withdrawn many times. If you know what you are doing, and have access to a few things, the w/d's can be very manageable. Last w/d I did was from about an 18 month habit of 6-10mg alprazolam a day. Every day. With a proper taper, access to a longer acting benzo and clonodine I was able to get totally off with only a couple days of discomfort and insomnia.

 

[Intrinsic man]

I have been a regular benzo user/abuser since 1991 and have withdrawn many times. If you know what you are doing, and have access to a few things, the w/d's can be very manageable. Last w/d I did was from about an 18 month habit of 6-10mg alprazolam a day. Every day. With a proper taper, access to a longer acting benzo and clonodine I was able to get totally off with only a couple days of discomfort and insomnia.

I feel as though opiate WD is less manageable than what you just described. Plus 1 for opiates?

Could you describe what benzo withdrawal is like? I would prefer if you could be specific rather than just listing symptoms, if that makes sense.

 

[gluteus_maximus]

Opiate withdrawal is like having a horrific case of the flu with some other symptoms. Benzo withdrawal can kill you. You do the math.

 

[nsauce]

Benzo withdrawal can be an extreme magnification of the symptoms that benzos alleviate to begin with. A mental anguish that is similar in many ways to opiate w/d with the addition of extreme anxiety/paranoia that can be paralyzing. Sweating, shaking, frightening sense of impending doom and racing heart all combine with other symptoms to make a nice fun w/d pie. I never had a w/d seizure that I am aware of.

 

[Intrinsic man]

Opiate withdrawal is like having a horrific case of the flu with some other symptoms. Benzo withdrawal can kill you. You do the math.

You seem to be missing the point. The fact that it can kill you does not necessarily say anything about the severity and discomfort of the symptoms. Which is a more discomforting situation; Severe opiate withdrawal that can't kill you or a fatal case of Sleep Apnea? You do the math, your argument is invalid.

 

[Intrinsic man]

Benzo withdrawal can be an extreme magnification of the symptoms that benzos alleviate to begin with. A mental anguish that is similar in many ways to opiate w/d with the addition of extreme anxiety/paranoia that can be paralyzing. Sweating, shaking, frightening sense of impending doom and racing heart all combine with other symptoms to make a nice fun w/d pie. I never had a w/d seizure that I am aware of.

That sounds awful, I have never heard anyone say anything about paranoia, a terrible addition. What about physical symptoms? If someone were to ask me to describe cigarette withdrawal, I would say the cravings and the feeling of an imploding head would be the worst part. I get this headache that often times feels as if it's stinging my brain and putting pressure all around. Are there any characteristics like this for benzo withdrawal, or is it mostly psychological? You of course already mentioned sweating, shaking and racing heart.

 

[Anon54]

Ive been abusing benzos for a few years now. i usually take over 100mg of diazepam or over 200mg of temazepam & I used to take xanax. sometimes up to 8mg. now there was a while i was taking it every day & I did a rough taper of 5mg of valium a week in within 2 months i was off it & i actually had no w/d infact i felt relaxed from the valium even during the taper.
I only occasionally use now. about 6 times month on average i suppose where i can take anywhere up to 150mg of valium & i can tell u that i dont get any w/d at all infact i get worse w/d from 400mg of codeine i regually take & i get horrible anxiety after drinking alcohol which is much worse than anything ive got from benzos.
the worse i got was when i took large doses of xanax for a few days & its the only w/d ive ever felt from em & it was really just a mild taste of what the w/d are like.

Even though benzos might be extremely addictive & hard to get off its also extremely difficult to get addicted to them. A dr would never prescribe enough i dont think that could give u a seizure even if quit cold turkey. atleast no dr that i know.

i say alcohol w/d is potentially worse!

btw i occationaly take oxycontin too. benzos & opiates DONT give w/d if used occasionally which is great unlike alcohol & stimulants like meth. shit, I get worse w/d from cigarettes than occasional opiate of benzo use.

ud have to have an insane supply to get a bad w/d from benzos & even if u do have an insane supply & run out. just go to the hospital. they will put u on a taper plan & u wont suffer at all. & to have a seizure i rekon ud have to be taking over 100mg of valium a day for atleast a few months which a dr would never prescribe.

I dont know why ppl are scared of benzos for treatment of anxiety. like i said they're hard to get off if u get addicted to em but they're also hard to get addicted too. im sure i'll get a few disagreements from my post... anyways... thats imho

 

[Oxycondone]

benzo withdrawal can be fatal, while opiate wd is also excruciating, it has never caused someone to die.

This is usually the case however opiate withdrawal has killed a minority of people who were on massive doses (through cardiac effects).

From another subjective view, I use benzos along with opiates and uppers a lot (which may confuse the WD symptoms) but out of all of them I find opiate withdrawal by far the worst. It is worthy of note however I never run out of uppers and don't abuse benzos nearly as much as the opiates(unless you count the new z-drugs as benzos).

Both WDs include no sleep (but i usually use one in place of the other to get to sleep in this case), bezno withdrawal causes a bit more psychological symptoms but opiates cause A LOT more physical problems (such as hot/cold flashes, skin crawling, RLS, wanting to literally get out of your body to the point of nearly committing self harm...ect)plus I find the psychological draw is a lot stronger for opiates than benzos.

However keep in mind everyone is different, and a high level of benzos is A LOT more dangerous to go cold turkey on than a lot of opiates. But if one were to taper both down id say opiates would be more painful in the final jump.

This is just my 2c. (everyone's physiology is different, I have a friend who loves benzos and hardly touches opiates...I'm like wahhht?!)

 

[RobotRipping]

benzo withdrawal: shaking, restlessness, anxiety, panic attacks, extremely sore muscles, nightmares, insomnia, depersonalization, derealization, hallucinations, hypersensitivity to light and sound, nausea, diarrhea and a bunch of other weird symptoms like the feeling your skin is crawling.

opiate withdrawal doesn't make me feel insane, i do get anxiety, insomnia and depression though along with muscle twitching, bad stomach pain, non stop nausea/diarrhea, restless legs. Opiate withdrawal is generally much shorter than benzo withdrawal so i am better able to tolerate it.

I'm missing a bunch of symptoms from each but there are too many to list. i think the length of benzo withdrawal along with very strange symptoms make it worse. If you compare withdrawal to the high you get then opiates are a much better trade off.

 

[TheLostBoys]

I dont know why ppl are scared of benzos for treatment of anxiety. like i said they're hard to get off if u get addicted to em but they're also hard to get addicted too. im sure i'll get a few disagreements from my post... anyways... thats imho

I actually agree with this statement........

 

[flyonth3wall]

Both WDs include no sleep (but i usually use one in place of the other to get to sleep in this case), bezno withdrawal causes a bit more psychological symptoms but opiates cause A LOT more physical problems (such as hot/cold flashes, skin crawling, RLS, wanting to literally get out of your body to the point of nearly committing self harm...ect)plus I find the psychological draw is a lot stronger for opiates than benzos.

However keep in mind everyone is different, and a high level of benzos is A LOT more dangerous to go cold turkey on than a lot of opiates. But if one were to taper both down id say opiates would be more painful in the final jump.

+1 to this ^^

For opiate withdrawal, add in the fact that you WILL NOT eat for days, and basically keeping anything down besides minimal fluids is nigh on impossible. Endless horrible Restless Leg Syndrome ( RLS ), which gets sooo bad that you want to chop your legs off. You lay there in your bed rocking side to side because you just cannot lay still due to involuntary movements of your body. Every time you get out of bed you're straight to the toilet to throw up for the 100th time. Not just normal vomiting - Projectile vomiting, it hurts like hell and eventually you're just lying there dry-wretching. If you're not on the floor/in bed, then you're on the toilet. Constant hot/cold shivers, skin crawling that bad you wanna tear it off. Pretty soon you're laying there actually praying for death, cos dying would be better than going through that, for days on end...

My experiences relate to Oxycodone at a dose of around 400mg a day for 2 years, and for the 3rd year between 100-200mcg/hr Fentanyl patches combined with the Oxycodone at the same doses as before. My medication had run out early several times, usually with 2 days before I can pick up my next prescription, so I end up withdrawing for 48hrs or so. Its happened about 10 times in total in 3 years. Each time it happens it seems to feel worse :S Anyway as of the last 2 months I'm clean from oxycodone, quit it C/T and am just on a 100mcg/hr Fentanyl Patch. That was a hard withdrawal, even with the help of the patch. It was hell.

Anyway that's my experience on opiate withdrawal. I've not got any experience on benzo withdrawal. I took low doses of Temazepam and Valium every day for 3 years but never took anymore than what was prescribed, and quit them over 2 weeks with absolutely no symptoms of withdrawal, so don't have much to add in that department I'm glad to say.

 

[benzofan]

It really depends of the strenght of the opiates.

For benzo : we can say that all benzo are almost on the same level, the process to quit is always the same (you always need tu use Diazepam (at first a mix with your benzo, then pure diazepam due to its long life time, please read this :

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha02.htm

For opiates it is completely different if you are addicted to weak opiates : Tramadol, Codeine, DHC reduce the dose every 2/3 days (just a little) it is not too hard ! good luck

If you are under strong opiates at an high dosage : heroïn, bup, oxy,... you are in hell 8( and you absolutely need a doctor ; it is the stronger thing (with alcohol) to quit these strong products, take care and good luck my friend.

 

[likeakite]

Benzo withdrawl is Scary. Opiate withdrawl Sucks. It seems like Im withdrawling from opaites all the time an have gottin use to it. I whithdrawld from a Xanax addiction and it was Very Scary.

 

[Miss. FutureExWife]

Benzos , depending on what one ( Xanax ,klonopin etc) dosage and length of time on them plus whether you are gradually tapering vs cold turkey really play a factor here ! I was averaging around 2-4 mg a day of Xanax . Could go higher or lower but pretty consistent around those dosages for about 5 years . Never scripted by actual dr ( except once in the ER) anyway my last withdrawl was in July of this year. Long story short , went from 4 mg a day to 0 in a matter of 3 days. Realizing I was going to run out I spaced the last of the pills I had hoping I could wean down each day and by day 3 ( when I'd be outta pills ) I'd be ok. ( I truly thought I'd be able to find a new connection for pills or someone would have a few to spare ,hell I'd of taken valiums if anyone had them. But after the day I officially ran out ( and the last 3 days weaning down weren't too fun but I managed a few hours of sleep at least ) . Than came the first night without them . The impending sense of doom set in( any benzo user knows this feeling ). Every sense u have is heightened. That tick tock of a wristwatch 2 rooms away is clear as day, faucet dripping in the house across the street , I hear it . Drop a pin and I'll react like it's a gun shot . Lay down In bed , maybe for a few minutes but sleep facing the door and put a fan on to block out the whispers u hear ..,or do u hear them? Any sleep deprived person experiences a lot of these symptoms. People look strange , distorted kinda . TV is tough to watch, no one looks " right " . Usually a random song or a persons voice will keep replaying in your head. After a few days of no sleeping , no rest even, u truly start to wonder if u are in fact crazy . And u also realize , your not even through the worst of it yet., aside from the mental anguish is the physical which is insomnia, hot / cold flashes, restlessness times 30, blood pressure sky rocketing , heart rate way too high, shakes, legs will feel like jello , swallowing becomes harder to do as well if u can manage to get a drink to your lips. After 5 days I found someone with Xanax and by that day I could barely speak . If relief was not found I'd of gone to the er. The blood pressure / heart rate being so crazy was my main concern . Plus there seemed to be no end in sight . That episode still haunts me and I vowed never to let myself get in that hell again. Yes I still take Xanax , tapering down , and I sometimes alternate with klonopin as I eventually want to jump off of Xanax completely. I think benzo withdrawl deserves much more attention than It receives . People think oh u can't sleep, you got anxiety, u feel nervous ... But because there's often no vomiting or severe flu like symptoms people just blow it off. I'm not saying being dope sick is any walk In the park by any means, I just think the mental aspect of benzo wd makes it far worse than opiates. Opiate wd gets gradually better, benzos( just when u think it HAS to start getting better is really when your long journey into hell begins. If u never experienced it, it's tough to really understand the psychosis u go through .

 

[gingerbaker]

I've experienced both and I definitely would prefer to kick a heroin habit than have to deal with month-year long benzo withdrawals. Really, the intensity of the benzo withdrawal is about the same but the sheer amount of symptoms that benzo withdrawal causes is overwhelming and the length of the withdrawal/PAWS is worse than opiates/opioids IME.

 

[Gratuitous Grace]

Benzos , depending on what one ( Xanax ,klonopin etc) dosage and length of time on them plus whether you are gradually tapering vs cold turkey really play a factor here ! I was averaging around 2-4 mg a day of Xanax . Could go higher or lower but pretty consistent around those dosages for about 5 years . Never scripted by actual dr ( except once in the ER) anyway my last withdrawl was in July of this year. Long story short , went from 4 mg a day to 0 in a matter of 3 days. Realizing I was going to run out I spaced the last of the pills I had hoping I could wean down each day and by day 3 ( when I'd be outta pills ) I'd be ok. ( I truly thought I'd be able to find a new connection for pills or someone would have a few to spare ,hell I'd of taken valiums if anyone had them. But after the day I officially ran out ( and the last 3 days weaning down weren't too fun but I managed a few hours of sleep at least ) . Than came the first night without them . The impending sense of doom set in( any benzo user knows this feeling ). Every sense u have is heightened. That tick tock of a wristwatch 2 rooms away is clear as day, faucet dripping in the house across the street , I hear it . Drop a pin and I'll react like it's a gun shot . Lay down In bed , maybe for a few minutes but sleep facing the door and put a fan on to block out the whispers u hear ..,or do u hear them? Any sleep deprived person experiences a lot of these symptoms. People look strange , distorted kinda . TV is tough to watch, no one looks " right " . Usually a random song or a persons voice will keep replaying in your head. After a few days of no sleeping , no rest even, u truly start to wonder if u are in fact crazy . And u also realize , your not even through the worst of it yet., aside from the mental anguish is the physical which is insomnia, hot / cold flashes, restlessness times 30, blood pressure sky rocketing , heart rate way too high, shakes, legs will feel like jello , swallowing becomes harder to do as well if u can manage to get a drink to your lips. After 5 days I found someone with Xanax and by that day I could barely speak . If relief was not found I'd of gone to the er. The blood pressure / heart rate being so crazy was my main concern . Plus there seemed to be no end in sight . That episode still haunts me and I vowed never to let myself get in that hell again. Yes I still take Xanax , tapering down , and I sometimes alternate with klonopin as I eventually want to jump off of Xanax completely. I think benzo withdrawl deserves much more attention than It receives . People think oh u can't sleep, you got anxiety, u feel nervous ... But because there's often no vomiting or severe flu like symptoms people just blow it off. I'm not saying being dope sick is any walk In the park by any means, I just think the mental aspect of benzo wd makes it far worse than opiates. Opiate wd gets gradually better, benzos( just when u think it HAS to start getting better is really when your long journey into hell begins. If u never experienced it, it's tough to really understand the psychosis u go through .

Wow ... yes! ... this ---^

I've been taking Benzos (first Xanax and then Klonopin) for 13 or 14 years. Been tapering (sort of) since Jan. '08 or thereabouts. Down then back up then back down ... steadily down but over such a long period of time. Will it end?

I've read an awful lot of posts on BL about the fun and recreational nature of Benzos. All of those posters should probably read the description above.

 

[Paregoric Mac]

I've been taking 2-2.5mg's of Xanax daily for about the last 4 months. I was worried about becoming dependant so one day I decided not to take any and see what happened. All I felt was, IMO, very mild symptoms that, believe it or not, I actually enjoyed! I felt as tho I was on some sort of amphetamine. I had a lot more energy and was more talkative. I really didn't notice any discomfort. A little background info: I'm also on suboxone which I've been taking the last 2 years. I'm prescribed 16mg's a day, but only take 2mg's a day instead.