Benzos So I just realized something horrifying...

[ohyouprettythings]

About a month ago I bought 20 tablets containing 2mg clonazepam each. As far as I can remember I've only been taking them up to 3 times a week from 0,5mg to 2mg per day, but the math doesn't seem to add up so I guess I've been eating them more per day, or more often than I thought I had done. I've now only got 1 and a half tablets left, which makes 3mg in total. I'm going to get withdrawals, right? And this amount I've got left won't be enough for a taper? I've got a job and I CAN'T call in sick for this, and I wouldn't really want to buy more benzos either as they seem to be quite addictive to me.

I know for sure I haven't done them on any Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays since I spend Fridays and Saturdays drinking alcohol and I know clonazepam's half-life is quite long so I always stopped myself from taking a dose on a Thursday. I don't think I got any withdrawal symptoms last weekend, for example, but does it take longer than that to begin?

I'm feeling very terrified right now and would really appreciate any advice on the matter.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

So to sum it up you have taken an average of 1mg clonazepam for 4 weeks with breaks on the weekends to drink?
You will experience rebound anxiety and insomnia and withdrawing will lower your seizure threshold. I would recommend a quick taper, just to be safe and minimize the withdrawal. If you feel symptoms of a seizure, go to the ER asap.

 

[HeadHigh]

Dont get scared, being scared about withdrawals can sometimes be way worse than the withdrawals themselves. Thankfully, you havent been on these very long at all, so your withdrawal will be relatively mild. Most likely just some rebound anxiety. If i were you, i would make the last 3mg last as long as you possibly can. Maybe hold off on using them until your rebound anxiety shows up (if it shows up at all).

You should be fine, but definitely dont buy more. Forgetfulness is one of the side effects of any benzo, so taking more than you thought you had is not uncommon at all.

 

[ohyouprettythings]

So to sum it up you have taken an average of 1mg clonazepam for 4 weeks with breaks on the weekends to drink?
You will experience rebound anxiety and insomnia and withdrawing will lower your seizure threshold. I would recommend a quick taper, just to be safe and minimize the withdrawal. If you feel symptoms of a seizure, go to the ER asap.

For some reason (reason: I'm a dumb fucker who gets addicted to every damn drug I do) I never really considered the fact that I've basically been under the effects of a benzo continuously because of the long half-life, even though I took it into consideration when planning to go drinking. But yeah, I believe I can handle some anxiety since I practice mindfulness, insomnia might suck a bit more but what can ya do, just hoping that I won't get a seizure.

Dont get scared, being scared about withdrawals can sometimes be way worse than the withdrawals themselves. Thankfully, you havent been on these very long at all, so your withdrawal will be relatively mild. Most likely just some rebound anxiety. If i were you, i would make the last 3mg last as long as you possibly can. Maybe hold off on using them until your rebound anxiety shows up (if it shows up at all).

You should be fine, but definitely dont buy more. Forgetfulness is one of the side effects of any benzo, so taking more than you thought you had is not uncommon at all.

Thanks for this post, made me feel a bit calmer. I don't think I'll get myself any of these again, to me benzos are way more addictive than opiates.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

I don't think I'll get myself any of these again, to me benzos are way more addictive than opiates.

Good decision, benzos can really fuck you over without you even realizing it.
Good luck man.

 

[cyrax99]

Thanks for this post, made me feel a bit calmer. I don't think I'll get myself any of these again, to me benzos are way more addictive than opiates.

That's a fact actually. As far as addictive potential, and severity of withdrawal, benzos are in a league of their own. I've never messed with benzos for that very reason, tolerance builds up insanely fast, and addiction to them seems like it would be absolute hell. The worst opiate detox out there will be incredibly uncomfortable, but isn't life threatening; benzo detox from even a moderate habit can be life threatening, with the risk of seizures very legitimate. I've heard of people having post acute withdrawal from benzos for YEARS after they quit a habit, it's some scary shit.

In your case, it doesn't sound like your habit is all that severe. You'll be a little uncomfortable for a bit when you stop, but will probably be back to feeling decent in no time. Best of luck to you!

 

[Keif' Richards]

A month or so of continual use shouldn't present with too much of a problem. You could very well not experience anything at all, but everyone is different and some are more sensitive to drugs than others. You're realistically looking at some minor discomfort, aniety, restlessness and insomnia, but I wouldn't expect it to be anything that would severely hinder your ability to work.

How often do you drink alcohol normally? You're probably aware that ethanol and benzodiazepines share significant cross-tolerance, so if you are hypothetically drinking frequently, then perhaps you might have just raised your tolerance to sedative/hypnotics in general. A little more information in this regard would help.

If it is at all possible, I'd recommend getting a hold of more Benzodiazepines so you can do a quick taper as opposed to going Cold Turkey. I wouldn't be worried about severe unpleasantness, but you may feel "off". Clonidine can be of great use for both Benzo/Alcohol and Opioid withdrawal as well and it shouldn't be hard to get a hold of if you don't mind explaining your situation to a prescriber. It helps control the perspiration, hot/cold feelings and overall jitters. It can also help you get some sleep at night without effecting your Benzodiazepine withdrawal.

I don't feel that any of this will be necessary, but in case your situation gets bad, you always have going to the hospital in your back pocket. They have to treat you, with or without insurance. Try not to let the anxiety of impending withdrawal get to you psychologically, so much of the process and how negatively people experience it is mediated by how afraid they are. Good luck.

 

[ohyouprettythings]

A month or so of continual use shouldn't present with too much of a problem. You could very well not experience anything at all, but everyone is different and some are more sensitive to drugs than others. You're realistically looking at some minor discomfort, aniety, restlessness and insomnia, but I wouldn't expect it to be anything that would severely hinder your ability to work.

How often do you drink alcohol normally? You're probably aware that ethanol and benzodiazepines share significant cross-tolerance, so if you are hypothetically drinking frequently, then perhaps you might have just raised your tolerance to sedative/hypnotics in general. A little more information in this regard would help.

If it is at all possible, I'd recommend getting a hold of more Benzodiazepines so you can do a quick taper as opposed to going Cold Turkey. I wouldn't be worried about severe unpleasantness, but you may feel "off". Clonidine can be of great use for both Benzo/Alcohol and Opioid withdrawal as well and it shouldn't be hard to get a hold of if you don't mind explaining your situation to a prescriber. It helps control the perspiration, hot/cold feelings and overall jitters. It can also help you get some sleep at night without effecting your Benzodiazepine withdrawal.

I don't feel that any of this will be necessary, but in case your situation gets bad, you always have going to the hospital in your back pocket. They have to treat you, with or without insurance. Try not to let the anxiety of impending withdrawal get to you psychologically, so much of the process and how negatively people experience it is mediated by how afraid they are. Good luck.

I drink like 10-12 portions every Friday and every Saturday. I have noticed that after starting the benzos I've been able to drink a lot more than before, so they surely have raised my tolerance to ethanol.

I live in Finland so health care is cheap/free depending on what needs to be done, but it has the downside that I've previously had to wait over 6 hours in a hospital before a doctor had time to see me. The doctors here are (understandably) very careful about prescribing benzos and any other possibly abusable drugs and I'm not sure if they would prescribe even a taper for an abuser, but I think I'll try to ask for clonidine if I start feeling too ill to work.

I understand drinking makes the withdrawals last longer, since ethanol is effectively a short-acting benzo in liquid form and caffeine causes anxiety so it should be avoided too, but I don't think I can handle getting off three substances simultaneously so I guess I'll just wait and see what happens. I also smoke cigarettes, which, I understand, make benzos less powerful so maybe the withdrawals will be less prevalent because I was constantly smoking while doing them? This could be wishful thinking, of course.

Kinda stressed out about this whole thing and I think I wrote this message mainly because I wanted to talk to somebody without being judged about my bad choices in life, so thanks to everybody who posted in this thread.

 

[Znegative]

I doubt you will experience any withdrawals at all, or if you do they will be so mild you'd probably attribute them to so,etching else had you been unaware of the addictive potential for benzodiazepines. That being said clonazepam is a scary drug to fuck with because you won't know if you even are physically addicted until you haven't taken them for about 72 hours, that's when it hits, and IME the withdrawals come on very quickly and severely. I agree about the clonedine but disagree about getting more benzos, get some gabapentin and that should be enough, put down the clonazepam asap if you want to avoid a true problem.

 

[ohyouprettythings]

I doubt you will experience any withdrawals at all, or if you do they will be so mild you'd probably attribute them to so,etching else had you been unaware of the addictive potential for benzodiazepines. That being said clonazepam is a scary drug to fuck with because you won't know if you even are physically addicted until you haven't taken them for about 72 hours, that's when it hits, and IME the withdrawals come on very quickly and severely. I agree about the clonedine but disagree about getting more benzos, get some gabapentin and that should be enough, put down the clonazepam asap if you want to avoid a true problem.

I'm not sure if gabapentin is even prescribed in my country, I've only heard people talk about it on international forums. But yeah, these damned pills took me by surprise as I only bought them to help me deal with the occasional panic attack and then I found myself taking half a pill every time I experienced even minor anxiety. And I always thought I was a careful and smart drug user who wouldn't get a serious addiction, even though my addictions to caffeine and nicotine (and perhaps to alcohol, too) should have served as warning signs, but I guess that's what everyone thinks before the first withdrawals hit them.

 

[Znegative]

Yeah don't get down on yourself though man, it sounds like you caught this one in time which does make you a smart drug user . I'll knowingly go on a benzo binge and take way too much for way too long and then be crying to my buddies when all of a sudden I'm shaking and got a benzo habit again lol.

 

[Cdkman]

The withdrawals from that amount of use will only be as bad as u think they will be..everyday for a month u would def have rebound anxiety but with breaks u will be fine

 

[complexdc]

The withdrawals from that amount of use will only be as bad as u think they will be..everyday for a month u would def have rebound anxiety but with breaks u will be fine

+1
TS: use 0,5 for 4 days and then 0,25 for 2 days and you're good to go, promise!
First time you ever been on benzos for a 'longer' time? Then yer bound to be blessed by the magic honeymoon-period that happens the first time/times one begins using.

 

[Tryptamite]

I live in Finland so health care is cheap/free depending on what needs to be done, but it has the downside that I've previously had to wait over 6 hours in a hospital before a doctor had time to see me. The doctors here are (understandably) very careful about prescribing benzos and any other possibly abusable drugs and I'm not sure if they would prescribe even a taper for an abuser, but I think I'll try to ask for clonidine if I start feeling too ill to work.

A 12 hr wait in free health care A&E is expecated in Ireland!!!

I doubt you will have any withdrawals if yo have never been addicted to them before. Gabapentin may not be prescribed but Lyrica probably is. Not sure about clonidine but when i was in patient rehab UK i got britlofex (lofexidine) which is similar. I think the US is the place you'll get it easily, because in Ireland and the UK i think they like to take blood pressure before you take tablets afftecting bloood pressure.