Taking benzos daily for long term why not?

[ovo1024]

so if one does not respond to SSRI's, CBT, or other forms of treatment and benzos truely do help to live a anxiety/panic ridden life and arent being abused to get high, what is so wrong on being on them long term maybe even for life? i know tolerance and dependency will develop so doses can become rather high like say 8mg klonopin daily (i choose to use that as a reference cuz its my favorite benzo) if thats the only thing that works to live a decent life why is it so bad to stay on them long term? any thoughts and responses would be great! thank you Bluelighters.

 

[nAON]

If you ever run out, or for some reason do not have access to them for a couple of days, you'll go into massive withdrawals that could potentially result in seizures and death.

 

[ovo1024]

If you ever run out, or for some reason do not have access to them for a couple of days, you'll go into massive withdrawals that could potentially result in seizures and death.

Well yeah i understand that, but that can be easily solved by going to the ER and explaining you are in serious benzo withdrawl and they should iv you diazepam or lorazepam. and possibly issue a short term script to help you till yours comes in.

 

[T. Calderone]

Have you been through serious benzo withdrawals yet? It happened to me once and I was so weak I could barely make it to the bathroom between diarrhea and vomiting. It made opiate withdrawals seem tame. If you really want to go down this route, make sure you don't over-use your prescription and good luck finding a doctor to prescribe 8 mg clonazepam.

 

[downerhead]

I totally agree with you OP.I've tried everything and found that nothing but a strong benzo will make my life liveable and free of the terrible anxiety and panic attacks that have plagued me for the better part of my life.Finally found a compassionate psychiatrist(I know,hard to believe right?)who has me stabilized on 8mg of Xanax daily(2mg 4x a day).I've known for a long time that Xanax was the right medication for me but only recently found someone who actually prescribes me enough.After a week or so of letting my body get that steady blood level of the right dose I'm finally stabilized to the point that I feel calmer and more normal than I've been in a long time.I know I will probably need this for the rest of my life and while it's not fun to actually need any medication like that I will happily take it over the alternative of having a constant freak out all the time.I no longer have days where I can't leave the house,curled up in a ball with hot and cold running panic attacks.I actually feel human again and I agree with the title of your thread.Why not daily benzos long term if it gives me my life back?I'm sure lots of people will have snappy comebacks for why not but I don't care,I'm the one that has to live my life this way and deal with this shit every day,not them.If benzos help you the way they help me I say go for what works.No sense in hating life every day.If there are pills to fix the problem I happily take them and thank God that I have this tool and someone willing to provide it.And this is a well respected psychiatrist.A true professional,not a candy man who just pushes pills.I get both proper medication and therapy and am now a much calmer person who can now rebuild and manage my life and myself.Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.If you are in a similar situation I hope you find a medical professional who is willing to help you in the same way.

 

[straightrazor]

It isn't just about increasing doses and tolerance. I am coming off a 15 year benzo habit and I completely planned on being on them for the rest of my life, the problem is they stopped working. I could eat a handful of Klonopin and get no effects at all. For other people they start giving atypical symptoms such as causing anxiety and insomnia rather than treating them.

I used to have the exact same mindset as yourself, I had no problem with being on them the rest of my life. I never considered the fact that the drug may stop working and I would be forced to come off them anyway. You are better off learning how to live with your anxiety while you still have them available as a crutch because you are likely going to have to come off them one day anyway.

Benzo withdrawal is a horrible ordeal, especially after long term high dose usage. A day will eventually come where you have to deal with both your natural anxiety on top of the hyperexcitability of withdrawal.

 

[ovo1024]

Have you been through serious benzo withdrawals yet? It happened to me once and I was so weak I could barely make it to the bathroom between diarrhea and vomiting. It made opiate withdrawals seem tame. If you really want to go down this route, make sure you don't over-use your prescription and good luck finding a doctor to prescribe 8 mg clonazepam.

I never said i am going to get/try to get prescribed 8mg of klonopin. i said after awhile i know tolerance would build up and would need doses such as that.

 

[Rybee]

I said after awhile i know tolerance would build up and would need doses such as that.

So the question begs, as T. Calderone says, who is going to prescribed you that?

Nobody.

 

[straightrazor]

So the question begs, as T. Calderone says, who is going to prescribed you that?

Nobody.

You'd be surprised. My psychiatrist was writing me scipts for valium, klonopin, xanax, and restoril every month at one point, what kind of person needs to take 4 different benzos?! I got shitty looks no matter what pharmacy I went into. Klonopin was what my go to and interestingly enough if you read the insert the maximum dose is listed as 20mg per day

The 20mg figure can be found rxlist @ http://www.rxlist.com/klonopin-drug/indications-dosage.htm as well

 

[bunnyhentman]

I love benzodiazepines, they truly are a magic bullet for major anxiety attacks (or real trauma, or really bad trips). But, like chocolate cake and opiate painkillers, I think they are best left as an occasional solution to extreme situations.

I have first-hand experience seeing the results of long-term, moderate benzo use in my family (dad, aunt, 2 uncles and grandma). After a decades of prescribed use, klonopin/valium started to reverse its effects, and taking it would make them more prone to panic attacks, general anxiety etc. Each of them had trouble but eventually needed to wean themselves off of it. My grandma, who had the longest prescription, died of non-parkinson's dementia and suffered from memory, psychomotor and other deficiencies that were linked by her doctors to the long-term benzo use (neural damage). My aunt also thinks she has long-term mental issues (memory, cognition) from her decades on klonopin.

I also had a great aunt who has been taking Milltown since the 60's (they must keep the factory open just for her). She's in her 90's now and sharp as a knife.

My advice is to Give CBT Another Go (with feeling this time). You can actually learn how to make life easier on yourself.

 

[downerhead]

Wow,those are some "really makes you think "kind of accounts.I'm truly sorry those things happened to yall and your families.I dread that kind of scenario and I sure hope it don't happen to me.Unfortunately,yours aren't the first stories like that I've heard and it really worries me to think that one day I will probably have to find an alternative to what has been such an effective therapy for me.Such is life I guess.Hopefully they come up with something new between now and then.It sucks that any form of effective medicine comes with some kind of baggage.Like pain killers.I can either suffer through chronic pain or take percocet the rest of my life.Sometimes it seems like I should have stuck with heroin.At least I only needed one drug to handle both problems lol.You'd think modern science could come up with a happy medium between suffering and side effects.Oh well,that's how it goes I guess.So,if it's not too personal of a question,have anyone of you who suffer from major,severe panic disorder ever found an alternative to just dealing with it and freaking out all the time once the benzos outlive their effectiveness?

 

[stayZOOTY]

Do you really want to rely on a pill to deal with your anxiety for the rest of your life? What happens if your doctor closes up shop and the new doctor refuses to maintain your massive intake of benzos? What if you move out of town and can't find a doctor that thinks benzo should be used for more than a few weeks? What happens when you run out early and the hospital refuses to write you a refill since "if you were taking them responsibly you wouldn't have ran out early" and tries to stick you on some non-benzo sedative instead? What happens when after a few years of daily use they just stop working no matter how much you increase your dosage and you're just taking them to stay out of withdrawal?

These aren't far-fetched scenarios, it's the reality of being long-term dependent on a physically addicting drug with no backup plan incase the supply dries up.

I personally have dealt with crippling anxiety, and while Xanax was a major factor in overcoming it, in the end learning to deal with the symptoms is the only real solution. I've met plenty of people who said they're never gonna get better but once they took therapy seriously they slowly began making strides and are new people today. You'd really be surprised that most of them had terrible anxiety before, therapy does work if you give it a chance. Pills aren't the answer, they're a patch on a leaky tire. You need to fix the hole to truly fix the problem, not just cover it up.

 

[VitamaN]

Benzo withdrawal ...
I've had swine flu and it was easier to cope with

 

[Stonerhenge]

Don't take benzos all the time. They'll leave you feeling dull for a while.

 

[ynotrhyme]

how have you been recently? im currently withdrawing from tramadol and thinking about using klonopin for a new job i have which i know is going to cause stress because of assholes that work there . thanks

 

[Sobrietysucks]

Some people feel like shit all the time (sober), so the ups and downs of drug use is better than being down all the time. Others can function fine and manage life without drugs.

 

[Ilove2nod]

I may need to be on benzos for the rest of my life and tbh I really don't care! I need them to feel like a normal human being, I have tried many other non-narcotic meds like SSRIs for example, and other OTC natural supplements, etc. and the only thing that helps with the extreme anxiety is benzos, specifically klonopin atm, as that's what I have been taking for years, I also liked valium too, but as long as I don't take too many of them and run out early I have no problem taking them everyday forever... they are a godsend for someone like me.. for years I was so shy and so nervous to do almost anything, and there was nothing that helped me but smoking weed everyday... but that didn't help nearly as much as benzos have.. I would be fucked without them. However, I don't recommend any one take them every day just to get "fucked up" or to self medicate that is stupid. only take them if nothing else works for you, like with me, and if you are responsible enough to take them as directed or shit can go south reallll fast, benzo withdrawls are NO JOKE! I have been thru them before when I stupidly took way more of my klonopin than I was supposed to and no pharmacy would fill them early.. worst feeling I have everfelt x10. Anyone who goes on benzos and has to take them daily, just don't over do it and be safe with them. they aren't some harmless drug like weed for instance.

 

[Man in the Dark]

so if one does not respond to SSRI's, CBT, or other forms of treatment and benzos truely do help to live a anxiety/panic ridden life and arent being abused to get high, what is so wrong on being on them long term maybe even for life? i know tolerance and dependency will develop so doses can become rather high like say 8mg klonopin daily (i choose to use that as a reference cuz its my favorite benzo) if thats the only thing that works to live a decent life why is it so bad to stay on them long term? any thoughts and responses would be great! thank you Bluelighters.

I have been on Benzos for awhile now and I was on and off for years. When I was off my life was a wreck. I have been told by several Dr's that it may be a reality I will be on benzos for life. I take as prescribed and don't abuse.

I take Klonopin as it works best for my anxiety and panic attacks.

 

[aspiringchemist]

This topic is frustrating to me. Of course there are anecdotes and even a percentage of the population that experience these extreme side effects. I work in a large psychiatric hospital and have witnessed the full on assault against the use of benzodiazepines.
I just don't understand. It's not an issue of benzodiazepines, it's an issue of anxiety. Until practitioners offer an alternative Tx that is EQUALLY beneficial, I believe it is inhumane to blanket all people together and a medication away. I mean, for christ sakes, has science not taught us that we are all different physiologically. Yes, some people have bad reactions, some people abuse, some people's lives become 90% better and stay that way. As a provider, fellow person, as well as chronic pain and anxiety patient, how can I sit here and tell the patient what does and doesn't hurt, what they do and do not experience, and what medications work FOR THEM.

I have been on diazepam for years and it has only made things better. Dosage has not increased in at least one year. This is just my experience however.

 

[SideWinder_1]

Might be time to wake up and smell the coffee AC...

If a FEW do the WRONG thing with something, all the REST have to pay. It's the way of the world.

Benzodiazepine for anxiety, opioids for pain, alcohol for [social functions / after work], guns for defense, airplanes to travel on, etc., ETC.

2 weeks from today is 10 years that I've taken Hydrocodone. 4 months ago, I got a new (ROOKIE) doctor at my clinic who decided arbitrarily that I should have no more Hydrocodone (already got a new doc at the same clinic, but that's a different story).

Know what else is ironic? I got hit by a drinker - one of the few who did the WRONG thing with something, FOR which everyone else has to pay somehow.

I can't even buy Mink Oil to treat leather anymore, because a couple 'terrorists' put poison in it! Not only 'wrong', but silly, since consumers don't EAT the stuff!!!

So get used to paying somehow, as a good guy, for what a few bad guys do with something.

This topic is frustrating to me. Of course there are anecdotes and even a percentage of the population that experience these extreme side effects. I work in a large psychiatric hospital and have witnessed the full on assault against the use of benzodiazepines.
I just don't understand. It's not an issue of benzodiazepines, it's an issue of anxiety. Until practitioners offer an alternative Tx that is EQUALLY beneficial, I believe it is inhumane to blanket all people together and a medication away. I mean, for christ sakes, has science not taught us that we are all different physiologically. Yes, some people have bad reactions, some people abuse, some people's lives become 90% better and stay that way. As a provider, fellow person, as well as chronic pain and anxiety patient, how can I sit here and tell the patient what does and doesn't hurt, what they do and do not experience, and what medications work FOR THEM.

I have been on diazepam for years and it has only made things better. Dosage has not increased in at least one year. This is just my experience however.