Sorry, this is sort of two in one, but it addresses benzo tolerance at it's core.
I've been munching various common benzos by the handful for some years now. I'm also a recovering alcoholic, so eventually I could just take 100+ mg of Valium without so much as a small stagger. Oh, and then a sleep that had me miss flights, work, etc.
For about a year now, my pdoc has prescribed Cipralex for core depression and anxiety, and a tiny 0.5 mg Rivotril (clonazepam) three times daily. Since I always had other, less legit, sources of bottles and bottles of Xanax and various others. Every month when I refilled my Rivotril, I'd swallow 10 .5 mg tabs right outside the pharmacy, because the prescribed .5 mg would do nothing, and I had more all over.
So, after 14 months off the booze, I had a relapse, and having finished all my Rivs two weeks early, the every morning alcohol withdrawals were hell, fixed only by a quick 200 ml vodka at 08h30 in the morning. One morning I downed that in four pulls, in the toilet next to the liquor store. That's 8 metric shots in under 1 minute. It gave me a small rum fit (on a public street, dammit) and I decided to stop.
But, all online advice tells one with a DT (2 'seizures' now) and a detox history to seek immediate medical help. I'm self-employed and can't afford that, but I already had medical help! I got the pharmacy to deliver this month's Rivotril on my 2nd day, took 3 mg, then 2 mg 3 hours later, then 3 mg again 2 hours later, and slept.
Day 3 and 4 I stuck to 2 mg, and this morning when I took 1.5 mg (tapering quickly to 1mg tomorrow) with my vitamins, and lay back in bed, after about 30 mins I felt a sudden wave of relaxation and bliss. If it works, I'll taper right back to .5 mg. If that doesn't work, just another visit to the pdoc. I'll survive the waiting period on a few 'spare' Xanax.
My point being, I had/have a massive tolerance to benzos, but when I really needed then, I was scared of a big, strong seizure, they came to work for me.
I've been munching various common benzos by the handful for some years now. I'm also a recovering alcoholic, so eventually I could just take 100+ mg of Valium without so much as a small stagger. Oh, and then a sleep that had me miss flights, work, etc.
For about a year now, my pdoc has prescribed Cipralex for core depression and anxiety, and a tiny 0.5 mg Rivotril (clonazepam) three times daily. Since I always had other, less legit, sources of bottles and bottles of Xanax and various others. Every month when I refilled my Rivotril, I'd swallow 10 .5 mg tabs right outside the pharmacy, because the prescribed .5 mg would do nothing, and I had more all over.
So, after 14 months off the booze, I had a relapse, and having finished all my Rivs two weeks early, the every morning alcohol withdrawals were hell, fixed only by a quick 200 ml vodka at 08h30 in the morning. One morning I downed that in four pulls, in the toilet next to the liquor store. That's 8 metric shots in under 1 minute. It gave me a small rum fit (on a public street, dammit) and I decided to stop.
But, all online advice tells one with a DT (2 'seizures' now) and a detox history to seek immediate medical help. I'm self-employed and can't afford that, but I already had medical help! I got the pharmacy to deliver this month's Rivotril on my 2nd day, took 3 mg, then 2 mg 3 hours later, then 3 mg again 2 hours later, and slept.
Day 3 and 4 I stuck to 2 mg, and this morning when I took 1.5 mg (tapering quickly to 1mg tomorrow) with my vitamins, and lay back in bed, after about 30 mins I felt a sudden wave of relaxation and bliss. If it works, I'll taper right back to .5 mg. If that doesn't work, just another visit to the pdoc. I'll survive the waiting period on a few 'spare' Xanax.
My point being, I had/have a massive tolerance to benzos, but when I really needed then, I was scared of a big, strong seizure, they came to work for me.
