"Xanax - More Addictive Than Heroin" short documentary

['medicine cabinet']

I'm wishing I just kicked heroin ten years ago instead of going on. Bupe then mmt. I'm also addicted to benzos and the wd is by far worse than heroin. It sounds crazy but I'd rather be back shooting dope than being on meth and xanax.

I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

 

[ro4eva]

I'm wishing I just kicked heroin ten years ago instead of going on. Bupe then mmt. I'm also addicted to benzos and the wd is by far worse than heroin. It sounds crazy but I'd rather be back shooting dope than being on meth and xanax.

I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

I know it doesn't help the situation, but I'm sincerely sorry to hear that. Must feel like an unbearable roller coaster of emotions.

 

[TheTwighlight]

I don't feel like writing a long response here, but out of all the drugs I've done (which is basically everything), alprazolam is the most addictive.

My Xanax/Klonopin addiction was the worst thing I've ever been through in my life. I can't explain it all here right now. That was an 11-year battle for me. I could always quit everything else, but not benzos. Now I've been off them since November '13, and I have all kinds of messed up long-term side effects appearing even now.

But I guess everybody is different, right?

 

[ro4eva]

I don't feel like writing a long response here, but out of all the drugs I've done (which is basically everything), alprazolam is the most addictive.

My Xanax/Klonopin addiction was the worst thing I've ever been through in my life. I can't explain it all here right now. That was an 11-year battle for me. I could always quit everything else, but not benzos. Now I've been off them since November '13, and I have all kinds of messed up long-term side effects appearing even now.

But I guess everybody is different, right?

Would you believe me if I told you that, due to my tendency to deliberately skip a dose (or completely forget about it), I have amassed so many extra Xanax pills that I don't know what to do with 'em?

I was first Rx'd the stuff back in 2006 for Panic Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, and off label to help with side effects from an SSRI (Zoloft) which I was simultaneously placed on. 0.25mg TID; then I went up to 0.5mg TID and have not dared to go any higher. In fact, now I've managed to go down to 0.5mg OD (morning) + 0.25mg BID (afternoon + evening).

On the other hand, I'm terrible when it comes to opioids. I have a tendency to escalate my dose a lot admittedly. And for that reason, I might be dead if it wasn't (at least in part) due to help from fellow Bluelighters such as yourself

So yeah - I think that genetic makeup plays a bigger role than we might think. Why else would we apparently be polar opposites, so to speak?

I don't mean that in a derogatory manner. On the contrary, I can definitely empathize with your situation as it relates to benzos because I too have been forced on a number of occasions to go cold turkey, and let's just say that it was beyond awful to deal with, and that I was useless for a couple of weeks (couldn't function worth shit).

Edit:

Perhaps this shall help you (or not): The last time I had to go cold turkey off of Xanax (Alprazolam), I happened to have a bottle of Lyrica (Pregabalin) as well as Inderal (Propranolol) at my disposal (oh, and some 'Baby Aspirin'). And I must say that, by themselves, high doses of either Lyrica or Inderal helped a lot to dull the withdrawal symptoms. When taken together however, I was only left with some mild insomnia, but amazingly no anxiety and/or panic attacks.

P.S: I was taking the 'Baby Aspirin' in order to thin my blood (obviously, LOL) because I'm paranoid about getting a heart attack ever since I experienced my very first panic attack (which I thought was a heart attack - either way, it was extremely unpleasant and I'll likely never forget the day that it happened as a consequence). Whether or not it dulled withdrawal symptoms, I don't know, sorry.

P.P.S: Even Valerian, Chamomile, Kava, Melatonin, Magnesium and such may help dull the withdrawal symptoms (in case you haven't tried any of 'em). But are they contraindicated for some reason when withdrawing from Xanax? That I don't know.

Either way, for what it's worth, good luck man

 

[mazda01]

I was heavily addicted to xanax. despite negative consequences i continued wasting money buying them on the streets, blacking out, crashing multiple cars. OD'ing when combined with opiates. Just because one does not display addictive behavior with benzo's does NOT mean they are not addictive.

 

[neversickanymore]

Were you addicted to opiates during that time?

 

[mazda01]

Were you addicted to opiates during that time?

for some of the time yes and for much more of the time no. i don't understand why even after posting the clinical definition of addiction you're so ignorant to the fact that benzo's are addictive. next thing you'll say is that food isn't addictive since you've never been addicted to it. lol

 

[manboychef]

It honestly depends on the person if they will become psychologically addictive. I have my girlfriend hold on to mine. She knows when I need one, as far as knowing my limitations from anxiety. I do not understand th person that willfully takes these drugs to the point of physical/mental addiction. They really hold no high, other than relief for many of my anxiety problems.

 

[mazda01]

It honestly depends on the person if they will become psychologically addictive. I have my girlfriend hold on to mine. She knows when I need one, as far as knowing my limitations from anxiety. I do not understand th person that willfully takes these drugs to the point of physical/mental addiction. They really hold no high, other than relief for many of my anxiety problems.

i can speak for myself, despite no actual euphoria occurs (for me) when taking benzo's they provided me a way to completely forget/ignore issues that i was dealing with in life at that point. it's not really a solution but a temporary bendade. i would much rather not feel anything (or even black out) than think about or deal with my issues. it really only made issues worse as I was wasting a ton of money on them, crashed my car and just made new/more issues. but that's why addiction is said to be powerful, cunning, and baffling.

 

[neversickanymore]

for some of the time yes and for much more of the time no. i don't understand why even after posting the clinical definition of addiction you're so ignorant to the fact that benzo's are addictive. next thing you'll say is that food isn't addictive since you've never been addicted to it. lol

If you would have taken the time to read through all my posts in this thread you would not have posted this ignorance. LOL..

 

[S.J.B.]

NSA, I can see why people are getting irritated by your stance here. In your experience, certain drugs have been more addictive than others and it seems like you're taking your experience and assuming that this applies to everyone else. I have never experienced an addiction to any drug but I recognize that it would be presumptuous and inaccurate to therefore claim that no drugs are addictive. I think we can talk about rates of addiction (as with your claim that benzodiazepines are less addictive than cannabis) but even in that case, the arguments will be very subjective as there is no set-in-stone, quantifiable statistic or set of statistics that can make such a comparison obvious, especially considering the differences, such as in social norms and availability, that are outside of the pharmacology of the compounds yet have a major effect on propensity for addiction. Even if such a comparison could be made accurately, inter-individual variably would still be high - there would be many people who could use a "very addictive" drug without any problems yet would become addicted to a "rarely addictive" drug. Claiming that a drug "can't" be addictive or "is not" addictive discounts the experiences of those people who have been through such an addiction, and it is clear from the posters in this thread that, in the case of benzodiazepines, these people are not fictional.

 

[neversickanymore]

^ the reason im shooting back is that some of the people in this thread need to practice reading

After nearly twenty years on xanax or klonopin I have a half full bottle somewhere. I have now been totally off the stuff for almost four years. If I had a half full bottle of coke or heroin I would certanly have had to get rid of the bottle or it would have been an empty bottle. I'm not saying that my experience is what everyone experiences, but I sure have known quite a few people that dropped benzos and never looked back and many people who stopped taking them 24/7 and returned to occasional use.

So I guess why am I getting hit so hard over this?

Here is some more good info on benzos


BENZODIAZEPINES: HOW THEY WORK AND HOW TO WITHDRAW (aka The Ashton Manual)
Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome Wiki

Given I have kicked a large benzo habit three times and have looked into this class for drugs pretty thoroughly I have a pretty good idea about them. Just because someone has lasting symptoms from benzo use/abuse and withdrawals does not mean they were addicted.

Just because the NIDA claims something does not make it even close to a fact. They are constantly adjusting their claims, which is good of course, but some of the stuff they have claimed in the past is nonsense.

^Thats very true, but I was referring to peoples opinions on weather or not they cause addiction. Addiction is a subconscious drive to do something. Hunger is the drive to eat. Thirst is the drive to drink water. hornyness is the sex drive. Drug addiction is the drive to use our docs. etc

I certanly know food can cause addiction as it manipulates the vta and we are already born with a food drive.


So I hold my stance that im still up in the air as to weather benzos cause addiction and I have an open mind, but I feal that some people in this thread have not taken the time to read and reflect before they post pretty shit posts that just kinda vent their emotion and add little to the table of this discussion.

 

[neversickanymore]

We have benzos which people have different opinions about.

What I feel we need to see to try and get to the bottom of this is a study that looks at relapse rates of people who have successfully detoxed benzos.

A bunch of you guys need to take a uni class in critical reading and writing.

 

[Jnk]

for me, an old man, my doc said he recommends just staying on the xanax, at my age trying to quit with my ptsd and so forth would jus be un needed physical and mental brutality to my mind and body. I take 4mg of xanax a day and i stick it under my tongue and LOVE the taste, it is the taste of relief and freedom. I am also on Norco for my back, I can stop and not take that for days at any given point and I dont care and dont think about it, but take away the xanax and I cant get out of bed. I can take Advil for back pain which does not work as well as the norco but it works good enough that I can work, but no xanax = no work, total sickness, flu like sickness total fkn misery. I have a ptsd condition... yea but am I addicted, IMHO, yes, Physically and mentally, I am thinking about my lunch time dose before the morning dose of xanax wears off, if I dont have it, I get physically ill, in my world that = mental and physical addiction. WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY back in the day I used smack, back when it was good, didnt have to question what it was cut with or where it came from, but one day decided I didnt like the legal risks, so I quit by pounding 151 and cold cough syrup, if you told me I had to do the same to quit my xanax id tell you "yur fkn crazy!! " For me, Xanax is twice as addictive as smack. Id take a bottle of bars over a PILE of pure smak any day but thats just me.
Time to melt! Everyone have a fantastic day!

 

[RTrain]

Most certainly not more "addictive". Possibly causes a worse "physical dependence", but a lot of the argument for that is it can cause lethal seizures. Going by this theory, alcohol is more addictive than heroin, which I don't think anyone would argue (aside from the individual opinion of some hardcore alcoholics).

 

[manboychef]

Addiction is fairly unique to the individual, but it does follow certain guidelines as mentioned by NSA. I can understand his stance, and I would just add to it by saying that each person is different and it takes all kinds. I never understand addiction to speed, but I understood addiction to coke. What NSA is pointing out is exactly that. It is up to the individual to decide if something is addictive to them.