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Benzos Question regarding how fast benzo tolerance increases

Syd_Barret

Syd_Barret

Bluelighter
Joined
Sep 13, 2001
Messages
794
Ok, here is my deal. I'll take a bar without having any tolerance to speak off, hadn't used any benzos or even booze for a good month or so.
I take one bar, and I'm pretty damn high, the next time take 1, I'm only mildly buzzed.

If I did this with hydrocodone, I'd still be fairly high if I did the same dose the next night.



I'm not really suere where I'm going with this, it just seems like benzo tolerance seems to build ULTRA fast for me.. and I don't even use benzos that often at all.

Does anyone else experience this
?

Like I just took 2 bars and 2 somas about 1.5 hours ago, and I'm .. I'm just barely buzzed.. I feel a little relaxed, I don't even ahve the munchies, which is indicative of me being high on benzos.

I feel like I'd have to take 3 bars tomorrow just to get to the same point again...
and thats just ridiculous considereing I don't abuse benzos at all.
and I haven't been drinking much at all lately... like once a week.
 
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Syd

Benzos build up tolerance based on a few factors. You are one of them (everyone experiences drugs differently), how much you take, how often, and what benzo it is all are factors.

If I take 0.5mg alprazolam one night, I would need to take 1mg the next night to feel similar effects.

If I shoot 2mg midazolam IV, I would need to shoot another 3.75mg to get the same effects.

Other benzos don't build tolerances as quick, some of these for example are temazepam, flurazepam, or diazepam.

Which benzos build a quicker tolerance vs a slower tolerance may vary per individual. I've heard a lot of people say phenazepam doesn't build a tolerance quickly at all compared to lorazepam, but others say phenazepam tolerance increases very quickly. So which benzo may be good to use a few nights in a row without increasing the dose for one person, maybe different from another.

I think a lot of people find Xanax builds the most benzo tolerance overall. My advice to you is then to space out your Xanax use by 2 or 3 days minimum so you don't have to increase your dosage.

Syd_Barret said:
I feel like I'd have to take 3 bars tomorrow just to get to the same point again...
and thats just ridiculous considereing I don't abuse benzos at all.
and I haven't been drinking much at all lately... like once a week.
Click to expand...

That's not ridiculous, that's typical.

Try the better benzodiazepines, like temazepam, midazolam, loprazolam, triazolam, or flurazepam. I personally like all of these better than Xanax.

I like Xanax more than lorazepam, diazepam, and definitely a lot more than clonazepam (I can't take clonazepam, I get a paradoxical reaction from it).

It's important to also point out that all benzos will eventually build tolerance upon using them regularly. Even if you aren't dependent/addicted, even if you don't take them frequently, if you take a benzo every day for weeks, benzo tolerance is nearly inevitable.

While not everyone will experience benzodiazepine tolerance from dosing daily (so that a short lasting benzo is taken multiple times per day, or a very long acting benzo once per day, and intermediary benzos roughly twice per day), it is a good chance you can expect to experience it yourself, even from just two recreational experiences of Xanax, if they are two consecutive days, even with 24 hours apart.
 
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From my experience, it depends on what kind of benzo you are prescribed. For me temazepam and valium took longer for me to get to a tolerance, compared to my halcion im prescribed. Shorter acting benzos seems to build a tolerance for me alot quicker, due to short effects and mini withdrawls between doses. EVeryone is different though and it could totally be backwards for someone else, plus the factors CH said, but for me the quicker acting the benzo is(and of course your dosing amount) the quicker the tolerance comes.
 
I have the same question, I'm in the midst of a brutal panic attack and I've been getting them on top of migraines (We think at least. The panic attacks were spurred by not knowing what was happening as these "migraines" are without any head pain which I now know is a type of migraine) This was 4 days ago I've been in and out of hospitals getting tests done the first night they gave me IV Serex to calm me down and it knocked me out (Had been up 38 hours, no drugs involved other than two puffs of hash, as everytime I tried to sleep I would get hit with a "migraine" episode and thought it was Simple Partial seizure due to a previous Tramadol OD and the effects I've felt since) and they sent me home. The next day things were worse so I went to a better hospital, they drew blood, set up a neurologist appt the next day and gave me 30mg Serex orally, which also put me out very well (I have been a fairly frequent user of downers but had virtually no benzo experience before this.) The next day started off better until about 6pm at the hospital when the episodes started again. I saw the neuro team and they set up a CT scan (came back negative) and gave me gravol for nausea which made everything, aside from the vomiting and nausea, 10x worse. They ended up giving me 1mg Ativan and sent me home, with an impending EEG (brain scan) to come this week. They gave me 15 Ativan to tide me over, which gave me bad effects, so I called my GP and asked for something weaker, and he gave me 0.25mg of xanax and said take half of one as needed. Next panic attack, took a half. Waited. Nothing, panicking got worse. Took another half, nothing. Another half, nothing. At this point previous doses were wearing off but the next half on top of half an Ativan put me out, but was definitely nothing extreme I went to bed still slightly panicked and woke up the same way. Today, I took 1 Ativan and waited and it did not catch the attack so I took another half and that did it. Now, currently, I'm having the worst panic attack I've had in a couple days and I took 2 xanax off the bat. Waited 30 mins and felt some effects but absolutely nothing that would ease the anxiety, so I took another half. Still nothing. Now, 10 minutes ago, I just took another half broken in two sublingually and just as I'm writing this I'm finally calming down and getting relief which feels so good and relieving but my question is: Why does my tolerance skyrocket so quickly? I read benzo tolreance is supposed to take 3 months to increase. How is that possible? I feel as though my tolerance has shot through the roof already and it did the exact same with opiates when I was on OxyContin and Tramadol for chronic pain last year. I ended up on 200mg of OC a day and 2 400mg TR Tramadol within a year and I really and truly was not abusing them, although I've heard opiods tend to not work well with people who have chronic pain but thats besides the point. I'm starting to think these "tolerance guidelines" in medical journals are full of shit and it has everything to do with the person and little to do with the medication (depending on which) and I'm tired of being viewed as a drug seeker when I'm really not. If I wanted fcking drugs I'd go buy them from a multitude of friends who sell everything you can imagine but I dont.


I'm really sorry for the rambling style of writing, I'm trying to hold it together. I'm usually an extremely good writer but I'm very new to panic attacks and I just want some answers. I really hope someone can clear this up for me because I don't understand how my tolerances always do this to any meds tolerance applies to.

Xanax is now fully kicked and working enough at .75 and I'm calmed down so no rush for answers I just need to know here because I dont know how long the anxiety will last or how long I'll be on these pills. Right now they're limited. I'm seeing my GP tuesday and I have 13 Ativan (Which as far as he knows I'm not taking, and I pretty much havent aside from the 2, because of the effects and I'd really like to avoid them but I'm worried I'll need them as the Xanax either run out or lose effectiveness or both) and 4 Xanax left (Which arent doing anything as of now unless I take 3 and thats today; Who knows my tolerance tomorrow) So I really don't know what to do. I'm so new to anxiety at this extent and its killing me.

Hope somebody can give me some advice, sorry if it seems like I'm stealing the thread but I googled benzodiazepine tolerance and this came up and it felt like an appropriate thread to post it in. Brand new here too so sorry if I fucked up somehow I know certain forums have certain rules but I'd assume a bunch of people in these situations would be rather forgiving.


Peace and thanks in advance

Flic'
 
I'm going to add my 2 cents from my years of benzo use...

The rate of tolerance increase IMO will build much, much faster if you use the drug above theraputic, or near theraputic doses. The drug acts really differently at the reasonably sedating theraputic doses compared to the much more sedating/ impairing doses you are describing.

Remember the saying, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The huge doses require your body to recover more to return to a state of normal, and hence tolerance builds faster. Theraputic doses, or at least doses reasonably close to theraputic levels, do not induce as much change and hence less adaption is needed and tolerance builds slower. (It seems)
 
My experiences with benzos is that in general...the tolerance builds up quicker than a motherfucker.....Everytihng you described matches up with my experiences. Im prescribed 1.5 mg's of klonopin a day...after about 2 days...it didnt do ANYTHING. Doctors know this and for the most part, have little sympathy. My doc, for exampe, will not increase my dose.....ever.
Fuckin phd totin bastard.
 
i have never experienced these problems. i have been taking benzos everycouple of weeks for a year or so now and have always stayed at 2-3mgs for a nice recreational dose. lately ive cut back to only 2mg's because i like to have a few drinks when i take benzos. i always stick to the same amount and dont increase so i really dont see any increase in tolerance. i can take benzos three days in a row and still get the same effect, though the comedown might be a little more harsh.
 
lostsoul.On.E said:
i have never experienced these problems. i have been taking benzos everycouple of weeks for a year or so now and have always stayed at 2-3mgs for a nice recreational dose. lately ive cut back to only 2mg's because i like to have a few drinks when i take benzos. i always stick to the same amount and dont increase so i really dont see any increase in tolerance. i can take benzos three days in a row and still get the same effect, though the comedown might be a little more harsh.
Click to expand...

Your only taking them every couple of weeks....that hardly compares to an evcery day regimen prescribed by a doctor.....obviously the tolerance will develope much slower if your only dosing every 14 days rather than EVERY day.

Even if every once in a while you dose 3 days in a row
 
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