Benzos So Ive been using more than usual.. question

[nash__]

I have an odd relationship with benzos..

usually (i assume) people who are prescribed them take them everyday, same dose, same time.. or however theyre supposed to

well, im scripted clonazepam.


the deal is, is that I dont know if I'm addicted or not.. Never had any withdrawals before except insomnia.
but my main question is, I take up to 10 mg clonazepam a day and I dont feel anything except a slight relief of euphoria..


Ive been taking benzos for years, on and off.. in February I started again.. but I took a week or two off in feb


think ill experience any WD or am addicted?


even people with tolerances should feel that no? And I usually just get a bottle, and do the bottle in a few days then wait a week or two and grab another bottle of like 20, 2 mg clonazepam..


my main question is- will you get addicted faster taking lower amounts daily but consistently? or taking bigger amounts and taking breaks (week long ones) every couple weeks

 

[nash__]

anyone?

 

[ikarma]

yes you probably will.

When you take clonazepam the some of your gaba receptors go dormant and gaba production slows. You can build a tolerance fast by taking large doses over a few days and suffer no withdrawals. The reason for this is that your gaba receptors haven't gone dormant. The longer the receptors are dormant the longer it takes for them to start reviving and same goes for gaba production.

One way to combat this is to limit your intake. Don't take multiple doses over the day, try to skip days when possible and only take as needed. Another thing to do is to rotate out the benzos (alprazolam, lorazepam, diazepam) your taking since each has a different shape to the molecule and will effect the receptor site differently..... so when you switch the molecules are fitting into receptor areas that haven't quite gone dormant. make any sense?

 

[J.D.]

I've been taking clonazepam for years (15+ years, same doctor), and over the last few years have been taking them in the same manner. I get 90 1mgs per month. I LOVE getting that bottle when it's full, I dump a shitload out into my hand and it looks like Christmas to me. I will take them in as little as a week or as long as two weeks, but I can't recall the last time they lasted more than two weeks. I don't get any withdrawal symptoms (physically, anyway), I just want more, and count the days until I can get my refill.

However, since I picked up this nasty heroin habit, I will put a hold on the clonazepam. First of all, I'm afraid of dying from the combo, and second, I don't need a downer + a downer.

My point is - I don't think you are weird, or alone. Addicted? I don't know. I wonder about that myself. I do know I loves my drugs.

 

[ram21r]

They give me a horrible hangover. Not worth even taking

 

[randomness]

I have an odd relationship with benzos..

usually (i assume) people who are prescribed them take them everyday, same dose, same time.. or however theyre supposed to

well, im scripted clonazepam.


the deal is, is that I dont know if I'm addicted or not.. Never had any withdrawals before except insomnia.
but my main question is, I take up to 10 mg clonazepam a day and I dont feel anything except a slight relief of euphoria..


Ive been taking benzos for years, on and off.. in February I started again.. but I took a week or two off in feb


think ill experience any WD or am addicted?


even people with tolerances should feel that no? And I usually just get a bottle, and do the bottle in a few days then wait a week or two and grab another bottle of like 20, 2 mg clonazepam..


my main question is- will you get addicted faster taking lower amounts daily but consistently? or taking bigger amounts and taking breaks (week long ones) every couple weeks

Benzo addiction is a difficult area to make any generalisations on I think, as people are different and have different tolerance levels and different levels of susceptibility to dependency.

What we know from research data is that shorter acting benzos used daily over longer periods are more likely to lead to dependency and withdrawal problems. That's why doctors generally only recommend these for very short term use (less than 3 weeks) and usually prefer long acting benzos for longer term use.

I think from what I've read, taking breaks from benzos and avoiding daily usage is wise, particularly if you're taking higher doses. If you are using daily, then take a week off out of every 3 or something.

The key to avoiding problems is to taper off benzos gradually if you've been using them for a long period..it can be quite dangerous (even life threatening) to suddenly stop taking them abruptly.

I've taken them off and on for years (and even valium daily for 2 years, allbeit at a low dose of 2-3mg) and never had any problems with dependency or withdrawal. Saying that, I have never been addicted to cigarettes or alcohol either, despite using both heavily I had no problems quitting. So maybe I'm one of those people who is less likely to get dependent on things.