Benzos "Benzo Withdrawal"

[HaZeX]

Ive never felt the need or a craving to take Xanax, only reason I started taking Xanax was to potentiate Oxycodone. Let me explain that I was taking 6mgs of Xanax with a 180-200mgs Oxy snorted. But since Im using Opana now I don't dare touch put a Benzo into the mix.

My Benzo use was for around a year of abuse, Ive started a rapid taper of Xanax, Im dropping 1Mg every week. I would have to say its working, right now Im down too 1mg every night and don't have any symptoms of withdrawal nor do I crave it. It seems that reading other threads I'm the weird one out of the bunch. Anyway would it be safe to complete the cycle? I have 3 more nights on a 1Mg dose, then ill drop it down to .5, then I should be safe to just stop completely? Just want to make sure I would be in the clear of the Major problems, like a seizure.

 

[Tripman]

How long have you been daily dosing xanax?

I'd stay at .5 for a few days then do .25 then drop.

 

[HaZeX]

How long have you been daily dosing xanax?

I'd stay at .5 for a few days then do .25 then drop.

I was using Xanax every day for about a year, Is that what you mean?

Ok thanks, ill drop it at .25. I just found it weird that I had no withdrawal from it, not even a craving.

 

[Tripman]

Some people find it easier than others and you weren't on the largest dose.

I withdrew from 30-50mgs a day and had seizures...

 

[Tommyboy]

I agree with Tripman to drop to .25 before stopping. I never had much of a problem with tapering until I got down to very low doses. When I completely stopped is when the withdrawals really began.

Are you still using Opana? Be careful because opiates lower the seizure threshold a bit, so don't take high doses of opiates when lowering your benzo doses and/or stopping.

 

[tricomb]

Does your doctor know your taking xanax with your opiates?

Xanax is probably one of the worst benzo you can take with opiates, up there with Halcion. Be very careful, if you can, don't dose the two medications together. Definitely taper down to 0.25mg/day and remain there for at least a week before jumping off. You're going to have benzo PAWS.

Best not to take any benzodiazepines while on such potent opioids, but if you absolutely must, for legitimate reasons (AKA not potentiaton, but like debilitating anxiety) you should consider switching to Valium or Librium.

 

[ChrisTribeSector9]

I quit high doses of Xanax for probably 6 months straight cold turkey, and it is the last thing I would ever recommend to anyone. Just my $.02. Taper as slowly as you can, or you may end up feeling like complete ass, I know I sure as fuck did.

 

[shLong420]

I never experianced cravings when I had my little benzo w/d.
Just awful teeth discomfort, scalp problems, jittery jaw and a feeling of general ick for several days...also uncontrolable tongue problems where id jam it to the right side of my mouth for some reason which ended up really hurting my teeth over there.
And that was only from less than 1mg a day for just under 10 months...

 

[weekend addiction]

Withdrawing from legit prescribed 3 mg was hell. Been through it a few times for various reasons outside of my control. (no money, pharmacy closed, doctors fucked up script, etc.)... I just gotta say that I would taper .25 every 3 days for the whole process. If your on say 5 mgs it should take you 60 days or so to get down to nothing. Some recommend even longer tapering but I don't think this is necessary. Regardless it seems you've done some good work but I promise you its been hard on your body. Just cause you can do something and not experience much discomfort doesn't mean its in your best interest. Best of luck and godspeed!

 

[HaZeX]

Does your doctor know your taking xanax with your opiates?

Xanax is probably one of the worst benzo you can take with opiates, up there with Halcion. Be very careful, if you can, don't dose the two medications together. Definitely taper down to 0.25mg/day and remain there for at least a week before jumping off. You're going to have benzo PAWS.

Best not to take any benzodiazepines while on such potent opioids, but if you absolutely must, for legitimate reasons (AKA not potentiaton, but like debilitating anxiety) you should consider switching to Valium or Librium.

Yeah my Dr knows.

I honestly don't think I will go through PAWS, but then again ill never know till Im done tapering.

I moved my Xanax dose to taking in the morning. While Right now Im only dosing Opana at night time, but Im dosing Roxy during the day.

Withdrawing from legit prescribed 3 mg was hell. Been through it a few times for various reasons outside of my control. (no money, pharmacy closed, doctors fucked up script, etc.)... I just gotta say that I would taper .25 every 3 days for the whole process. If your on say 5 mgs it should take you 60 days or so to get down to nothing. Some recommend even longer tapering but I don't think this is necessary. Regardless it seems you've done some good work but I promise you its been hard on your body. Just cause you can do something and not experience much discomfort doesn't mean its in your best interest. Best of luck and godspeed!

Im gonna taper it at .25 or a week, seems my weekly tapering it working fine so Im just going to keep it at that.

 

[Jabberwocky]

regarding PAWS, isn't more like you won't know till you're well past your taper (like a month into "sobriety" - I use quote cause I don't know if you'll be using anything else, no judgement on my part for sure)?

The better you taper though, and the healthier you live your life, short of having severe preexisting depression/anxiety disorders, PAWS shouldn't be the end of the world. Farrr from it.

 

[triiper]

I take .25 to .5 sometimes .75 mg of clonazepam a day and been on that for over a year. What kind of w/d should I expect from that? I skip 2-3 days sometimes but it has such a long fuckin half-life i know i'd have to be off it for like a week. But yeah, what about such a low dose?

 

[triiper]

I keep telling my doc I don't need something with such a long half-life and want to be on ativan or something but he flat out refuses. Don't understand the fucking logic. Sometimes I think doctors are just educated about the body well but educated about drugs by the drug companies. Like, they don't know wtf is going other than what pharma reps tell them (which is utter horseshit in my opinion)

 

[Thou]

Benzo Withdrawal

Sucks. Bad. I go through it 4-9 days a month because my dose is too low and I blow my load, so to speak.


Effexor withdrawal is still worse, albeit by a small margin, but still, that's godlessly unreal. It's not even recreational.

The mind reels...

 

[triiper]

Yeah effexor...they tried putting me on that. Fucking bullshit. Didn't do a fucking thing. Effexor is a newer anti-depressant, advertised by pharmacy reps as 'superior', and doctors prescribe it like candy. Retarded.

Anyway, benzos are barely recreational until you reach huge doses and smoke some weed. Then you feel almost drunk, but only in your head, like your totally in control of your body, but your mind is wasted. I fucking love that. But still, on a daily basis, stop taking so many benzos. Seriously. What does it do for you other than make you sleepy anyway. A mild sense of relaxation while you wanna pass out over your desk? Pointless. But I guess that's why it's considered so 'addictive' these days.

 

[HaZeX]

regarding PAWS, isn't more like you won't know till you're well past your taper (like a month into "sobriety" - I use quote cause I don't know if you'll be using anything else, no judgement on my part for sure)?

The better you taper though, and the healthier you live your life, short of having severe preexisting depression/anxiety disorders, PAWS shouldn't be the end of the world. Farrr from it.

Ill be Benzo free, but Ill still be using OxyC and OxyM..

 

[kitsunedemon]

I have high dose binges in the past when it was much more weekend only recreational use, such as maybe once every two weeks. E.G. 110mg of Zolpidem, 6mg Clonazepam, 40mg Valium (that was one crazy night, not even usually that bad) for about 1-2months. These binges included, Zolpidem, Zopiclone, Xanax, Clonazepam, Nitrazepam, Lorazepam, Valium. Then began my more daily relationship with Benzos.

My Benzo's of choice currently are Xanax & Klonopin (Rivotril in UK) which I've been taking 4-5 days a week, if not weekly for about 4 months. Then having 1 week breaks. Every month or two weeks.
This past two months I've been taking Clonazepam daily for anxiety (2mg) due to half-life, then weekends binging on about 4-8mg a day, so my tolerance is super high. Then about 2 weeks ago I've recieved 60 tabs of Xanax .5mg, I'm used to 2mg Bars, but they're harder to find in the UK, so daily for anxiety i take one dose at night of 1-2mg to relieve work related anxiety (i am diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder) but i'm prescribed 200mg of Trazodone (SARI) with anxiolytic/sedative properties (which I haven't been taking), recreationally i've taken max 4mg sublingual with 3-4mgs of Clonazepam.

I occassionally have been dosing Benzo's (1.5mg Xanax & 2mg Clonazepam) with Opi's (160mg-300mg - with slight tolerance) to potentiate the nod, but only baby Opi's like Dihydrocodeine and not frequently.

Due to Gastrointenstinal issues (not caused by benzos, another problem) i'm being referred to a Gastroenterologist and from next week I will begin tapering with Xanax and eventually problem move to low doses of Valium (10mg) and taper from that. Have a break for a few months till my health is sorted, then just stick to binges (if possible) and will have to nip addiction in the bud if it comes about.

In comparison to some prescribed or recreational long term users, my WD's if i even get any should be very manageable.

Any advice guys?

 

[Jabberwocky]

Ill be Benzo free, but Ill still be using OxyC and OxyM..

Well, the opioids will certainly make things much easier.

As to the above kitsune, I think you've got a really good plan there. I am so happy to see when doctors do their job and do it well at that!

Anyway, benzos are barely recreational until you reach huge doses and smoke some weed. Then you feel almost drunk, but only in your head, like your totally in control of your body, but your mind is wasted. I fucking love that. But still, on a daily basis, stop taking so many benzos. Seriously. What does it do for you other than make you sleepy anyway. A mild sense of relaxation while you wanna pass out over your desk? Pointless. But I guess that's why it's considered so 'addictive' these days.

To each one's own, but ime and in terms of MOST people I know, benzos can be hugely recreational, even at lowish doses (for the non-tolerant). For some people, although rare, benzos can mean the different between a terribly low quality of life and actually being able to function and enjoy life like "normal" people. Just because you've had the pleasure of a different relationship with this rather potent class of drugs... well...

Pointless to you, maybe, but just because you see or experience the world one particular way, your way, it doesn't make it so for everyone else (and the same goes for me, etc. etc.).

Can we please just, get along?!

I take .25 to .5 sometimes .75 mg of clonazepam a day and been on that for over a year. What kind of w/d should I expect from that? I skip 2-3 days sometimes but it has such a long fuckin half-life i know i'd have to be off it for like a week. But yeah, what about such a low dose?

Regarding this, you won't necessarily need to plan for much of the worst. It's not gonna be fun, but it probably won't result in the severer side of the symptoms, such as seizure. At worst you'll probably be irritable, depressed and experience rebound anxiety. Still, working with a MD (a good one, as I agree such seem to be few and far between; took me over a year to find a moderately good one) certainly can be crucial to success in tapering and detoxing.

 

[triiper]

Are you fucking kidding me? You're delusional if you think you're WD's will be manageable and if you get any? Believe me YOU will get some and they will be bad. Taking 2mg clonaz daily ALONE will give you WD. Half life of 36 hours. Within 4 days you'll have 5mg in your system constantly. A high prescribed dose would be like 1mg clonaz x 3 per day, and even that's crazy high. You're taking 2mg xanax on top of that. Xanax has much shorter half-life but it's still strong as fuck. A normal dose of either clonaz or alpraz is .5mg. You're taking 2mg together. Wake up man.

 

[triiper]

Yeah, believe me fucker, I know all too well (probably much better than you) the difference between low quality of life and how benzos can improve that. That's why I take .25-.75mg of clonaz daily. Taking any higher you're just trying to get 'recreational' effects. But all it does it make you sleepy. Stop trying to kid yourself.