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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

A bunch of Benzo questions (NOT trying to get high)

D

DerekH

Greenlighter
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Messages
7
Hi BLers :)

Due to a voice overuse and neck muscle injury at work my GP has prescribed me Diazepam to help ease muscle tension. They told me that, should I have voice soreness after work (I'm on the phone talking non-stop, currently on reduced 4hr shifts), I should take half of one of the 5mg pills they prescribed. After reading some info on here about the required dosage to get a buzz I decided that half of a 5mg pill probably wasn't going to do much, so I took a whole one instead. After 3hrs I didn't feel any different, so I took another 2 pills. After about 30mins I felt a very, very mild buzz similar to what a few beers might do, and I felt a little bit lethargic - my body felt a little 'heavy' if I went to get up off a chair and when I walked around. This only lasted maybe 30-40mins, after that I felt normal. There was no tiredness either, I didn't go to bed until around midnight as I always do.

This morning I went to give it another go and took 2 pills just before I left for work. I walk for 15min to get to the train station, and then it's a 40min ride to work. By the time I got to the office I was feeling the buzz again, but a little bit stronger and without the lethargy for some reason. Still no tiredness to speak of, but I felt a little...carefree. :) This lasted maybe 2-3hrs, then I was back to normal. I generally skip breakfast so perhaps an empty stomach increased the effects or something? Anyway the thing that matters to me is that my voice did not hurt at all after work when normally it does, so the relaxed muscle part worked.

So here's my problem/s- I only have 50 tablets so if I keep taking 2 a morning I'm going to run out in under a month, whereas take half a pill each day would last 3 months (but achieve nothing). My doctor is actually away for 2wks so I can't ask for any advice, and even if I could ask them to up the dosage and/or prescribe more tablets I don't know if they would due to the addictive nature of the drug. (NOTE: My history with drugs involves a single bong hit in my teens, haven't touched anything since) I don't know if this is relevant but I'm a fairly bulky guy, about 220lbs and 6'1.

Is there some way I can enhance the effects or stretch it out somehow so I'm not burning through 2 pills a day? Perhaps a glass of wine for breakfast or something? I don't drive and my job involves me sitting at a computer all day so I'm not operating heavy machinery or anything dangerous.

Thanks for reading, any help would be much appreciated. :)
 
Thank you for the move, mystery mod!

Bit of an update in case it helps. I took 2 pills again this morning, same effects as yesterday, but I've also noticed that it made me slightly irritable. I know that it can reduce inhibitions but I don't think it is that, more just that I feel like I have a shorter fuse. I have mild OCD and things that normally only slightly irk me are actually making me annoyed now.
 
Hi their DerekH:)

You really need to hold up right there, taking Diazepam everyday has its problems, Diazepam and all Benzodiazepines have quite a high potential to result in dependence and quickly rising tolerance. I would strongly advise against increasing your dosage beyond what your doctor has prescribed, your tolerance will just rise and you will loose the effect and potentially that box of pills will disappear much more quickly than you had ever intended.

Diazepam may not be the most effective muscle relaxant either so your doctor might well try something else if you report that the Diazepam is not working as intended, benzodiazepines are cross tolerant so if you increase your tolerance now you will effect the efficiency of any other Benzo they might switch you to.

Don't start chasing a high with this stuff you can run into serious problems, I've a Benzo habit for sometime now, tolerance rises very fast and you can find yourself taking very large doses very quickly, suddenly stopping after anything more than a few weeks can also lead to seizures and can be very dangerous so you have to taper off over many weeks if you have developed a significant habit.

Best of Luck
 
Ok thanks for your advice. The dose they said literally did nothing so I'll have to speak with the temp doctor that is standing in for them at the moment.
 
I'm confused, you said you were not trying to get high, so why did you up your dosage and take enough to get high? Just because you don't feel a high at lower doses doesn't mean it isn't working and doing what it is supposed to do for you - relax your muscles. Benzos should only be taken as needed, you should not start taking it every day and it's not wise to take more than prescribed. Try it at a lower dose and only on the days that your voice and neck are really bad. If you really think the lower dose is not helping, then tell your doctor and they can decide if you need a higher dose or a different medication.
 
Perhaps I overstated the effects then, it wasn't getting me high (or maybe we have different definitions of "high"). Even when I took double what was prescribed (one 5mg pill instead of half of one) there was NO effect at all - no relief of muscle tension, no change in the timbre of my voice, no relief of pain.

Swimmingdancer said:
Try it at a lower dose and only on the days that your voice and neck are really bad.
Click to expand...
That is every day. I have been off work for nearly 5mths because of this condition, and speech therapy had helped me get voice usage back very slowly over that period, but being back at work for only a few weeks has flared it up again, which is why my doctor prescribed me this. Before someone tells me to quit my job, I can't. If I quit my job or even look for another one my compensation claim is instantly rendered void and I lose out on $25-30k in wages that I'm owed. I am here asking about this stuff because my savings are exhausted and I'm living paycheck to paycheck until my case is sorted (the company I work for are a pack of soulless bastards and they are dragging this out on purpose). I literally cannot afford to not be at work, but I can't work without some sort of treatment keeping my voice together. I hope that puts things in prespective a bit. It's not a situation I would wish anyone to be in. :\
 
That sucks :( I would seriously talk to your doctor and see if s/he can prescribe you something else. It's really not good to take benzos every day for very long as they lose effectiveness and create physical dependence, and it sounds like this med isnt helping very much.
 
No Worries DerekH, I have been in a similar position having to return to a job that played a major part in a mental breakdown as I need to pay the bills to support my family, ideally I would not have returned but sometimes you have little choice in such situations.

I have never really had much in the way of a muscle relaxant effect from Diazepam, I suffer from quite severe muscle tension in my shoulders which can result in very painful torn muscles and isn't helped by the amount of driving I have to do or the constant use of computers. However others do seem to get some relief from the drug.

The effect that your doctor is trying to achieve with the dosage would be far to subtle for you to really notice any kind of obvious effect, Diazepam is often prescribed in 2mg tabs, but an abuser can be taking 200mgs a day, such are the dangers is these type of drugs and the concerns expressed are just because so many people, including me have been caught out by these drugs and ended up much worse off than they were before they started.

I'd hang on in there with your recommended dose as it may well help over time but get a doctors appointment there are numerous other options for muscle relaxants, I'm not sure what problem you have with your voice but I'm assuming your doctor understands the condition. Keep benzos for medical use and use them as prescribed is the message.

For information the link below is a very valuable piece of work that describes the side affects of prolonged use and information on how to withdraw safely from problematic long term use:-

Heather Ashton - Benzo Manual
 
the slippery slide of addiction, it's quik on the way down , very hard to climb back up

you're exhibiting typical addictive, drug abusive behavior.... upping the dose, trying to get a "buzz"

you were rx the diazepam for muscle relaxation, not a buzz.... if diaepam is not helping with the muscle strains switch to carisprodol
 
No, I'm NOT trying to get a buzz, please read my posts! Also I don't claim to be an expert on the matter but I imagine it takes more than 3 days and 30mg total to become addicted to the stuff.

Anyhoo, thanks to all who have provided helpful advice. I'll stick with the recommended dose for the rest of the week and see the temp doctor on the weekend if I can.
 
i'm sorry, i re-read, and allthough youu don't explicitly say you're looking for a buzz, it's unclear what your intentions are because of the way you portrayed enjoying the buzz... just be carefull, maybe its only been 3 days, but once you've got through your supply you'll have to make a choice of continuing and becoming physically dependant (nuance, not necassarilly addicted) or stop the benzos, and if you get a taste for the buzz it will likely lead to addiction

i'm not having a go, just want you te be aware of the risks of "mommy's little helper"

most muscle relaxers are pretty adddictive, diazepam has the advantage of beiing a great anxiolytic and reducing stress... but if you only need a muscle relaxer look into carisprodol and cyclobenzaprine (i dont know how its written, its not compmercialised where i live)
 
Well doesn't look like I'll be able to see the doctor until next week as they're booked out. The only other one near me I don't like, I used to go there and it feels like they just prescribe you some antiobiotics and send you on your way regardless of what ails you. 8)

Anyways I took just one this morning and I don't feel sore, so that's a plus. No other effects to speak of, I just didn't feel sore. Also I don't know if this is relevant but to help with my scratchy/hoarse voice I have to drink constantly while at work, probably about a litre of water every hour. Would this be having any effect on the diazepam? (as in flushing it out of my system faster)

Again I do thank you all for your help, and that you are erring on the side of caution rather than comments like "just eat a handful, you'll be fine". 8o
 
The first time I was introduced to Benzos I tried 5mg, 10mg and 15mg of Diazepam and felt nothing at all, until I tried 20mg. I've dosed this 4-5 times a week for nearly a year and haven't felt any sort of tolerance build up. I've been off it for a few weeks now and no withdrawals at all except my Anxiety has increased a bit. I personally think 10-20mg should be a minimum dose. Try Graprefruit juice prior to dosing, this is meant to increase the effects so maybe try that on the lower doses so you don't run out.

Be careful with this stuff though it is extremely difficult to stop.
 
Dude ^ just because you didn't feel anything does not mean that most people won't either. I have personally taken 7.5mg of Valium before and I am not benzo-naive, and I definitely had appreciable effects. So I think statements about a minimum dose are not warranted.
 
Like everyone said, you really don't wanna start usin benzos if you really can try maybe a muscle relaxer, for example. I'm tryin to taper what started as a "crap, panic attack. Pop a Xanax" to 100-150 mg diazepam a day habit :( You never mean for it to happen but benzos are so dangerous in that they can get you addicted on an rx'd amount after only 7 days. I don't have the link for the study that proved that but Google is your friend. I'm high so sorry I can't do it lol.
Anyway I hope you find something that will help & if it's benzos, I hope you stay ahead of the game :)
 
The grapejuice point is interesting but I'm not sure I could do that. The voice issue seems to get worse if I drink anything with a very strong, tart taste. Last week I had some cranberry juice and it felt like acid going down for some reason, yet I can handle mountain dew, milk, water, etc just fine.
 
phatass said:
i'm sorry, i re-read, and allthough youu don't explicitly say you're looking for a buzz, it's unclear what your intentions are because of the way you portrayed enjoying the buzz... just be carefull, maybe its only been 3 days, but once you've got through your supply you'll have to make a choice of continuing and becoming physically dependant (nuance, not necassarilly addicted) or stop the benzos, and if you get a taste for the buzz it will likely lead to addiction

i'm not having a go, just want you te be aware of the risks of "mommy's little helper"

most muscle relaxers are pretty adddictive, diazepam has the advantage of beiing a great anxiolytic and reducing stress... but if you only need a muscle relaxer look into carisprodol and cyclobenzaprine (i dont know how its written, its not compmercialised where i live)
Click to expand...
Please take all of the advice what phatass has to offer.

It may prove invaluable.
 
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