Misc Benzo Alternatives

[ErgicMergic]

^L-Theanine is great. Its structure reminds me of gabapentin or lyrica, but its potency and ceiling effect is much lower, leading it to be a safer alternative for anxiety without producing heavy dependence. I used to take them in 200mg capsules.

Although each cup only has a small amount, if you drink coffee, this may be a reason to switch to green tea. You get your caffeine fix (~24-50mg in each 8 oz cup) and the L-Theanine as an added bonus. To go even further, L-Theanine and caffeine have wonderful synergy, leading to an even more focused effect while reducing the physical side effects of the stimulant, caffeine.

 

[Mighty-oak]

^L-Theanine is great. Its structure reminds me of gabapentin or lyrica, but its potency and ceiling effect is much lower, leading it to be a safer alternative for anxiety without producing heavy dependence. I used to take them in 200mg capsules.

Although each cup only has a small amount, if you drink coffee, this may be a reason to switch to green tea. You get your caffeine fix (~24-50mg in each 8 oz cup) and the L-Theanine as an added bonus. To go even further, L-Theanine and caffeine have wonderful synergy, leading to an even more focused effect while reducing the physical side effects of the stimulant, caffeine.

Interesting reply, thank you. I have not touched caffeine or alcohol for over 10 years and am currently doing a slow taper off Clonazepam (Klonopin). I dont want anything that will increase anxiety or 'rev' me up thats why I keep clear from all stimulants like coka cola, coffee, tea, fizzy drinks etc.......Is L-Theanine anything like caffeine as dont want anything to act as a stimulant.... Saying stimulant, this may prove interesting for some.... I found Testosterone was way to stimulating, shame as it gives a nice confidence boost but made me feel so edgy and nervy.

 

[bEnZo bUdDyY]

Man when your in bad benzodiazepine withdrawal, none of the above will help! Go to the hospital immediately if you are experiencing any form of benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms. Listen i tried thinking because im a man id be alright haaa..... NOT, I wound up in the hospital with horrible hallucinations, depersalization if it wasnt for my wife i would of woind up in the psych ward, thats where they wanted to put me because i was so delusional. I take xanax 1mg 3times a day and klonopin 1mg 2 times a day.
This is what i came off of, i ran low then out. Tried all the above supplements which helped very very little, plus i was drinking alcohol(another bad idea). I made it to like day 3 or 4 without any benzo and omg that took every ounce of strength and perseverance i had. Every morning i woke up felt horrible and had to run to the bathroom. Omg its horrible. Ive been hospitalized twice for benzo withdrawal, the other time was the docs fault trying to find my right dose. But yeah benzos are bad if possible never get prescribed them, jus every now and then. I still cant make my scripts last all the way. I gotta buy 30 .5 klonopins from my buddy. Idk i have a lot of mental health problems so i probaley will be on some benzo for life. I take other mental health pills and go to CBT counseling. About to get my SSI thank God!

 

[ErgicMergic]

Interesting reply, thank you. I have not touched caffeine or alcohol for over 10 years and am currently doing a slow taper off Clonazepam (Klonopin). I dont want anything that will increase anxiety or 'rev' me up thats why I keep clear from all stimulants like coka cola, coffee, tea, fizzy drinks etc......

This is an extremely important step for cutting out extra anxiety in people's lives. So many people drink coffee daily or take other stimulants while having serious problems with anxiety. I read on some shitty pop-science site that something like 50% of anxiety disorders are misdiagnosed, and are simply people too wired on caffeine. Although I doubt its credibility, it's certainly believable.

L-Theanine in its isolated form taken in capsules has absolutely no "stimulant" effects, although it can increase focus on its own. Not to worry, it tends to be relaxing and is worth a shot.

 

[SKR]

I'm not dependent on them yet... but I will be at some point if I cant find a more permanent solution that can be used daily. That's pretty much where I'm at. I'm trying to avoid having one problem (insomnia) become two problems (insomnia + addiction/dependence) mind tricks, like counting sheep, are useless, just being tired doesn't make much difference and anything that I know that works is either Benzos, which carry risk, or something that has just as much or more risk then Benzos do.

I hate to be a pain in the ass about it, but I know that eventually I will do whatever I need to do to sleep, regardless of the risk or potential harm it may cause. I don't want to reach the point where bad ideas start to sound like good ones. Unless you have experienced going with out sleep more frequently then you are able to sleep, its difficult to understand how much it can effect you

I'm surprised you weren't first given an SSRI like Sertraline (Zoloft). I was prescribed it for severe anxiety/panic attack disorder associated with PTSD and it saved my life. I was certainly going to kill myself. I've used Benzo's as more of a breakthrough medication but I found this only really necessary after a while presumably because my body became a little tolerant to the SSRI.

I find alprazolam to be excellent for quick fix on the spot panic attack killer - it's nowhere near a long term solution. Sertraline I find, is one of those drugs that for me worked perfectly and the only way I can tell it's working is ........... No more massive knot in my guts (Anxiety) and no more panic because the anxiety would cause the panic attacks. I don't actually feel the drug physically like I do 2mg of alprazolam (Which is my benzo tolerance to Xanax).

There are also drugs like Mirtazipine which I've used for sleep cos they knock me the fuck out but some folks take 'em for breakfast which can be done with enough use and tolerance like most drugs.

 

[ErgicMergic]

I find alprazolam to be excellent for quick fix on the spot panic attack killer - it's nowhere near a long term solution.

This.

 

[bEnZo bUdDyY]

Your deff right about the L-Theanine in its isolated form taken in capsules. But i belive you both should also seek CBT counsling along with your medications. Now im not jumping the gun you both might be going but i dont know so please dont get mad at me if you two are already in CBT counsling. Now before i begin You refferenced Mirtazapine, this is a very very good substance for major depression, regular depression, trouble sleeping, restless leg syndrom, even anxiety. but reccommend a 15 mg dose @ night time thats what I have been taking for years and its helped now dont get me wrong that isnt the only med im on. my new current medications (which thankfully I got figured out with both my doctor and pharmacist so i get them all together when im suppose too! my current medications are: Xanax (Alprazolam) 1mg three times daily. Phenobarbital 32.4 twice daily and Ambien 10mg once a night (Zolpidem Tartrate), now ever since i switched from klonopin to Phenobabital it is helping me take less xanax which is a good thing big time because i have a lot of mental health problems and used to have a sky-rocketing xanax tolerance. Back before we got this all fixed i was going through litterly 90 xanax blue 1mg foot balls and have all of them eatin by the time i got my klonopin, which was usually within a week to a week and a half and all my xanax would be gone (This was all due to insurace paying and doctor fuck ups n pharmacist trying to play doctor/God lol OMG im so glad everything is fixed.

I also prescribed 8mg suboxone twice daily which i split with my wife and both niether of us takes that much we take @ tops 4mg each a day thats @ tops like not feelin good, upset stomac, dope shits lol then deff takin 4mgs a day if not more if i choose ...

This along with the fact menal health problems are like an invisible broken leg, this makes things even harder for me to get the correct medications i need... Luckily I do have a great doctor i can talk to and get things worked out, also i have a wonderful counslor who really has been helping me and will continue to keep helping me!

Also having a beautiful blonde bombshell wife reallly helps peace too everyone

 

[SKR]

OP I haven't read anymore of the thread since I posted in it but have you tried clonidine?

I'm serious too, Clonidine kicks my ass when it comes to sleep I shit you not. When I first took my prescribed 150g My boss was shaking me awake cos he heard the bang when I head butted my keyboard and thought he'd come in to see what the deal was cos of the sound my PC was making having jammed down on the keyboard too long lol. I think he thought I'd finally died...Anyway........I've been taking it now for about 4 months or so and I can't help but think so many of us are addicted to sedatives like bentos, me included, and yetis blood pressure medication does a better job with, as far as I can tell, a much lower risk/addiction profile than all the other drugs I'm prescribed.

If I don't lay my ass down to bed or a comfy chair then I'm going to sleep at least for a couple of hours in the position I took the pills in. And I have an underachieve thyroid atm which amongst other things makes me feel the cold like I'm naked in an arctic head wind and I managed to sleep for 4 hours, once again with my face pressed against this very laptop keyboard I'm typing on right now. I woke up freezing to fucking death which I think is what woke me up but I managed to sleep through weather that I can barely step into for a cigarette.

It could be just me but I don't take it at all in the daytime otherwise I won't be able to function - I'm more alert with 30mgs of Valium on board. True, I take a list of meds that may increase cloudiness effects such as Suboxone, Lyrica and Valium but I get the impression it wouldn't matter. I can't help but think this drug should be given out in place of a 'sleeping pill' which will probably be a benzo.

 

[SKR]

Also having a beautiful blonde bombshell wife reallly helps peace too everyone

I suffer from the same condition, but she won't leave so we're at a stalemate lol.

 

[bEnZo bUdDyY]

OP I haven't read anymore of the thread since I posted in it but have you tried clonidine?

I'm serious too, Clonidine kicks my ass when it comes to sleep I shit you not. When I first took my prescribed 150g My boss was shaking me awake cos he heard the bang when I head butted my keyboard and thought he'd come in to see what the deal was cos of the sound my PC was making having jammed down on the keyboard too long lol. I think he thought I'd finally died...Anyway........I've been taking it now for about 4 months or so and I can't help but think so many of us are addicted to sedatives like bentos, me included, and yetis blood pressure medication does a better job with, as far as I can tell, a much lower risk/addiction profile than all the other drugs I'm prescribed.

If I don't lay my ass down to bed or a comfy chair then I'm going to sleep at least for a couple of hours in the position I took the pills in. And I have an underachieve thyroid atm which amongst other things makes me feel the cold like I'm naked in an arctic head wind and I managed to sleep for 4 hours, once again with my face pressed against this very laptop keyboard I'm typing on right now. I woke up freezing to fucking death which I think is what woke me up but I managed to sleep through weather that I can barely step into for a cigarette.

It could be just me but I don't take it at all in the daytime otherwise I won't be able to function - I'm more alert with 30mgs of Valium on board. True, I take a list of meds that may increase cloudiness effects such as Suboxone, Lyrica and Valium but I get the impression it wouldn't matter. I can't help but think this drug should be given out in place of a 'sleeping pill' which will probably be a benzo.

Clonidine is alright im also prescribed this its a blood pressure medication and i only take 0.1 twice daily so idk how it would even be possibly to take 150g i think u ment 150mgs but either two would be an extreme dose and would significantly lower your blood pressure which is not a good thing but i need to here your actual dose because 150gs or even 150mgs would be waayyyy too much so look at your bottle and see what mg dose your taking im interested..

 

[pr0d1gy]

I recommend eszopiclone. I'm skeptical of the literature stating it doesn't cause development of tolerance over time. However, my subjective experience has reflected this. I've taken 3 mg eszopiclone nightly every night for at least 3 years and it has never failed to put me out it 30 minutes.

I'm technically prescribed 1-2 at bed time but only take 2 if I'm in a state of distress. For example, having a panic attack. I'm on clonazepam but sometimes get break through anxiety. On a normal night taking two would be a waste.

 

[dus_aster]

+1 for Gabapentin (personally I've found Pregabalin to have a higher risk of dependence, in myself, and have thus stayed away from it and cannot comment on it's therapeutic use)
Most doctors prescribe it like candy, if one asks for it. This will likely be changing sometime in the future, but for now, it's regarded as being a very low-risk option.

A certain large American supplement company has a 5:1 strength Valerian root powder that I've found useful for nighttime anxiety (specifically that which stems from chronic depression; less so, perhaps, with acute anxiety) and sleeplessness. Not something I would use if I had anything to do that night, as I find it provides sedation that feels more like an anti-histamine than something with alleged GABA agonistic action, but it's still useful, legal, and very inexpensive!
Loses efficacy if used more than three or four times a week, however, ime.

I've found L-Theanine to act as a good preventative, taken throughout the day, in dosages from 100-250mg. Seems to have little use in combating anxiety attacks after they've started, but helpful in mitigating stimulant induced anxiety? Worth trying, it too is dirty cheap and widely available.

A piece of advice: stay the hell away from Phenibut. Someone might suggest it, but, if you're someone who suffers chronic anxiety (even more so if it happens to be comorbid with insomnia or depression), it's a one-way ticket to disproportionately debilitating addiction and withdrawal. I rapid-tapered a 12mg/day Etizolam habit without undo difficulty, and was *totally* unable to cope with the Phenibut w/d (ended up using Gabapentin to get over it, with great success.)

I personally found that SSRIs work very, very well for anxiety (I've been on 40mg/day for six months), but response to them seems to be varied. Mirtazapine is worth trying, as well...noticeable more quickly than SSRIs, fwiw.

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

What do you mean this will likely be sometime changing? So do you think doctors - who have been prescribing neurontin their whole careers, and then who jumped on the lyrica bandwagon when it came out, are going to just abruptly stop?

I doubt itt...

I only reason I see them stopping is when mirogabalin comes out... The gabapeninoids will always be low risk options.

^Phenibut wouldn't be a ticket for addiction or withdrawal if it is not abused and you wean of when you cessate the drug. Just stick to 250 - 500 (no more than 750mg)prn, or 250 - 500mg tid or qid. And then just make sure you taper. You don't need a prescription so it's always available, so withdrawals should never be a probem.

^pr0dg1y, tolerance doesn't occur to benzodiazepine ligands in over 2/3 of people

The only two OTC benzodiazepine receptor agonists that actually exists are magnolia bark extract:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3769637/pdf/fneur-04-00130.pdf

Deals wih pure honnokiol's action with the GABA A's receptor: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3449263/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028390812002894

Baicailin:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014299903014225

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4023459/ (contains othert GABAeric herbals, as well)

This is a really good article - dealing with bacailin and other natural BZD agonists. I recommend you guys read if you are interested in natural benzodiazepine alternatives (that actually work on BZD modullatory GABA A recognition sites:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ids_as_GABAA_receptor_ligands_The_whole_story

 

[belfort]

This is an extremely important step for cutting out extra anxiety in people's lives. So many people drink coffee daily or take other stimulants while having serious problems with anxiety. I read on some shitty pop-science site that something like 50% of anxiety disorders are misdiagnosed, and are simply people too wired on caffeine. Although I doubt its credibility, it's certainly believable.

L-Theanine in its isolated form taken in capsules has absolutely no "stimulant" effects, although it can increase focus on its own. Not to worry, it tends to be relaxing and is worth a shot.

yep, when someone tells e they are tired or anxious all the time i first telll them to eliminate caffeine from their diet...i dd recentl ad it decreased my anxiety by a goood 40-50%!

as for any OTC meds that come close to benzos in tems of anti anxiety, nope..ive tried, kava kava, l theanine, gaba and none comse even close to the powerful anti anxiety effects of benzos..benzos cause nasty memory problems though and are hellish to kick..

im quite skeptical on how much CBT on its own could help truly anxious people..wil it reduce anxiety by 10%, 40%?anywhere close/te people ive talked to that have made the most success use benzos along with CBt but the kicker is, they still have more anxiety than normal folks...some of us are just hard wired to be anxious it seems..im one of them..

 

[Speed King]

Passion Flower is great and it is legal. Skullcap is excellent as mentioned above. Kava Kava, has to be bought powdered, in bulk. The establishments that sell vitamins and minerals, sell weak Kava Kava.If I were you, I would buy at least a pound of Kava Kava and follow the directions, from the various threads and elsewhere. That stuff is very relaxing. I take Valium. Let's put it this way, if Valium is the car, kava kava is the wax. They would work very well together.

 

[keeping]

... and yetis blood pressure medication...

So bigfoot had finally been discovered an nd the first thing we do is nick his pills?

But if it keeps a 8 foot yeti's ticker under control... lol

But srsly, only issue I had with clinicians is what it does to your dick, it's great for wd's obv but I couldn't use it as a maintenance drug

 

[EphemeralOutlet141]

Shout out to the people recommending green tea. I drink it every day for the L-theanine + low caffeine.

I have 125mg GABA supplements that contain other active ingredients that help with anxiety and promote norepinephrine synthesis. For the life of me I can't remember what they are, one of them is another L- substance. Arginine maybe? Something like that.

I also have Power to Sleep melatonin pills that contain: magnesium, passion flower, valerian, GABA, ashwaganda, and I believe L-theanine. I swear it knocks me out almost as good as a small dose benzo.

 

[mike.vick]

I just ordered baicilin, hope it works!

Steer clear of phenibut, worse rebound than anything, worse than 100 whippits

 

[Speed King]

Shout out to the people recommending green tea. I drink it every day for the L-theanine + low caffeine.

I have 125mg GABA supplements that contain other active ingredients that help with anxiety and promote norepinephrine synthesis. For the life of me I can't remember what they are, one of them is another L- substance. Arginine maybe? Something like that.

I also have Power to Sleep melatonin pills that contain: magnesium, passion flower, valerian, GABA, ashwaganda, and I believe L-theanine. I swear it knocks me out almost as good as a small dose benzo.

This stuff sounds very amazing. Are you able to list the names and dosages of the ingredients in the product, or is it a proprietary blend? I am very intrested.

 

[EphemeralOutlet141]

This stuff sounds very amazing. Are you able to list the names and dosages of the ingredients in the product, or is it a proprietary blend? I am very intrested.

They're Power to Sleep PM by Irwin Naturals. The label says:

11mg Calcium
12mg Magnesium
1000mg Flaxseed Oil
150mg Ashwagandha Extract
150mg Hops Extract
150mg Lemon Balm extract
150mg Passionflower extract
100mg GABA
50mg L-Theanine
6mg Melatonin
Black pepper extract
Ginger Extract

They pair EXTREMELY well with weed, it makes the high noticeably different in a positive way. They're 100% natural as well.