Benzos Diazepam induced apathy / depressive mood

[gotroottoday]

I have been on benzodiazepines for over 4.5 years. I ran out of bromazolam last month and I had to go to my doctor to ask for taper (I failed to taper 2.5 years ago because I didn't tolerate diazepam well and relapsed on bromazolam at 20 mg due to unbearable anxiety, but this time I have no option). I started with 3 mg of alprazolam 4 weeks ago, because it was equivalent to the dose of bromazolam I was taking. During first week I was withdrawing from bromazolam so I have experienced insomnia and intradose withdrawals, but it improved later on. I was gradually lowering my alprazolam dose while increasing diazepam, but I didn't manage to do it successfully and as of today I'm taking 2mg of alprazolam and 15mg of diazepam, but from tomorrow I'm supposed to take 50mg of diazepam.

The problem with diazepam (also with diclazepam back in the day) is that it makes me drowsy. I become somewhat depressed and apathetic. This doesn't happen with alprazolam (I didn't take any other rx benzodiazepine), but it didn't happen with etizolam, bromazolam or pyrazolam either. Is this normal? I'm starting to feel hopeless about this taper and I wish I wasn't doing it. I was supposed to contact my doctor this week, but I'm hesitating until the last moment because I don't know if asking for something else than diazepam would be appropriate.

Could you please let me know if you have experienced anything similar and how you dealt with it?

 

[Jnowhere]

Diazepam, aka Valium is probably one of the "easiest" of the benzos to get off ,of.
It has a long half life and is the benzo most used to get off, of benzos

Alprazolam, aka Xanax is different and it is a short acting benzo. With a short halflife.

Valium ( diazepam) is often used to gradually taper people off benzos.

It could take a while if your doctor understands physical addiction to benzos, and how to properly taper a person off.

Yeah, it is more relaxing. But benzos are supposed to be mild tranquilizers usually.
Anxiety, sleep, ect.

Tapering with diazepam is good idea. It is mild and there is the Ashton Method, for tapering off benzos. Valium( diazepam)
Is usually used and it can be successful.

Look up The Ashton Method.

 

[gotroottoday]

Diazepam, aka Valium is probably one of the "easiest" of the benzos to get off ,of.
It has a long half life and is the benzo most used to get off, of benzos

Alprazolam, aka Xanax is different and it is a short acting benzo. With a short halflife.

Valium ( diazepam) is often used to gradually taper people off benzos.

It could take a while if your doctor understands physical addiction to benzos, and how to properly taper a person off.

Yeah, it is more relaxing. But benzos are supposed to be mild tranquilizers usually.
Anxiety, sleep, ect.

Tapering with diazepam is good idea. It is mild and there is the Ashton Method, for tapering off benzos. Valium( diazepam)
Is usually used and it can be successful.

Look up The Ashton Method.

I know about the ashton manual and I'm basing my taper on it. This looks like very generic response. I don't want to quit benzodiazepines. I was fine on bromazolam and I was okay while on alprazolam. I'm getting tapered off against my own will. If you read my post, you will see that I tried to taper off with diazepam in the past, but failed after about 5 months at 20 mg due to the "nature of diazepam". I'm asking whether there is any other choice or am I doomed to just diazepam? It feels like a nightmare while I'm on it.

 

[Helpmeescapethis]

You probably feel so bad because your tolerance is far higher than the dose you’re prescribed. Your GABA system is shot. No benzos are meant to be used long term. The original literature specifies this.

Your only option is to resort back to bromazolam/alprazolam/some other stronger benzo, and accept that you’re prolonging a physical dependence that will essentially always require more and more.

Or you can use this opportunity to quit and actually heal your brain.

Signed,

Someone who was prescribed alprazolam at 14, and continued to use various high doses of gabaergics for over a decade afterwards.

 

[gotroottoday]

You probably feel so bad because your tolerance is far higher than the dose you’re prescribed. Your GABA system is shot. No benzos are meant to be used long term. The original literature specifies this.

Your only option is to resort back to bromazolam/alprazolam/some other stronger benzo, and accept that you’re prolonging a physical dependence that will essentially always require more and more.

Or you can use this opportunity to quit and actually heal your brain.

Signed,

Someone who was prescribed alprazolam at 14, and continued to use various high doses of gabaergics for over a decade afterwards.

Why are you projecting your own problems onto my thread just to post a reply? I was simply asking whether diazepam is the only viable choice for tapering. You are explaining your own situation. It has nothing in common with mine. I was on the same exact dose for more than 3.5 years and never said that I was increasing my dose.

 

[WritingOnTheWall]

Diazepam isn't the only viable choice for tapering but it's the number one choice for reasons already highlighted by Jnowhere.

 

[Helpmeescapethis]

Why are you projecting your own problems onto my thread just to post a reply? I was simply asking whether diazepam is the only viable choice for tapering. You are explaining your own situation. It has nothing in common with mine. I was on the same exact dose for more than 3.5 years and never said that I was increasing my dose.

Look, I’m sorry you feel shitty right now, but that’s not at all what I did. I just SHARED my experience. And I also gave you a perfectly valid reason for your current state.

You switched from using much more potent benzos (for years) to an extremely weak one that has different properties entirely (Valium). This is why you feel bad. Full stop.

There is also no true measure of equipotency for things like bromazolam, either, honestly. I don’t even buy the equivalency charts for most pharmaceutical benzos. As I said, they all have differing properties in terms of effect.

 

[ĐmantuNJofra]

well pregabalin is an option because of its pro hedonistic euphoria almost like mdma but I was cycling through alprazolam, lorazepam and clonazepam diazepam gave me some rash but thing is pregabalin helped me with buprenorphine jump and with fucking awful benzo addiction and withdrawal.

Phenibut is even better but rebound is harsh fe on pregabs withdrawal went through ct couple times or should i call them breaks as i take it still max 450mg a day prescribed 600mg with 72mg methylphenidate which is actually very frickin recreational andnot in any way healthy for people without self control or now am without mph as i do that on purpose take higher dosages make a week work in 24hrs and then I research and read and well llms are good till you need something real then they are like on acid

ketamine and dck or dmxe or 2fdck nmda antagonists I only go 2g a year only one of these if I find it which is good as my kidneys are responsible for excretio9n of pregabalin so putting ketamine in place is like asking for trouble.

pregabalin is a bit forgiving on long term using benzos are not meant to be used and I feel frickin anhedonic on clonazepam like boredoom and am never bored...so lack of motivation as not being able to finish what I started made me wanna quit so I also feel better without pregabalin mentaly though nociception be fucked without I get stab like pain from my own hair on legs, burning sensations idiopathich neuropathy.

I advise to try asking doctors for pregabs say you tried it and it was only thing that made you normal because there are no options other than barbs or rc benzos which are worse as better effects but high affinity than when out you feel like this now so....

be safe let us know

 

[Dextro .45]

I have been on benzodiazepines for over 4.5 years. I ran out of bromazolam last month and I had to go to my doctor to ask for taper (I failed to taper 2.5 years ago because I didn't tolerate diazepam well and relapsed on bromazolam at 20 mg due to unbearable anxiety, but this time I have no option). I started with 3 mg of alprazolam 4 weeks ago, because it was equivalent to the dose of bromazolam I was taking. During first week I was withdrawing from bromazolam so I have experienced insomnia and intradose withdrawals, but it improved later on. I was gradually lowering my alprazolam dose while increasing diazepam, but I didn't manage to do it successfully and as of today I'm taking 2mg of alprazolam and 15mg of diazepam, but from tomorrow I'm supposed to take 50mg of diazepam.

The problem with diazepam (also with diclazepam back in the day) is that it makes me drowsy. I become somewhat depressed and apathetic. This doesn't happen with alprazolam (I didn't take any other rx benzodiazepine), but it didn't happen with etizolam, bromazolam or pyrazolam either. Is this normal? I'm starting to feel hopeless about this taper and I wish I wasn't doing it. I was supposed to contact my doctor this week, but I'm hesitating until the last moment because I don't know if asking for something else than diazepam would be appropriate.

Could you please let me know if you have experienced anything similar and how you dealt with it?

Diclazepam (2-Chloro Diazepam) > Delorazepam >> Lorazepam (Ativan) BEST benzodiazepine ever for tapering and long acting anxiolytic

Synthesized by same chemist who made Diazepam (Valium)

Avizafone (Pro-Diazepam) prodrug water soluble rapidity metabolize into Diazepam 10min 0.7h cmax


I WISH I can acquire more Diclazepam

 

[paranoid android]

I am currently on bromazepam for panic attacks and also clonazepam for general anxiety. Everyone reacts to benzos different for me bromazepam is basically just faster acting valium. And shorter acting valium as it doesent have the long half life and method of action. Anyway you can get back on the bromaz?