Benzos why does benzo withdrawal last so long when other gaba related drugs take only weeks?

[kaossalami]

Op your mistaking the PAW time for actual withdrawal time.

 

[burn out]

I think the designation of what it is that you are feeling is really irrelevant. It is obviously a withdrawal that you are experiencing. Whether it is post-acute or still acute is really a debate of semantics...

With benzos, that recovery period can indeed take a very long time to fully recover from, physically or mentally. Large doses and daily doses over periods of time are what tend to cause the worst scenarios.

I think you need to do a better taper if you ever do this again, because you shouldn't really feel the withdrawal if you're doing it correctly. Rebound anxiety is one thing, but actually feeling the withdrawal effects from the drug mean that you are not tapering the drug slowly enough.

This is a big part of the problem with these recoveries from benzo addiction that last months or years: The transition was not made smoothly from addicted to sober. If you're feeling the bad effects of the withdrawal and continue to taper and feel these bad effects, you're not going to just "go back to normal". You will go through a traumatic experience that changes your life. Your brain will not ever return to normal; you and your brain will just have to get used to the shocking new world that you are being thrown into when you don't taper correctly. Tapering correctly, on the other hand, allows for you to never lose control and have this traumatic experience in the first place. There is no "return to normal" because you transitioned smoothly, and never left "normal"...

you mean i won't ever go back to normal since i tapered too quickly? the reason i tapered fast was because i didn't want to spend years tapering. i was experience the tolerance withdrawal (i had symptoms even before i started to taper) so i thought that the sooner i got off the drug the better.

 

[JamtasticX]

you mean i won't ever go back to normal since i tapered too quickly? the reason i tapered fast was because i didn't want to spend years tapering. i was experience the tolerance withdrawal (i had symptoms even before i started to taper) so i thought that the sooner i got off the drug the better.

I wouldn't say that you wouldn't ever go back to normal. It's hard to say what effects a person will have from a withdrawal, but I would say it's a reach you could never be "normal". Although you may not ever be the same because you experienced something, who's to say what normal is.

 

[burn out]

well obviously the experience has changed/will change me i hope for the better in the sense that i have come to many realizations about how good my life was before this despite me thinking it was so bad and also finally learning patience. but i mean do you think the majority of the symptoms will go away?

 

[Pegasus]

Although you may not ever be the same because you experienced something, who's to say what normal is.

That is what I was trying to say, exactly...

 

[DaftPunkFan]

it's not PAWS (or at least if its, there is no difference between acute withdrawal and PAWS). i have been off benzos for more than 14 months after a taper and the withdrawal symptoms are only slightly improved over the first week. there was no improvement whatsoever for the first 7 months. benzo withdrawal really does last for years. i am beginning to lose hope of it ever leaving actually.

Alright, so this entire thread is beginning to freak me out. How long and at what dose do you need to be taking benzos for this kind of thing to happen?

I've been taking 1-1.5mg Xanax and/or 0.5-1mg Klonopin almost daily for a little over a year, with some days off. I'm considering trying to stop them completely if I can, for a few other reasons but also because I don't want to be going through withdrawal symptoms for over a year!

I know these are very low doses of each drug, relative to what some people are on. But please help me out, am I going to go through this when I do quit?

 

[hydrochron]

Alright, so this entire thread is beginning to freak me out. How long and at what dose do you need to be taking benzos for this kind of thing to happen?

I've been taking 1-1.5mg Xanax and/or 0.5-1mg Klonopin almost daily for a little over a year, with some days off. I'm considering trying to stop them completely if I can, for a few other reasons but also because I don't want to be going through withdrawal symptoms for over a year!

I know these are very low doses of each drug, relative to what some people are on. But please help me out, am I going to go through this when I do quit?

Man dont freak out your fine. Those low doses you can take forever. People who have taken high doses of benzo's for a few years are at a higer risk for complications, however with the proper valium taper, there should be no problems even for somone who's taken benzos for years.

Everyones body's different, and as long as you taper off and quit you'll never have any problems. You should know though the sooner you quit the better.

 

[duneplanet]

yea man i may be doing so bad because i am hypersensitive. i was on lowish dose for 3 months but ive been addicted before. slow valium taper is the way to go. took some phenibut today, feel a little calmer. dont think ill do it again tho

 

[duneplanet]

burn out you'll def feel better. all everyone is saying is that you will be changed from the experience. last time I was changed for the better. relax and ride it out

 

[lyro89]

Yup!

The main part of benzo withdrawal that was the worst for me was switching directly from klonopin to valium. I felt like I was on fire, I couldn't go out or talk to anyone without snapping.

After the valium taper though, I quickly bounced back to normal. For a good month though I was very quick, people would say I needed to take chill pill. The most pronounced symptom is acting very tense and not being able to relax. Basically a return of your anxiety.

I started sleeping better to after about 2 months. Benzo withdrawal is generally really bad when quiting cold turkey. If tapered it can be managable, but still more annoying then opiate withdrawal. It's definently not fun, but for the most part your going to see the symptoms you had before taking benzo's come back.

Obviously if you quit to fast are prone to seizures and being very uncomfortable. Post withdrawal can last awhile, however if you taper very low to get your body used to not having it's gaba receptors stimulated. It can be extremely mild to non existant, even after years of extreme recreational use. Everyones different, I find it's best to be positive about it and forget that you ever took the stuff.

Some people like me actually feel alot better when there off benzo's. Irritable bowel syndrom, depressed, anxious, isolated. It's amazing how these things all go away and you get healthier when you quit.

I quit my benzo (klonopin 1mg nightly) cold turkey and haven't looked back! I am prescribed Lexapro and Atarax (hydroxyzine) daily too, but haven't been taking those either. I've been sleeping so much better lately. It's only been about two weeks since my last klonopin. It's been tough at times. When it gets to be too much, I'll take an Atarax at night. The withdrawal is real! I just got to a point that I felt overly medicated and realiant. Some of my symptoms are irritability, dizziness, nausea, anxiety/depression, weight gain(from not being able to be physically active), trembling in my hands, and a few others ... But again, my sleep has improved. I don't feel overly exhausted in the mornings and I feel better knowing I am living a life less medicated!

 

[MagickalKat777]

Benzo withdrawal lasts so long because of how they work. Downregulation of GABA receptors can take months or even years to recover, it depends on each individual person. Its not PAWS, its an actual change that has happened in your brain that takes time to normalize.

The reason for a taper is to allow that normalization to happen with as little shock to the system as possible but people come off benzos and some are never the same. Even worse, introducing a GABAergic agent, even a beer, can actually trigger full-blown PAWS (that's when its PAWS, when you've already gotten over the initial shock to your system when it realizes "SHIT! THERE'S NOT ENOUGH GABA TO KEEP THE NERVES CALM!" and even worse, compensates by letting NMDA go psychotic on your nerves, and this can happen years down the line.

I failed three rapid detoxes and two tapers and I never got to the levels of abuse of others... now I have a new psychiatrist and I'm hoping she knows her shit more than the last one did!